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The MacLaughlins #2
Emily and the Scot
At eighteen, Lady Emily Fitzgerald has seen her fair share of scandal. So when this Season's prime catch proposes to her on a wager, she makes a decision. Rather than face the whispers and stares of London society yet again, she picks up and departs for Scotland, full of romantic images evoked by poetry and her own imagination.
Cousin to the laird, Jamie MacLaughlin is nonetheless a simple man, content with the honest pursuit of living in the bonny wilds of the Scottish Highlands. A simple man he may be, but one with deep emotions and a quick temper. So when an impertinent English lass crosses his path, it's no surprise that the two engage in sparring matches with words as their weapons.
First there's a misunderstanding over an item of luggage. Then there's an indecent swimming incident, followed by a muddy pigsty mishap. But what finally threatens to undo them both is a sudden - and unexpectedly delicious - kiss.
Cousin to the laird, Jamie MacLaughlin is nonetheless a simple man, content with the honest pursuit of living in the bonny wilds of the Scottish Highlands. A simple man he may be, but one with deep emotions and a quick temper. So when an impertinent English lass crosses his path, it's no surprise that the two engage in sparring matches with words as their weapons.
First there's a misunderstanding over an item of luggage. Then there's an indecent swimming incident, followed by a muddy pigsty mishap. But what finally threatens to undo them both is a sudden - and unexpectedly delicious - kiss.
282 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 26, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
September 7, 2011
This is a book I can read over and over again. Emily and Jamie get off on the wrong foot after a misunderstanding. All they can do is argue and fight, but you can see their interest for each other building. I love how the story is told from both Jamie and Emily's perspectives. Just when you're wondering what the other person is thinking it changes to their point of view.
If you want to read a wonderfully romantic (and 'clean') book set in beautiful Scotland pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.
This was also reviewed on my book blog! Clean Teen Fiction
If you want to read a wonderfully romantic (and 'clean') book set in beautiful Scotland pick this one up. You won't be disappointed.
This was also reviewed on my book blog! Clean Teen Fiction
September 5, 2019
First off, THIS IS A SEQUEL.
Now, I see you sitting there looking smug. Duh, it is a sequel, you think. Doesn't it say so?
Yes, I grant you. On Goodreads it clearly shows #2. (I see that now, Kris.) But the physical copy gives NO HINT that it is not a stand alone novel.
And I guess, in a way, it is a stand alone. But it spoils Book #1. So just be prepared for that.
Otherwise...it didn't feel quite as horrendously historically inaccurate as Anna and the Duke but that is primarily because I don't know the customs of Scotland as well. I'm sure the inaccuracies were there. Certainly the usual cliches present themselves. Emily hates polite society and being a proper British lady; she wants to speak her mind and do as she pleases; she is willful, etc. etc. You know the type.
She flees to Scotland because Reasons and assumes the guy dressed like a servant carrying a lamb is a servant.
As one would in real life.
But because this fiction, he is obviously the handsome young farmer who will win her heart. (Note to self, if you ever find yourself in a fictional novel, keep an eye on the hunky farmhands.)
Anyway, pretty bad but clean (aside from a few kisses) and lighthearted enough. What truly brings down the book is the utter lack of a villain. It is a good thing the main characters' miscommunication and misunderstandings drives the rift between them because no one else will.
Literally no one else.
Now, I see you sitting there looking smug. Duh, it is a sequel, you think. Doesn't it say so?
Yes, I grant you. On Goodreads it clearly shows #2. (I see that now, Kris.) But the physical copy gives NO HINT that it is not a stand alone novel.
And I guess, in a way, it is a stand alone. But it spoils Book #1. So just be prepared for that.
Otherwise...it didn't feel quite as horrendously historically inaccurate as Anna and the Duke but that is primarily because I don't know the customs of Scotland as well. I'm sure the inaccuracies were there. Certainly the usual cliches present themselves. Emily hates polite society and being a proper British lady; she wants to speak her mind and do as she pleases; she is willful, etc. etc. You know the type.
She flees to Scotland because Reasons and assumes the guy dressed like a servant carrying a lamb is a servant.
As one would in real life.
But because this fiction, he is obviously the handsome young farmer who will win her heart. (Note to self, if you ever find yourself in a fictional novel, keep an eye on the hunky farmhands.)
Anyway, pretty bad but clean (aside from a few kisses) and lighthearted enough. What truly brings down the book is the utter lack of a villain. It is a good thing the main characters' miscommunication and misunderstandings drives the rift between them because no one else will.
Literally no one else.
January 9, 2021
Lady Emily Fitzgerald escapes from London to hang out with her brother and his wife in Scotland. There, she meets the manly mancake Jamie MacLaughlin who has, like, shoulders and a brogue which means she's DOWN TO CLOWN.
