ARC Review: A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean
I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Book Info
Released: August 30th 2016
Series: Scandal and Scoundrel #2
Pages: 384
“So while this book does have some flaws with character execution and does have a predictable storyline, I still do think there is hope for the next book in the series.”
~ Under the Covers
In the second book of the Scandal & Scoundrel series, Sarah MacLean takes a ruined lady and pairs her up with probably the most unlikely man to restore her reputation. After being fooled by a scumbag artist and her nude portraits are exposed to the public, Miss Lillian Hargrove doesn’t know what she is going to do. Her life is essentially ruined and her reputation is in tatters. She becomes so desperate that she seeks out the help of the Duke of Warnick, a Scotsman who is more than a little rough around the edges.
I liked Lillian. I think her situation is very sad and right from the beginning of the book I felt bad for her. She is really thrown under the bus and I can understand her desperation. But there are a few contradictions about her character in this book that makes things confusing. For example, Lillian is supposed to be so beautiful that she is a model for an artist and yet she has been ignored for most of her life. Huh? How does that work? Unless her beauty is unusual or strange, in which case that’s fine. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder after all, but we also don’t a lot of the reasons why certain things happen in this book. We’re just supposed to accept it and I think readers deserve a better explanation.
In addition to that, I was less than impressed by the hero of this book. He’s a Scotsman so I thought I was going to fall in love with him but I just never found myself falling in love with him. I don’t know why or what he did to turn me off but the chemistry just wasn’t there for me.
The plot is quite predictable and coming from Sarah MacLean, I was really expecting something more. With all of her books lately, I find that I’m always eager to start but am getting more and more unimpressed by the characterization and storylines. The author tries for humor but it never quite makes me smile. Instead I find myself flipping through the pages, hoping to find a scene that interests me.
So while this book does have some flaws with character execution and does have a predictable storyline, I still do think there is hope for the next book in the series. At least that’s what I keep telling myself because every time there’s a new Sarah MacLean book, I’m always picking it up. I’m just hoping it’s better than this one.
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When it comes to books I’m pretty adventurous. I read everything from Paranormal Romance to Urban Fantasy, New Adult, BDSM, LGBT fiction, Cozy Mysteries and even YA. If it’s got the littlest trace of romance in it, then I’ll probably read it. That being said, my all-time favorite authors are J.R. Ward and Karen Marie Moning.
When I’m not submerged in a good book, you can find me musing about makeup and planners or dreaming about Kpop boys and beaches. Until then, check out my reviews and let’s talk books!
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I read the rogue not taken and thought it was just ok … it was a bit longer than it needed to be because the miscommunication was drawn out… and now after reading the review for this book I don’t know that I’ll be continuing with this author
I’m still on the fence. But I can totally understand where you’re coming from.
Thanks for the review, it’s been a while since I’ve read a historical book.
Me too. But I read a couple this month that I really enjoyed.
Hope the next one is better Annie
Me too!
Fingers crossed next Sarah MacLean book is better Annie 🙂