A soldier burdened by guilt… …to the future Earl of Foxgrove? Captain Lucas Johns-Ives is injured in the same battle that killed his brother. Haunted by loss, Lucas’s life is saved by Mairi Wallace. In this Highland idyll, masquerading as her family’s butler, Lucas can avoid the responsibilities of becoming the new Earl. He’s tempted by Mairi’s sweetness — but to win her hand, he must face … hand, he must face his demons and claim his noble birth right…
“From its riveting start to the satisfying conclusion and all the compelling scenes in-between, I was always captivated”
— Goodreads on Shipwrecked with the Captain
“A bit of danger enters the story, adding a touch of suspense to an already delightful read. I consider this to be MORE than worth your time and money!”
— Huntress Reviews on Shipwrecked with the Captain
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The Lord’s Highland Temptation by Diane Gaston is am emotional, and compelling story. Set in 1816 Scotland.
An Englishman, who is heartbroken at his eldest brother’s death on the battlefield meets a Scottish lass, who has heartbreak of her own. Meet Captain Lucas Johns-Ives and Mairi Wallace and share their incredible story.
Well written with heart pounding adventure at times.
Well crafted with charming, engaging and interesting characters. Absolutely loved Mairi’s siblings, they were so entertaining! Hope they will find their way into a book of their own.
Ms. Gaston has written an incredible story of past trauma, grief, secrets, misery, facing demons, romance, with a bit of suspense, an eccentric family with unfortunate circumstances and a few twists and turns, and an Englishman posing as a lowly servant, which all makes a terrific and page turning story. An emotional and compelling, sweet Scottish romance.
Fans of Scottish Romance, adventure, secrets, Historical Romance will definitely find THE LORD’S HIGHLAND TEMPATION to their liking. A must read!
Rating: 4.5
Heat rating: Sweet
Reviewer: AprilR
Good story about two people with painful pasts who find love and healing with each other. Lucas was devastated by his brother’s death at Waterloo and consumed by the guilty feeling that he should have been able to save Bradleigh. Unable to face taking his brother’s place as heir to the earldom, Lucas wanders aimlessly through Scotland, drinking his way from inn to inn while trying to forget. Ill and passed out near some standing stones Lucas is found by the younger children of Baron Dunham, who fetch their older sister for help. They take Lucas to their home to nurse him back to health.
Mairi is at her wit’s end, trying to keep her family from financial ruin. The last thing she wants is a strange Englishman to take care of, especially one who reminds her of a devastating incident that happened several years earlier. That incident has had a significant impact on Mairi’s life and the way she looks at the world.
There is a connection between Lucas and Mairi from the start, though both of them try to resist it. As Lucas recovers from his illness, he has a front-row seat to Mairi’s efforts to save her family. Impressed by what he sees and unexpectedly compelled to help, Lucas conceals who he really is as he does what he can. Though Mairi is suspicious and wary at first, she finds herself trusting Lucas. Lucas is drawn further into the lives of the family as he plays the part of a servant to help them out of an awkward situation. I ached for Mairi whose efforts are unappreciated by her family and felt her frustration at her parents’ attitudes. I loved Lucas’s support of her, and his attempts to show them the truth.
Matters become more complicated when the visitors include a man with a hidden agenda. Hargreaves is a wealthy man who has designs on their land and title and who will do anything to get it. When he also attends the same house party as the Dunhams, Lucas’s protective instincts are aroused. I liked seeing Mairi and Lucas grow closer and loved how they opened up to each other about their pasts. Lucas knows he has to come clean with Mairi about who he is, especially when someone at the party recognizes him. When matters take a turn for the worse, Lucas must decide if he’s ready to face his past and his responsibilities. I ached for Mairi as she faced a miserable future. I was on the edge of my seat as I wondered how long it would take Lucas to come to his senses. I must say, he came through in a stellar manner in a very exciting scene. The epilogue was good too.
I liked the secondary characters also. From Mairi’s family to the servants, they all added complexity to the story. Mairi’s brother and sister were realistic in their sibling disagreements and their often obliviousness to what went on around them. I wanted to shake her parents on multiple occasions because of their utter unwillingness to face the truth of their circumstances and their attitudes toward Mairi as she tried to help. I liked seeing some of the story from the servants’ side of things and the look at what their lives were like. Their respect for Lucas said a lot about the kind of man he was.
The Lord’s Highland Temptation is the first book I’ve read by Diane Gaston. I will definitely be checking out more of her books. If you like the heat of your romances to be behind closed doors instead of in your face, this story will be right up your alley.
Captain Lucas Johns-Ives was a cavalry officer who served with his brother, an heir to an earldom. He was tasked by his parents to do everything necessary to keep his brother from harm. But alas, who can possibly keep that promise in the midst of a bloody battle? His brother was cut down at Waterloo. Having failed his parents and not wanting to be an heir to what should never have been his, Lucas takes off, wandering and drinking, and ends up in Scotland. Extremely sick and frankly wanting to die, he collapses in a ring of fairy stones, to be discovered by the younger brother and sister of Mairi Wallace. Mairi and the children bring him back to their home to recover.
Mairi is apparently the only person in the household who lives in the real world. Her frivolous parents have practically beggared the estate. Most of the servants have been let go, and the ones remaining are no longer paid. Mairi is the one person trying to keep the family afloat. Beginning to recover, Lucas does not tell her who he really is or what has happened. Mairi, too, has a secret of her own. When company unexpectedly comes, Lucas volunteers to act as their butler to help the family keep up appearances. Things snowball from there.
This is a lovely romance between two broken people. Mairi suffers from what we now call PTSD from an incident that occurred five years earlier. Also, her family makes her feel like the bad guy when she attempts to force them to economize. Lucas feels tremendous guilt over the death of his brother and his parents’ reaction to Lucas surviving instead of their heir. These two people desperately need someone to help them each heal…can they find that healing together? Such a touching romance!
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.
Captain Lucas Johns-Ives cannot get beyond the battle where he was injured and his brother, the heir, killed. Lucas feels as if it should have been him dead on the battle field. Injured and weak, he is saved by Mairi Wallace and her siblings. The family needs some help and Lucas decides to pose as the family’s butler. That way he can ovoid his new responsibilities as the heir. He finds himself enamored by Mairi but know he cannot claim her until he faces his demons. Mairi has her own demons to fight. Perhaps together they can heal and conquer those demons.
Mairi was a brave woman, willing to do what was necessary to ensure the well being of her family. Her parents were caught up in the game of appearances while racking up lots of debts. Mairi tried to help but was thwarted at every turn. Lucas wanted nothing more than to escape the pain of his injuries and the loss of his brother, the true heir. Taking on the duties of the butler helped him realize he had a lot to offer. The only problem was if it was enough for taking up his position as the new heir and making himself good enough for Mairi.
You cannot help but falling love with Mairi and Lucas. Each had something major in their pasts to deal with while at the same time trying to keep the Wallace family solvent. As things go downhill, Lucas begins to realize what is important and steps up. The endings is so very romantic, the stuff dreams are made of. This one with stay with you long after the last word has been read. Pick up The Lord’s Highland Temptation. You’ll be glad you did.