In 1920s Scotland, even ghosts wear plaid.Welcome to a sexy, spooky new paranormal historical series from debut author Ella Stainton.Scotland, 1928Dr. Ainsley Graham is cultivating a reputation as an eccentric.Two years ago, he catastrophically ended his academic career by publicly claiming to talk to ghosts. When Joachim Cockburn, a WWI veteran studying the power of delusional thinking, arrives … Cockburn, a WWI veteran studying the power of delusional thinking, arrives at his door, Ainsley quickly catalogues him as yet another tiresome Englishman determined to mock his life’s work.
But Joachim is tenacious and openhearted, and Ainsley’s intrigued despite himself. He agrees to motor his handsome new friend around to Scotland’s most unmistakable hauntings. If he can convince Joachim, Ainsley might be able to win back his good name and then some. He knows he’s not crazy—he just needs someone else to know it, too.
Joachim is one thesis away from realizing his dream of becoming a psychology professor, and he’s not going to let anyone stop him, not even an enchanting ginger with a penchant for tartan and lewd jokes. But as the two travel across Scotland’s lovely—and definitely, definitely haunted—landscape, Joachim’s resolve starts to melt. And he’s beginning to think that an empty teaching post without the charming Dr. Graham would make a very poor consolation prize indeed…
more
Best Laid Plaids is an amazing debut. It’s fun, sexy, charming, and heart-warming and so much more. Ainsley and Joachim are two unique academics each in search of a new beginning as well as someone to truly understand them. The slightly eccentric ADD Ainsley’s career was cut short due to his insistence of the existence of the supernatural (Ainsley is a wonderfully hilarious character who at times overestimates his own power but is somehow still extremely endearing due to massive amounts of wit, charm, and sexiness. You want to shake your head at him, but also want to both laugh and kiss him. The balance in creating him and making him both venial and likable is something to behold.).
Anyway, while Ainsley doesn’t need to work due to his family’s wealth, after quite a bit of time doing everything healthy and un not to be sad, he needs purpose, almost as much as he needs to overcome his own guilt over his brother’s death.
Joachim is a former WWI solider from a much more modest background, who is working hard to be a credible academic and help his own family. He’s cautious, caring, and conscientious, but with a quiet but wicked sense of humor, and his own stern sexiness. He’s fighting both guilt from his love’s death and PTSD as well as a whole lot of feelings of inadequacy when he comes to “study” Ainsley.
What starts out as two men ostensibly using each other (Ainsley feeling far less guilt that Jochim) becomes a journey through the world of both the supernatural and their own healing. It has a bunch of surprises in store for skeptic Joachim as well as commitment-phone Ainsley.
The build of their relationship is a joy to watch. The banter in this book is the absolute best as are the teasing and sly jokes. There are also just so many funny moments, both clever and slapstick. The side characters are all unique and weird and interesting and hilarious. As are the ghosts. Everyone needs ghosts. And Violet is the best of good dogs.
What’s even better is the writing. First, there is the atmospheric quality that the voice, the writing, and the details create. Its everything. It feels 1920s but in all the best was, the tone, the fun, the little bit of underlying sadness. It’s just fabulous.
And second, the voice is so incredibly unique and delightful and delicious, it is just everything. No one writes like this. It’s signature. You will be able to tell a Ella Stainton book a million miles away in the future, in the best way possible. It’s a star voice.
Anyway, all I can say is READ THIS BOOK. Seriously. It will make your entire year.
I’ve never been to Scotland, and this book gave me a peak into it. Also, adult ADHD coupled with a very intelligent mind was interesting and witty. I bought the sequel and am enjoying it, too. Okay, not a fan of ghosts, but these are interesting.
Very different and enjoyable. Michael
This book starts out a hoot, with Dr. Ainsley Graham mistaking Joachim Cockburn for someone else and attempting to seduce him. Joachim is, of course, a very self-possessed man with a certain gravitas that he manages to maintain despite Ainsley’s shenanigans. It sets off a dynamic that persists throughout the entire novel.
The fulcrum of the story is Ainsley believes that ghosts are real and Joachim travels to Scotland to prove that he is wrong. So imagine his reaction when they take a kind of road trip through the countryside to visit haunted places and he experiences things both supernatural and very, very emotional. Because not only does Ainsley’s exuberant personality convince him that he might be a few marbles short of a set, but it is that very same glee that makes him irresistible to Joachim.
