Review: Sophie Jordan’s THIS SCOT OF MINE.

For much of this book, the main characters are consumed with thoughts about impending death—specifically, death caused by a centuries-long curse—and yet Sophie Jordan’s This Scot of Mine gave me so much happiness, both reading the book and later, when I found myself daydreaming about a HEA fiercely fought for.
 
There’s something about the zealous interplay between the main characters: the stubborn, resourceful, and utterly magnificent Lady Clara Autenberry, who is so determined to avoid marriage to her repulsive intended that she tells him she is pregnant by someone else (a huge no-no in their society but the lie results in her freedom from the engagement and her exile to Scotland), and the kind, honorable, and also (*praise hands*) virile Laird Hunt MacLarin, who has feared the curse haunting his family since he was born. You know, the curse that basically dooms any males in his family to death upon conceiving their first son.
 
I kind of got goosebumps the first time that Clara and Hunt meet one another because Jordan does it so deliciously. There’s so much fire between them, and while initially it’s pretty antagonistic, you can see how easily it can (and will) be turned into something sweeter, though no less passionate.
 
Then there’s the plot of this fantastic book, which really gets going with Clara’s lie, and includes so many dramatic moments that kept me invested and thrilled to how sensational it all was. A curse! A marriage that starts with a lie! A terrifying granny, making threats in the dark! You get the picture.
 
Sigh.
 
I would have liked to have seen a bit more relationship evolution between Clara and Hunt that wasn’t specifically related to the curse. I didn’t doubt the strength of their relationship in any way, but I felt like I was missing some of the work showing how they became so emotionally invested in one another. 
 
But there was so much that I was wild about in This Scot of Mine, and reading it was a joyful, diverting experience that I could hardly bear to stop until the last words were read. I can’t wait to read the rest in the series.
 
**I received a complimentary copy of this book via Edelweiss+ but all opinions provided are my own.