‘The Highland Earl’ Meets His Match in Amy Jarecki’s Latest Scottish Adventure [REVIEW]

A Scottish highlander must find his bride in Amy Jarecki’s latest novel. (Photo by Canva)

A newly minted Scottish widower with two young hellion sons. A beautiful English woman making her London debut. They both need to get married, but both have secrets neither wants to share. Will they find happiness or disaster waiting at the end of the wedding procession? Find out in Amy Jarecki’s new historical adventure, The Highland Earl.

Forever

John Erskine is the Earl of Mar, a dashing Scottish highlander and one of the queen’s most trusted ministers. As a father and recent widower with a vast estate to run, he has a lot on his plate and could definitely use the assistance of a wife to manage his household, not to mention his wild, energetic boys.

Lady Evelyn Pierrepont is in London with her father and sisters. Daddy would like to find her a good match, even if she does have other ideas. After all, she is a woman ahead of her time, one with a shrewd mind for politics. The last thing she needs is to be pursued by a barbaric Scottish earl, no matter how good he looks in a kilt. Besides, she has ulterior motives for being in the city, ones she must keep secret—especially from attentive John Erskine—who seems intent on making her his new bride.

But the more time she spends with John and his boys, the less marriage seems as daunting a task. After all, the boys have a charm of their own once she gets used to them, and their father seems to have a rather pleasant affect on her too. Still, marriage is complicated, especially for a spy intent on protecting everything she holds dear.

With The Highland Earl, Amy Jarecki once again proves just how well she knows her Scottish history. She capably writes about the politics of the day, thereby propelling the story by providing insightful views on the relationships between England, Scotland, and other surrounding nations. These abundant facts lend credence to the novel’s more intriguing moments and keep us turning the pages to see how the potentially explosive relationship between her central characters ultimately plays out.

However, as likable as John and Evelyn are, neither proves entirely authentic. She never quite seems shrewd enough to truly be spy material for the Jacobite cause. Meanwhile, for a man who lost his beloved wife only three months prior, John also seems much too ready to get married, no matter the reasons or how much he admires Evelyn’s figure. Then again, perhaps men in 1713 were more rash in their decisions and women more pliant toward marriage, so applying modern day mores may not even be a valid measurement by which to gauge the verisimilitude of the novel.

Nevertheless, this is a story where romance trumps politics. It’s a novel that is fun and entertaining and proves a pleasant diversion on a lazy afternoon. Jarecki’s writing technique is solid, although she does rely a bit heavily on literary license to fictionalize her characters and provide them with a happy ending. Still, The Highland Earl sizzles and proves opposites do more than just attract, they can ultimately become legendary.

Amy Jarecki
(Photo by Bruce Heinsius Photography)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Jarecki is a descendant of an ancient Lowland clan and adores Scotland. Though she now resides in southwest Utah, she received her MBA from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Winning multiple writing awards, she found her niche in the genre of Scottish historical romance. Amy writes steamy, edge-of-your-seat action adventures with rugged men and fascinating women who weave their paths through the brutal eras of centuries past.

Amy loves hearing from her readers and can be contacted through her website at AmyJarecki.com, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

THE HIGHLAND EARL
By Amy Jarecki
384 pp. Forever. $7.99

Purchase The Highland Earl at one of these fine online retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, and Powell’s.