When a Scot Ties the Knot: Castles Ever After (Castles Ever After, #3)

by Tessa Dare

On the cusp of her first London season, Miss Madeline Gracechurch was shy, pretty, and talented with a drawing pencil, but hopelessly awkward with gentlemen. She was certain to be a dismal failure on the London marriage mart. So Maddie did what generations of shy, awkward young ladies have done: she invented a sweetheart. A Scottish sweetheart. One who was handsome and honorable and devoted to her, but conveniently never around. Maddie poured her heart into writing the imaginary Captain MacKenzie letter after letter ...and by pretending to be devastated when he was (not really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures of London society entirely. Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her imaginings shows up in the flesh. The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her doorstep-handsome as anything, but not entirely honorable. He's wounded, jaded, in possession of her letters ...and ready to make good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep.

• ISBN10: 0062349023
• ISBN13: 9780062349026
• Publish Date: 27 August 2015 (first published 25 August 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Avon Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

4.5 Stars

To think this was in my donate pile and almost went out the door a few days ago. I'm so glad I finally picked this up before I said goodbye to it. After weeks of struggling to read anything for long periods of time, I finally have a book that I felt the need to keep reading, so much so that I binged it in one sitting.

This is my second Tessa Dare book that I've read and I am so keen to try more now that both experiences have been absolutely amazing.

[nitzan_schwarz]

June 20 edit: I think I meant to give this one 4 stars and accidentally gave it 3??? What I wrote and my rating don't match lol

God, I love Tessa Dare. This was sweet and fun and funny with great characters and a wonderful story-line.

[Berls]

Loved every momement! Full review to follow.

[stacey_is_sassy]

Verra...verra...verra good

So, panic attacks were written off as extreme shyness back in the day...who'd have thought? When a Scot Ties the Knot, is the story of a young lady by the name of Madeleine who creates an extremely dramatic tale to avoid having a season. She knows she wouldn't cope being around so many people, so makes up a story. Maddie says she met Captain MacKenzie on holidays, they fell in love and he will be back to claim her after the war. She keeps the story going for years by writing fake letters to and from him. Knowing that her deception can't go on forever, she kills him off in battle.

Imagine her surprise when the real Captain MacKenzie rocks up to her joint to claim her as his wife.

Captain Logan Mackenzie is on a mission. He and his platoon have fought and survived the war to return to nothing. Logan comes up with the brilliant plan of chasing down the woman who had sent him letters for years and telling her she had to marry him. From the letters he'd received, he knew she had inherited a castle for them to live in when he returned from war. His plan is to create a sanctuary and a way for him and his men to live a meaningful life again. All of them have had it rough, but they stay together like a family. Grant's story broke my heart and the way the men looked after him showed me the love they have for each other.

Logan and Maddie come to a mutual agreement to marry. Neither want love, but need each other to achieve their goals. Logan wants the land and Maddie wants the freedom to keep on drawing her naturalist pictures. Their agreement gets tested the more time they spend with each other. They've got the hots for each other. I loved watching them fight the attraction, but felt it was drawn out a little too long.

I really enjoyed this story and loved the way it was written. I laughed and cried with them and at them. Logan was a fierce Scotsman in a kilt who saves the damsel from the bog, plans the strategic maneuvers to find the elusive Fluffy the lobster and learns that loving someone is a gift and not a burden. Maddie was a quirky but intelligent lady who realises her dreams don't have to stop if she loves someone. Logan and Maddie are a great couple and I loved watching them come together. I love Tessa Dare's stories and can't wait for more.

[Amanda]

When Tessa Dare releases a new book, the minute you get it, you squee, and then you throw your plans for the next few hours out to read it.

I squeed, I sat down, I read. I did not get up. I did not pass go. I did not have use for a bookmark. My legs cursed me when I finally stood. But, as with Tessa Dare books, it was entirely worth it.

Tessa Dare wrote an article about why her readers love her books and characters, and AS ALWAYS, she gets us. That understanding is what makes her books so marvelous, and really, I think they just keep getting better. Or maybe I appreciate them more. Either way, Tessa Dare rocks.

The set up for this book is killer. Maddie invents a sweetheart. And it's not a little lie. It's one that she keeps for years. YEARS. And then she kills him off so she can live a peaceful life, alone, with her mating lobsters. And then HE shows up. The fictional sweetheart who isn't fictional, who is very much real. Who is very much NOT the sweetheart she invented.

Because Logan MacKenzie is as jaded as the synopsis promises, and he's not back to claim the love of Maddie... well, at least that's what he thinks. And like in the other Castles Ever After series, the main characters aren't the only ones who shine. When a Scot Ties the Knot wouldn't be what it is without its side characters. Maddie's aunt. Logan's soldiers.

