The Laird's Angel

3.5☆☆☆☆

Lady Melisandre Lamond, despite appearances, is no mere lady-in-waiting, but a spy for Queen Elizabeth Bruce of Scotland. Mellie has an uncanny ability to perceive the needs and desires of others, possibly because she longs for love herself, but she is a master of seduction and uses her skills to wheedle secrets out of men.<br /><br />After an assassination attempt on the queen, the Frasers of Lovat are the prime suspects, with their relatively new, young laird Lachlan Fraser suspected of giving the order. Though she knows he's a suspect, Mellie is still shocked when the Queen announces Mellie's betrothal to Lachlan. Mellie is skilled but getting Lachlan to reveal his schemes before she actually has to marry him is no small feat.<br /><br />Lachlan Fraser is a staunch supporter of Robert the Bruce and only wants peace and prosperity for his clan. He's a simple man who enjoys hard work and spending time with his beloved daughter. He was betrothed once before and betrayed, so he has no desire to attempt marrying again, but when the Queen demands it, he's in no position to refuse. Lachlan will go through with the marriage his queen demands, but first he's determined to reveal all the layers that make up Mellie and determine who she really is under the mercurial facades she dons in her attempts to charm Lachlan and his daughter. The assassin is still out there, so Lachlan and Mellie must learn to trust each other quickly if they have any hope of saving the queen.<br /><br />This was such a fun book. Lachlan was perfect as a hero, so genuinely sweet and caring. At the beginning, based on her behavior and unfounded assumptions about Lachlan, I had expected to dislike Mellie, but it didn't take long for her to grow on me, especially after she started opening up to Lachlan. This could be read as a standalone, but with the ongoing mystery in this series I think it is best served by reading in order. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait for Rosa's book to wrap everything up.<br /><br />I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.<br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspot.com/2020/03/arc-review-of-lairds-angel-by-caroline.html">https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...</a>

“Was she truly the cold noblewoman she portrayed herself to be? Or the lusty wench of his dreams?”<br />I’m not certain what this means. Why is the better, more dignified option of the two written to sound like the bad one? Lol!<br /><br />I think the Angel’s skills were overrated.. Rosa was to be portrayed as this very smart member but the things she did were actually very normal &amp; basic. The Angel’s skills were also quite regular. Whenever Mellie was like “let me think like Rosa” and went on to ponder on things anyone would, it would slightly appall me.<br /><br />Lachlan’s daughter, Simone was so, so sweet and when she mentioned the reason she wanted Mellie to like her, I liked her even more!<br /><br />I think it took too long for Lachlan and Mellie to form a relationship and I didn’t really feel the things that were between them. When she first approached him to tell her his secrets, it felt slightly amateurish for someone who was a master seductress.<br /><br />Lastly, If I had a dollar for every time Lachlan asked “who was she?” I’d have bought a yacht ? I understand he knew she was hiding something but the constant repetition became cringe.<br /><br />All in all, it was a cute, quick read; if one can overlook all of the above. I really like fast paced books, so long as the happenings are believable enough. I didn’t really get that here, but there were these little elements here and there that kept me reading and I did enjoy it.

This wasn’t the best plot ever as there was a lot of overrated characteristics but it was still lovely in the end.

A recommendable read!

YOU HOLD MY HEART<br /><br />After reading Ms. Caroline Lee’s story, The Bruce’s Angel, in the Once Upon a Pirate: sixteen swashbuckling historical romances anthology, I was hooked and excited to read her new series, The Highland Angels. Let me say it did not disappoint, and she is a creative storyteller. The story is full of mystery, suspense, angst, and passion. The story continues in book two, with the Queen ordering the betrothal of Laird Lachlan Fraser to one of her Angels, Melisandre “Mellie” Lamond. But Mellie is on an assignment to determine if Lachlan was part of the assassination attempt against Queen Elizabeth.<br /><br />“Nodding, the Queen turned back to Lachlan. “You will sign the betrothal papers before you leave. As of now, consider yourself bound to this woman. You will prove you are no traitor.”<br /><br />“Aye, Yer Majesty,” he ground out, between clenched teeth. “For the Frasers, and for Scotland, I’ll do as ye command.”<br /><br />“I’ll no’ let you down, Yer Majesty. I’ll marry the Fraser.”<br /><br />The last thing Laird Lachlan Fraser wanted was another betrothal to another cold and haughty lady like he had with Alice. He has his own demons, and this tale will turn those on end, but what will happen when she leaves him like Alice. The more time Lachlan is around Mellie, the more of an enigma she becomes—but what is she hiding and how will it affect him and his people?<br /><br />“Ye truly are a wonderful mystery, milady. Ye care about others. That is ye talent. Ye care and ye try to help, and ye give them what they want and need.”<br /><br />Mellie and Brigit, her maid, provided by the Queen travel in a large carriage, with excessive trunks, it doesn’t sit well with Lachlan because of the longer travel time. Mellie must present herself as a Lady of the court. Her mission as an Angel is to gather evidence as to the loyalty or deceit of Lachlan Fraser. Rosalind worries about how Mellie must gather that information and warns her to stay safe and return.<br /><br />“Rosa shook her again. “Do yer duty. But only yer duty. And come back to me in one piece, Mellie.”<br /><br />The story will bring out more about Mellie’s past, how she was betrothed, used, and abandoned, not only by her betrothed but her own family. It explains her undying loyalty to Queen Elizabeth and Scotland.<br /><br />“Elizabeth had saved her by giving her a place to live and a purpose.”<br /><br />The steamy story takes a historical time with artistic liberties since history has blanks as to Queen Elizabeth, and Ms. Caroline Lee has used that to spin an interesting tale of love and danger. How far will someone be willing to sacrifice to serve their Queen? I am already looking forward to the third book in this series, The Thief’s Angel—with Rosa.<br />

