ARC provided by Berkley through NetGalley.

Portrait of a Scotsman was not my favorite book in the series, but it was still as fun a read as its predecessors. Evie Dunmore continues to weave a story full of plucky heroines, slow-burn romance, and themes of feminism.

My favorite aspect of this book was the romance (duh). Lucian and Hattie do not start out on good footing, and it really only gets worse before it begins to get better. I’m a sucker for the angst that arrives along with slow-burn and hostility-to-love romances and I was served a wonderful helping of it in Portrait of a Scotsman. I really loved following Lucian and Hattie’s journey together as they begun to understand one another better and deeper feelings developed.

Unfortunately, Hattie’s character left something to be desired and that kind of killed my overall enjoyment of the book. I didn’t dislike her completely, but she definitely was not my favorite. There were times while reading where I found Hattie to be overly naive, judgmental, and a little snobbish–especially towards other women.

Another thing that really affected my overall liking was the ending. The book seemed to be wrapping up quite nicely and then with only a few chapters left another wrench is thrown. I didn’t actually mind that plot point per se, but I did mind that it happened with so little time left and felt completely rushed.

These books are very entertaining and I love Evie Dunmore’s writing! Portrait of a Scotsman wasn’t my favorite in the series but it also wasn’t a bad book. It was simply lacking in comparison to the first two, and my issues with Hattie’s character and the rushed ending definitely affected my overall enjoyment. I still love these books and I cannot wait to read Catriona’s story next!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ½