Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks | Fall into Historicals
Romance at a Glance is a podcast where hosts Bridget and Shani review romance novels and interview some of romance’s biggest authors diving into candid conversations about life, relationships, and sexual desires. Expect 100% honest reviews, spontaneous singing, life lessons, indecent anecdotes, and bawdy humor. Leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Full transcript available below.
Book Review at a Glance
Worth the Read?
Shani: ⭐⭐⭐
Bridget: ⭐⭐⭐
Heroine Rating: Eveline
Shani: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Bridget: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Hero Rating: Graeme
Shani: 🍆🍆🍆🍆
Bridget: 🍆🍆🍆🍆
McDreamy to Mc Steamy:
Shani: McDreamy for sure.
Bridget: McDreamy in a Kilt
Classy to Nasty:
Vanilla and intimate
Romance at a Glance Reviews Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks
Dear listeners, we were READY for a hot hot hot highlander romance and we were a bit unfulfilled by this one from Maya Banks.
YO! We were sooo happy to record together, in the same room, for the first time and you can tell because our intro was literally half an hour! And this was after 3 hours of catching up right before that, and then 3 hours the night before. THE HAPPINESS IS REAL Y'ALL!
If you wanna skip straight to the book review, go straight to 34:09!
So we were expecting a hot as HELL highlander romance from Maya Banks and instead, we got a kind, dare we say sweet, romance. This isn't to say that there weren't a lot of parts of the book that we liked, it's just, not what we thought we were getting with the rivals’ clans angle.
ALSO - we picked this because we were stoked that book 3 in the series was coming out, but after reading all the comments on Goodreads it isn’t clear whether or not it actually is coming out in October of this year. We eagerly await the news as well.
Some major points we discussed:
Like that she was going to make the best of the marriage and he was also.
Eveline being in his room that night bc she wanted to hear him speak again.
Graeme clearly an honorable guy, marrying her even thinking he’d never have children or cheat on her (Shani cried false on the lifelong celibacy!).
Going home & meeting Rorie and having her help drag the stuff into Graeme’s room
Rorie’s dream to read and write - Eveline sees the potential for herself to communicate
Eveline pulling the sword and shouting OUT OUT to the women
When Graeme finds out that Eveline isn’t touched he is so happy because he’s been lusting after her! And says they gone consummate! Woot Woot!
Playing and sucking on those titties! Shani was THRILLED.
Eveline trying to fit in and Nora giving her all the hardest chores. Bitch move Nora.
Graeme banishing the women from the keep for wrong in Eveline.
We were waiting for her to be kidnapped the whole time! Especially after Graeme called the all-hands meeting to chastise everyone and said the outer guards came in too.
BUT he gets shot by the arrow first - forces her to face her fear of riding a horse - she saves him - won’t let anyone come in to tend him - wears herself out.
Nora apologizes and tells her to let her take care of her
Figured McHugh would be back - locks her in the dungeon. Reminded us of Ramsay from Game of Thrones.
Eveline’s clan shows up because McHugh was trying to get them to battle - Graeme keeps his head and gets their help. They storm the keep (mysterious lady in the hood for sure coming back) and then almost miss the secret dungeon room but find her anyways.
Stop blood feud like a snap because his love for her is stronger than his hate. Felt too easy.
Go to Armstrongs - she says “I knew you’d come”. Awww she had faith.
Eveline forgives her father and family for not believing her about McHugh
Their I Love Yous screamed at each other at the end ;)
Quick Guide Review of the Book and Notes
Book Title: Never Seduce a Scot
Author: Maya Banks
Audio Narrator: Kirsten Potter - highly recommended by Shani in audiobook form!
Pro Tip: If you find a narrator you like, click on their name and search through the books the have narrated to find new authors and books you might never have tried out before!
Part of a Series: Yes, Book #1 of the Mongomerys and Armstrongs Highlander Series
Genre: Historical romance, Highlander Romance
Cover Art:
Shani: I thought it was ok, would have liked it better if she was looking at his mouth to read his lips like she did the whole book.
Bridget: I was down to clown with this cover. I was a fan of the tartan pattern in the background, his flexed naked muscles, her tight dress, and the obvious devotion they had to one another.
