Customer Reviews

Taming the Scotsman

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When my credibility is attacked, I feel the need to respond. I am a historian and my students refer to me as Dr. Kenyon. I read 15 languages, most of them dead now and they include Old and Middle English. The word "cold" is in fact older than our written language. The idea of having a "cold" is more medieval than even Chaucer himself. In fact, if you read Latin and Arabic medical texts, you will see that Hot and Cold are always used to refer to medical conditions.

So many times we like to think that we have "modern" thoughts that are in fact older than time. I quote Socrates who once said, "Women wear their skirts too short, too much make-up and the men are concerned with nothing but attending parties and other trivial pursuits. What has happened to the youth today?" It was also Plato who wrote the ever popular quote "Let sleeping dogs lie."

Eleanor of Aquitaine set up abused women shelters. Give me a "modern" idea and I can easily give you an ancient/medieval equivelant or law (internet laws aside). As for slang, if I wrote my book in medieval slang terms, I daresay modern readers wouldn't know what rounsey, stew, kagoule, simsey, kerry, coffyn, convent/nunnery (both of which refer in slang to brothels--virgin row was the redlight district) or thousands of other words would mean. I have read medieval and ancient works extesively in their original languages. Things people think are modern aren't. Crocodile tears is a medieval expression taken from John Mandeville's writings in the 14th cent as are terms such as crow's feet, holograph, grenade, uppercrust, take the cake, taken with a grain of salt, etc. These are all from the 12th cent or before.

Modern expressions: Now die! Written in the Aeneid by Virgil Nunc Morere. I will have my way with you upstairs and down...Catullus Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo. Ovid's Garrula Lingua can be translated to mean Motormouth.

Lastly, the wounds. Ewan was more seriously wounded than Ryan. Ryan took a small knife to the ribs, Ewan did not. Have you ever seen the damage a sword does on pig's flesh? I have. For that matter, I have wielded all manner of medieval weapons, worn armor (both chain and plate) and even titled the quintain.

Oh and there is one last thing. There aren't any MacBains in my book. Perhaps you have me confused with someone else.

Because I know my history, have taught and read it, I don't feel the need to flaunt my knowledge and bore reader's with inconsquential details.

Nora is desperate to escape her upcoming marriage to a man she cannot stand. Knowing that her only chance is by fleeing to her aunt, who happens to be the powerful Queen Eleanor of England, she flees to the protection of the one man whom both her father and betrothed fears. Seeking his protection, she braves the wild and off to the cave that has been Ewan's home since that tragic episode years ago.

Ewan MacAllister is a man haunted by a past mistake. Years ago, he fell in love with the same woman whom his brother Kieran wanted to marry. When Isobail declared her love for him, they flee together only for Ewan to find out that he was nothing more than a means for her to escape Scotland and meet her English lover. To make matters worse, he returns home only to find out that Kieran killed himself after learning about their elopement. From that day on, Ewan will carry the guilt over his brother's suicide and turn his back from all women and live in solitude.

TAMING THE SCOTSMAN is the third book in Kinley MacGregor's delectable MacAllister series. I enjoyed reading this book and was entertained by Ewan and Nora's antics. I liked how Nora finds herself captivated by Ewan, whom she likens to a rugged bear that wants to be cuddled and cared for. It was good to see someone who dreamt of marrying a man of culture and one who would read her poetry, fall in love with someone completely so different; a man who storms off to attack trees with an ax each time he gets infuriated. As for Ewan, I am so glad that he finally meets the woman who can tame him and bring out the passionate and tender man in him. Someone who finally makes him realize that he isn't to blame for his brother's decision to end his life, when they were both victims of the lies of an evil woman.

This is another fantastic book by Kinley MacGregor. I enjoyed the interaction between the main characters, and the secondary characters are also very entertaining. The ending is guaranteed to whet your appetite for the next books to see if THAT certain mystery can be solved. I cannot wait to learn the truth!

If you are new to Kinley MacGregor and are a stickler for timelines, you should start with MASTER OF DESIRE, followed by CLAIMING THE HIGHLANDER, BORN IN SIN, TAMING THE SCOTSMAN and WHERE'S MY HERO? Although the heroes of the first and fifth titles are not MacAllisters, they have recurring parts in the other books.

Fellow readers, I am extremely happy to tell you that after FINALLY reading `taming the scotsman' I can confirm that this is certainly Kinley at her best! ...... a few months ago I blindly `stood' up for this novel (having not read it at that stage) and said that Kinley was a great writer and that I thought this novel had to be a winner ...... and I am glad I did so!

I have now read all of the books in the MacAllister series and `Taming the Scotsman' is an exceptionally wonderful story for Ewan ......... I could not have hoped for a more sweet story!!!!!!!! It is great that Kinley didn't make this one morose (as Ewan sometimes seemed in other related novels), she let Ewan tell his story his own way and his personality shone through .... he is sweet, gentle, and adorable!

Ewan is extremely loveable and Nora is an absolute delight! This story fits right in with Kinley's tone for the series and oozes emotional depth and an adventuresome, amusing story that I found simply wonderful .... I will read this novel again and again, and I believe this novel is as good as "born in sin", for those of you who have already read that gorgeous novel!

Buy it, rent it, borrow it ..... you need to read this one! It is a grade A+ read!

Accustomed to being ignored in favor of his more glamorous siblings, Ewan MacAllister had never minded being labeled the "quiet" one and had even been especially close to his next eldest brother, Kieran. However, that closeness was shattered when Isobail MacKaid entered their lives. Although claimed by Kieran, Isobail swore to Ewan that it was he she loved and convinced him to run away with her to England. Once they got there, however, she quickly showed her true colors and admitted that she had only used him to get to her true lover -- an English knight. Disillusioned but determined to make amends to Kieran, Ewan returned to the Scottish highlands only to be told that when he learned of their elopement, Kieran had disappeared into the icy waters of a loch. Driven by sorrow and tormented by guilt, Ewan has since lived a hermit's life in a cave overlooking the very loch that had claimed his brother and best friend.

Eager to escape the betrothal her father has forced on her, Eleanor ingen Alexander is determined to go to England and seek sanctuary with her royal aunt, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Advised by her servant that Ewan MacAllister has the fiercest reputation in the Scotland and would be the best possible escort, Nora seeks him out in his cave. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Nora, it is the anniversary of Kieran's death and Ewan's mood -- never happy on a good day -- is blacker than normal. Hearing Nora's tale of an unwanted betrothal and a flight to England only brings back unhappy memories and he refuses to escort her. However, Ewan also refuses to let her go by herself and decides to take her to his eldest brother and laird, Lochlan.

First impressions (she thinks he's a horrible beastie while he thinks she should be fed to one) soon fade and a powerful attraction quickly develops between the fleeing heiress and the surly highlander as they make their way across the MacAllister lands. When she learns of Ewan's tragic history, Nora is horrified at the similarities to her own situation and decides to make it up to Ewan by introducing some joy into his life. With her irrepressible curiosity and never ending chatter, Nora soon reawakens Ewan's long forgotten dreams of a wife and family. But their adventure takes an unexpected turn when an attempted kidnapping by a group of gypsies reveals that someone is after them. The question is -- are they after Nora...or Ewan?

The third in the MacAllister Brothers series, TAMING THE SCOTSMAN will at turns make you laugh a little and cry a little. A classic tortured hero, Ewan is saved from the darkness of his soul by a determined Nora who isn't above using her talent for incessant talk -- and an erotic dance or two -- to get results. Their romance is a perfect blend of tenderness, passion and humor. With a plot filled with enough twists and turns (and an ending guaranteed to spark interest in the next installment of this series) to keep the readers guessing, as well as a cast of characters destined to have their own stories told, Kinley MacGregor continues to be a shining light in the historical genre.

TheSchemer

In order:
Book 1: Master of Desire
Book 2: Claiming The Highlander
Book 3: Born in Sin
Book 4. Midsummer's Knight (Where's My Hero?, Anthology)
Book 5: TAMING THE SCOTSMAN

half-way through this one & LOVING IT!!!

I must admit to buying anything with "Kinley MacGregor" or "Sherrilyn Kenyon" on the cover. She really is a talented author and really worth reading!

This is the third in the MacAllister series and although to many it's not on the same level as the previous two titles I think that it's just as good with a combination of quirky humor, and touching sentiment!

Ewan MacGregor is living a life of solitude because he feels that he was directly responsible for the death of his brother Kieran. His quite but drunk life comes to a rather loud end when Nora comes to his cave dwelling looking for an escort to England. She is shocked to see the naked but yummy Ewan laying out on his bed but Nora is not put off, she has plans and they include Ewan!

Ewan can not believe his ears! Nora may be pretty but goodness she talks a lot!!! Still he finds himself drawn to her even though she is everything he has promised to stay away from! Still he can't stop the feelings that are pounding away at him. Eventually they both quit fighting the attraction and fall in love. Of course this does not mean the end of the tale someone is out to keep them apart but why????

This was a great story! Nora is a sweet breath of fresh air, and Ewan is the tortured but yummy hero! This is a light read and fun. This is a great series and you won't want to miss out on it!!!

Another great read about the MacAllister men, however the ending to this story about Ewan MacAllister turns into a "Cloak and Dagger" MacAllister mystery: Kieran--Dead or Alive; The MacKaids vs. The MacAllisters; Will Lochlan MacAllister fall prey to the seductive dance by the Gypsy Catarina; and last but not least, who is Pagan really? I have waited 3 years already since the first printing of Ewans story, it is time to solve the mystery.

I enjoyed reading this book. I had a bit of a problem with the hero's stupidity, he was likeable and everything but he was just plain dense especially before the ending. The heroine was the redeeming quality of this book, she was a fun character to read, like a breath of fresh air. I get sick and tired of heroines who are so plain stubborn ("No, no no I can't do this! It's wrong!"...while she pants in heat, the heroine tells the hero the same thing-yada yada yada...repeatedly, until the end or middle of the book she finally gives in) that it gets old, boring and stale. The other characters in the book including the brothers were fun to read about as well. The plot was a bit too slow for me but all in all, it was a good book. I can't wait for Kierens' story! I do hope the next story is about Kieren instead of Lochlan because the ending of the series would be greater if the leader of the clan be the last to find true love. That would be a neat package!

This was my first Kinley read. I was NOT disappointed. The characters are well-rounded and the story line was interesting and relevant to the romance.

The love scenes were hot and yet there was still enough romance to make this a touching and emotional story. I actually found myself tearing up at times!

I give this 5 stars.

I don't usually write reviews, in fact, this will be my first one. But I've seen alot of back and forth bickering over this book, seen Sherri defending herself, etc. and I wanted to write one because I just finished this book.

I really liked this book. It is not my favorite by Sherri (or Kinley, if you would rather) but I will keep it, if not only to say that I have almost every book by her (except the extremely expensive htf ones) since she is one of my favorite authors. I don't know what being historically accuriate has to do with a good romance novel, but for some I know it is a pet peeve of theirs. Personally, I like Kinley's style of writing. It is always witty, humorous and enjoyable. It's a good break from other books that tend to drag on about the description of the cathedral, or dress style or whatever it is the writer is usually trying to throw in your face. Certainly I like to picture the book's contents, but that isn't what truly interests me. It's the developement between the characters. Dialogue, clashing of wills, intrigue, those are the things I like in books and Kinley has ALWAYS delivered those things to me.

I am not saying that any of her books are inaccurate, what I am saying that I wouldn't care if they are because I would enjoy them if she was touting the sky to be pink and woman were really pigs in disguise. Why? Because I like her writing. Sometimes I like her stories better than others, sometimes I don't. It all depends on what appeals to me. My favorite story may not be someone else's favorite story.

That said, let's get to this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Once I got into it, I didn't want to put it down and unfortunately I had to because I had to go to work. It made me chuckle, laugh and giggle. I've started taking those sizzling love scenes in stride these days as just part of the story, but they are fun to read if that's what you're looking for in a romance novel. (And let's face it, if you read sexy romances, you're into it whether you admit it or not. Just like me, but *shhh* that's MY dirty lil secret LOL)

Nora was actually very refreshing and alot like me... chatty! I would love to find me an Ewan who adored my runaway mouth... ;-) And Ewan was understandably tortured. It's like a trademark of Kinley's. I don't know about you, but isn't it most every woman's fantasy to capture the bad boy lone wolf? The one man every woman wants for herself? I think Kinley delivers that in each of her books, and this one is no different. I also think it was a wonderful idea of hers (if not a bit predictable in a funny way) to keep us guessing about Kieran. I'm also taking bets on who Lochlan's love interest will turn out to be. I'll bet you fifty buck I already know!

Anyways, Sherri/Kinley don't let those bad reviews get to you. I love your stuff and am eagerly awaiting your next DH book... *drooling* as I await all of your books... in eager anticipation!