The Devil of Clan Sinclair - Karen Ranney (Avon - Aug 2013)

Series: Clan Sinclair (Book 1)

To Dance with the Devil...

For Virginia Traylor, Countess of Barrett, marriage was merely the vehicle to buy her father a title. Widowhood, however, brings a host of problems. For her husband deliberately spent the money intended for Virginia and her in-laws, leaving them penniless -- unless she produces an heir. Desperate and confused, Virginia embarks on a fateful journey that brings her to the doorstep of the only man she's ever loved...

Hes known as the Devil, but Macrath Sinclair doesn't care. He moved to a tiny Scottish village in hopes of continuing his work as an inventor and starting a family of his own. He bought the house; he chose the woman. Unfortunately, Virginia didn't choose him. Macrath knows he should turn her away now, but she needs him, and he wants her more than ever. Whatever game Virginia's playing, Macrath intends to win...

I had mixed feelings about this book. Overall, I liked it. The first half was rather slow and a bit hard to stay interested in. The beginning would also have a chapter or two of the present time, then a chapter of flashback for the backstory, another chapter or two in the present, then flashback, etc. This went on for quite a while. I prefer my backstory mostly all at once - the constant back and forth was sometimes hard to follow. Things definitely picked up in the second half and I enjoyed it much more at that point.

Virginia was an American heiress, brought to London by her father to marry a man with a title. He didn't care what she wanted, she would basically go to the highest bidder. In the meantime, Virginia had met a Scottish man, a self-made millionaire, who understood her. They would meet at balls or other places where she could escape, and talk about politics, science, literature or anything that caught their fancy. They fell in love, but her father wouldn't even consider Macrath as a suitor. She was forced to marry the earl and forbidden to see or speak to Macrath.

Less than a year later, her husband was dead, and she discovered that all the money she had brought to the marriage had been used to purchase land that was then left to the cousin who inherited the title. Virginia and her mother- and sisters-in-law, were left with nothing unless Virginia had produced a son. Her mother-in-law, whom I DID NOT like at all, convinced her that she needed to quickly find a man who could get her pregnant with a child she could pass off as her husband's. Virginia did not like that idea at all, but could see no other option to keep them from becoming destitute. So she ran off to Scotland to try to seduce Macrath.

Macrath was stunned to see Virginia show up at Drumvagen. He had been unable to forget her after her marriage and had buried himself in his work. He was happy to have her there and hoped to make her want to stay. He was very willing to show her "how it's supposed to be between a man and a woman". After just a few days he's devastated to find out she has no intention of staying in Scotland, but returning to London. They part ways, and he heads off to Australia on business and she returns to London to take care of her family.

Unsurprisingly, she does end up pregnant and has a son, who the world assumes is her husband's. The baby is just a few months old when smallpox sweeps through London and Virginia becomes quite ill. Macrath returns to London about that time, and discovering the truth about the child, takes the baby back to Scotland while Virginia is ill, without telling her. She chases after him before she is fully recovered. When she arrives, he is still furious at her deception and refuses to allow her in the house or to see the baby. Over the next couple weeks she is stuck in a cottage on the estate and still unable to see the baby. By this point, Virginia has finally started to find a backbone and refuses to be kept away. I really enjoyed her determination and seeing what she does.

Over the next few weeks, Macrath begins to soften toward Virginia a little as he sees what a good mother she really is. Virginia also sees Macrath's happiness in being a father. But she still refuses to consider staying in Scotland, determined to keep up the deception and protect her family. It is getting harder for each of them, as their feelings for each other have only gotten stronger. The conflict could have been greatly reduced if she had just told him what the problem was.

Things were also complicated by her late husband's personal assistant, who was obsessed with Virginia. He was determined to have her for himself, and willing to do anything to get her. Over the course of the book he went from creepy to obsessed to dangerous. His appearance in Scotland added a layer of intensity that finally brought Macrath and Virginia together.