Our two MCs have excellent chemistry, with Ainley providing the sunshine and Joachim all grump and seriousness. It’s an excellent dynamic, one of my favorites in romance, and this story excels in depicting that. As a historical romance, it feels authentic to me. I was never once pulled out of the story. A sort of odd couple in plaid. A second book is underway (or may already be out), so I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out on that one. An impressive debut!
I received a copy of this book from Carina Press/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Audio Review:
Overall – 5
Performance – 5
Story – 5
Great characters, great narration.
Best Laid Plaids is the first book I’ve read by Ella Stainton and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I started out reading this book but then I found a copy of the audiobook in my library’s digital catalog so I decided to listen to it. I believe that it’s also the first book I’ve listened to by Cornell Collins (although I do have others by him in my Audible library).
I want to start out by saying that I really loved what the author says after the dedication to her grandmother but before the actual text of the book starts. You can see it if you use the “look inside” feature available at some online book sellers.
The story was so good. It’s an early 1900’s historical with just a twist of paranormal – there are ghosts involved. But it really is just a love story between two men who constantly seem to fight their feelings for each other. They don’t communicate all that well except when they are getting it on (if you know what I mean). Both of them have unresolved issues in their pasts that have caused them to feel tremendous guilt.
I loved the two main characters of Ainsley, who can hear ghosts, and Joachim who is out to prove that ghosts don’t exist. The rich cast of secondary characters, including the ghosts, made this a very interesting story. It held my attention right from the beginning and I hated when real life intervened and I had to put it aside without finishing it in one go.
Cornell Collins did a fantastic job with his performance of the audio. He used voices for the various characters that were easy to understand and easy to distinguish who was speaking. I will definitely be listening to more of his work. I am also looking forward to reading the next book in this series, Where There’s a Kilt, There’s a Way, which should be available sometime in the first quarter of 2021.
A review copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley but this did not influence my opinion or rating of the book.
Witty and poignant, and sexy as hell, Ella Stainton’s debut novel Best Laid Plaids is the most fun I’ve had in ages! With a racy courtship, several spectral family members, and a whole lot of Roaring 20s charm, Joachim and Ainsley explore some of Scotland’s haunted places, and find way more than just spooks and spirits along the way.
On a quest for research material for his PhD thesis, Joachim Cockburn heads out to investigate Ainsley Graham’s claim he can speak with ghosts. Widely regarded as eccentric, Ainsley is a respected author and folklorist, but his career as a university professor ended abruptly once he began inviting ghosts into his classroom.
The last thing Joachim expects when he arrives at Ainsley’s home is to be propositioned by a luscious hunk of Scottish goodness, fully decked out in a kilt. Joachim rebuffs the forthright come-on (after all, this is illegal in 1928!). But Ainsley is quite persistent and it doesn’t take long for Joachim’s resolve to crumble. Their dance of woo is flirty and sassy, and the fun is just getting started when these two find their way to the bedroom.
Ella Stainton writes a gorgeous love scene, and I adore what happens to these two men as their intimacy grows. Feeling free to explore their inner desires, aspects of their characters emerge to reveal a natural D/s connection. Joachim revels in dominating as thoroughly as Ainsley finds peace in submission, and the result is erotic and truly lovely.
These characters are so likable and real, and their idiosyncrasies add so much to enhance the story. I couldn’t help but adore them both, but my heart really went out to Joachim. Learning to cope with the physical handicap of his war injury is devastating, and he’s also battling loneliness and depression. A true romantic soul, Joachim has long since dismissed his dream of a lifelong companion. I found the emotions he shows while processing his intimate relationship with Ainsley to be very moving.
A captivating blend of ghost story and erotic romance, I couldn’t put this novel down for a minute. Ella Stainton’s writing style is thoroughly engaging, and the characters are complex and interesting. Ms. Stainton is truly outstanding when she brings out Ainsley’s Scots mannerisms and explores the depths of that sensual man whom Joachim hides under his buttoned-up façade.
I love historical romances where the characters find a way to be together, and Ainsley and Joachim do it one better in Best Laid Plaids. With the support of their family and friends, these two special guys can revel in their well-deserved happily ever after. Well, at least until their next adventure, Where There’s a Kilt, There’s a Way, which is anticipated for March, 2021. I can hardly wait for this Kilty Pleasures series to continue!
