Lord Scot

Always a Scot #1

by Jade Lee

Welcome to book 1 in the "Always a Scot" series from USA Today Bestselling Author Jade Lee.

Lord Laughton needs a strong wife to help him corral his wild Scottish relations. Of course, he may be the wildest of them all, or so thinks Lady Cora. The last thing she wants is to leave her beloved London for the highlands. She certainly won’t do it for a man who laughs when she’s trying to anger him, teases when he ought to be terrified, and kisses her when she’s not at all ready to marry anyone.

But a Scotsman must have his bride, so he brings her to the highlands on a ghost hunt, because Lady Cora loves nothing more than a true haunting. What she finds, instead of eerie doings, is a family made stronger by their oddities. She has a place here if she’s strong enough to claim it.

And a man who will fight by her side if she’s bold enough to embrace a wild Scottish ride.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note: Also writes under the pen name Kathy Lyons.

A USA Today Bestseller, JADE LEE has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. An author of more than 40 romance novels and winner of dozens of industry awards, her latest series is RAKES AND ROGUES. The first one, 50 WAYS TO RUIN A RAKE, is an awesome tale of love and laughter.
And don’t forget Kathy Lyons.. She’s Jade’s paranormal half. Check out her new shifter series GRIZZLIES GONE WILD.
To find all the latest news on Jade or Kathy, visit them at www.jadeleeauthor.com or www.kathylyons.com! And find out where you can meet her at: http://jadeleeauthor.com/appearances

Reviews

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story — full of laughs, chemistry, and love! A perfect start to a new series can’t wait for the next books. As always an awesome book cover. Although this story stands alone, I believe you will enjoy this book much more if you read the connecting series first, “Lords of the Masquerade” as these two MCs are introduced in those books and you get a lot of their background.

Full RTC

5 Stars ⭐️ | 4 Flames 🔥| Hot Chemistry ❤️‍🔥

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling in Love 💘 With A Scot 🐺🍆⛲💪in Five Easy Steps

ADULT Historical Regency Romance 💕and Scottish🏰🐑 Adventure.
Scotsman Liam, Lord Loughton🐺🍆⛲💪, is in London looking for a wife👰 with a large dowry,💰 and to gain a position in Parliament, now occupied by her brother, Aaron Chambers, the Earl of Kittrel. Liam's quarry is Lady Clara,💃💋 and he brazenly approaches her in the park, introducing himself and telling her of ghosts👻 in His castle 🏰🐑🔪 in Scotland. He knows she is very interested in The occult, but He musn't look like he is chasing her!

This is somewhat of a romcom,💕 with all of the humor coming from Liam.🐺🍆⛲💪 He somehow persuades Lady Clara💃💋 , her brother, and his fiancee to accompany him to Scotland🏰🐑🔪. Scottish games are hastily planned for their entertainment.

This is a Fun book, but it does have serious moments! Liam's father, the Viscount Laird,👴 is a drunk and not in his right mind anymore. His rudeness and crudeness towards the visitors nearly ruins Liam's🐺🍆⛲💪 relationship with Lady Clara💃💋 before it can really get started.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5/5.0

“Lord Scot” is a fun historical romance that will have the reader laughing at the banter and bickering between Liam and Clara.

Read full review in the 2022 April issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Gloria Pastorino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liam Loughton is a Scottish nobleman in search of a wealthy bride and Lady Clara seems eminently suitable for him. She’s smart, she’s rich, she’s strong-willed and she’ll make a perfect bride. Pity she doesn’t want to marry, never, and she doesn’t want to leave her beloved London with all its entertainments, museums, scientific conferences and the like. He’ll have to do his best to convince her, and maybe seducing her is the first step…
Jade Lee has outdone herself this time, writing a book which is full of humor and a little angst as well. I simply LOVED the hero, who started like a sort of fortune hunter, even if for good reasons, and soon revealed himself to be a wonderful, understanding, caring man. Clara is an endearing character, full of quirks, and it took a great man to love her. She’s brilliant, but like many brilliant minds she’s inconstant in her interests and she tends to be distracted by many different tasks.
The side characters are very interesting as well and well fleshed out and I really hope they will feature in the next book of the series. I look forward to it! Just a little warning: this book can be read as a standalone, of course, but reading Lord Ares will help you understand the characters better. I fell in love with Liam and Clara in that book and I couldn’t wait for their story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Lori D · Rating 4 out of 5]

He was determined to win over Lady Clara. Her dowry and her brother's position in government had first drawn his attention. He had a plan and no woman had resisted him beyond five encounters.

