Highland Hope by Julie Johnstone

On By TracyIn Medieval (1066-1540), Middle Ages / Medieval (476-1454), Scottish/Highlander, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Highland Hope (Of Mist and Mountains, #1)Highland Hope by Julie Johnstone

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Of Mist and Mountains, #1

Release Date: September 28, 2021

Desperate to escape her abusive husband, Eve Sotherby steals proof of her husband’s treachery against the crown and convinces her guard to let her visit the village to speak to the seer who has arrived with the “Summer Walkers”. Once in town, she comes across a posting for a governess at Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye and when her husband’s men come looking for her, the seer helps her get away by calling her Abigail and directing her to Father Murdoch, the priest who posted the job. She embraces her new identity of Abigail and flees England, praying she never sets eyes on her husband Frederick again and that she will find peace on Skye.

Widower, Laird Royce MacLeod has his hands full with clan matters, cleaning up the mess from his sister’s many broken betrothals and twin daughters that are out of control. He took over the lairdship from his father years ago when his parents left Dunvegan to go to Court and advise the King, and it is a job that he takes very seriously, so seriously he fears that he neglected his late wife and is sure that is the reason she cheated on him and ultimately died. His pain from her betrayal and death was enough to have him swear off remarrying, a vow he has had no problem keeping until he meets Abigail. An attraction she shares, but they each have their reasons for trying to ignore it.

Abigail tries to settle into life at Dunvegan, but it is soon clear that Royce’s 11-year-old daughters Lenora and Lillith, do not want her there and start a campaign to make her leave, which causes Royce to have to intervene and bringing them into repeated contact with each other. Making them want more than either can give, but fate has a plan for these two and while the road to their HEA is filled with bumps and potholes, the final destination promises a love like no other.

This was a well-written novel with a lot going on and ties to the book: When a Laird Loves A Lady, which features Royce’s parents, Iain and Marion! As I mentioned, this book has a lot going and is filled with secrets, lies, action, mischievous (bordering on bratty) twin girls, a jealous ex-lover, spurned grooms, matchmaking siblings who are both suffering from their own broken hearts, a truly evil villain, wolf attacks, a bit of magic, very subdued love scenes (that thankfully avoiding any adultery) and more than one life or death moment before ending in a very lovely HEA. This is the first book in the series, which appears to be a spinoff of the “Highlander Vows- Entangled Hearts” series. I did enjoy the book, but I did feel like it dragged in the middle and was a bit over the top in some parts. Overall, it was an entertaining read, and would happily recommend this title.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

His Lady to Protect by Justine Covington

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

His Lady to Protect (The Beggars Club Book 1)Barbara’s rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Series: The Beggars Club #1
Publication Date: 2/14/20
Period: Regency London
Number of Pages: 347

This is a new-to-me author and I also believe this is her first book. I enjoyed her writing style and the idea of the story, but I thought her character development and the plot could have been a little stronger. I actually don’t think it would take much tweaking at all to make this a 5-star read for me.

Nate Kinlan, Earl of Rainsford, is one guilt-ridden, angsty dude who is also an intermittent agent for the Home Office. After reading the story, I can see why he is an intermittent agent. He is definitely not James Bond. Actually, I’d say more like Inspector Clouseau because the villain is definitely the smarter one and is the one who is in charge. When I first started reading, I took this all as a negative, but as I read, it dawned on me – Nate is more realistic than we usually see. I don’t remember him being described as the tallest man in any room; as the most handsome man in England; as the most physically fit, etc. Maybe he was and I just don’t remember it. To me, he came across as just an ordinary person – like you or me. How would we react if we were thrown into the same situation? I’m thinking it would be closer to the way Nate reacted than the way James Bond would react. That said, there were some things that should have been so very obvious – even to the most ordinary among us – and Nate totally missed them.

Susannah Cressingham has been in a very precarious situation for a number of years. When her parents died, she and her siblings came under the dubious guardianship of her dastardly uncle. He immediately rid their home of any sentimental or meaningful items and then married off her sister Isabella to a cruel Jamaican landowner. Then, her brother Ben was killed fighting Napoleon and Susannah was the only one left at the mercy of her uncle – who is a supporter of the French in the war.

Nate had promised his father he’d look after his older brother during the war – and he failed because his brother died. The news caused his father’s death, so he’s responsible for the deaths of two members of his own family. He also promised his best friend, Ben Cressingham, he would take care of his sisters. He’d save them from their uncle. He returned from the wars too late to save Isabella, but maybe he can still save Susannah. Her uncle has promised Susannah to Nate in exchange for Nate returning her dowry to him. But, will he honor his promise? Can he be trusted? Of course not!

I liked Nate and I liked Susannah, but I never became totally invested in their relationship. I think I personally would have liked it much better had Nate told Susannah everything from the beginning and then the two of them could work together to thwart her uncle’s traitorous plans. The story also made Sidmouth of the Home Office seem like an uncaring idiot who turned over an important investigation to an inept, inexperienced agent without any support or backup. I would think the Home Office would be very much invested in capturing a traitor who was funneling funds to Napoleon.

At any rate, I really liked the idea of the story and I enjoyed the author’s writing style, but I wish Nate had been a bit more skillful. Since my favorite genre is the combination of historical mystery and historical romance, I plan to read the second book in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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