I am thrilled there will be more adventures to come with this duo. As someone with a Psych degree I thoroughly enjoyed the way 'quirks' were addresed and how Joachim used his studies to help those that the world just didn't understand correctly. Scotland was a wonderful backdrop for their adventures, and the author did a great job with the time period. I do hope he gets his own story and love at some point. I loved the side characters in Ainsley's family (wouldn't mind seeing ALL of them again), and most especially Barley. Joachim for all his gruffness and firm beliefs was able to let his guard down, be what Ainsley needed and discover new abilities about himself. It was very easy to see that for all his bravado, he was hurting inside and just needed someone to see the real him. I felt for Ainsley dealing with the loss of his career and still mourning the loss of his brother. Joachim and Ainsley were highly entertaining, even if a little obtuse(or in denial) for most of the book.

The description grabbed my attention when I saw it listed as did the cover and I am so glad I picked this one to read. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review.īest Laid Plaids was a lovely introduction to Ella Stainton. I was relieved that the spirits weren't too scary, and I even felt affectionate about a few of them. I don't usually read paranormal because I'm a scaredy-cat, but I requested this one without realizing there were actual g-g-ghosts. But I did feel like Stainton overused 'the ginger' or 'his ginger' as a description for Ainsley.

I'm sure the author gets tired of differentiating them all the time. The one thing I didn't like: third-person M/M (or F/F) can be confusing to read, because all the pronouns are the same, and sometimes I can't tell who is doing/saying what to whom. Along the way, both men realize how lonely they've been and how much they have in common, and there's an unmistakable attraction between them, but Joachim's career depends on unblemished respectability.

In a hilarious case of mistaken identity, Ainsley first tries to seduce the strapping Englishman, but then offers to take Joachim on a tour of nearby haunted places. He needs one more case study, and arrives at the doorstep of Lord Ainsley Graham's Scottish manor house late one night. Joachim Cockburn is nearly finished with his doctorate on delusional thinking. With ghosts, a wounded WWI veteran, and a disgraced academic. This is just your typical 1920s, British, M/M historical romance.

Best Laid Plaids by Ella Stainton