A Highlander is Coming to Town (Highland Georgia, #3) by Laura Trentham – Review

Tags

5 stars, Book Review, Contemporary Romance, highlander, Laura Trentham, series

About A Highlander is Coming to Town by Laura Trentham

You better watch out. . .

Holt Pierson is dreading Christmas. His parents absconded to Florida for the season and left him to handle the family farm which will be his one day―whether he wants it or not. Driven by duty, Holt has always followed the path expected of him. But lately, he’s been questioning what he wants and where he belongs. Will assuming the responsibility of the Pierson farm make him happy or is there something―or someone―else out in the wider world calling to him?

To Claire Smythe, the Scottish lead singer of a touring band, Highland, Georgia, is the perfect place to hide . . .until a very handsome and deeply curious Holt begins to ask all the questions Claire doesn’t want to answer. As Holt draws Claire out from under and into the fabric of small-town life, can Claire put the past behind her and embrace the unexpected gifts of the season―including the new and lasting love?

**********************

Review of A Highlander is Coming to Town

Just to be clear – the Highlander in this book is Claire.  Not the guy on the cover.  In a switch from the first two books in the series, the woman is the person with the sexy Scots accent.  Claire Smythe landed in Highland for a gig with the band she used to sing with.  Now she is hanging out, biding her time until…  Until what is not clear until later in the book.  In the meantime, Claire keeps to herself.  Well, she tries to keep to herself.

Holt Pierson was the rejected love interest in a previous book in this series, so I was pleased to see him get is own story this time.  Holt is just what the reclusive Claire needs to help her make a decision that will set the course for her life.  Holt, is the nice guy, the boy next door, the man that needs his own happy ending.

Characters from previous books have small but important roles to play in this story.  Mainly, when Holt and Claire are tripping over their own relationship feet, Ian and Anna help, providing both distraction and guidance.

The Highland Georgia series is charming.  Down-to-earth characters, a small town setting, a little bit of humor and a delightful romance make A Highlander is Coming to Town an enchanting read.

Through Netgalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

**********************

Links

Add A Highlander is Coming to Town to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase A Highlander is Coming to Town:

**********************

Subversive (Clandestine Magic, #1) by Colleen Cowley – Review

Tags

5 stars, alternative history, Book Review, Collen Cowley, fantasy, magic, paranormal, romance, series, women's rights

About Subversive by Colleen Cowley

A wizard. An unwilling assistant. An explosive secret.

In an America controlled by wizards and 100 years behind on women’s rights, Beatrix Harper counts herself among the resistance—the Women’s League for the Prohibition of Magic. Then Peter Blackwell, the only wizard her town has ever produced, unexpectedly returns home and makes her work for him.

Beatrix fears he wants to undermine the League. His real purpose is far more dangerous for them both.

**********************

Review of Subversive

100 years after the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote in the United States, comes a book that imagines history a bit differently.  In Subversive, male magicians have taken over as lawmakers and women were never granted voting rights.  Not much has changed in the last 100 years, so women are still expected to marry, have children and leave the good jobs to the men.

Beatrix finds this situation to be quite unsatisfactory.

After the death of their parents leaves Beatrix and her sister Lydia with no means of support, Beatrix must forget her dreams of going to college and instead, take a job as a store clerk to earn money to send Lydia to school. When Omnimancer Peter Blackwell arrives in Ellicot Mills, little changes, except now Beatrix must work for Blackwell.  Or so it would seem.

There is a lot going on in this story.  Lydia is an active social reformer.  Beatrix works to support Lydia, but is secretly interested in magic.  Blackwell has a secret project that takes a lot of time, so he gets Beatrix to do much of his work.  Another omnimancer shows up to spy on Blackwell by courting Beatrix.  Lydia’s League group has a spy.  There is sabotage and attempted murder.  All the while bonds, magical or otherwise, are drawing Beatrix and Blackwell together.

Because of all these elements, it takes a while for the story to warm up.  But once it does, the danger is real, the adventure is exciting and the romance is, well, frustrating.  But the discoveries along the way for Beatrix, Peter and Lydia lead to a satisfying (if temporary) conclusion.  Expect to experience a bit of a cliffhanger at the end of this book.  It’s not terrible, but it is slightly annoying for someone who doesn’t like cliffhangers.

According to the author the entire series is to be released this fall.  So, with any luck, my cliffhanger frustration will soon be alleviated.

One of the interesting aspects of the story is the struggle for women’s rights.  Whether they want to vote, go to college, get a good job or just control their own destiny, the truth of the matter is that in Ellicot Mills, as in any town where women and men live, it is difficult to change minds and expectations.  It seems Lydia and Beatrix have an uphill battle ahead of them.

Many thanks to the author provided a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.

**********************

Links

Add Subversive to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase Subversive:

**********************

Lord of Shadows (Daughters of Avalon, #5) by Tanya Anne Crosby

Tags

5 stars, Avalon, Book Review, England, fantasy, favorite series, historical, magic, Middle Ages, romance, series, Tanya Anne Crosby

About Lord of Shadows by Tanya Anne Crosby

Rhiannon’s destiny is fated from the moment of her birth. She and her dewine sisters must defeat an ancient evil, or Britain itself will go the way of Avalon. Her sisters and their champions have set the stage for a final, epic battle against the Witch Goddess Cerridwen, but Rhiannon can only fulfill her destiny if she can win the heart of the Lord of Shadows, the man who holds her prisoner.

Fueled by vengeance, Cael d’Lucy’s ambition has raised him to the pinnacle of power. Concealing an ancient secret, he’s close to achieving his desires, and once the dust of battle settles, he stands to rule again as Duke of Wales. All he must do is vanquish a slip of a girl—Morwen Pendragon’s daughter. Trouble is… Rhiannon is Cael’s match, mind, body and soul. Winning her means losing Blackwood; losing her means winning Wales, but what shall it profit a man if he gain the entire world, and lose his very soul?

**********************

Review of Lord of Shadows

Anyone who has been reading the Daughters of Avalon series, probably isn’t reading this review.  They already know about the enchanting tale of history, romance and magic that has been unfolding and have likely already read this book!

If you are new to the series, here is what you need to know.  The setting is 12th century British Isles.  The English throne is disputed, with Stephen in charge and Matilda, the designated heir, a constant thorn in his side.  Stephen’s son is unfit as a ruler, so the future of England is a concern to many.  Add the descendants of mythical Avalon, mix with intrigue, danger, war, ambition and power and you have the setting of this fascinating series.

Lord of Shadows, the final tale in this series, is about Rhiannon’s chance to  reunite with her sisters and overcome her power-hungry mother Morwen.  It is also about the redemption of Cael, re-incarnated, so to speak, by Morwen, but with his own agenda and ….. conscience.

At the begining of the story Cael has been Rhiannon’s reluctant jailer for five years.  That situation quickly changes, but not before Morwen forces them to marry.

Their escape from Morwen and eventual face-off with the Dark Goddess is an intense journey as Rhiannon, Cael and their companions must avoid Morwen while overcoming distrust and enmity.

Lord of Shadows shines as an enemies-to-lovers romance and as historical fantasy.  The plot is both complex and compelling, with historical facts expertly balanced between myth and imagination.  The author has provided enough backstory to be able to jump in with this book.  However, I have devoured the first books in this epic series and I highly recommended then all!

Thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

**********************

I liked this trailer, so I wanted to share it with you.

**********************

Links

Add Lord of Shadows to your Goodreads shelf:

Purchase Lord of Shadows:

**********************