Phew! After the lackluster humdrum that was book 2, I'm so happy to report that Dunmore is back in top form with Portrait of a Scotsman.
Hattie Greenfield comes from old-money and has been coddled all her life. What she really wants is a white knight to woo her and sweep her off her feet. But when she's caught canoodling with self-made man Lucian Blackstone, she has no choice but to marry him to avoid scandal and ruin. But she's a pampered princess. Surely she can't be expected to love such a lowly plebeian, wealthy though he may be, can she?
If you detected a hint of sarcasm there, it was intentional. Hattie is such a spoiled brat, she almost spoiled the book for me. But before I move onto my rant, let's talk about the good stuff first.
The writing is sharp and riveting. Whatever malaise affected book 2, with its meandering pace and lack of sizzle, is all fixed here. The story is complex and interesting, filled with lots of historical details that lend so much authenticity to the whole thing. The witty banter and setting of Scotland only adds to the atmosphere. And the all important sexual tension that is crucial to a romance is present by the boatload. Once I started, I couldn't put it down.
If you're familiar with this series, you know it focuses a lot on suffrage and women's rights. In this book, I was heartened to see that it expanded to include workers' rights. The discussions in here about paying a living wage and making sure workers are safe in their jobs feel almost prescient to today, when we are having those exact same conversations about frontline and essential workers amid the pandemic.
Blackstone's character really struck a chord with me. Through hard work and ingenuity, he turned poverty and hopelessness into opportunity and wealth. His resilience is inspiring, especially in the face of so much tragedy. These types of characters, the ones who make something out of nothing, always appeal to me. On top of that, he's kind and considerate towards his wife, trying so hard to become the person she wants him to be. It's pretty rare for me in a romance to connect with the male lead more than the female one, but it definitely happened here.
My only issue with the book is Hattie. Apparently, privilege was alive and well in the 1880s. Through most of the book, she is so prissy and entitled, constantly sticking up her nose at her husband and lecturing him on right and wrong. She demands that he change to suit her, without trying to understand his side or meeting him halfway. And just when I thought she had matured and the story had reached its natural conclusion, there was one more issue with her that dragged out the story and jerked poor Blackstone around some more. And I didn't even understand what the problem was.
Thankfully, though I don't always succeed in separating my personal enjoyment of a story from my enjoyment of its characters, I was able to do it here. So even though I didn't love Hattie (she and I would not get along, that's for sure), I still thoroughly enjoyed this book. Dunmore puts so much research and depth into her historical romances that they feel authentic, and her focus on substantial issues makes her books timely and relevant, even for today.
Readaroo Rating: 4 stars
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