Book Review: The Spicy, Suspenseful, Scottish Romance Series You’ve Been Waiting For

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a huge fan of excessive spice. If there’s spice, it has to make sense and be in addition to plenty of plot and character development. 

I’ve also come to the conclusion that I love a good romance mixed with thriller/mystery. I need plot. Enter The Adair Family series by Samantha Young. Set in the Scottish highlands, this series has it all. And yes, for those that like spice, there’s more than a dash of it. 

Things to know: 

- Contemporary romance set in the Scottish highlands

- Murder/Stalker mystery

- Enemies to lovers with spice

- Dual POVs

- Each book in the series focuses on an Adair sibling

Book One: Here With Me 

Quote: “I only know you through what the internet says, and we all know that's a place truth goes to die.”

I took this with me on a getaway trip last fall. I was staying in a remote cabin in the woods outside of Bend, OR for a few days away after a friend’s wedding. I stayed up until 2am reading it. While it’s not perfect, it definitely had me hooked. 

After recovering from being shot, former Boston police officer Robyn Penhaligon opens a photography business and decides to head to the Scottish Highlands to get some answers from her estranged father, Mac. 

Enter Lachlan. A former Hollywood action star, and Mac’s boss whom Robyn blames for the estrangement. Lachlan has turned the family estate, Ardnoch, into an exclusive members only club, so the digs are pretty swanky. But this is a true enemies to lovers. Robyn is not a welcome sight when she shows up, because Mac and Lachlan have become dear friends over the years, and he doesn’t want to see him hurt. Robyn resents Lachlan, and feels like her father chose to protect him over her. 

We quickly find out Mac is not the deadbeat dad we thought he was, and I really love the moments between Robyn and Mac. When she finds out Mac is wrapped up in a threat against the Adair family and the estate, she decides to stay and investigate. 

Robyn and Lachlan find themselves working together as a scary stalker leaves threatening notes, and more, on the grounds. While I did call the culprit, it was still an enjoyable mystery to try and solve, and I appreciated Robyn was super confident and didn’t take any sh*t. Lachlan had me exasperated quite a few times, but all men do on occasion, right? (Sorry guys, who are reading this!) 

If you’re looking for a quick, suspenseful romance in a beautiful setting, definitely pick this up. 

Book Two: There With You 

Quote: “These Adair men... emotionally constipated, I tell you."

"So what are we? The laxative?”

Book two picks up right where book one left off. Robyn’s sister, Regan, shows up at Ardnoch Estate, and at first I was not a fan. She seems super irresponsible, immature, and a horrible sister to Robyn based on her past, and what we know of her from book one. However, she grows on you. 

If you love a single dad trope, this is the book for you! As mentioned above, each book in the series focuses on one of the Adair siblings, and this is Thane’s book, Lachlan’s widower brother with two adorable children. 

He also appreciates the benefits of historical romance novels–that’s all I’ll say… 

Regan ends up getting a job as a nanny for his two kids, and I absolutely loved the dynamic of the children. Lots of great dialogue and real-life moments. I also really appreciated that the main characters are older (Thane, 37, and Regan, 25), so it doesn’t fall into the coming-of-age trap a lot of YA or NA romances fall under. 

I didn’t like that they snuck around and pretended not to have feelings for each other. It was a little ridiculous. But the two thriller/mystery elements added to the story were great. I won’t mention them specifically in order to keep this review spoiler free, but they definitely made the story more interesting. 

I’m currently reading the third book, Always You (which was sent to me by ValentinePR–thank you!), and book four comes out in July 2022, so I will definitely be back with an update. Goodreads does seem to confirm there will be a book for each Adair sibling, which means we’ll have a total of six! I’m here for it, but I do hope some of the mysteries are not recycled.

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