Synopsis
London banking heiress Hattie Greenfield wanted “just” three things in life:
1. Acclaim as an artist.
2. A noble cause.
3. Marriage to a young lord who puts the gentle in gentleman.Why then does this Oxford scholar find herself at the altar with the darkly attractive financier Lucian Blackstone, whose murky past and ruthless business practices strike fear in the hearts of Britain’s peerage? Trust Hattie to take an invigorating little adventure too far. Now she’s stuck with a churlish Scot who just might be the end of her ambitions….
When the daughter of his business rival all but falls into his lap, Lucian sees opportunity. As a self-made man, he has vast wealth but holds little power, and Hattie might be the key to finally setting long-harbored political plans in motion. Driven by an old revenge, he has no room for his new wife’s apprehensions or romantic notions, bewitching as he finds her.
But a sudden journey to Scotland paints everything in a different light. Hattie slowly sees the real Lucian and realizes she could win everything—as long as she is prepared to lose her heart.
Goodreads
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Review
Portrait of a Scotsman is the third book in the League of Extraordinary Women series, and I think it is my favorite one yet.
While I won’t get into politics, reading a book about the suffrage movement in the 1880s at this point in time made me feel even both inspired and honestly a little deflated. I loved that this book focused not only on women’s rights but also on poverty and class differences. I also enjoyed seeing it from a historical perspective. I love how these books weave historical knowledge throughout the story.
The story itself is fantastic. I liked Hattie in the other books and was happy to finally read her story. I loved seeing her realize how sheltered she was. Hattie makes one of the most accurate statements about why women want dominant men in the bedroom. Lucian was unexpected; he grew on me, probably similar to how he grew on Hattie. Lucian was by far my favorite of the love interests in this series. He is dark and brooding with a tragic past, simply looking for someone to love him whom he could love in return. In other words, my male love interest kryptonite.
I’ve really enjoyed this series, and Portrait of a Scotsman is my favorite so far.
