Review

Elliot McBride has been to hell and back. Now that he has returned to Scotland all he wants is to be with the one woman whose memory got him through months of torture and pain, but she’s about to marry someone else. Luck is on his side when Juliana St. Just is jilted at the alter and fate has her running straight to Elliot. Quickly he makes her his bride and takes her off into the wilds of the Scottish Highlands.

Elliot is such a complicated character. I love the way Ms. Ashley is able to write characters that border on crazy and still be such sexy, masculine heroes. He has a severe case of PTSD and sometimes forgets where he is and comes close to hurting those around him. He truly believes that Juliana is the one person that can keep him out of the darkness. There were many things about this character that I liked – his honesty about his feelings for Juliana, his strength, his ability to overcome anything in his way – and only one thing that really bothered me about him. I hated the way he would seduce Juliana instead of answering her questions about what happened to him. She knew that he didn’t want to talk about it and didn’t ask him questions lightly, but at a certain point in the story she needs to know what happened and instead of telling her he makes love to her to distract her. Elliot is so honest in all other aspects with her and it irritated me that repeatedly he put her off on this one topic.

Juliana is a strong character. Juliana goes through a lot through the book and learns to adapt to a new way of living with Elliot. She is used to living by her lists and rules. She has to learn that she can’t fix Elliot and that she must learn to love him as he is. I think in many ways Juliana goes through more changes than Elliot does throughout the book. She definitely grows the most. I love the way she sticks by Elliot no matter what happens. Juliana has faith in him and isn’t going to let others put him down or disparage him.

The Seduction of Elliot McBride is a character driven book. The focus is on Elliot and Juliana and how what happens affects them. Their reactions to what’s happening more than what’s actually happening. The Seduction of Elliot McBride has several different subplots – blackmail, nosey neighbors, mysterious watchers – along with Elliot’s outbursts and struggles to keep the reader interested from beginning to end. The writing and dialogue are fantastically done. Plus, we get a few glimpses of several of the Mackenzies as they visit Elliot and Juliana.  

The Seduction of Elliot McBride is a fantastic addition to the Mackenzie series.

Reviewed by Carrie