Publisher: Stone Hall Books
Release Date: August 20, 2020
Genre: Clean Historical Romance
Despite being the daughter of a duke, shy Elizabeth Barrington becomes a target for the cruel whisperings of the ton. She would rather stay at home with her sketchbook indefinitely than give them more to gossip about, but when a dashing new earl arrives, everything changes. His Scottish brogue and easy acceptance draw her in and she finds herself falling in love. Before she can act on her feelings, however, her father promises her to a man who hides his cruel behavior behind a mask of civility. With her future at stake, Elizabeth must make a choice—do her duty or choose a love that could cost her everything.
Alec Ramsay never expected to inherit an earldom or settle in England, but he leaves behind his life in the Scottish Highlands and comes to London. After meeting his new neighbor, the beautiful and soft-spoken Lady Elizabeth, Alec can’t wait to further their acquaintance. It doesn’t take long in her company, however, for Alec to see he’s in danger of losing his heart. But when long-held prejudices rear their ugly head, Alec is caught between doing what is right and his new role as an English gentleman. Has he finally found the love he’s waited his whole life for, only to lose her in the web of unfair judgments and proper English traditions?
My Review 💜
The regency era is one that I easily get lost in. The fashion, the traditions, and mannerisms in and of themselves are fascinating, especially when compared to our times but there is one aspect of this era that always bothers me: the amount of forced marriages. I have always been one to marry for love, and cannot begin to imagine being forced to spend the rest of my life with someone only because of money or a contract. Sadly, this is where we find Elizabeth.
Elizabeth's character could not be sweeter. She truly has a heart of gold, but all her narcissistic father can see is what an embarrassment she is to him and their family, all because of a handicap, a stutter, that she fights so hard to keep control over.
Alec, the Scottish Highlander, is the newly appointed Earl of Suffield, and from the instant he meets Elizabeth all he sees is grace and beauty, gazing past the impediment, to see her true spirit. Alec is a strong man with a charming countenance that gleams for the page, especially when he is in the presence of Elizabeth and his mother, but sadly many in England can only see his nationality, and not his strength of character. Both Alec and Elizabeth have their own unique battles to fight, but now they don't have to fight alone, and it is a joy to watch them both build each other up, accepting each other for who they truly are inside.
Earl Lindley is Elizabeth's forced betrothed, and he is absolute scum. I growled at the pages each time this scumbag was in a scene. Both him and Elizabeth's father are the absolute worst, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what justice would befall them both. The strong emotion that I felt just shows the power Julie has with a pen. She has once again captured my heart and imagination with
The Highlander's Hidden Heart. It was engaging, intriguing, had all the feels, and was the perfect weekend escape. I cannot recommend highly enough!
About the Author
Julie Coulter Bellon is the author of nearly two dozen romantic suspense books. Her books All Fall Down won the RONE award for Best Suspense, The Capture was a Whitney finalist for Best Suspense/Mystery, and Pocket Full of Posies won a RONE Honorable Mention for Best Suspense.
Julie loves to travel and her favorite cities she’s visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. In her free time she loves to read, write, teach, watch Hawaii Five-O, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.
*I have voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book which I read through Kindle Unlimited . All views and opinions are completely honest, and my own.
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