The Bridegroom Wore Plaid (MacGregor Book 1)

Grace Burrowes' novels cause me to shake my head and roll my eyes. In my review of Windham series, I poke fun at her. And yet . . . .And yet, I continue to read and enjoy them. Ten of them so far. Why is that? I'm not sure I can explain, but essentially she writes wonderful, multifaceted characters that you come to care about. Her plots are satisfyingly complex (albeit too repetitive in some cases). Her dialogue is engaging (albeit a little too modern in some cases). She is simply a very good, well-rounded storyteller, which is what we seek most in a novelist.On to The Bridegroom Wore Plaid. Ian MacGregor is a Scottish earl, with a large estate and little income. Ian and his two brothers, Gil and Connor, along with their sister Mary Frances, are reduced to hosting "paid guests" every summer just to make ends meet. It's the early 1850s, and all things Scottish have become fashionable due to the Queen's favor, and Balmoral Castle is just next door to Ian's Balfour House.Ian must marry for money, and the wealthy English Baron Altsax has a daughter, Genie, of marriageable age. Altsax, eager to have a title in the family and caring nothing for his daughter's happiness, has arranged for Ian to marry her. The whole family (minus the mother, whose absence seems strange under the circumstances) pays a visit to Scotland. The "whole family" includes, Altsax, Genie, Hester (the younger daughter), and Matthew (the Baron's Army officer son), along with the widowed Aunt Julia and the spinster Cousin Gussie to act as chaperones.As soon as they alight from the train, we get the picture. Altsax is uncouth, pompous, and dismissive of the uncivilized Scots. Genie is a fragile English rose and not at all happy to be in Scotland. Hester is young and enthusiastic. Matthew is reticent and courteous. Aunt Julia is lovely, but a little sad, and quite rich. Cousin Gussie is drab and awkward but has beautiful eyes.Ian finds it impossible to connect with Genie; she is uninterested in getting to know him but prepared to marry him to satisfy her father. After a few days in Scotland, she seems more comfortable in the company of Ian's younger brother Con (or was it Gil? I could never tell them apart).Ian find himself becoming friends with Cousin Gussie, who asks him to call her Augusta because none of her family ever uses her full given name. Right there all the indignities heaped upon a poor relation are summed up. Nice touch.Of course, Ian and Augusta are more and more drawn to one another, even though they both know that their fates lie elsewhere. The relationship grow slowly, and it's wonderful to go along for the ride. At the same time, Augusta gradually stops being a mouse and becomes more confident. Confident enough to have steamy sexytimes with Ian, and confident enough to thwart her uncle's schemes.While all this is going on, Aunt Julia is fooling around with Gil/Con; Genie is becoming closer to Con/Gil; and Matthew is falling for Ian's sister Mary Frances. There's a lot of romance under the beautiful Scottish summer sky, to the point that the ending plays out like an episode of the Love Boat. By the end of the cruise, everyone is paired up. I could almost hear Jack Jones singing.Meanwhile, Snidely Whiplash, uh, oh -- Baron Altsax is plotting to do away with Augusta, thereby ensuring that his embezzlement from her estate is never discovered. Actually, it turns out that he has stolen more than just money. At the dramatic climax, when Altsax has a gun pointed at Augusta, Ian emerges from the shrubbery like the Lone Ranger and says, "Not so fast, Baron." It was a laugh out loud moment for me.And yet I read on. And here's why. There's a scene where Ian and Augusta are discussing the various hardships each of them faces.QUOTE:"It's hard being the one to keep hope alive for the others. Hope that those who've emigrated are faring well in foreign lands, hope that this year's crop will be better than last, this year's prices at the yearling sale, this year's receipts. We live very much in the future, and yet we dwell in the past too. That's difficult as hell when you've a past like ours. . . .""I hate it, the hoping." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "When things go well, I hate it even more, because it's all going to come crashing down around us-- it always does. . . . We're getting on our feet again, barely, and I dread finding out what hardship the Almighty has in store for us next.""Because it's increasingly difficult to rise to the challenge." She finished the thought for him, her tone neither judgmental nor bleak, merely stating a fact.END QUOTEIt's scenes like that that keep me reading Grace Burrowes. Even though she throws in Americanisms like "scoot over." Even though she totally does not understand that neither younger sons of earls nor brothers of the earl's heir have titles. (Pay no attention. Screwing up British titles is just one of my pet peeves with American authors.) Even though every hero in her books loves to brush and braid a woman's hair. Every. Single. One. Even though every time two characters sit down to talk a beautifully filled tea tray magically appears. (They seem to eat and drink all day long. Hope there's indoor plumbing.)Yes, I keep reading, and it looks like I'll have the chance, as this book is just the first in a trilogy. I'm willing to bet that Ian's older brother, Asher, the true heir to the Balfour earldom who's been missing in Canada for seven years, will make an appearance. There's a subtle hint on page 246 -- "Three letters they'd had from Asher over the course of several years-- only two Ian could tell his family about-- then nothing."Yes, I'll be reading. Once Upon a Tartan is only a couple of months away.

