Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #1)
Historical Romance
Released: September 25, 2012
Ballantine
Reviewed by Mandi
The Montgomerys and the Armstrongs are rival clans, with a feud that has lasted for a very long time. The King is sick of it, and decrees that the daughter of the chieftain Armstrong is to marry the chieftain of the Montgomerys, Graeme. When words comes of this impending union, both sides are very unhappy. Eveline fell off her horse three years ago, and suffered major injuries. She is known now to be ‘daft’ not always with it. For that reason, her parents want to keep her close. On the other hand, Graeme doesn’t want to be mated for life with a woman who doesn’t have all her faculties. He fears he will never be able to consummate the marriage, therefore unable to have heirs. But one cannot defy the King, and the union goes forward.
Eveline though isn’t daft. She is deaf, something she has kept hidden from everyone for the past three years. Right before her fall, she was engaged to marry a cruel man, and once she got injured, she found it safer for everyone to believe she was a little wrong in the head, so her engagement would be broken, and stay broken. She can read lips so can often keep up with conversation, but hasn’t spoken a word for three years. Although she is sad to leave her family, she also sees this marriage as an adventure. She thought she would live out the rest of her days under her parents care, and while they are kind, it did prove tiresome to Eveline.
There are things I both liked and disliked about this book. I liked both of these characters. Graeme, although very angry over this forced marriage, realizes Eveline is not the one that he should be angry at. He is warm and has a really fun personality. I liked his relationship with his brothers and his sister. I enjoyed how brave and strong Eveline is with her new ‘family.’ She is tough and has spirit. I did get tired of the way the other clanswomen tried to harass her. I felt like Graeme was way too easy on them. I wanted him to be more alpha when it came to them.
My disappointment came with Eveline’s disability. She is deaf, although able to hear the hero’s words sometimes. (Does true love allow things to be heard?). I liked that she couldn’t talk nor hear. But, there comes a point where things start to change. I’ll put it under a spoiler tag.
She also seems to read lips really well. Can you read lips while having sex in a room lit by candle light? Maybe. But I wanted her to struggle more with this too. I don’t have any experience with reading lips, but it seems like it would take concentration. Can you read lips while writhing in passion? Well, Eveline can.
I was disappointed in the suspense at the end. It was all very predictable and very easy to figure out who the bad guy is. I also thought the sex scenes are really tame in this book. I wanted a little more oomph.
This is a sweet story, but frustrating at times too. It does set up a new set of characters to get books and hopefully I’ll like the next one better..
Rating: C
Recent Reviews:
Fiction Vixen – C
Love to Read for Fun – B+
Book Sniffers Anonymous – 5/5
Anna Reads Romance – 4/5
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Author’s Website l Series Listing
That stinks…. :(