She, on the other hand, was determined to remain independent. A bluestocking to the core, she would not live a life of being tied to a man. No, no way. Not even the charming Scot. But why could she not get him out of her mind?

A fun tale that leads the characters on a merry chase as they travel to Scotland. A great start to a new series and excited to see the future stories!

[Petula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord Liam Laughton has come to London looking for a wife.  He's found the one he needs, now just to persuade her.  

Lady Clara is a blue stocking who is never going to give up her beloved London and the freedom of being a spinster. 

Both our characters have very strong views on what they want and are extremely stubborn.  Our heroine's intelligence is just as valuable to our hero as the dowry she has.  Will his Scottish castle and Clan will give her the type of challenge she needs?  She doesn't know if she is furious or fascinated. 

This historical romance is lots of fun.  I was hooked from first to last page.  The characters are so interesting and full of contradictions.  

Great fun. 

[Ann Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! After reading Clara's brother's book, Lord Ares, book three in Lords of the Masquerade, I have wanted to read Clara and Liam's story. It can be read alone, but I fell in love with their characters before reading this book. I was thrilled to see that Clara could learn to love and Liam would want Clara more than her dowry.
It is an entertaining book that is a wonderful start to a new series. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
I received this book from NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for an honest review.

[Bridget Love to read Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever yet loved

Liam has been educating himself among the Englishman for over 10 years in preparation of his clans future. Clara is clever but so used her outlandish ideas causing trouble. She is determined never to marry she thinks her hobbies and friends will be enough! She will be no man’s property or have the man have control over her!
Liam has his pick of heiress but he wants Clara. He woos her slow and steady and publicly. When the change comes to escort Clara brother fiance to Edinburgh he does with th idea once he got Clara in Scotland he would seduce her to never leaving!
Clara does fall in love with the people. She slowly but surely wins them over but she refuses to give her heart to Liam. I want to smack her over the head. She already has the love of a good man. Will Clara realize there is freedom in love?

[Winnifred D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Mixed feelings. I just finished Lord Ares before this, and as much as I didn't like Aaron, the H of that book, I did like both Liam and Clara. Clara is Aaron's eccentric younger sister, while Liam is the easygoing Scotsman attempting to woo her. They were pleasant foils to Aaron's repressive personality and I thought the road to their HEA would be fun.

Eh. This review is going to be a LOT longer than I expected it to be.

Lord Scot has more action than the previous book, but again the H is the weakness. I'm not really sure why the author changed Liam from a quirky, humorous, kind-hearted guy to a money-grubbing jerk. SPOILERS AHEAD....................................In the previous book, he chastely slept at Clara's home to keep an eye on her because he was worried about her. In this book, he nearly deflowers Clara in his bed while she's drunk, then is cold and calculating with her and her brother when it comes out that she was tricked into marriage. Aaron actually seems like the rational, caring one here!

The glaring culprit is lack of character development. If the author had just given Liam more depth from the beginning, including a clear internal conflict about his need for funds to help his people vs his ethics and growing affection for Clara, it would have helped. There also needed to be more discussion between him and Clara about their pasts, their motivations, etc. And finally, I'm not a big fan of the antiquated "man wants to have sex with the woman while she's drunk" trope, so that could have definitely been handled with more finesse (this was a thing in Lord Ares, as well). There's a lot going on with the MCs' separate projects once all the action moves to Scotland, and it becomes obvious they really don't know each other at all. There's steam, but they don't seem to be falling in love. It's more of a battle of the wills.

Then there's a very abrupt conclusion, with, once again, no epilogue.

As an aside, something else that bugged me was how Liam's family and people are portrayed as rude, backwoods boors. His dad gropes Clara and threatens to deflower her if Liam won't. These nineteenth century Scots all seem to have beliefs based on folktales from the Dark Ages. In the best romances set in other countries and cultures, there's more examination of both the good and bad of the people living there. But here, everything is very cartoonish, and you feel little connection to the secondary characters. Clara and her better educated British friends take over and make over the hovel in a matter of months. If this story were set in India during the Regency period, it would be considered offensive.

In short, this book contains one of my least favorite tropes--a woman forced or tricked into marriage, works hard to be accepted and improve the life of the man and others around him, and that's what makes her worthy in the hero's eyes. She's not really loved for herself, but for what she can do for others. It's a theme that's always bothered me, and this book reminds me why.

