Customer Reviews

My Lord Jack (Highland Fling)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

MY LORD JACK is a delightful story of a saucy French aristocrat and a sexy Scottish hangman. Their witty banter and the undercurrent of electricity between the couple keep you turning pages far too late into the night. I loved it! Like Diana Gabaldon, Hope brings to life a gorgeous red-headed hero that makes the reader want to go back into the past and search for her own "Jack." Why is it that most romance authors don't create heroes with red hair? They are incredibly sexy! (Did you see the gorgeous guy on the cover?) If you like Scottish romances, you've got to read this book! I can hardly wait for Hope's next book, TEMPTING.

Setting: Small town of Selkirk on the Scottish Border in 1793

Ms. Tarr has your undivided attention from the moment you turn the first page until the last with MY LORD JACK. I could not stop reading if my life depended on it. It's a tale full of deep emotion that blows through your like a gale force as you encounter Jack Campbell, a man who has held himself in check for years after dealing with his mother's murder.

Claudia Valemont has escaped from France and execution and fled to Scotland to find her father the Earl of Aberdaire who resides near Edinburgh. While traveling her coach breaks down in Selkirk and she finds herself in trouble in the tavern after getting unwanted attention from Jack's jealous and vicious half brother Callum. Jack helps her get a room but Claudia only has one thought in her head and that is to get to her father as soon as possible and she is caught trying to steal a horse which lands her in the goal sentenced to hang. However, it is Jack who comes to her rescue and she becomes his indentured servant for six months time. What happens to these two people from different worlds is simply amazing and heart wrenching. Jack's and Claudia's worlds are turned upside down as they discover new truths about one another, and as time goes by it goes from friendship, to trust and finally love. Of course, Callum won't let anything rest between he and Jack and he is out of get Jack anyway he can. Once Callum knows Jack wants Claudia he becomes even more devious and evil. If Claudia reaches her father will things be better or worse? Don't miss finding out what happens as it is a shocker!

MY LORD JACK is a must read that I feel will touch your heart in so many ways. It is a tale fraught with danger, suspense, intrigue, and vile jealously, forgiveness, and a grand passion the likes of heavenly bliss. It is well written and flows along like the fast moving burn of passion. There are so many Technicolor pictures that flash through your mind as Jack describes the way he feels about Claudia and it is truly beautiful. I loved this book, and I'm dying to know if there will be more adventures for this lively couple.

Hope Tarr's storytelling talent sparkles and shines like a diamond on a bed of black velvet with the telling of MY LORD JACK, an exceptional tale of an extraordinary man and the woman he falls in love with. Don't miss it!

Hope Tarr has done the impossible, and created a sympathetic, very sexy hero who also happens to be a hangman. If that's not wild enough, he's also a virgin, and a vegetarian...and he can't stay away from the heroine, who has just escaped the French Revolution and has an understandable aversion to executioners. I don't think I've ever read a book with such a creative hero and set-up and Tarr really makes it work, with lively dialogue, great action, and lots of passion and sexual tension. This is a great follow-up to her wonderful first book, A Rogue's Pleasure. Can't wait for her next one...

Claudia Valemont barely escaped from France with her life. The revolution in France has taken the lives of her mother and her protector Phillipe du Marmac. Claudia has nowhere else to turn but to the man who is her father, even though he doesn't know of her existence. But on her way to find her father, Claudia is caught trying to steal a horse. Theft is punishable by death, but Jack Campbell, the executioner, saves her life.

Jack doesn't really know why he steps forward for Claudia, especially since she is remanded into his custody for six months. She makes him feel things he has never let himself feel and although he has made a vow to himself to remain a virgin, she tempts him.

Claudia is not happy to be living with an executioner. She had seen horrible things in France, and she has to learn that Jack is not a bad person just because of his job. Jack and Claudia both have a history they have to learn to accept and move past before they can fully allow their feelings for each other to be seen. But their love isn't just being hampered by their own histories and secrets. Outside forces are just as determined to keep them apart, even through deadly means.

Hope Tarr has created one of the most unique romance stories today with her story of the executioner and the former French courtesan. As crazy as it sounds, this story works. Hope Tarr's writing style is reminiscent of Diana Gabaldon's. Even though I usually don't like characters with heavy accents I had no trouble with Ms. Tarr's use of the Scottish dialect. I could hear Jack's beautiful Scottish brogue in my head as I read the words on the page. I found myself completely enthralled to the point that I didn't realize that it was the middle of the night before I finished the book. This is a one-sit read and I for one cannot wait to read many more Hope Tarr books. MY LORD JACK goes high on my list of recommended reads for this year.

What an interesting couple - he's an executioner; she's a refugee from the guillotine and revolutionary France.

