Reviewed by PJ Ausdenmore
Publisher: Penguin
3.75 stars

Set in Scotland in 1885, The Scot and I is the story of two enemies forced by circumstance to become uneasy allies who then slowly evolve into much more. Alex Hepburn, an agent for Queen Victoria’s secret service, is on a mission to protect the queen from a planned assassination attempt by Demos, a rogue cell fighting to free Scotland from British rule, but he is stunned when the beautiful blond woman who has captured his attention raises a gun and fires.  Alex has been betrayed by a woman before, with deadly consequences, and he isn’t about to let this one get away.  He finds the blond wig the woman was wearing and, using his “gift” of sensory perception, he follows the trail to a young lad who he believes is guiding the woman in her getaway.

Mahri Scot had no idea what she was getting herself into when her older brother recruited her to Demos as a courier but when she stumbles upon the plan to assassinate Queen Victoria she knows she must do something to stop it.  Her anonymous letter to British Intelligence went answered so she attends the reception at Balmoral intent on stopping the gunman, Ramsey before he can carry out his task.  After shooting the gun out of his hand she flees the castle grounds unaware that no one else saw Ramsey’s   gun and that Agent Hepburn believes she was shooting at the Queen.   Changing into her disguise as young Thomas, she quickly goes to ground but Alex catches up with her.

I love stories where the heroine is disguised as a boy.  Unlike in other stories, Alex is not attracted to Thomas but he does come to care for the lad and his welfare.  In light of his prior experience with untrustworthy women it was an excellent way to soften his heart toward Mahri before discovering that the lad was actually the woman he sought.

Mahri is as determined to escape Alex as he is determined to bring her to justice but a series of events has him questioning if she really is guilty.  At her first opportunity, Mahri escapes but when Alex and his brother find themselves accused of murder and thrown into a dungeon, its Mahri and her mentor who help them escape.  They still don’t trust one another and both are keeping dangerous secrets but they must rely on each other to stay one step ahead of those who would see them dead.   Gradually, the attraction between them deepens, some secrets are shared and trust begins to develop but the most dangerous secrets, the ones that could mean death for one or both of them are still tightly held and, in the end, only by trusting in one another completely will they be able to escape the web of deceit and death that surrounds them.

The Scot and I is an enjoyable action-adventure romance with a heavier emphasis on the mystery than the physical romance and, while I definitely enjoy the physical relationship between the hero and heroine in the books I read, I agree with Thornton’s decision to save that part for later in the book.  Having them become physically intimate too quickly would not have been true to their characters.  The secondary characters nicely complemented the story without overshadowing the hero and heroine and set the stage for what I anticipate will be the next book in this series.   This was my first book by Elizabeth Thornton and while it didn’t blow me away I did enjoy it.  I’ll definitely try her again.