Overall: fast-moving but the MC's not developed to their full potentials, and it feels like the romance is missing. Steam level: 2-3.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Scot by Jade Lee
Always a Scot #1

Lady Clara has established the life she desires. She believes she is a bluestocking on the shelf, will never, can do as she pleases in London, attend gatherings and educational events, and use her dowry as she pleases. She does NOT want a husband and has made that clear to her family. And then Lord Liam Loughton appears on the scene with a plan to win Clara in five steps…or whisk her off by kidnapping if the wooing doesn’t work. Two determined clever tough and delightful people may have met their match in this story!

What I liked:
* Clara: intelligent, inventive, sees the bigger picture, has no desire to lose her autonomy, has trust issues, is more capable than she realized and able to feel more than she realizes.
* Liam: educated, handsome, wants what is best for his clan, willing to do what it takes, ends up liking Clara more than he thought he would and really SEES her and wants what is best for her.
* Aaron and Lilah: engaged, brother and best friend of Clara, supportive but really not necessary in the story so they head off to London fairly quickly.
* Deirdre and Rhona: young women that work in the castle and help Clara learn how to run her new home.
* The wooing and how it does/doesn’t work on Clara
* Liam’s way of dealing with his father
* That when presented with the options for her future, Clara makes what proves to be a wise decision
* Watching Clara and Liam get closer, learn to trust and appreciate one another, and eventually work their way to a HEA ending
* The location – Scotland
* The growth in both main characters
* How things turned out between Liam and his father
* Wondering if Mairi and Connall will be up next in the series or if it will be Mr. Russell with someone new
* Reading a new-to-me author that I would like to read again

What I didn’t like
* The manipulations of Liam’s father
* Thinking about how difficult it must have been for women in the past

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, more than I thought I would at first
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Dragonblade Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Scot by Jade Lee tells the tale of a woman who does not want to marry and a man who does, most specifically, her. Of course, he wants her dowry as well. His castle in Scotland is falling apart. His father is a drunk, drinking half the whiskey they produce. He has been away for years, getting and education, and planning. Now he has found her and he is ready to return home. He faces two battles: getting her there and keeping her there. Getting her there proves to be easy. Keeping her there, more difficult, especially after his father tricked her in to marrying him. But he can give her what she wants: autonomy. She now has a chance to do things her way. It is a heady experience and she wants more. It turns out she might want more of him, too.

Liam is a strong character with a plan for his life and his home. Nobility in Scotland is different than nobility in England. Life is harsher in Scotland. A man has to be stronger. It is harder to be honest with his woman. Clara lives her life. She has convinced everyone, finally, that she had no intention of marrying. Instead she pursues her friendships and her education. She is interested in many things and in many people. Liam, Lord Loughton, fascinates her, but she doesn't wish to marry even him. He offers to share her dowry with her so she can pursue her own goals. She is struck by this but wants to be no man's wife. The plot is strong. Convincing her is tricky and she navigates Scotland and her husband's home, only through sheer strength of will. This is an enticing story. The characters make it worth reading.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Lord Scot by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #dragonblade #lordscot #jadelee

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Liam Loughton has come to London looking for a wealthy wife. He's found the one he needs. She is tough, smart, and has a large dowry. Now all he has to do is convince her. Lady Clara is a happy bluestocking and spinster. She enjoys her life in London and has no desire to leave, and certainly not to go to Scotland (fortune teller thing here). Well, maybe she could visit if the castle is haunted. Off they go to Scotland with her brother and his fiancée. Liam wants to bring her to his home and court her. Unfortunately, his obnoxious father and the many in his disgusting clan have other plans. Tricks and lies may get her dowry, but they won’t win her love.

I like Liam and Clara. Both are intelligent, educated, stubborn and opinionated. The chemistry between them is good and the snarky banter and bickering is fun. Even after they are married, they have a long way to go to happily ever after. Remember they are stubborn, and that is what it will take, spending time together, talking, planning for the clan and castle. The story has a lot of humor and a big chunk of drama. It is entertaining and the characters interesting. Aaron is funny, Lilah is sweet and helpful. An enjoyable beginning for a new series.

