Review: What Happens in Scotland by Jennifer McQuistonwhat happens in scotland by Jennifer McQuiston
Published by Avon on February 26, 2013
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 357
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
three-stars

Jennifer McQuiston’s debut historical romance, What Happens in Scotland, is a lively, romantic adventure about a wedding that neither the bride or the groom remembers.

Lady Georgette Thorold has always been wary of marriage, so when she wakes up next to an attractive Scotsman with a wedding ring on her finger, it’s easy to understand why she panics and flees. Convinced that Georgette is a thief, her may-be husband, James McKenzie, searches for her. As both try to recall what happened that fateful night, they begin to realize that their attraction and desire for each other is undeniable. But is it enough?

Fans of Sarah MacLean and Mary Balogh will enjoy this charming historical romance from New York Times best-selling author Jennifer McQuiston that features unforgettable characters and a satisfying mix of adventure and passion.

On Goodreads, I’m in a Highlander Group (of course, because, hello, Highland Hussy for a reason!). The group recommended What Happens in Scotland to me, and since it was on sale for a buck, I couldn’t resist. It was touted as The Hangover, you know, they wake up and can’t remember what happened the night before and have to backtrack to figure it out. It’s supposed to be funny and light. We have a super proper and serious widow, and a Scottish barrister who is trying to make his own way after a split with his father, the earl, it sounds like hijinks will abound!

But there are a few things that didn’t work for me. The first of which is that the hero and heroine don’t really interact for over 100 pages in. I didn’t think this worked at all because the whole story takes place in like a day and a half. I’m all for insta-love, truly I quite enjoy that trope, so having them fall in love in a day is not far-reaching for me. However, for that to be believable I feel like they need to actually spend time together.

I feel like the heroine’s sideplot with her cousin was so obvious that it dropped my opinion of her since she didn’t see it.  If we had been told what was going on differently it would have worked, but we saw it unfold as she did, and she didn’t pick up on it until the very last few pages.

I don’t know, I loved the H/h when they were together, but I feel like so much more could have been done with this plot. I mean it has so much potential! Waking up in Scotland with no memory of how you ended up in bed with a strange Scotsman, and then finding out you two were married? It’s a fabulous concept! And definitely right up my alley. But the delivery kept it from being a 5 star book. I liked it, it had its funny moments, and I definitely say it’ worth the read, but it wasn’t as wonderful as I’d hoped.

I have this author’s next book “Summer is for lovers” which I am looking forward to reading, hopefully it’ll work better for me than this one.

three-stars