Virginia irritated me through most of the book because of her unwillingness to tell Macrath what was going on. She did have redeeming qualities. I liked her determination to take care of her son herself, no turn him over to nannies and we nurses. She was also kind to her in-laws, even though the mother-in-law was a piece of work. I didn't like that woman at all. Virginia was also pretty down-to-earth. She really didn't care about the benefits of the title. But until she became a mother, I found her to be rather a doormat.

Macrath I liked a lot. He made something of himself through his own hard work. He was true to himself, not trying to change to fit in with the aristocracy. I liked the way he treated Virginia like an intelligent human being when they had their discussions in the first part of the book. I completely understood his anger when he found out about the baby. I even understood his actions when Virginia came to Scotland, even though I felt he could have handled things a little better. I liked seeing him soften toward her, and realize that he still wanted her in his life. I thought his pursuit of her was pretty sweet.

The Virgin of Clan Sinclair - Karen Ranney (Avon - June 2014)

Series: Clan Sinclair (Book 3)

Ross Forster, the Earl of Gladsden, has spent his life creating order out of chaos. He expects discipline and calm from those around him. What he does not expect is a beautiful, thoroughly maddening stowaway in his carriage.

But when Ross discovers Ellice's secret book, he finds he can't stop thinking about what other fantasies the disarming virgin can dream up. He has the chance to learn when a compromising position forces them to wed. But can the uptight Earl survive a life with his surprising new wife? And how will the hero of Ellice's fantasies compare to the husband of her reality?

This was a very fun book to read. I really liked both Ellice and Ross. Ellice has spent the last several years pretty much under the thumb of her mother. Nothing that she does is right, and she is constantly being compared to her dead older sister. She finds it easier to just go along with what her mother wants in public, but in private it's a whole different story. Ellice has a pretty vivid imagination and has been writing a novel that is highly erotic. When her mother decides it's time to find Ellice a husband Ellice decides to run off to her friend who is a publisher and get her book published. She tries hiding in a visitor's coach, but is discovered before she can get anywhere.

Ross had stopped for a visit just to see what had been done with the house that his profligate father had started to build. He has spent the five years since his father's death trying to repair the reputation of his family. When he meets Ellice and discovers that she is the author of the scandalous manuscript he found in his coach he is horrified. He is also intrigued. He can't believe that an innocent young woman is capable of such writing, and is sure that she is writing from personal experience. Though he is determined to stay away from her, fate has other ideas.

I loved the interactions between Ellice and Ross. When she's away from her mother, Ellice has a pretty sharp tongue and doesn't seem to be afraid to use it. She frequently comes out ahead in the confrontations she has with Ross. She's also very intelligent and observant. When a storm keeps Ross from leaving immediately, they are thrown together by their efforts to help protect the local people from flooding. They discover that there is an attraction between them that occasionally gets the better of them. One of those occasions is witnessed by her mother and forces them to marry. Ross has very definite ideas on what kind of behavior he will accept, but Ellice isn't going to give up everything that's important to her just because of it. I loved the contract she came up with.

Once they're married Ross discovers that his preconceptions were all wrong and finds himself even more fascinated and captivated by his wife. Things are going well as they spend time getting to know each other. Ross finds that there is much more to Ellice than he had expected and is more and more distracted by her. This comes to a screeching halt when he fears that he is becoming more like his father and he suddenly pulls away from her. This leaves Ellice feeling that she's done something terribly wrong. I liked the way that she only put up with it for so long before standing up for herself and what she wanted. Ross also has to face his own past and decide what is more important to him, his family's reputation or Ellice. I loved his "aha" moment, and his gift to her later on.

I enjoyed the parts that the secondary characters played. I detested Ellice's mom and her attitude toward Ellice, though she had her use for the story. I was really rooting for Ellice to let her have it at some point, and loved seeing it when it happened. Ross's mother didn't have a huge part, but I enjoyed her when she appeared. I wasn't sure at the end if she was really as odd as she appeared, or if it was just a useful cover. I suspect the latter. I loved seeing the previous two couples in their current happy marriages. There was some stress between Virginia and her husband at the end, and her way of fixing it was fun to watch.