This fated-lovers regency romance featuring a haunted English lord and a determined Scottish lass penned by USA TODAY bestselling and HOLT Medallion winning author Bree Wolf proves that true love never dies…but sometimes it does test you.Scotland 1812: Returning to England after ten years, MAGGIE MACDRUMMOND finds herself confronted by a man of her past. Long ago, she lost her heart to her … heart to her childhood friend, only to have it crushed upon the first test of devotion. While Maggie spent the summer in Scotland with her family, the man she loved married another…without a word. Without warning. Without any thought for how his decision would crush her.
Ten years later, Maggie still cannot forget the man who’d once stolen her heart…and possesses it still. She is haunted by the moments they shared together, her heart foolishly longing for someone who treated it without care.
Determined to finally rid herself of his influence over her, Maggie travels to London to face him.
NATHAN PENHALE, EARL OF TOWNSEND, lives from day to day, from one distraction to another. His life holds no meaning, no depth, no substance. He is but a shadow of the man he’s once been. Until the day Nathan glimpses the woman with the fiery-red hair who captured his heart long ago at a ball. It takes no more than a look into her soulful blue eyes and his dead, shrivelled, dysfunctional heart once more begins to beat in his chest.
Shocked, Nathan can do little else but stand and stare at the ghost from his past, returned to torment him after ten years of agony. Nathan knows he ought to turn and leave, ignore her siren’s call for it will only lead him to his doom. But his foolish heart urges him down a different path. And then her eyes meet his…
Read Fooled & Enlightened and fall in love with this heartwarming tale that will tug at your heartstrings and keep you up till the wee hours of the morning! Each love story in this series can be read as a stand-alone. However, most readers prefer to read them in order.
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This was a fast-paced, swoon-worthy read, that I found I did not want to put down! The story was fresh, original and exciting with characters that are realistic and likable. It is everything you could want in a rousing romp through the pages of a historical romance and more!
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
Wow! This book was not what I expected at all!
I have to admit that at first I did not like the main characters. They seemed to be lost, selfish and self destructive. Granted it was a point in the past that started it but to see the hurt was difficult.
Then the healing and redemption occurs and the whole story feels changed and lighter!
I have enjoyed reading the whole series and enjoy the author’s skill in creating well developed characters and plots that allow the reader to feel and to be in the book.
This can be read as a stand alone but I advise you to read the whole series as it makes the characters so much deeper and enjoyable.
This is a great story of the pain of life, love unrequited, regrettable decisions, sorrows as death claimed loved ones. However, these life stories made the happiness that came later all the more joyous. I loved the way Ms Bree Wolf described the aching moment when the unrequited love became a joyous moment turned into wonderment. Hearts previously broken now awakening. Her descriptions of the feelings of her characters are quite empathetic. My own feelings while I read them came to light and I could see and live vicariously through them. Heartache, betrayal, love, utter happiness. Every touching moment brought tears to my eyes and made my own heart ache or rejoice. I fell in love with Maggie’s daughter, Blair. She is so adorable. It made me marvel at the innocence of children and the way they can sense the feelings of those close to them and how they can soothe them with childlike understanding. I also appreciated that a few loose ends in previous books in this series were satisfyingly answered and explained. And the HEA…! Wonderful!
This is a great story of the pain of life, love unrequited, regrettable decisions, sorrows as death claimed loved ones. However, these life stories made the happiness that came later all the more joyous. I loved the way Ms Bree Wolf described the aching moment when the unrequited love became a joyous moment turned into wonderment. Hearts previously broken now awakening. Her descriptions of the feelings of her characters are quite empathetic. My own feelings while I read them came to light and I could see and live vicariously through them. Heartache, betrayal, love, utter happiness. Every touching moment brought tears to my eyes and made my own heart ache or rejoice. I fell in love with Maggie’s daughter, Blair. She is so adorable. It made me marvel at the innocence of children and the way they can sense the feelings of those close to them and how they can soothe them with childlike understanding. I also appreciated that a few loose ends in previous books in this series were satisfyingly answered and explained. And the HEA…! Wonderful!
I enjoyed reading the story of Maggie and Nathan. They encountered many frustratingly hopeless setbacks in their relationship. I wasn’t able to put the book down wanting to see if they would be able to overcome all the obstacles that their relationship faced. I love the character of Blair. Bree Wolf makes you care for her characters, and Blair is a great addition to the story with her words of wisdom.
I also enjoy having previous characters intertwined in each book. This was a great addition to the series.
After ten years, Maggie MacDrummond decides to return to England and end the torment of loving someone she can never have. Nathan Penhale, Earl of Townsend has loved Maggie since they were children. When Maggie married someone else, his life became one of dissipation. On her return to London they discover the lie that kept them apart. Nathan sees this as a second chance, but can he be the man she needs him to be for her and her children. How can they be together when her home is in Scotland and his in London? A painful and tearful second chance with lots of obstacles. This was a very emotional book to read.
