In which Scots are comic relief and snow is the most effective matchmaker

3.5 stars

The Lady Most Willing is a 3-for-1 romance brought to you by kidnapping, drafty Scottish castles, and a really egregious plot strumpet*. The charmingly flimsy plot is this: a batty laird wants so much to ensure the succession of his drafty Scottish castle that he kidnaps the most eligible local women during a storm — ensuring their being sufficiently trapped in the castle — with the intention of presenting them to his nephew(? It’s been a few weeks; I forget.) The complications are these: 1) His nephew is a Comte of questionable means and title; 2) in residence also is another nephew (? I’m really sorry about this) who is stuffy in general and morally outraged at this turn of events; 3) the kidnappers accidentally kidnapped a Duke when they liberated his carriage for use in the kidnapping, thereby introducing another eligible gentleman into the mix; 4) the kidnappers accidentally kidnapped a local non-gentlewoman, and the drafty castle isn’t quite big enough for all of its newest occupants, even temporarily.

Here are the players (I remind you that I fell behind on my reviews and while I’m pretty sure the names are correct, I don’t remember the proper titles):

Robin the Comte
Byron (hee!) the Earl
The Duke (okay, sorry I don’t actually remember his name)
Taran Ferguson

Lady Cecily
Catriona
Miss Fiona Chisholm
Miss Marilla Chisholm

Is it terribly unsporting to reveal that some combination of these people end up together? Well, I’ll leave you to find out precisely who goes with whom. I did say this was a 3-for-1; only three of the stories are actually detailed and one of them is a surprise reveal at the end. (Bonus spoiler: it’s the plot strumpet. Sorry.) Considering that each is a very short insta-love novella, this book is actually very charming all together. One thing I would advise, should you choose to read this: do not get the audiobook. The narrator, to be fair, really gives it her all, but it’s a lot to ask of one person to do voices for at least eight principal characters, four of whom are men of varying levels of gruff and Scot-ness. Aside from that, though, I have to recommend this book as quite the pleasant diversion.

* I am feeling very clever and so I’m going to claim first usage of this term, which I am using to describe a woman who acts so discomfitingly thirsty as to advance the plot by driving the two romantic leads away from her and into the arms of each other.