This has been the one I've been itching to read BUT I wanted to be a good egg and read the series in order. LE SIGH. BUT I am glad I did. They may follow different gals but the story and mystery continue in each book. <br /><br />This one follows Lady Melisandre who uses a special trick to get info from the men. After an assassination attempt on the Queen, all the evidence seems to point to the Frasers of Lovat and their new laird. Melisander, aka Mellie, is asked to pretend to be the laird's Queen-ordered betrothal to find out the truth. Lachlan Fraser just wants peace and happiness. He accepts the Queen's command since Mellie intrigues him and...well...it IS a command from the Queen. <br /><br />I adored this romance between these two. They do not seem at all compatible...on the surface. As we learn more and more about them, we soon realize they NEED each other and are simply perfect for each other. I am so glad there was more to both of them especially Mellie. She acts like a cold-hearted wench who is willing to do ANYTHING to get info...she has a huge and sensitive heart and she really deserved happiness. <br /><br />Lachlan deserves happiness too but he has a decent family and a sweet kid so I didn't feel AS bad for him as I did Mellie. She had a crappy family. Poor thing...especially when we find out what her ex did to her. GRRRR. I wanted to find him and feed him to the Loch Ness Monster. Gah. Hopefully karma finds him soon and quick. Lachlan's ex was a piece of work too. Grrr. <br /><br />I really did like this much more than book 1. Maybe it was because we got to spend more time with these characters? Or maybe I just loved the chemistry and story between these two. Or both? BUT yes...I did really enjoy this one.<br /><br />I guessed the little twist. I wasn't being serious when I guessed it, but I was right and I was shocked I was right. Wish I can say..........<br /><br />Anyways.....<br /><br />Overall, I liked this better than book 1 and the prequel. I adored the couple here and their story. They were a fun couple with a lot of hurdles to finally get the HEA they needed. I'll give this a 4.

4 stars ( 5/4 stars Margaret Mallory, Julie Johnstone, Monica McCarty, Lynsay Sands, Donna Fletcher)<br /><br />4 stars: This book was good, worth reading in a few days. It hit pretty much most of my personal markers for a good read and well roundness of the book. my personal markers for a great read...1. smart and engaging writing, 2. Humorous, 3. sexy interactions and 4. stories with family/friends.<br /><br />The development and interest in main characters and Secondary characters was enjoyable. It kept me wanting to know and read more.<br /><br />Laugh out loud with humorous moments. The give and take dialogue was wonderful as well as action filled. <br /><br />I loved the writing around the women empowerment (it wasn’t over the top for me). Badass women rock.<br /><br />Movement of the book flowed for the most part. Book writing/conversation engaging. Not a lot of historical accuracy (no big deal to me), not a lot of internal character dialogue and not a lot of descriptive scenery written out. <br /><br />Romantic /sexual content (kissing, oral and love making scenes) was throughout the book. Nothing over the top and was intertwined rightly in the story telling. 3/5 rating hotness and steam with some ‘dirty’ words thrown in ?.<br /><br />I love series around family members or a group of friends. I love the series even more when the author intertwines those characters throughout the book series (it’s a pet peeve when authors don’t do that because what’s the point of the series and introducing the characters if they are not going to interact throughout the series). <br /><br />would absolutely recommend the book and the series. you don’t have to read the series in order however you’ll miss the true telling of the story for books .5 to 3. <br /><br /><br />

Mellie, one of the queens angels, an elite group of woman spies uses her wiles to get information. She feels as if she must use her body to get info. The queen betrothes her to Lachlan Fraser to spy on him to see if he is behind a plot to assassinate the queen. When she tries to seduce him he thwarts her efforts and tries to show her she is worth so much more. As she falls in love with him and his daughter she knows her duty to the queen comes above all else. When Lachlan finds out her secret it could crush all of their hearts. I received a complimentary copy and I am voluntarily reviewing.

I received an ARC for an honest review. This was Brilliantly written as usual and well worth a read! Mellie is one of Queen Elizabeth’s angel’s. After saving Lachlan from some thieves she is betrothed to Him by the queen to try and find out if he is behind an assignation plot. <br />She moves to his home, meets his daughter and he sees she is not the person he thought she was. The attraction between them is there and they have to overcome some obstacles to finally admit there feelings and let love shine through.