Once Upon A Tartan by Grace Burrowes
Review by Issa S. (Issa-345)
Honor or happiness ‑ he can’t have both. Tiberius Flynn may be every inch an English lord, but smart, headstrong beauty Hester Daniels has no use for his high‑handed ways‑‑no matter how handsome, charming, or beguiling he is. They only see eye to eye in caring about the feisty little girl who is under their protection. Tiberius’s haughty insistence that his wealthy estate in England is a better place for the child than her beloved, rundown Scotland home sparks Hester’s fierce protectiveness, and the battle lines are drawn.
There was the blurb. Short and sweet.
The feisty girl is Fiona who we meet, along with her family in the Bridegroom Wore Plaid. Fiona’s mother Mary Fran and Fiona’s father married in a handfasting ceremony not recognized by her father’s family. When her father died, his family had nothing to do with him and Mary Fran moved in with her brother, Ian MacGregor, the Earl of Balfour. But Fiona is not fading away in Scotland, she’s been looked after by her uncles. Mary Fran marries Matthew, brother of the Countess of Balfour and the two of them are out of country on vacation when Tiberius comes calling. I do not recall if we met Hester but she is the sister of Matthew, so an aunt but not by blood.
Back to the story, the plot is one seen many times before. That alone didn’t scare me off, the simplest of romance tropes can be good if written well. This one has its moments. Tiberius is here to take Fiona back to the family seat based on his father’s orders. He falls for Hester and vice versa and the relationship moves at a predictable pace with the inevitable lies, evasions, and betrayals. Burrows had potential with this one, but too many weak points made it unsalvageable.
What worked: The dialogue. Tiberius has a way of speaking that drew me in…flat tone with big words with subtle wit. Tiberius’s discussions are full of amusements and slights of phrase.
Hester. She s a well rounded character who avoids falling into a doormat role. She makes unusual choices and shows more strength than I would have expected. I wanted a happy ending for her.
Earl and Countess of Balfour: Ian and August appear again and they continue to be two of my favorite Burrows characters.
Now for what doesn t work.
Tiberius the character: Despite his sexy speech, I couldn’t warm up to him. He’s the doormat of the story. The one that falls in line with his father’s orders to take the child knowing he’s taking her from a loving environment. The reason why stunned me as well as Hester and my opinion of him plummeted even further.
The MacGregors. Despite the unity they had in the previous book, they are all gone here (except Ian) and there is no explanation why Fiona’s mom never responds to Ian’s wires about the problems with her daughter. Their absence was a shadow over the story.
Tiberius’s father: There s a whole side story to Tiberius’s father, his mother, and what drove his father to do what he did. I found it childish and a painful addition to the book.
Pacing: When it becomes clear what Tye’s intentions towards Fiona are, we wait and wait and wait for the inevitable to happen. There s a good 50 pages I could have yanked out and with little impact on the story.
I give this one three stars. An okay story, not a bad read, but easily forgettable.
Thanks for the review! I’ve got a couple of Grace Burrowes on my TBR I’ve not opened yet and have the tendency to add more when it’s an author I’ve heard good things about. I think it’s time to read what I have before adding more!