Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: A Scot’s Surrender
SERIES: The Townsends #3
AUTHOR: Lily Maxton
PUBLISHER: Entangled: Scandalous
LENGTH: 197 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2018
BLURB:
When his brother leaves him in charge of Llynmore Castle, Robert Townsend is determined to make everything go smoothly. What does it matter if he’s inexplicably drawn to Ian Cameron, the estate’s stoic steward? Robert is sure he can ignore the way the Highlander’s apparent dislike of him gets under his skin. They’ll muddle along just fine so long as they avoid one another. An excellent plan…until a fire forces Ian into the castle—and Robert’s personal space.
Ian Cameron has worked for everything he owns, unlike spoiled Robert Townsend. And he may not have friends, but he has the Highlands and the stars, and what more could he really need? But when a guest’s stolen possession appears in his room, he doesn’t have much choice but to admit to the handsome and aggravatingly charming Townsend brother that he needs help. To solve this mystery, they’ll have to put aside their differences. And as Ian learns more about Robert, he’ll have to guard his heart…or it may be the next thing stolen.
REVIEW:
So let start off by saying that while this is the third book in the Townsends Series, you don’t need to have read the first two books in order to enjoy this one. While there are some secondary characters and a few previous events mentioned that would be better understood having read the rest of the series, I was perfectly fine having done without. The first two books are also M/F and if that isn’t your cup of tea, no worries!
I wasn’t entirely sure how I would classify the relationship between the main characters when I first started reading; both men are from different classes, have different life experiences and just seem to rub each other the wrong way. Ian thinks Robert is a spoiled lay about who drinks to the early hours of the morning and hasn’t worked a single day in his life. He also refuses to believe that Robert is naturally that nice and instead thinks he puts on an act to get people to like him. Robert, on the other hand, finds Ian interesting and would like nothing more than to get to know him and be his friend. He doesn’t understand the constant antagonistic attitude and despite the ‘stay away’ vibes he projects, Robert goes out of his way to try and make Ian more comfortable. Not friends but not exactly enemies, I found the interactions between the two interesting. When the two men are forced to work together to find a bunch of stolen items, proximity and the chance to actually talk, slowly (on Ian’s part, very slowly) begins to forge a friendship between the two men. When it becomes more it almost seems like it was inevitable.
I have to say that I really enjoyed this; I found the historical elements interesting and I really enjoyed the setting. (Scotland instead of England! :D) The story flowed really well and I found the easier pace and low key mystery made for a great afternoon read. I had a ton of theories about who the thief was and was completely wrong on all counts but that was great! The actual culprit was totally unexpected. lol Then, to make things better, there was an additional twist after the items were returned that added another element to the story that I really enjoyed. All in all, this was just a really nice read and I’m certain I’ll read it again in the future.
RATING: 
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