1. Emily and Jamie spend the first half of this book just misunderstanding one another all over the place. It's entertaining, if not marred by the fact that the reason they're misunderstanding one another is because they're hot for each other. Which they refuse to acknowledge until WAY too late in the book.
2. The ending of this is kind of terrible: it's all skating along just fine until both Jamie and Emily decide to learn how to be different in order to attract the other. This gets dropped in favor of a duel plot. Which is ridiculous.
3. The whole "not wanting to marry" thing is ALSO ridiculous mostly because it's used as angst fodder when the underlying foundations ("we should COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY TO DETERMINE IF OUR FUTURE PATHS SHOULD BE ENTWINED FOR THE REST OF OUR NATURAL LIVES") makes damn good sense. But of course we can't just SAY THAT, we have to instead say shit like "NO I DO NOT PLAN TO MARRY HER" which is dumb.
4. This is one of those books that would have done better with more kisses.
5. But flirting via teasing is still great.
1. Emily and Jamie spend the first half of this book just misunderstanding one another all over the place. It's entertaining, if not marred by the fact that the reason they're misunderstanding one another is because they're hot for each other. Which they refuse to acknowledge until WAY too late in the book.
2. The ending of this is kind of terrible: it's all skating along just fine until both Jamie and Emily decide to learn how to be different in order to attract the other. This gets dropped in favor of a duel plot. Which is ridiculous.
3. The whole "not wanting to marry" thing is ALSO ridiculous mostly because it's used as angst fodder when the underlying foundations ("we should COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY TO DETERMINE IF OUR FUTURE PATHS SHOULD BE ENTWINED FOR THE REST OF OUR NATURAL LIVES") makes damn good sense. But of course we can't just SAY THAT, we have to instead say shit like "NO I DO NOT PLAN TO MARRY HER" which is dumb.
4. This is one of those books that would have done better with more kisses.
5. But flirting via teasing is still great.
April 29, 2010
Sometimes you just need a fluffy clean romance. That is what you will get with this book. Its very fun and the chemistry between Emily and Jamie was great. If you like these kind of books than I would totally recommend it!
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March 8, 2022I must have bought this book in high school, and it's been my comfort read ever since. I've lost track of how many times I've read it, and my copy appears very well loved. And yet I hadn't picked it up since everything went to hell in 2020, so I figured I was well overdue for a reread. And look – I can't explain it, can't explain why this painfully heterosexual teen romance is the book I consistently return to, except perhaps by quoting Roger Ebert's review of The Mummy (1999): "There is hardly a thing I can say in its favor, except that I was cheered by nearly every minute of it. [...] There is a little immaturity stuck away in the crannies of even the most judicious of us, and we should treasure it."
I love returning to Emily's parlor where I know she'll reject the Viscount Stanton's proposal, and I love the arrival of Jane with the news that spurs Emily to embark to Scotland within pages. I love the quick succession of misunderstandings between Emily and Jamie, because despite all the bickering, of course they're going to fall in love, and of course there will be obstacles keeping them apart for another 200 pages. I live for the moment that Emily notices Jamie isn't piling his plate like he usually does, and half-angrily adds more pheasant to his plate because she'll be damned if he suppresses himself on Stanton's account. And I look forward to Jamie's entrance to the ball every time. They both overthink each interaction so much. I love watching the mental calculus they do to figure out, like, why the other is being nice to them. It's because they like you! Idiots!
I couldn't possibly rate this book. A five-star system isn't complex enough to capture my relationship to it. This time around, I thought to myself, "Maybe this will be my last time reading this book." But I couldn't accept that. The last time Jamie gingerly peels away Emily's glove to assess her injured thumb? The last time Emily wins Jamie over by smashing a whiskey bottle over Billy Wallace's head? No. I don't know if I'll ever intentionally read this for the last time.
I love returning to Emily's parlor where I know she'll reject the Viscount Stanton's proposal, and I love the arrival of Jane with the news that spurs Emily to embark to Scotland within pages. I love the quick succession of misunderstandings between Emily and Jamie, because despite all the bickering, of course they're going to fall in love, and of course there will be obstacles keeping them apart for another 200 pages. I live for the moment that Emily notices Jamie isn't piling his plate like he usually does, and half-angrily adds more pheasant to his plate because she'll be damned if he suppresses himself on Stanton's account. And I look forward to Jamie's entrance to the ball every time. They both overthink each interaction so much. I love watching the mental calculus they do to figure out, like, why the other is being nice to them. It's because they like you! Idiots!