Jack never intended to get involved with this woman or her problems but found himself speaking up for her when she is caught stealing a horse. Even worse, she is remanded to his custody for six months labor. Now he has to share his home and spend most everyday in her company. And this sentence also puts a crimp in Claudia's plans to find the father she never knew - a Scottish earl that may or may not know of her existence.

Claudia goes from pampered courtesan to working in a tavern. From fearing and loathing Jack and his profession to respecting and liking Jack the man. He surprises her in that he is actually very kind and gentle, an animal lover, a vegetarian and most unbelievably a virgin. He has vowed that he would never take a woman because of what happened to his mother - seduced and left to bear a child out of wedlock. But Claudia is quite a temptation for him. She's beautiful and resilient and he finds himself wanting her badly.

Though she had been the mistress of a guillotined French aristocrat for seven years, she knows little of love and tenderness - especially not from a man. But Jack's kind and gentle nature and handsome looks attract her as her former lover never did. They fall in love and then must face the villainous actions of Jack's half brother, his stepfather, not to mention Claudia's nefarious father. But love conquers all and Jack and Claudia are finally free to begin their lives anew.

A very sweet love story.

In the beginning i thought it was an excellent and interesting concept. The hero is a hangman...COOL!! And then i began to notice alot of similarities between the hero and Jamie Fraser from Outlander, from their red hair, to their very similar choice of language and dialect. Too similarities. I found myself throwing this book out and i have a deep opposition to throwing books out.

Jack Campbell has never regretted his decision to become a hangman. It's a position he holds with pride despite the stigma associated with ushering the condemned from this world. He's a gentle man who views his job as an art form - no detail of any execution is left to chance and he even comforts those whose life is about to end as he prepares them for their final moments. His life is simple and unassuming but all that's about to change thanks to an former French courtesan whose in a world of trouble.

Penniless Claudia Valemont is fleeing France and the horrors she's witnessed. Her plan is to show up on her father's doorstep and hope once he overcomes the surprise he'll be willing to keep her with him. The trip from France to Scotland has been full of troublesome situations and the latest one has landed her at a coaching inn and public house due to the traveling coach's broken wheel. An act of desperation results in her potentially facing the hangman's noose, but help arrives from an unexpected source and her life will be changed forever.

Claudia's rash decision to attempt to steal a horse to take her to her father's house is something she definitely regrets. Horse thievery is a hanging offense but she's saved from the hangman's noose when Scotsman Jack Campbell speaks up for her. He's unlike any man she's ever known - and isn't at all interested in bedding her. She's indentured to him for the next six months and every moment of their time together is filled with tension, desire and no small amount of frustration. Just when they finally begin to find happiness secrets from the past threaten to tear them apart. Is it possible that a man who executes the condemned for a living can truly find love with a jaded courtesan?

Hope Tarr surprised me with this story. Hangmen aren't normally considered loveable or even tolerable for that matter but through her writing Ms. Tarr makes Jack very personable. Claudia, I wasn't too sure about at first because she came off as spoilt, but there's a vulnerability about her that's revealed throughout the story which allows readers to empathize with her. In addition to the romance between Claudia and Jack there're several subplots that are just as intriguing and characters who keep the storyline hopping. If you're looking for a historical read with unforgettable characters, stunning situations and an unexpectedly sweet romance then MY LORD JACK is a book you won't want to overlook.

This book was reviewed using a digital galley via NetGalley.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)

Can a hangman and a refugee of the French Revolution learn to live under the same roof?

With France in chaos, Claudia barely escaped the mobs with her life. Determined to find her father, a Scottish nobleman, she finds herself alone and penniless in a strange land. Unable to afford the rest of the trip to her father's land, she makes the unfortunate decision of trying to steal a horse. Caught before she even gets the horse out of the stall, she finds herself facing death yet again. Just as the sentence is about to be imposed, Jack Campbell, the hangman himself, speaks for her.

Claudia and Jack find themselves stuck with each other for the next six months. As Claudia attempts to cope with her new circumstances, she finds herself attracted to her rescuer. Jack also finds himself attracted to Claudia. Soon the chemistry between them sparks. However, Jack's half brother, Callum, hates Jack deeply and will do anything to see Jack's happiness destroyed. Claudia's past comes back to haunt her in the form of her father, who is not the benevolent figure she's always imagined. Will Jack and Claudia fall prey to Callum's schemes? Will Claudia's father insist on shaping her future?

Claudia is the classic fish out of water. Her life as a courtesan in France wasn't perfect, but it is what she was used to. Life in Scotland with Jack is rougher and much simpler. At first Claudia hates it and plans to escape as soon as possible. However, she gradually grows to respect the people in Jack's village. I enjoyed watching her transform from a pampered courtesan to a strong and caring woman. As Claudia's attraction to Jack grows, she is still upset by his occupation. Her last memories of France are of bloody executions in the street, and she can't help but view Jack in the same light. She knows Jack is a gentle man, but will she be able to overcome her prejudice against his occupation?