Synopsis: Eveline Armstrong is fiercely loved and protected by her powerful clan, but outsiders consider her “touched.” It turns out after a terrible accident that left her deaf, she pretended to be touched to escape marriage with abuser Ian MacHugh. Unable to figure out how to end the deception and tell her family she is really just deaf, she continues it until the King forces a marriage between her and blood rivals the Montgomerys.
Graeme has no desire for a wife, let alone the touched daughter of his sworn blood enemy that will never fulfill the duties of a wife in full. But he must follow their king or his whole clan will be slaughtered. He is surprised to find that his intended Eveline is far from the descriptions and has intelligence showing through her eyes and beauty that tempts him.
As she goes back to his keep and feels truly safe from McHugh, she stops her deception and starts works hard to find a place among her clan’s enemies, falling in love with Graeme in the process.
Heroine Rating:
Shani: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 She tried hard.
Bridget: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 Strong, resilient, hopeful, optimistic. She tried and worked hard to prove herself and she loved Graeme and protected him. And also believed in him. She didn’t feel any despair after being kidnapped.
Hero Rating:
Shani: 🍆🍆🍆🍆 Liked him alright.
Bridget: 🍆🍆🍆🍆 What a big, strong, strapping marshmellow!!! I loved him. He was so patient, and kind to her and intrigued and really listened and focused on her right from the start even though he didn’t know she was reading his lips. And he was a giving and sexy lover. And threw aside old blood feuds to get her home safely.
McDreamy to Mc Steamy:
Shani: McDreamy for sure.
Bridget: McDreamy in a Kilt
Classy to Nasty:
Vanilla and intimate
Favorite Lines in the Book:
Shani:
“The women are wagering weather or not you’ll be brave enough to show your face outside of your chamber.” - Rorie
“My love for her is stronger than my hatred of you.” Graeme to Eveline’s dad
Bridget:
“I’m going to light more candles. There’s nothing I want more than to be able to look upon your beauty and miss nothing to the darkness. And then, when the room is sufficiently illuminated, I’m going to play lady’s maid and undress you, piece by piece until you stand before me without the barrier of clothing.” - Graeme
When he pulled away, she was breathless and her lips were swollen. “You’ll be my wife, Eveline. Make no mistake about that. Our marriage will most certainly be consummated.”
Favorite Review:
Shani’s from Goodreads:
Anne rated it 3.5 stars
Awwwww. This was just so friggin' sweet!
It wasn't perfect, it's not going down as one of my favorites, and I didn't fall in love with the characters.
But.
I have ZERO complaints. None. The guy wasn't a douchebag who did creepy sex-things to claim her, the girl wasn't pathetic or helpless, and her family wasn't a bunch of asshole who abused her.
So. Fucking. Nice.
Bridget’s from Goodreads:
Catherine 4 stars
I found this story overly sweet for what I was looking for.
The Montgomerys and the Armstrongs are suppose to be in a blood feud that would rival that of the Montagues and Capulets, but it felt a little... flat for something that was made out to be bone-deep and epic in nature.
I could see how the two clans despised each other and how that translated to Eveline's experiences with the Montgomery ladies, but I expected there to be more tension, more distrust, more animosity between our two main characters. Instead, both characters were good, kind, people that decided to give the partner forced upon them by the king the benefit of the doubt right from the get-go.
While I appreciate the personalities traits that led to this softer touch, it just didn't work for me. I wanted a Scottish highlander bodice ripper, dammit! I wanted sexual tension so thick you could cut it with a knife and characters that slowly and somewhat reluctantly saw the best in their partner. Instead, I got hearts in the eyes from minute one. I found that this approach didn't leave the characters much room to grow or for the story to build.
Worth the Read?
Shani: ⭐⭐⭐
Bridget: ⭐⭐⭐ It was a bit predictable and didn’t have the pace, or conflict I was looking for, but it was a solid story.
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Full Podcast Transcript
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Welcome to Romance at a Glance, a podcast that uses romance novels to dive into candid conversations about life, relationship dynamics, and sexual desires.
As hosts Bridget and Shani review books and interview some of romance’s biggest authors, they explore the breadth of the genre, openly embracing the sex, diverse couplings, and taboo in order to create a safe space for listeners to be exposed to different lifestyles, fantasies, and to pique their naughty curiosity.
Expect 100% honest reviews, spontaneous singing, life lessons, indecent anecdotes, and bawdy humor.
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