3.5-4 starsThis was a pretty good story. I liked Augusta and Ian and their story was enjoyable and although I guessed the ultimate outcomes of the story, there were some unexpected twist along the way that kept things interesting. This is the first book I've read by this author and based on this I would be willing to try more of her work in the future.Augusta is a spinster and very poor. She lives in the country with an ailing aunt with very little to get by on. She was very well off while growing up but when her parents died she somehow ended up penniless. She was to be engaged to a man but when her dowry was gone he suddenly was gone too. Augusta has been invited to Scotland with her family to act as a chaperon for her cousins and she agreed because she needs her Uncle's support to live.Ian is the second son of the family and wasn't raised to the the Earl, nor does he want the title. Unfortunately, Ian's older brother, Asher, disappeared in to the wilds of Canada and hasn't been heard from in almost 7 years. The legal proceedings have been started to have his brother declared dead and Ian is forced to take the title. His clan is poor and they're getting by but barely. The only way Ian can figure get the money to secure his clan's future is to marry a woman with a big dowry that wants his title.When the story begins, Augusta is arriving with her family at Ian's estate. It happens to be "next door" to the Queen's property and Ian and his family rent out rooms to English visitors that want the chance to be near and possibly glimpse the Queen. Augusta's family is paying for their visit but also using it as an opportunity to attempt to get an engagement for their daughter, Genie, to Ian as they have money and want a title in the family. Ian and Augusta don't have an instant attraction and at first he sees her as a possible ally in his attempts to get Genie to like him and agree to the engagement. Genie has no interest in Ian. Genie wants to marry for love not for a title and (because of her father's cruelty) fears the intended marriage with Ian because she's convinced he won’t be a kind husband so she avoids him as much as possible. As Ian attempts to find a way to talk to her, he talks to Augusta to try to get some insight. Augusta talks to Ian and realizes he's a good man and that Genie could do much worse. Augusta wants to help Ian but Genie is hard to persuade against her ideas. Things get complicated for both Augusta and Ian as they spend more time together and start to feel an attraction for each other. Ian knows he has to marry money and Augusta has none. Augusta understands Ian’s reasons and doesn't fault him, knowing he has to marry Genie and there’s no way they could end up together.Baron Altsax, Genie’s father, is in a hurry to get the marriage pushed through and it makes Ian suspicious, especially when he finds out some weird information about Augusta’s inheritances and thinks that maybe Altsax's finances aren't on the up and up. He starts investigating and in the mean time there are a number of things going on to keep everyone busy. The other chaperon is Aunt Julia who is a widow and she and Ian’s brother, Con, have something going on. Also it appears there are feelings between Genie and Ian’s other younger brother, Gil. And Genie’s brother, Matthew, seems to be in to something with Ian’s sister (a widow), Mary Frances. Ian tries to deal with the Baron’s machinations and everything else that’s going on, meanwhile he’s wanting Augusta but can’t get anywhere with Genie who he’s supposed to be wooing. Ian and Augusta do end up alone a few times and they keep respectable distances for a while but eventually (after a rock slide almost kills them) they give in to their attraction. They both feel badly about their slip but since Ian has gotten no closer to getting Genie to talk to him, Augusta figures they can grasp a little happiness until the engagement gets set in motion and then she’ll at least have some happiness to remember. Ian see so much in Augusta and thinks she’d make him the perfect wife but he feels too much responsibility to his clan to marry for love rather than money. There are many ups and downs and some lethal threats that almost bring an end to Augusta. Fortunately, with some effort and some creative thinking things get worked out in the end and Ian and Augusta get their HEA.This was a very enjoyable story. I liked both Ian and Augusta very much. I also liked the secondary characters (excluding the Baron of course) and was happy with how things turned out for the various couples. The story was pretty good and had some unexpected twists that I liked even though the ultimate ending wasn't hard to figure out. I will admit that some of the descriptions in the conclusion got a little flowery (cheesy?) in its language but that was just at the very end and the rest of the story was actually pretty good at not going overboard with that type of writing. The next book in the series looks interesting and I’ll plan to read it when I get time. I’d recommend this story. :D* note - I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator did a good job.

What a bawdy Highland book, such a fun read for anyone who enjoys historical novels of the first caliber! It even has a touch of royalty with the Prince Regent making an appearance, what fun!!

Indulge and Be Delighted !!As all her books "seem to do"...okay not just "seem to do"....but "DO"..this book pulls you in, and you cannot put it down til totally completed.which could make for a late, but enjoyable night..but a long day the next day, trying to catch up on the missed sleep.Thank you Miss Burrowes, for another wonderful tale..Indulge and Be Delighted !!

This is a good read. At the same time it's like those 1950's American musicals where everyone pairs up and dances all over the mountains.Scottish Earl Ian Mcgregor bears the weight of his impoverished clan on his shoulders and seeks a wealthy bride. Augusta is the dowdy chaperone for her wealthy cousin (Ian's prospective bride) during a visit to the Mcgregor manor. Also on the visit are a young aunt, the bride's sister and her revolting father. Ian's prospective bride is unhappy about being married, but with family finances at risk he needs to marry her, no matter how uninterested they are in each other.It's a slow burn romance where the main characters know they have no future but can't resist falling into a friendship and then something more. With so many characters and prospective pairings there is lots happening.I felt the side characters had more life in them than the leads. I never really warmed up to Augusta who was a bluestocking and a victim of evil relatives. She is introduced as very unattractive and prim but then five minutes later she becomes a luscious sex goddess because she is wearing a dressing gown! It didn't make sense (but I want to buy one of those gowns). I did feel at times that Grace Burrowes was snoozing as she churned out this book and could not muster enough energy to move beyond a 1950's musical theme with a mwah ha ha type villain.But despite some flaws in this book, it is fun. After all it's written by clever Grace who could make a shopping list into an entertaining read.

I enjoyed my first Grace Burrowes book and will buy more, thanks.

A good easy read

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was well written and just sucked you in to where you could not put the book down.