Love Lost And Found
I have read every book in the second chance series and have enjoyed them all. In this story, Nathan Penhale, broken and lost turns to women and drink after Maggie marries another. Scheming and lies causes the pain that led to Maggie’s decision to marry a man she does not love. Ten long years the two suffer from longing and heartbreak before their paths meet again. I was excited to read another great story in this series and was not disappointed. The twists and turns, the deceptions and lies all come home in a reckoning and two people that suffered because of it will finally get their HEA.
5 stars
I received a free copy of the historical romance Fooled & Enlightened The Englishman’s Scottish Wife:Love’s Second Chance series : Book 16 by Bree Wolf and this review was given freely.
Complex and easy flowing with a few twists and a touch of the mystical in the form of young Blair, this struggle of duty over longing and love provides us a deeper insight into the cause of the
broken relationship between Ian and Maggie MacDrummond and although if did not lessen my sympathy for Ian it did increase my empathy towards Maggie. Ends happily but with a cliffhanger.
Separated by lies, Lady Margaret Brandley, daughter to the Earl of Tynham ruins her life with an unhappy marriage while Nathan Penhale, Earl of Townsend buries his heart ache with multiple women and
alcohol until fate and a little help from Blair cause the now widowed Maggie MacDrummond to return to England and confront the man she thought broke her heart.
Oh my goodness, my heartstrings felt yanked all over the place. There were so many times I wasn’t even sure what to hope for. Of course I wanted Nathan and Maggie to get their happily ever after, but the complexities in the story weren’t quite so cut and dry. The added elements of both of them being parents, and the struggles with grief and loss. Then adding a betrayal as well as them living in two separate countries with strong ties to both! Bree took so many elements and ties from her earlier books and then she set the bar for herself higher than ever in creating this book. I absolutely love stories where there is attention to not only details in the story, but also really pull into the emotions and struggles of the characters. Leaving you feeling like you’ve just made new friends and it’s time for coffee and Dove Dark Chocolate. Looking forward to the next book to come.
Margaret Macdrumoned move to Scotland with her mother. She was in love with Nathan Penhale, Earl of Townsend, having planned on returning but her mother said he had married. So she found Ian and he loved her dearly. She could not love him like she loved Nathan. After two children her husband died in an accident leaving her by herself and the children to raise. She went back to tell Nathan to release her heart so she could move on with her life. This story has lots of twists and turns. I was given a ARC of this book and I highly recommend reading this book.
The lie that pulled them apart ten years ago not only hurt Maggie and Nathan, but also affected all those who loved them. When they meet again and learn the truth, they want to believe they have a second chance. There is even more at stake now than their happiness Maggie is a widow with two children. Nathan has become a drunken mess. He also has a son, unrecognized. They still love each other, but is possible to take advantage of the opportunity Fate has given them?
The story is highly emotional. The characters work through grief, longing, resentment, drama, uncertainty, and finally to hope. Nathan and Maggie have to move from what happened in the past to how to deal with the consequences of those events. They will have help from their families, characters familiar to fans of the Second Chances series. The children are adorable. Blair is a clam little one with an unusual insight who dispenses wise advice to young and old alike. She encourages her reticent brother Niall and Nathan’s son Colin to listen and to open up about their concerns. As everything comes together, Maggie and Nathan determine to get it right. A very nice addition to the series, I recommend this one.
I received an ARC of this book from the author. My review is voluntary.
Maggie and Nathan were once great friends, but circumstances drew them apart for 10 years. Now they are both in England and suffering from heart break. Both blame each other for their broken hearts. Both now have children which they love wholeheartedly and don’t want to hurt in any way.
This is a well written love story. Beautiful Scottish scenery is described to give you a feel for the country.
A fantastic story that kept me inthralled from start to finish. There’s twists and turns and the Author has done a great job with the World building as well as the Character building. This Author definitely knows how to keep the audience captivated in the read. I could not put the read down until I finished it. I definitely recommend.
Shauna Joesten
Maggie has loved Nathan as long as she can remember when her mother tells her he is to marry another her heartbreaks, Scotland becomes her home and she marries Ian MacDrummond meanwhile back in England Nathan wasting his life drinking and womanizing never forgetting Maggie. Maggie’s marriage has problems because she could never love him when he dies after ten years she returns to England to confront Nathan but she may find truth in place of the lies she had believed. You will get a chance to glimpse friends from past stories great book but a little long in starting.
Fooled and Enlightened was such a wonderful book. Maggie MacDrummond and Nathan Penhale, Earl of Townsend finally get their HEA. This journey has lies, deception, grief, family loyalty, children with wisdom beyond their years, and so much more. It was awesome to see characters from previous books. It was such a well written story and I can’t wait for you to read it.
I really liked this hero. He showed that he was truly devoted.
A mesmerizing, heart-moving story with twists and turns that lead from darkness and despair into the light of hope and happiness. Bree Wolf’s pen brings to life all the emotions of Nathan and Maggie, the excitement, the joy, the pain, the anguish, the despair. Two heart-broken souls living with regrets and pain, consuming their lives. A very well-written story with well developed characters, that got me hooked on its pages!
