His Best Mistake by Lucy King

Is it too much to ask for a relationship that works?

When Stella Grant realizes her perfect romance is a lie and that she’s the other woman, she flees to her remote cottage in the Highlands to lick her wounds.

Billionaire currency trader Jack Maclean has nothing but contempt for the woman who stole not only his sister’s fiancé but quite possibly a family heirloom to boot. Nonetheless, he wants answers and he intends to get them. A quick trip north should do the trick. Never in a million years could he have predicted a kamikaze sheep and inclement weather would leave him stranded.

Jack might be gorgeous but Stella isn’t in the market for a man, especially one who hates her. No matter how attractive he finds her Stella is the very last person Jack should want. The trouble is, they’re all alone and the chemistry is irresistible, and, well, what happens in Scotland stays in Scotland, right?

 

Series:  Maclean Family Legacy #1| Publisher: Tule Publishing | Release Date: January 22, 2018| Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher | Rating: 3.5 Cups

Challenges Read For: All About the Trope (forced proximity)  Literary Pickers  (Candle) 

Jack and Stella were great together. A bit heavy at times but the witty banter made things interesting.

 

So, I was a bit worried when I started this one—it was so close to becoming a DNF—because I’m not a fan of cheating or fiancé stealing (yeah, I don’t read blurbs, so I had no idea) but thankfully I kept reading and realized things weren’t as they seemed.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Jack’s decided to confront the woman he believes stole his sister’s fiancé and an heirloom Russian signet ring. He didn’t plan on being stranded at her house, which happens to be off-grid in the Scottish Highlands, or attracted to her, seeing as he hadn’t felt that way once in the four years since his wife died. When Stella rescues Jack from his car and brings him into her home, she never imagined she would fall for him, especially since he was a Maclean, or fall into bed with him. Now they have to deal with the repercussions of that night and work through their fears while dealing with their feelings for each other.

This one totally surprised me. I was expecting something light with a dash of drama but this one was rather intense and angst-filled. And it worked.

 

“Drink?” she asked, holding the bottle a lot and waving it in his direction.

 

He folded his arms across his broad chest, and arched one dark eyebrow at her. “It’s two o’clock in the afternoon.”

 

“So? Neither of us is going anywhere at the moment and I, for one, need the fortification.”

 

“I’ll pass.”

 

“There’s no need to sound all superior about it.” She reached up for a glass and poured an inch of alcohol into it.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I?” he said, his voice discouragingly flat. “You’re shameless and unscrupulous, and quite possibly not just a thief by a drinker to boot. What’s not to be superior about?”

Jack and Stella started off on the wrong foot—he was angry and blaming her for screwing up his sister’s life and she was basically over him and his attitude from the start—so when they find themselves stranded together it makes for an interesting encounter.

 

I liked Jack and Stella. They’re both a little broken and they need to figure out how to mend but it’s going to take some work. Jack’s still working through the death of his wife and the fear of what caused it so when Stella ends up pregnant from the night they spent together, his fear takes over. He’s also beating himself up over the fact that he slept with the woman his sister believes ruined her life.

 

Stella’s working through abandonment issues brought on by her parents and trying to figure out how not to fall in love with every guy she meets. So, when circumstances force her to move into Jack’s house, she’s struggling a bit. She’s trying to figure out how to open up and let him in while not falling head over heels in love with him.

 

I really liked Stella and Jack together. They just brought out the best in each other. He was quick to stand up for her and make her feel worthy and she made him want to slow down and enjoy life more rather than just throwing himself into work. I only little complaint was that while Stella was spilling her secrets to him, which was hard for her to do, Jack kept things bottled up and she more or less had to beg for a crumb of information.

 

The romance started out with the whole insta-lust thing but it slowed down as the plot progressed and they took their time getting to know each other. I understand why they were cautious; their issues were valid so it wasn’t just angst for the sake of drama.

 

While I enjoyed the book, the epilogue felt rushed and jumbled. I just wished it would have been evened out a bit.

 

Overall, I was pleased with this one. A few things could have been smoothed out but it worked. And it had just that right amount of angst and humor to make this one fly by.

 

Maclean Family Legacy Series

His Best Mistake

Her Forbidden Warrior (February 19, 2018)