Jack proved to be one of the gentlest executioners I have the pleasure of reading about. He genuinely respects all forms of life from the people in his community to the mouse that lives in his home. He sees his position as an executioner as a way to ensure that justice is done, and he takes pride in making sure that those he must hang do not suffer. Claudia is unlike any woman he's ever known. At first he is annoyed and frustrated by her. He finds himself endeared by her innocence in some matters and intimidated by her experience in others. Despite his conflicting emotions, it isn't long before he discovers he's fallen in love with her.

One of the things that I liked most about My Lord Jack was that Claudia and Jack were able to learn from each other. Jack teaches Claudia to appreciate the more simple things in life while she teaches him to dance. Claudia is also more experienced in the bedroom. Many stories I've read have portrayed the woman as a virgin with the man being more knowledgeable. It was interesting to have these roles reversed, and it made for a very touching love scene between Claudia and Jack.

Jack's occupation also proved to be quite interesting. I don't think I've ever read a story where the hero was a hangman. I wasn't sure how this would figure in to the story, but Ms. Tarr makes it work seamlessly. Jack's position not only allows him to save her at the beginning of the story, but is also instrumental in saving her later on in the story as well.

I enjoyed reading My Lord Jack. The characters were endearing and the romance was touching. Fans of historical romance will certainly want to pick up a copy.

Originally posted at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

`My Lord Jack,' pairs Jack Campbell and Claudia Valemont in a powerful novel packed with storyline, redemption, heartfelt emotion, and unrelenting action steeped in Scottish customs.
A unique plot twist, unrelenting action and male point of view transport readers into the world of the French courtesan and Scottish hangman where both seek redemption and ultimately, love.
The village of Selkirk Scotland is beset upon by French beauty, refugee and accused thief Claudia Valemont. Intent on finding her father in England after fleeing France and life as a courtesan, Valemont is marooned in a village and desperate to reach her destination. The decision to steal proves a nearly fatal one when she is sentenced to death until her execution is stayed by none other than, the state hangman: Jack Campbell.
Remanded into his custody for six months, Claudia must learn how to function in servitude and reconcile her past with the kindness of strangers and the love from and for Jack that grows with each day and new undertaking.
And adventures fuel the plot turns that are pleasantly unyielding. From Jack's hateful half-brother Callum intent on destroying him, to Claudia's desire to remain with Jack yet find her birth father in order to be free. At every village and country, it seems that time has run out for one or the other through missteps, or machinations keeping readers turning the pages seeking the ending they want mostly for Jack but certainly for Claudia.
What Tarr brilliantly accomplishes is a unique and very definitely, welcome romantic twist that reveals itself as the sexual tension has built to a tsunami with the very virile Campbell divulging his life-long secret.
Though this book is a journey for both, we come to truly know, respect and love Jack as he maneuvers the powerful attraction for his charge while sharing his tender side without appearing a besotted idiot. As Claudia's edges are softened by Jack's attention and patience, she wars with a need to confront her father, forgive herself and stay with Jack.
Tarr very skillfully weaves Scottish & English dialect with Claudia's French in both conversation and internal dialogue delivering an authenticity, providing deeper character insight and a sense of place in a story spanning three countries and a love that feels no boundaries.
This perfectly balanced novel furnishes readers with everything they want and more and, "Och, I ken ye will love it!" I very highly recommend `My Lord Jack'

MY LORD JACK by Hope Tarr is a wonderful historical romance set in 1798 Scotland. It is well written using Scottish dialog of the era that adds authenticity to the story and if full of banter between the hero and heroine. The plot is easy to follow as well as the characters who will capture your heart and have you setting on the edge of your seat. It has wit, romance, danger, adventure, betrayal, trust, sensuality, falling in love and finding the truth. The hero, Jack, is handsome, strong, lonely, loves animals, is kind, considerate, illegitimate,compassionate and the hangman. The heroine, Claudia, is beautiful, half French, escaping the revolution of France, trying to find her noble father, is illegitimate, a courtesan, strong willed,and prosecuted as a horse thief. For this thievery, she is to hang until Jack, steps forward on her behalf. She is placed into his custody for six months, Jack, immediately feels a connection to her, but tries to deny it. Claudia is also finding him easy to fall in love with. Jack's half brother demises him,and is out to destroy Jack and Claudia. What follows is a test of true love with hardship and sacrifice. The father, Claudia, as so hoped would love her turns out to be a worst enemy, than Jack's half brother. This is a story of love, sacrifice, deceit, betrayal, friendship and with a happy ever after ending. I would highly recommend this story especially if you enjoy Scottish romance and adventure. This book was received for review from Net Galley and details can be found at Carina Press and My Book Addiction and More.