Scotland 1812: Returning to England after ten years, Maggie MacDrummond finds herself confronted by a man of her past. Long ago, she lost her heart to her childhood friend, only to have it crushed upon the first test of devotion. While Maggie spent the summer in Scotland with her family, the man she loved married another…without a word. Without warning. Without any thought for how his decision would crush her.
Ten years later, Maggie still cannot forget the man who’d once stolen her heart…and possesses it still. She is haunted by the moments they shared together, her heart foolishly longing for someone who treated it without care. Determined to finally rid herself of his influence over her, Maggie travels to London to face him.
Nathan Penhale, Earl of Townsend, lives from day to day, from one distraction to another. His life holds no meaning, no depth, no substance. He is but a shadow of the man he’s once been. Until the day Nathan glimpses the woman with the fiery-red hair who captured his heart long ago at a ball. It takes no more than a look into her soulful blue eyes, and his dead, shrivelled, dysfunctional heart once more begins to beat in his chest.
Shocked, Nathan can do little else but stand and stare at the ghost from his past, returned to torment him after ten years of agony. Nathan knows he ought to turn and leave, ignore her siren’s call, for it will only lead him to his doom. But his foolish heart urges him down a different path.
And then her eyes meet his…
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4.5 stars, rouded up to 5 stars.
Fooled & Enlightened:The Englishman’s Scottish Wife is the sixteenth book in Bree Wolf’s Love’s Second Chance series. This book could serve as a stand-alone book, as could the other books in this seires. I do however highly recommend that you at least read book 14, Banished and Welcomed: The Laird’s Reckless Wife prior so that you have a better understanding of the troubled times that Maggie and her family have been facing, which will give you a greater sympathy for these characters, but it is not strictly necessary. If you do choose to read the previous books first, it adds to your enjoyment of the book when the main characters from the other books make appearances. And in this book we actually get to see quite a few characters from previous books.
Fooled & Enlightened: The Englishman’s Scottish Wife has been one of my favorite books in the series. The misunderstanding between the main characters was drawn out the perfect amount and by which, I mean not very long at all. And there was a lovely balance with the family and romance dyanamic within the story; one does not overshadow the other because they are both equally important.
I loved both main characters, although Nathan wasn’t the most likable at the start of the book. But it is clear to see that this is stemming from an attempt to numb himself. As the book progresses though you can see his clear and genuine attempts to redeem himself and right his life, which served to make him such a great character.
More often than not in these books, there is a conflict between our main characters that seems insurmountable, but the author always has a lovely twist that ensures a HEA for them by the end. And this one does not disappoint. For much of the book, the circumstances Nathan and Maggie face seem like there is no solution that with work for all involved, which leads to some brooding. And the reason I gave this book a 4.5, rather than a 5 star rating is due to the amount of brooding. I understand why, but it was a bit repetitive for me.
I recommend this book, and the rest of Bree Wolf’s Love Second Chance series, if you enjoy clean historical romance with a guaranteed HEA. Based on the foreshawdowing, I believe I can safely guess who an upcoming book will focus on and I very much look forward to reading it.
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I was sent an eARC of The Englishman’s Scottish Wife by the author, Bree Wolf in exchange for an honest review. This is my voluntary and honest review.
A lie pulled them apart, fate brings them back together. But Nathan has some damage to undo with his illegitimate son and the widowed Maggie has to figure out why her son, Niall is so angry. Her daughter, Blair has a special gift and brings enlightenment to this bleak time. After all is worked out Nathan and Maggie may have a chance to marry and be happy. I received a complimentary copy and I am voluntarily reviewing.
Maggie Macdrummond now a widow needs to travel to London to confront her past. A decade ago, she spent the summer in Scotland with her mother’s family & the man she loved married another…without a word. Without warning. Ten years later, Maggie still cannot forget the man who’d once stolen her heart and possesses it still. She is haunted by the moments they shared together, her heart foolishly longing for someone who treated it without care. Determined to finally rid herself of his influence over her, Maggie travels to London to face him. Nathan Penhale, Earl Of Townsend, lives from day to day, from one distraction to another. His life holds no meaning, no depth, no substance. He is but a shadow of the man he’s once been. Until the day Nathan glimpses the woman with the fiery-red hair who captured his heart long ago. It takes no more than a look into her soulful blue eyes and his dead, shrivelled, dysfunctional heart once more begins to beat in his chest.
What a lovely read, a very well written book with wonderful characters. An extremely cruel act deeply hurt & altered the lives of two people, I loved the journey the pair took to find their HEA & at times I wondered if they would make it. I loved Maggie apart from all the tears, I liked Nathan at the start but as he ‘found’ himself again I quickly grew to love him I adored Blair who totally stole the book & one dat would love her story once she’s grown up. This is the sixteenth book in the series & whilst it could easily be read on its own the characters from the series do live in the same Breeworld so they do make appearances which certainly adds to my enjoyment. A captivating, engrossing read that once started found very hard to put down
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read