{Review} An English Bride in Scotland by Lynsay Sands

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Published On: June 25, 2013

Published by: Avon

Genre(s): Adult historical romance

Content Disclosure: does contain steamy content

Content Warning: misogyny

My Rating: 2 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

The first in a new historical series set in the Highlands of Scotland, from Lynsay Sands, the New York Times bestselling author of the Argeneau vampire series and countless historical romances.

Annabel was about to take the veil to become a nun when her mother suddenly arrives at the Abbey to take her home… so that she can marry the Scottish laird who is betrothed to her runaway sister! She knows nothing about being a wife, nothing about how to run a household, and definitely nothing about the marriage bed!

But from the moment Ross MacKay sets eyes on Annabel, he is taken with his shy sweet bride… and the fact that she's blessed with lush curves only makes him utter his own prayers of thanks. But when an enemy endangers her life, he'll move the Highlands themselves to save her. For though Annabel's not the bride he planned for, she's the only woman he desires…

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Hey, guys!

These past few months I've read so many books, I've met my Goodreads goal, and I've discovered new genres and tropes that I adore. One of those genres is historical romance and just the overall romance genre. I've loved diving into the different variations and finding new story types and character types that I adore. I've been a member of the BaeCrate Facebook group for a while, but I hadn't been able to participate in the discussions and buddy reads that they hosted. One of the books discussed on their page was An English Bride in Scotland and the author, Lynsay Sands.  

An English Bride in Scotland is about a young woman who taken from her place in a convent, Annabel. Annabel is taken by her family to take the place of her sister and marry her sister's betrothed, a Scottish laird named Ross McKay. She has no idea what it means to be a wife -- she had been trained to be a nun and commit herself to the church, so when she is taken to her new husband's keep, she is a bit in over her head. Ross McKay is instantly attracted to Annabel. She has a great figure and he's very attracted to her breasts (there is quite an emphasis on this, my dudes). When a strange figure begins to attack Ross and Annabel -- specifically Annabel, they must investigate the attacks to make sure they can continue with their lives. 

While this novel was fairly entertaining, it wasn't my favorite. It lacked the sort of complexity that I look for in my romance reads. It was a pure bodice ripper and that wasn't what I was really looking for. While I didn't expect the most intricate of literature, I did pick this up because of the many positive reviews and recommendations. Specifically, I was drawn to the way others described Ross. According to those who recommended the novel, Ross was very forward-thinking and adored and respected Annabel immensely. While that's true, it wasn't that ground-breaking. There was still quite a bit misogyny that I didn't enjoy -- however, you can't really escape it when you're in the era the novel was written in. That's just how it comes. It was still really annoying and grated on my nerves at times. 

Additionally, there was a massive lack of world-building. The setting was pretty nonexistent and very very hard to imagine. I was hoping for some beautiful Scottish vibes, but I couldn't find it. It was a major let-down.

Like I had mentioned above, there was quite an emphasis on Annabel's assets. Everyone noticed her massive boobs and everyone was just infatuated with them. At first, the subplot and discussions about her body were fun because it was nice to see so much love for a bigger woman, but it quickly turned into a sort of leering, creepy situation that I just didn't like. Honestly, I would have DNF'd this book if the ridiculousness hadn't kept me turning the pages. I was really hoping for more. Maybe a solid plot would appear?

Speaking of the plot, there was one! Huzzah! Now, don't get me wrong, the plot was pretty decent, but the build-up and pacing to actually get to the interesting parts of the story took forever to appear. The pacing -- it wasn't great. The main twists happened toward the end of the novel and the majority of the interesting action didn't occur until the last third of the novel. It was just okay for me. It wasn't all that impressive. 

Overall, this book was long-winded, frivolous, and two-dimensional. I'm all for a long-winded and frivolous read, but this book was not the right kind of long-winded and the frivolity made it more annoying than entertaining. I really hoped for a couple that I could root for and an interesting Scottish setting that I could get lost in. However, this was just so blah for me. I don't recommend it, but I know many people enjoyed this. 

Happy reading and stay safe!

Olivia

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