I received an ARC of this book from the I publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

[Margaret Watkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young man determined to better his clan's circumstances does so by any means possible, even if it means conning Lady Clara and her brother into visiting his castle in Scotland. Clara on the other hand is different in so many ways from the unmarried women in society and has earned herself a reputation for being a bluestocking. Having clawed her way out of her family's control to take up her right to live life on her own terms, she thwarts every attempt that Liam makes to win her over. Making promises he is not at all sure he is able to keep, he lures her Scotland. Unfortunately, once there she has to make the acquaintance of his disreputable father and clan, but she stands on the promises made to her that she will be allowed free reign to improve the lot of the people. I normally enjoy this author's novels but found this one difficult to read in some parts at the sheer ugliness that Clara had to face, but fortunately, Liam persists in protecting her and allowing her to be herself. I received a copy of this novel as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good series starter

Author Made Lee offers the reader a very character driven story to start the Always a Scot series. The Scot, Liam, son of his plan's laird, has a strong purpose in life: to assure the clan thrives. He needs money and intelligent, innovative thinking to accomplish his goal, and decided to marry a woman who meets those needs. The woman, Lady Clara, does not want to marry anyone, and definitely not a Scotsman who will take her away from London where she can indulge in many different bluestocking pursuits. But she is tricked into a trip to Scotland and further tricked into marriage. Can Liam convince Clara not to flee back to London, and to embrace freedom and love as his wife?

I very much like the character development in this story. Many secondary characters make me hope to see them again in this series. The clan dynamics also intrigued me. For me, the final resolution of Clara's love issue is too neatly and abruptly resolved.

I enjoyed this book, and look forward to Mairi's story which I hope is the next book n the series.

[Mary Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book. Lady Clara (The blurb has the wrong name here on Goodreads) and Lord Loughton were a lot of fun on their road to romance, and you will remember Lady Clara from the Series (Lords of the Masquerade) mainly the third book in the series which features her brother Aaron, Earl Of Kittrell, which is where Lady Clara captured my attention with her outrageous behavior. She has vowed never to marry. She loves her independence, has been hurt in the past. Still, Liam needs a very hefty dowry which is his initial reason for wanting to marry Clara, but his feelings change, and he spends most of the book trying to convince Clara of this once he gets her to Scotland. Though I enjoyed the book I could not help feeling that there was just something lacking in the chemistry between Clara and Liam. I couldn’t put my finger on it. It could be just that there was never a lot of romance in the book, just constant pushback from Clara, and It became somewhat repetitive. I still enjoyed it and loved Lady Clara and Liam and will read the next book in the series.

[carrietracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

SO the beginning of this overlaps with LORD ARES and it weirdly omits some really nice/caring things Liam does for Clara so it sets them back further in their relationship. Clara is very likely not neuro-typical and Liam into her for her, BUT (and this is a really huge but my friends) he seems to be kind of into her for what she can do for him. He goes from being mellow and laid back and kind to being really rough around the edges and forceful and, well, not particularly kind.

Clara for her part is selfish in a weird way - a way you want to chalk up to her not being NT, but also, like, grow up my love. There's a bit toward the beginning of the book where Clara doesn't want to go to Scotland because she's received some sort of prophecy that it will keep her and I really wanted to see her actually fall in love with Scotland. What we get is some resignation.

There just wasn't enough love here and there was a lot of unpleasantry.

[Cindy C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Scot will grab you right from the start and takes you on a heart-stopping journey as the opening scenes will catch your attention and it will not let you go till the very end of the book. Jade Lee weaves a story from beginning to end with a spirited and no nonsense lass who does not wish to be married, and a brawny highlander determined to save his clan. It's a Highland romance that is well-written, brims with tension-building twists and turns, extremely interesting characters that weaves a story that will pull you into their emotional ride, passion and one fantastic plot. With setting descriptions and action sequences that are wonderfully vivid that brings the story to life and as the suspense builds and uncertainties abound and sparks flying between Clara and Liam which brings this read together perfectly!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Liam Laughton needs a strong wealthy wife to help him aid his clan. Lady Clara is happy being a spinster & the last thing she wants is to leave her beloved London for the highlands. She certainly won’t do it for a man who laughs when she’s trying to anger him, teases when he ought to be terrified, and kisses her when she’s not at all ready to marry anyone.
This is the start of a new series but we did meet the pair in ‘Lord Ares' & I'm so pleased they have had their story. I loved the chemistry between the pair & even though they both had traits, which I usually dislike I found that I loved the pair & how their relationship grew & developed. A delightful read, which I devoured in two sittings
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Linda J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 STARS - ROUNDED UP

I’ve read many stories by this author and enjoy her writing style. But, this one just didn’t do it for me. For me it had no romance. The h was very judgmental not only with everything doing with the H but with Scotland. She was negative and argued with everyone. The H wanted her for the dowry she brought with her. After time he decided he needed her heart as well. Why I have no idea because they just didn’t click. They’re were some enjoyable interactions with secondary characters I enjoyed.

