A Scot’s Surrender is the third book in Lily Maxton’s Regency-era The Townsends series of historical romance novels. I haven’t read of her books before, but I’m always interested in discovering new authors. I’ve also been reading quite a bit of m/m pairings, so that was another factor that piqued my interest.

Robert’s brother was featured in one of the earlier books in the series, but he (the brother) is away from Llynmore Castle, so readers won’t be at a loss if they don’t read the other books in the series first.

Anyway, Robert has been left in charge of the estate, and he has moved the land steward moved into the house because his cottage burned down. Robert and Ian don’t have anything in common; Robert feels like Ian doesn’t really like him (true) and this bothers him because he wants people to like him. Ian is a humble Highlander, who just wants to do his job, and Robert’s attempts at friendliness are getting in the way of that.

But that changes when some unexpected houseguests arrive. The relative tranquility of the household is thrown into upheaval, as these guests must be entertained. But when some of the guests’ things go missing, suspicion falls on Ian. Robert feels obligated to prove that Ian is innocent, and they must work together to solve the mystery. And of course, along the way, they realize that they share a mutual attraction.

This was a cute story. There was a lot of build up and “will they/wont they”, but that being said, it wasn’t particularly angsty. There’s a moderate amount of chemistry between Robert and Ian, but there probably could have been more. The mystery solution was unconventional, and quite clever… but the aftermath was a little contrived. It did, however, make for some good melodrama!

I would recommend A Scot’s Surrender. This was a quick read, and I enjoyed myself. The houseguests were exceptionally annoying, and that added an interesting layer to the story. I’m looking forward to reading the other books in this series!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.