Reviewed by PJ Ausdenmore
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
4.5 Stars

Though a Scot by birth, for the past several years Jack Haines, Earl of Lambourne has been living the carefree life of a charming London rake…until the day he is accused of taking the Princess of Wales to his bed.  Protesting his innocence but wary of the Prince’s anger, Jack flees London one step ahead of bounty hunters and heads deep into the Highlands.  Thinking he has escaped, Jack is surprised to find himself surrounded by armed Scots and prepares to be escorted back to London to face either prison or the hangman but, instead, is taken north to Castle Beal and a fate that, for a rogue like Jack, is far worse than facing the Prince’s wrath.

Elizabeth “Lizzy” Beal, niece of the clan laird, Carson Beal could rightly be called a hellion.  Intelligent, opinionated and fiercely independent, Lizzie shares a small but poor estate with her invalid sister, Charlotte.  Though they own the estate outright due to a royal decree that prohibits men of the Beal clan from inheriting land, they don’t have the funds to maintain it and are therefore forced to live under the controlling and manipulative thumb of their uncle.  Lizzie plans to improve their situation by marrying Gavin Gordon, the young man she “highly esteems”, but her uncle is determined to prevent the marriage at all costs and keep both his nieces and their land under his control.   With Gordon out of town and unable to come to her rescue, Carson abducts Lizzie from her home and forces her into a handfasting with Jack, a man she has never met or even heard of before the ceremony.

Returned to Lizzie’s small home as virtual prisoners of the laird, Jack finds the hospitality sorely lacking as he’s faced with a furious Lizzie, her bitter sister and two of Carson’s henchmen, all of whom blame him for their current situation.  Though he has every right to be angry, it doesn’t take long for his natural optimism to re-emerge and he sets about charming the sisters.  But Jack has been gone from Scotland for many years and, unfortunately for him, he’s forgotten just how frustratingly stubborn a Scots lass can be, especially a lass who has an understanding with one man but finds herself forcibly handfasted to another and growing more confused every day by the increasing appeal of the charming scoundrel living under her roof.   As for Jack, the better he gets to know Lizzie the more he cares for her and the longer he stays in Scotland the more he remembers how much he loved the country he left behind as a young man.  He fears that, for the first time in his life, a woman may have found her way into his heart – a woman who is destined to marry another – and when Lizzie’s intended returns, Jack’s sense of honor will demand that he walk away from the woman with whom he is falling in love.

I enjoy getting lost in a good highland romance and this one kept me entertained from beginning to end.  London has imbued the dialogue with enough Gaelic and Scots phrasing to give it the distinct flavor of the Highlands but not so much that I was distracted from the story by unfamiliar words that are difficult to pronounce.   Sparks flew between Jack and Lizzie from their first encounter with rapid-fire dialogue and enough sexual tension to keep me glued to the pages.  I had reservations about Lizzie for awhile and feared she could be turning into a shrew that I’d have difficulty liking but, in London’s capable hands, she began to soften and allow us insights into her thoughts and fears that explained her behavior.  Jack’s charm and love of life drew me in from the beginning but it was his well hidden vulnerability and core of goodness and honor that endeared him to me as he evolved throughout the story.   London has also included a poignant secondary love story that enhances the overall richness of the book, a very fitting punishment for the villain and a twist in the epilogue that had me laughing with delight.

I encourage you to escape to the Highlands with Julia London’s HIGHLAND SCANDAL.