I adored Madie. Anyone who hates crowds and social situations, even if she doesn't experience fear to Maddie's extent, will relate to her. Logan is a bit less likable, but he has his reasons, and Maddie's struggle not to fall for him helped -- she saw the good in him, even when he didn't.

Writing this review makes me want to reread When a Scot Ties the Knot. I finished the book a few hours ago. And yet. AND YET.

Tessa Dare writes good books. Books that dig into your emotions and connects you to the plight of the characters. Books that make you believe in the HEA. Now to figure out what to do with myself until the next book comes out.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Coffee dates with When a Scot Ties the Knot

• First date: From the very first page, Miss Madeline Gracechurch and I became friends. She is a bookworm and prefers collecting seashells to attending balls. Her father and stepmother want to see her married and settled. She is determined to avoid the season and all of its trappings. Therefore, she claims to have fallen in love. To avoid questions she claims he is Scottish and a Captain in the service. She even gives him a name and oh, how this little fib escalates. Elated her stepmother has her write him and thus begins the charade. Each week she writes him and lord her letters brought tears to my eyes as I laughed aloud. Truthfully, I already know what is going to happen but the anticipation of watching all of itunfold has me going back for a second coffee date.


• Second date: *snickers* Madeline’s sweetheart sadly lost his life and died a hero. She mourned him and still wears grey. Her Uncle bequeathed her a property in Scotland and there she happily resides. She spends her days drawing, reading and maybe feeling a little guilty for the charade. That is until Captain MacKenzie shows up at her door in full uniform (a sexy kilt) along with his men. What ensued was delightful and Logan made my heart flutter. He has her letters and intends to see them married. Madeline’s response to her fictional sweetheart appearing  was positively wonderful, well for me, she is quite flabbergasted! Perfectly paced with delicious banter, snark and sexual tension the pages practically read themselves. Secondary characters particularly Logan’s men added depth to the story and I was rather fond of a few of them.


• Third date: We really get to know both Madeline and Logan as they dance a tango filled with attraction, fears and humor. Dare has this wonderful gift for creating strong characters who are flawed and allows them to grow. Logan has issues stemming from his childhood, but his loyalty to his men and his treatment of Madeline made him a swoon-worthy hero. I loved the growth, and the slow building romance that developed. Their conversations had depth and I loved the bit about their “remember when”. Each time my heart dipped. Dare brought out the feels, added a little drama/suspense before concluding this date. She then gave us a little dessert providing readers with an epilogue that truly satisfied.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Rowena]

Tessa Dare strikes again!

I knew that I was going to enjoy this one and I wasn’t disappointed. Tessa Dare delivers yet another historical romance that touched my heart, made me laugh and made fall in love with both the hero and the heroine. She’s proven time and time again that she deserves to be on my auto-buy list and she proved it yet again with this one.

Miss Madeline Gracechurch is shy. Painfully shy. So much so that being in a crowd gives her anxiety and when she’s of age to come out and have her season, she’s terrified. She doesn’t like attention and being in crowds makes her want to vomit so it doesn’t come as a surprise that she lies to get out of attending balls and participate in her season. The lie? Oh, only that she already met the man of her dreams, her future husband, Captain Logan MacKenzie but he’s fighting in the war so she can’t marry him right now. She’s going to wait for him. To keep up pretenses, Madeline starts writing letters to Captain Logan MacKenzie and what started off as something to get people off her back turns into a huge lie that goes on for years. The lie gets to big that it takes on a life of its own. She gets a castle for her efforts in keeping up the charade but when Captain Logan Mackenzie shows up at her castle door and wants to make good on the promises they made to each other…Madeline is confused and terrified at the same time.

Captain Logan Mackenzie has waited years to find out who the lying Miss Gracechurch is. He pictured her as a plain, bratty young woman but the woman he was expecting was not the woman he got. Even though he’s never laid eyes on this woman, she’s got something he wants and he’ll do whatever it takes to get it.

Including marrying the lying little wench.

Being in the army wasn’t easy for Logan and it wasn’t easy for the men that he led into battle. Everything that they were promised upon their return to their home of Scotland was not waiting for them after the war and in an effort to take care of his men, he takes them to Madeline’s castle and takes up residence.

Seeing these two battle wits at the same time that they were battling their own battles made for an entertaining read. I loved seeing Madeline and Logan come together. It wasn’t love at first sight. Their love grew over time and overcame a whole lot of obstacles and I enjoyed every minute of their story. Their romance was fun and steamy and everything I’ve come to love from Tessa Dare’s books and I just really liked it all.

I loved both Logan and Madeline but I also loved the secondary characters as well. Madeline’s Aunt was great fun and so was Logan’s men. They were all fleshed out characters that stood out and they were fun to get to know. I’m really thirsty for more from this series and I hope we’ll get some more. This series is great!

Grade: 4.5 out of 5