There are a lot of things one can resist in this world, but a historic MM romance set in Scotland with men who wear kilts is NOT one of them.
I was fortunate enough to read an early version of Best Laid Plaids and then had the joy of falling back in love with Joachim and Ainsley all over again when it was released at the end of August.
Where to begin? Well since our story starts with Joachim, our review should as well. Now, we all know my affinity for broken boys and Joachim is just that. He was injured in WWI and has been left with a limp. So when I say broken? I mean that literally. He is also grumpy which is pretty darn precious to me. Yes, grumpy, broken boys are my catnip. Don’t judge me.
Oh and then there is Ainsley. Bratty, excessive, exuberant, over the top, flamboyant Ainsley. Here’s the thing you need to know about one so loud and brash… usually that means they are hiding hidden pain and our boy Ainsley carries a boatload of that.
He also hears dead people, so there’s that.
Joachim’s intent when he arrives on Ainsley’s doorstep is to factually disprove the disgraced scholar’s assertions that he can hear the dead speak to him. And to use this data as the basis for his own thesis. Unfortunately for Joachim, the best laid plans (see how that comes in???) are often fraught with difficulties. Many issues popping up when Joachim finds himself more and more convinced the data supports Ainsley.
Especially after one of Ainsley’s mystical friends heals Joachim’s war wounds and his limp disappears. Yeah, that totally happens.
As with any good romance (and although this is Ms. Stainton’s debut, it is far more than good, it is stellar and will easily create a rabid fan following), our boys are put to an incredible test of emotional depth and trust with the tenuous bonds so recently formed being stretched to the brink of breaking.
Although the connection the two men share is moving, my moments of reaching for a Kleenex came from the unlikely sources of the ghosts haunting their relationship. Literal ones. The dead had left this world with much left unsaid and each man had his own journey to healing by listening to the wisdom and truth they imparted.
Even if you aren’t a fan of the paranormal, I’d encourage you to take a leap and read Best Laid Plaids today because there is so much more to this story than you’d expect. Keep a glass of ice water handy too, because the sex scenes are plentiful and burn every page.
I am blown away by the talent of debut author Ella Stainton. Best Laid Plaids is incredibly well-written historical romance: it’s equal parts haunting, witty, and sexy. Stainton has crafted fully-formed, endearing characters and a world that teeters between real life and the paranormal. I fell in love with the banter between Ainsley and Joachim. Historical romance usually isn’t my jam, but I’m glad I stepped outside my reading comfort zone for Best Laid Plaids. Excited to see what Ella Stainton cooks up next!
I don’t usually read historical romance set in the 1900 but I have read a review that made me look this book up and here I am trying to convince you to give it a try because this book was just amazingly great.
It’s steamy and the chemistry and scenes between the characters had me blushing so much. I loved the writing and the overall experience while reading this story and it’s very interesting to see that this is a debute novel and I’m so looking forward to the next books in the series.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this book. I am providing a voluntary review. All thoughts and views are my own.
Holy smokes, folx. Best Laid Plaids by Ella Stainton was an utter delight. It combined historical and paranormal—admittedly two of the romance subgenres I struggle the most to connect with—and did so with finesse and ease. While the historical aspects were clearly there, they didn’t overtake the story, which was refreshing. As someone who prefers contemporary, I can sometimes get lost in the weeds of historical fiction when an author gets too hung up on using every scrap of research they did on the era. A little bit can go a long way, and Stainton does a lovely job with that.
As far as the paranormal aspects, I found those to be fun and well handled. They added to the story without causing cringe, and their involvement helped to move the plot forward rather than stagnating it as paranormal elements can often do. Again, like historical, I find many authors in the PNR genre can get distracted by their world-building and forget to tell the story. Stainton stays on track and delivers a page-turning romance with just the right hint of historical and paranormal to keep things interesting.
I would recommend this book to a much wider audience than I might have originally thought. It seems quite niche in appearance, but because Stainton keeps the story focused on the romance—and the steamy smexy scenes!—it will find a much wider audience than it might have if her focus had been shifted even marginally more toward the subgenre specifics. So, if you love romance and, like me, often shy away from historical and/or paranormal, I would highly recommend you give this a read! It’s a unique and enjoyable tale, and a fun divergence from your average contemporary.