Sinful Scot by Julie Johnstone

Sinful Scot by Julie Johnstone, Cecelia Mecca
on February 28, 2020
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Medieval, Fiction / Romance / Historical / Scottish, Fiction / Romance / Time Travel
Pages: 264
Goodreads

 In a time he doesn’t belong, in an alliance she shouldn’t have made, they’ll fall dangerously, hopelessly in love.

New Orleans, 2020. Billionaire Rhys McCaim doesn’t believe for one second that his missing mother is a time traveler. Still, his father insists that she didn’t leave them willingly but was pulled through time to her true home in medieval Scotland. But when he and his three brothers test out an ancient time-traveling spell to appease their dying father and Rhys is catapulted to thirteenth-century Scotland, he can’t exactly deny it anymore. Suddenly he’s a Highlander in a land on the verge of war. He needs to get back to his time before all hell breaks loose, but first he must find his mother. Luckily, fate drops the perfect guide in his path. She’s brilliant, beautiful and bold, and he’s drawn to her in a way he’s never been drawn to anyone or anything before. But he can’t afford to be distracted from his mission or lower his carefully constructed guard.

Scotland, 1286. Maggie Irvine is betrothed to a vicious man who cares only of wealth and power. Marrying him will restore her family’s reputation, however, saving her siblings from lives of misery. She has resigned herself to her fate, but when a mysterious, handsome stranger magically appears before her out of thin air, her plan—and the stranger’s life—are in jeopardy. And the only way to save him is to risk everything. As she comes to learn the shocking truth of what he hides, Maggie discovers what happens when duty collides with desire and long-abandoned dreams rise to the surface.

Bound by secrets and lies, Maggie and Rhys are entangled in the brewing battle for the Scottish throne. With his knowledge of the future, Rhys possesses the powerful ability to alter history. Yet, to do so successfully, he must let Maggie past the defenses he’s spent a lifetime building. Now, an alliance that began in desperation becomes a need that will leave them both torn between what they should do and what love demands.

Sinful Scot is book one in the time travel series Highlanders Through Time by Julie Johnstone. I think this book was very well written. It held my attention from the first chapter. The author managed to infuse quite a bit of history in her story without it coming across dry and stale. I think I have a crush on the hero Rhys McCain. Handsome, brave and yet gentle, Rhys is the man we all long for in our lives.  I also liked the heroine Maggie Irvine. She is spunky without being cruel or sarcastic. “The sun was battling the thick, snow-laden clouds to break through the sky, and every once in a while a slash of light would glow from above and shine down on Rhys. Her breath would catch all over again at how captivating he was, even in slumber. The dark shadow of the stubble he’d had when she’d met him a week ago had grown thicker, lending a more rugged appearance to his face. His cheekbones were more prominent than before, and she bit her lip the knowledge that he was likely not getting enough to eat. His ebony hair needed a washing, but she still wanted to plunge her fingers into it just to see what it felt like. She denied the urge, for one thing remained completely unchanged, even in sleep: he exuded dangerous power. And one did not awaken a wolf.” There are several steamy sex scenes expertly written by Johnstone. My only negative in the story is I found myself wondering about setting in a few scenes. I like to picture the story as I read and there were just several times when I found the setting to be underdeveloped. Other than that, I found this book to be a great read.