Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Review: The Highland Lass by Rosemary Gemmell


Book Blurb:

Eilidh Campbell returns to her Scottish roots from America with one burning ambition: to discover the identity of her real father. But her mother’s past in Inverclyde is a mystery with family secrets, a book of Robert Burns’ poems with a hidden letter and a photograph link to the Holy Loch at Dunoon when the American Navy were in residence.

Staying with her childhood friend, Kirsty, while searching for answers, Eilidh begins to fall in love with handsome Scot Lewis Grant, but just how divorced is he? Together they trace the story of Highland Mary and Robert Burns, with its echoes to her mother’s story. From Dunoon, to Ayrshire and culminating in Greenock, Eilidh finds the past is closer than she realises.


My Review:

I loved the setting and the concept of The Highland Lass.  I was expecting more suspense after reading the blurb for The Highland Lass, but as I read found it more to do with Eilidh moving on from loss, finding truths in the past, and opening herself up to love.

It was easy to feel for Eilidh and what she was going through.  I liked her determination and her desire to stay true to herself.  When she finds herself falling for Lewis quickly, she is still cautious and open with him.  I liked this, she didn't play games or not talk about things that were bothering her.  I liked Eilidh.  Lewis's attraction to Eilidh is obvious, but he part of his past comes with him, and the bit of tension this brings to the story adds believability to Lewis and Eilidh's blooming relationship.

It was a fun journey to go on with Lewis and Eilidh, and I liked the way that Rosemary Gemmell weaves the past in with the present, and gives a good history lesson too!  I loved the alternating POV's between distant past and the present.  The alternating first person POV from the past and third person POV really worked well with this story.  Rosemary carried that off flawlessly!

The Highland Lass was easy to lose myself in and I was very intrigued to see how things would turn out for Eilidh.

As I said, I love the setting of Scotland.  Rosemary's descriptives were enough to take me there, even if only in my head!

I'd recommend The Highland Lass to any women's fiction/romance reader.

4/5 stars

Purchase from Amazon.com

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