I couldn't possibly rate this book. A five-star system isn't complex enough to capture my relationship to it. This time around, I thought to myself, "Maybe this will be my last time reading this book." But I couldn't accept that. The last time Jamie gingerly peels away Emily's glove to assess her injured thumb? The last time Emily wins Jamie over by smashing a whiskey bottle over Billy Wallace's head? No. I don't know if I'll ever intentionally read this for the last time.
January 31, 2018
Beautiful read to relax! Jane Austen fans will be highly delighted. If you don't expect drama or harassment, this is a fluffy, feelgood regency novel for young readers!
March 1, 2010
When Emily Fitzgerald's older brother Richard went mad with the desire to inherit his father's title and attempted to murder their half-brother Ewan MacLaughlin, the scandal tainted the entire family. Now Ewan and his new wife, Anna, are living happily ever after in Scotland, Richard has been sent out of the country for treatment, and Emily and her mother are left behind, forced to deal on their own with the contempt of Regency London society. After Alexander Cross, the Viscount Stanton, proposes to Emily on a bet, she just can't take it anymore. She packs her bags and heads for Scotland to visit her Ewan and get away from the stares of society. But from the second she arrives at MacLaughlin Castle, Emily gets off to a terrible start with Ewan's cousin, Jamie. She mistakes him for a servant, and angry at Emily's treatment of him. Jamie deliberately embarrasses her. But could something deeper be hidden behind their heated exchanges of insults, maybe even love? While not as good as Kathryn Smith's first book for this series, Anna and the Duke, this was still an enjoyable historical love story, and I recommend it to fans of the Avon True Romance series.
November 13, 2014
I liked this, but didn't love it. Emily was actually a little annoying to me. She kind of came across like a snob and Jamie wasnt much better. I liked the plot and the story moved along nicely. I guess the thing I didnt like about it was the fact that the were dogging on England and the current customs quite a bit. Its understandable considering the timeframe, but I just thought it was a little overdone. Overall, I thought it was a cute story and would recommend to anyone that likes a clean regency.
May 11, 2010
Might've had a better ending, but good nonetheless
April 9, 2020
This book would've been so much better if the author could refrain to put such cheesy, cliché lines on everything. Still, I liked it more than the first one (I liked Anna and Ewan on this book a lot more, as well).
December 11, 2022
This is a mediocre teenage romance novel. I wasn't a huge fan of Jamie, he was actually a little obnoxious with his teasing. This a very clean romance though, perfect for teenage girls.
March 17, 2023
Wonderful trip down memory lane, rereading what was probably my first romance novel. Zero spice, but very sweet.
July 14, 2012
My daughter asked me to read this, since she didn't have time to get through her library stack before they came due. Having just read through the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, I can say that this reads like a teen's version of that in the beginning...many similarities between character descriptions, etc, down to the protagonist being named Jamie. Once the book gets underway, however, it does take on its own plot and relationship lines. A typical historical romance for teens, but it did hold my interest for the duration of the book, which is a fairly quick read.
April 11, 2011
I started reading the Avon Young Adult Romance series because Meg Cabot wrote two that seemed pretty Jane Austen inspired and were really enjoyable. This one was not by Cabot but it was culturally similar in the beginning and I really enjoyed it. The protagonists have a love hate relationship and after different conflicts like the nearby village almost burning down they work out they realize that they actually like each other. Nice relationship development.
August 25, 2017
I did very much enjoy this read. There were a lot that I did love about the book such as the Scottish setting, the argumentative love that was spurred between Jamie and Emily, and the dilemmas that they had to face. There was numerous love towards Emily and the Scot.
Read the rest of my book review at https://caylasbooktopia.wordpress.com...
Read the rest of my book review at https://caylasbooktopia.wordpress.com...
February 25, 2016
This is the second book of 2 after 'Anna and the Duke'. Predictable clashing of personalities, but you really want them to like each other, especially if you've read the first book. There were some interesting twists as well. Good love story without the smut.
June 12, 2011
This was a cute fun read. I started to find the book cute on page 50 or so and enjoyed the remainder of the book. I often giggled or had a smile on my face. The ending was fine but I would have liked a better ending.
April 13, 2009
Just a lot of fun.
June 10, 2010
It was a very good story, if not too memorable.
July 20, 2011
Fun, and great for teens. Emily and Jamie come from different worlds. Could a relationship work? Fun, light, easy read.
March 12, 2012
Ahh...
That is all.
That is all.
June 10, 2012
Fun, clean read.
April 8, 2016
I thought this was a cute book. I love the chemestry between Emily and Jamie, I thought it was great to see two different people from two different "worlds" and who bring out the best in each other.
February 16, 2013
My favorite of all the Avon True Romance Series. It was such a great read. I loved it!!
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews