The Bridegroom Wore Plaid

Starred review from September 3, 2012
Burrowes (Lady Louisa’s Christmas Knight) shifts from Regency England to Victorian Scotland with this delightful series kickoff. Highlander Ian MacGregor, the impoverished earl of Balfour, is resigned to marrying an English heiress, Eugenia Daniels, for the sake of his clan. In truth, he’d rather spend time with Augusta Merrick, Eugenia’s spinster cousin and chaperone. Augusta tries to help Ian court her reluctant cousin, but their mutual attraction keeps getting in the way. Hopes for a happy ending are complicated by secrets that put Augusta’s life in danger, requiring the cooperation of both extended families to set things right. Historical details enrich Burrowes’s intimate and erotic story, but the real stars are her vibrant characters and her masterful ear for dialogue. Burrowes is superb at creating connections that feel honest and real, and the side romances for Ian’s siblings, treated with the same tenderness and care as her central pair, makes this tale even sweeter. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Literary Agency.

December 1, 2012

Bowing to the need to find a wealthy wife in order to rescue the family estates, Ian MacGregor, the new laird and Earl of Balfour, resolutely sets his sights on English heiress Eugenia Daniels. But as Ian strikes up a friendship with Genie's penniless cousin Augusta Merrick as part of his plan to court the heiress, Ian and Augusta are caught between desire and honor as they struggle to come to terms with their feelings and find a way to solve their dilemma. VERDICT Deliciously sensual, intricately plotted, and filled with a cast of appealing characters, this classic tale of misaligned lovers is pure pleasure and gets Burrowes's latest trilogy off to a wonderful start. Burrowes (Lady Louisa's Christmas Knight) lives in rural Maryland.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2012
Popular Regency author Burrowes moves into a new subgenre with this delightful Scottish Victorian romance. Ian MacGregor, a reluctant earl, must marry for money. He invites a wealthy English family to his castle so he can woo Genie, a young miss. But one of the girl's penniless chaperones, cousin Augusta Merrick, catches his interest instead with her wit and appreciation of his situation and land. When someone tries to kill Augusta, Ian's protective instincts kick in and force him to see which bride he truly wants. Intelligent Augusta will uncover a solution to Ian's financial situation as well as her own in a satisfying ending for all concerned, except the villain. The main love story will engage readers with emotion and sensuality, as will the adventures of Ian's siblings as they, too, find love. Burrowes has a talent for filling traditional-romance situations with depth and the unexpected, and her fans as well as Scottish-romance readers will greatly enjoy her latest.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)