I Knew Ye Were Trouble - Review of "It's Getting Scot in Here" by Suzanne Enoch

Title: It's Getting Scot in Here
Author: Suzanne Enoch
Release Date: February 26, 2019

Series and Number: Wild Wicked Highlanders, #1

Audiobook Narrator: Flora MacDonald

You ever read (or in this case, listen to) a book and it leaves you with all the happy warm fuzzies for a long time afterward?

Readers, I'm still on a happy, lovey-dovey high after reading this one.

First some background - I found this audiobook on sale on iBooks a few days ago when I was kind of in a reading slump. Since this was the first in the series, I went for it. I didn't know what exactly to expect, though I have read Suzanne Enoch in the past. But whatever I expected, this book surpassed those expectations.

(Before I go further, bear in mind that I did listen to the audiobook and I haven't had a chance to consult a hard copy of the book yet. So if any names or such are misspelled in this post, please know that is all my own error.)

The plot is as follows: The McTaggart brothers have to find English wives or their mother (who is estranged from her husband, their father) will rescind the money she’s been giving over to support their lands in Scotland. The feud between their parents definitely colors the overall story and conflict and it’s a brilliant one. Especially when the brothers arrive in London to meet their mother for the first time in seventeen years.

Part of the agreement that Francesca McTaggart, Lady Aldris had with her husband is that she would choose a wife for at least one of her sons. She picks out Amelia-Rose Baxter for her eldest, Coll, who is set to inherit. But because of the bad blood of having been estranged from their mother for all that time, Coll is not thrilled with the situation and he's set out to ruin everything from the beginning.

Enter Niall, the youngest McTaggart brother. He's used to smoothing over problems his brothers create and this is no different. He makes excuses for Coll and sets himself up to court Amelia-Rose as proxy for his bear of a brother. Their estate, Aldris Park, depends on it.

See where this is going yet?

Amelia-Rose, for her part, is determined to get out from under the thumb of her overbearing mama, who is ambitious for a title in the family and will settle for nothing less. But that involves Amelia-Rose being subject to all manner of scolding and reproach from her mother. It is evident that Amelia-Rose is NOT going to be the simpering miss that Coll McTaggart is expecting from what his father has told them of English ladies.

From the get-go, all of the conflicts in this story push against each other perfectly. Coll doesn't want to bow to his mother's wishes, Niall and Aden (the middle brother) want to save Aldris Park, Amelia-Rose wants to be herself but still enjoy her place in society, Mrs. Baxter wants a title, Lady Aldris wants her sons in her life. On the surface, it seems like everything is about to collapse on itself.

But it doesn't. And a lot of that is down to the brilliant chemistry that Niall and Amelia-Rose have from the instant Niall steps in to cover up his brother's foolish mistakes. They are both likable from the get-go.  Even the boys' younger sister, Eloise, says later that Niall and Amelia-Rose says they are perfect for each other.

The best part of this story? Niall and Amelia-Rose actually TALK TO EACH OTHER! There’s very little of this “Poor Communication Kills,” beyond what’s necessary for the story to unfold. And what is there is done with in due course. If there is a misunderstanding, it's cleared up fairly quickly, so there's none of this "Oh, does he really love me?" OF COURSE HE DOES! He just can't say it in front of the milquetoast fop that your mother paid to marry you!

(Oh gee - wait until you get to THAT doofus.)

Luckily, Amelia-Rose isn't that dense and Niall comes up with a wonderful plan that I refuse to spoil because it was so great to watch unfold. Also, keep a close eye on Lady Aldris. "Formidable" only begins to describe her. That's all I'll say here.

And a quick word of praise to Flora MacDonald for her narrating of the audiobook - she's great! I think this might be the first audio I've listened to of hers and her voice acting definitely added to my enjoyment of the story. Even with three big Highlanders to voice, she gives all three of them distinctive brogues and you can tell which one is supposed to be speaking, even before the dialogue tags come in. But she can also do a slightly more delicate English lady for Amelia-Rose, Eloise, and Lady Aldris (all distinctive as well), plus the haughty harridan of Mrs. Baxter. So if you get the chance to listen to the audiobook, I highly recommend it!

(Though I will say that I vastly prefer the book cover to the audiobook cover. The couple on the book actually looks like they could be Niall and Amelia-Rose. The couple on the audiobook... well, they don't.)

Overall: A strong start to a new series and one that I am very much looking forward to reading!

Also - In many ways, this was the book that inspired the Rebelite Romance Reviews blog. A young lady who can navigate society, while also being a bit outspoken and sure of herself (once she gets some proper encouragement in that direction, of course). So, we have Amelia-Rose to thank for that.