Series Review: Brotherhood of the Black Tartan by Nichole Van

The Brotherhood of the Black Tartan series is one of my new favorite historical romance series and one I can eagerly recommend to readers interested in late Regency stories set in England and Scotland. It has adventurous heroes, daring heroines, 5 unique love stories that explore a variety of tropes, and one uniting past event that ties the group together in a story thread that comes into their present timeline. I’m sharing my thoughts on each book in this post, and I’m highlighting my favorite quotes from each book in the series in another blog post linked below.

Companion blog post: Favorite Quotes from the Brotherhood of the Black Tartan Series

These books are best read in order, especially concerning the ongoing plot thread and quite the twist that happens close to the middle of the series. For that reason, the book descriptions and premise of the final book, in particular, constitute mild story spoilers. I would caution you in reading any details about Remembering Jamie if you want to avoid spoilers! I will try to be as non-spoilery as possible in my thoughts.

For more information on each book, click the book titles to view them on Goodreads.

Suffering the Scot

Suffering the Scot has all the hallmarks of my favorite kind of historical romance. It has a fantastic, considerate hero and a whip-smart, feisty heroine. The romance is *happy sigh* thoughtful and complex.

I am just discovering Nichole Van’s stories, and I’m happy to report her style and research is impeccable. The portrayal of class prejudice, in particular, is a big part of this story (and series) and her skill in writing witty banter and intelligent conversations is impressive.

I appreciate the vulnerable hearts of the characters. Andrew is hilarious and endearing while Jane is relatable and spirited, and when their relationship starts to develop, they become a formidable pair to root for. While not without its ups, downs, and surprises, though, it does end up in a realistic way with a great ending.

The original plot with a hint of adventure and suspense puts me in mind of another era favorite, Mimi Matthews’ Gentleman Jim. The two share in common lead characters with striking depth, plot surprises, and a heroine who just might have a secret tomboy side.

Romancing the Rake

I. Love. Rafe. (And Sophie, of course! And her cat studies!) And his rakish façade that hides a tender and gallant heart. Their story is one of the most adventure-filled of the series, with a humorous and enlightening journey by coach from southern England all the way to the wilds of Scotland.

Rafe delivers the BEST one-liners and quips of any of the heroes, appropriately so because of his fierce sense of humor.

The romance is a second-chance one, born of a friendship shown in the early chapters from years before. This is a unique story device that’s thoughtfully employed to illustrate the depth of their connection and bring the reader into their emotions through more than just simple memories or brief flashbacks.

A personal note: I named one of my cats after Lady Sophie, and I can say she shares a sense of daring with her namesake.

Loving a Lady

I just want to cheer for Ewan and Violet as they get to know each other and see how much they share in common. Theirs is a deeply emotional romance and story of finding happiness. And, the ongoing plot connecting each book in the series kicked up a notch with events and revelations in this one.

Ewan is a study in contrasts, as his physical persona leads people to perceive him in one way while his sensitive, artist’s heart proves his complexity. I especially like that he thinks and processes the world around him through ideas of color.

Making the Marquess

Oh, my heart! This ROMANCE. It tentatively begins with friendship and absolutely BLOSSOMS. And, because of family + rules of inheritance, etc, it’s a bit of an impossible situation (not quite forbidden), so that makes it poignant in the best way.

I love how Alex sees Lottie as his equal and falls for her intelligence most of all. And, in return, how Lottie balances and slows his constant energy (that’s really a wall he hides behind!).

The ongoing “Brotherhood” story takes some interesting turns and sets us all up for the finale in the last novel. And, I ADORE the brief glimpses of Lord Hadley as a dad.

Remembering Jamie

Remembering Jamie is one of those books I’m joyous and sad to have finished, because it perfectly caps off a fantastic series! This book has been 4 in the making already, with each previous book hinting at and setting up its events. It happens to be my favorite of the series because of that!

Kieran is an absolutely DEVOTED hero — he loves Eilidh with a selfless, sacrificial approach, yet he remains a devastating flirt through it all. And Eilidh, she’s so brave and it was wonderful to see her transform under Kieran’s safe watch, to see her grow and realize her strength and embrace her past, the joy and grief of life, finally. ❤

Have you read any of this series? Do you have a favorite book by Nichole? Do you enjoy Regency series with an adventure thread? I’d love to gush with you over these books in the comments.