Much foreplay and one lovemaking-within marriage -heat level 3.5 out of 5.

No cheating, no cliffhanger, HEA not until last few pages, no romance and small tad of spice. (ljb)

[T.A. Seitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clara is happy being a spinster, spending her time reading and attending lectures. Liam is the son of a Scottish laird. His desire to help his clan recover and grow leads him to London in search of a wealthy wife. He courts Clara and lures her to Scotland.

It took a few chapters to settle into the story. This is the first book of the series, but reads like a continuation. Once into the story, it flows well and is enjoyable. There was some initial references to ghost hunting and a fortune-teller's prediction, but minimal reference or explanation was made as the story progressed.

Arc via Net Galley. All opinions are my own.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liam, Lord Loughton, needs a wife with a large dowry to save his destitute clan and strong willed to stand up to them. He has picked out the perfect wife, Lady Clara, but she refuses his proposals. If only he can get her to Scotland. Once there, he is determined to keep her from leaving. His solution is to help her brother's fiancé legally get her dowry, which means a trip to Edinburgh. Not to mention she is best friends with Lady Clara. What ensues is a man with a plan who is constantly trying to give Clara what she wants. Freedom to try her ideas and give her choices. Only a man in love is willing to take a chance on the possibility of losing her.
A lot of compassion and humor.

[Goodfella79 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is new to me, but the period and its usual tropes are not.

The most pleasant surprise was how creatively the author took a pretty typical HR trope and devised a fairly unique and interesting and unpredictable resolution.

One of the downfalls of HRs can be the predictability of the character and situational resolution across authors. Ms. Lee was committed to the uniqueness of the h and H which was clearly found in the dialogue and ways in which they responded to each other and those around them.

Can't wait to see how Mairi and Connal figure their way to their HEA!

[Ally May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liam and Clara’s story

Great story, I love reading historical romances. Clara was a different kind of Character, who was hurt by a fortune hunter that was after her dowry when she was younger. She vowed never to marry after that. Liam came along, showing up everywhere Clara was. Soon she will realize that he tricked her for her dowry also. He told her if she agreed to stay he would give her her dowry to spend it on what repairs and upgrades she wanted without him interfering. It took Clara a long time to figure out she was in love with Liam with help from him.

[Jeanetta A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding your place

This novel is #4 in an interesting series. It can be read independently from the other books. However, characters in this assortment tend to overlap.
Clara and Loughton are unique since their acquaintance begins in an earlier book, though the impression given they are part of a group of friends. No courtship is anticipated. Some trickery results in their marriage but both are good people who learn mutual respect. Flexibility and patience are at the center of learning to love and finding reconciliation between family members.

[Aisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to like this book. The concept was different and I liked the main characters but the writing and flow of the book didn't work for me.
The progression of events didn't make sense and if felt like there was things missing.
It just seemed lacking and I couldn't connect with the story.
I will check out this author again but this book just didn't click for me.
2.5 stars

[Cynthia S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good start to a new series!

This book was full of excitement and drama and likable characters and some not so likeable. I am disappointed with two things: parts of the novel were too long and the ending was too short. Ms. Jade’s novels need an epilogue with a real “happily ever after”

[SHERRY · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this story highly

I enjoyed the turmoil that Clara is hit with when she starts getting courted. She is independent, smart, and sees life as boring if she has to marry.
Liam has been planning a way to improve things for his clan as long as he can remember and nothing will stop him.

[Aj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lord Scot had it all, it is entertaining, well written with wonderful characters. This book is a great start to the new Always a Scot series. A Scotsman determined to have his English bride leads to an exciting journey to passion and love for Lord Scot and Lady Clara.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!!

I absolutely adored this story! Liam and Clara are both driven personalities and trying so hard to make something of themselves. How they come together and learn from each other is written so well in this tale of romance. The ending made my heart soar!!

[homestead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always a Scot series

If the first book is any indication this series will be interesting from book 1 to the conclusion. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read Jade Lee’s books this would be an excellent start.