Review : When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : When a Scot Ties the Knot (Castle Ever After #3)
Author : Tessa Dare
Publication Date : August 25th 2015
Publisher : Avon
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On the cusp of her first London season, Miss Madeline Gracechurch was shyly pretty and talented with a drawing pencil, but hopelessly awkward with gentlemen. She was certain to be a dismal failure on the London marriage mart. So Maddie did what generations of shy, awkward young ladies have done: she invented a sweetheart.

A Scottish sweetheart. One who was handsome and honorable and devoted to her, but conveniently never around. Maddie poured her heart into writing the imaginary Captain MacKenzie letter after letter … and by pretending to be devastated when he was (not really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures of London society entirely.

Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her imaginings shows up in the flesh. The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her doorstep—handsome as anything, but not entirely honorable. He’s wounded, jaded, in possession of her letters… and ready to make good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep.

Personal Thoughts

Tessa Dare's books are what dreams are made of. They are so incredibly lovely, and leave you grinning so hard until your face hurts because of just how adorable they are. The Castle Ever After series by her is one of my all-time favorite historical romance series. With each book, the author continues to make me fall in love with her characters and envious of the swoony romances. I was already anticipating reading When a Scot Ties the Knot having loved the first two books, but I took one glance at that gorgeous cover and read that summary and I couldn't wait anymore. I dove into When a Scot Ties the Knot the minute I got the book and couldn't put it down even for a second! I think it's safe to say that I know what my favorite book in the Castle Ever After series is.

The focus of this series has been on the strong women from book one. What's so great about the portrayal of these feminist characters is that Tessa Dare shows how there is a variety of ways one can be a strong female character. Her characters aren't always overtly bold, but they possess a quiet determination to them which make them excellent role models. When a Scot Ties the Knot's Maddie was no different. She was shy and suffered from social anxiety, but that it no way meant that she was weak. Maddie was an endearing heroine, her passion for scientific illustrations and nature bleeding through the pages. You can't help but love this girl for not allowing her shyness to be an obstacle to her dreams. As the book went on, I fell even more in love with her as I discovered the more romantic side of her personality. By the end, I was certain that if Maddie were real, she and I would be best friends!

She finds the PERFECT love interest in the form of a hot Scot, Logan Mackenzie. This man was all gruff and brawniness, but what a sweetheart he was. Logan was the kind of hero whose mere mention causes my heart to flutter. What really attracted me to his personality was just how loyal he was to his quirky crew of soldiers and how everything he did was selfless and for their happiness. And to the fact that he was a bookworm and we were treated to a scene of him reading, with reading glasses on, one of my favorite classics, Pride & Prejudice, my ovaries were doomed. Even though he blackmailed our heroine into marriage, he treated her with utmost respect. He also had issues with trust, and the war had hardened him as any war would to a person, but throughout the book we watched as he became more open with Maddie and he became comfortable in his own skin.

The romance between Maddie and Logan was undoubtedly the highlight of this book for me. Tessa Dare writes some of the swooniest and most romantic love stories ever and I think When a Scot Ties the Knot might be her best to date. Maddie and Logan had an unusual start. To escape having to go to balls, Maddie creates an imaginary love interest with the name of "Logan Mackenzie" whom she writes to over the years and has him "killed" so as not cause pain to her family if they discover that she has been lying. So you can imagine her surprise and shock when she discovered that Logan Mackenzie does exist! Their romance was adorable and I loved everything from the banter to watching the growth in their relationship. This was a romance that slowly grew into trust and watching the affection between the two of them bubble was a delight for me. It will make you smile, laugh, swoon and by the end, have your heart overflowing with love for the pair.

I'm sad that this companion series is over now and that I have no books set in a castle to look forward to from Tessa Dare, but she ended it with a loud bang. When a Scot Ties the Knot reminds me why I have so much love for historical romance as a genre. Seriously, if you think this genre only consists of "bodice-rippers", you couldn't be further away from the truth. Romance bookworms, you want don't want to miss out on When a Scot Ties the Knot - it's the perfect way to please the romantic in you!

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 4/5
Characters : 5/5
Writing : 5/5

**Overall Rating : 4.5/5**

Thank you to Edelweiss and Avon for the e-ARC of When a Scot Ties the Knot.