I've had this sitting there for quite a while. I got to reading it and I just couldn't get passed the first pages from each shirt story. From writing styles to the stories themselves. I just couldn't get passed the whole whore thing in the first one. She knows what she is and is unapologetic which is cool. But the other characters? Not realistic at all.

I just couldn't enjoy this like I'd hoped to

Christmas in Kilts is a 2017 Swerve publication.

Every holiday season, I sample at least one Christmas anthology. This one caught my eye, but as I was looking at the terrific authors featured, it occurred to me that it has been a very long time since I’ve read a Scottish/Highlander historical romance, and suddenly I felt a need to remedy that.

As usual, I choose one, maybe two, favorites in an anthology to feature in my review. But, to be clear, every book in the collection is very good, these were just the ones I enjoyed the most and wanted to spotlight.

A Highland Christmas Wager by Lecia Cornwall-

I loved this karma driven story featuring Meggie who, along with her grandmother, is forced to seek shelter from a snowstorm at Gleanngalla Castle, the last place on earth she wants to be.

However, with three Highlanders underfoot, things get a little prickly, when they agree to make a wager that could change the future for the two young ladies on the premises.

Despite Magnus MacVane’s confidence, things don’t exactly go as planned, when Charlie McKay and Hugh MacAulay put a wrinkle in his plans.

I really enjoyed the way this story turned out, and enjoyed seeing Meggie and Catriona get their much deserved HEA!


A Scot for Christmas by Bronwen Evans

Emma has loved Dougray since she was in her teens, but he married Francesca, who died tragically six years ago.

Dougray is still in love with Francesca, but realizes his duty to provide heirs. Therefore, he is beginning to think of remarriage and even has a prospect in mind. But, when Emma arrives with her brother, Dougray is stunned by her beauty and finds himself quite taken with her. But, when she approaches him with a scandalous proposition, his heart will face the ultimate test of courage.

This story pulls on the heartstrings, but has a wonderfully romantic and heartwarming ending. I was especially fond of Dougray- the brooding, tortured type I’m always a sucker for.


The remaining stories rounding out this star -studded anthology include:

The Highlander’s Hope by Teri Brisbin

Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent

Sweet Home Highland Christmas by May McGoldrick

Each novella is holiday themed and features super sexy Scottish Highlanders that will quicken your pulse and melt your heart!
4.5 stars

Christmas in Kilts is a spicy anthology of Celtic Christmas romances. For those who like a bit of a thrill with their 18th century trysts this one is for you.

Each story has its feisty heroine and its brave, muscular hero. But sometimes the heroine is hiding a secret, sometimes the hero has sworn he will never love again, maybe the heroine thinks she isn't good enough for her man, maybe the hero feels threatened by the thought of true love. It's all here between the pages of a wonderful holiday read.

Take a break and get away to Scotland for the holidays!!!

A great collection of Yuletide tales! From the sugary sweet to the saucy fun and adventurous, there was truly something for everyone.

This is a nice anthology of stories. Quick little reads to pace a few hours. This contains several novellas by bestselling romance writers with Scot heroes. All were entertaining and I enjoyed them all. Though I think the first, with a man who decides to marry the village prostitute is a bit of a stretch. Few men of the time would probably be pining for the local whore, but I certainly don’t know for sure! I plan to look into further reading some authors I hadn’t previously read.

This is an anthology of five novellas that revolve around Christmas. They are all highlander stories, have a strong women in the books, and romance. What more do you need to have a good Christmas book. They are written n the time they are supposed to be in and I felt it was well rounded.



** I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

Anthologies can be hit or miss. This one is a hit. While Lavinia Kent's Leftover Mistletoe is the shining star for me, I found enjoyment in all the stories and now have two new authors I plan to follow. If you’re in a Christmas kind or mood, these are especially perfect for your fix. Regardless of the season, if you like Scottish regency romance. You’ll like Christmas in Kilts.

I recommend it.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Reviewed by Robin

Review: I think when I read anthologies I seem to always find one that makes me fall in love. I am not saying that the others aren’t good it is just that one stands out for me all the time. Always one to enjoy those Hot Scotsman; while all where unique and I wanted all of them to come to life, I found that the last story had to be my favorite if I had to choose…With each of these being short and well written I don’t want to send spoilers your way. But I know that you will enjoy them as much as I did. Although you will just have to decide on your own which is your favorite.

A Highlanders Hope by Terri Brisbin
Iain and Robena show that when loves hits you, it makes no difference who it is that you fall for… because love is simply love. No bounds; no conditions. Robena is the village whore. She took over after her mom died. When in the area Iain comes to her. Christmas is in a few days and fate has stepped in bringing these two together. Not only have they fallen in love but have also been given the gift of a child is left at Robena’s door.

I found not only a sexy Highlander but also plenty of romance, suspense and sadness along with happiness. Regrets always…but the characters got past the regrets…You do what you have to when you need to survive. The characters were easy to believe in and easy to feel what they were going through.

Ms. Brisbin wrote a really well rounded story that although it was short provided a very HEA.

A Highland Christmas Wager by Lecia Cornwall
Boys will be boys but in this case those boys are men. Do they ever grow up? A snowstorm brings Meggie and her grandmother in need of a place to wait out the storm. Of course, the place they stop at belongs to someone from her past. He makes a wager with his two friends about getting a kiss from Meggie. He considers her easy. He stole her virginity in the hayloft years ago but married someone else.

Ms. Cornwall gives us characters that are both easy to love and hate. Everyone has a story good or bad. The past tends to finds its way out at the most inopportune times. While in this case a certain man shares the past with others as he brags of his conquest. All in all Meggie ends up falling for Hugh. He loves her; he is willing to give up the wager.

I liked Ms. Cornwall’s story. It wasn’t a favorite but it was cute.

A Scot for Christmas by Bronwen Evans
Emma it seems has been in love with her brother’s best friend Dougray forever. She has decided to settle on being a spinster as most men in London are short and at 5’11” she towers over them. She has decided she wants to spend one night of passion with the hottest man she knows…Dougray. This way she can go into spinsterhood knowing what it is to feel passion. Things backfired and love intervened. Emma got her night of hot sex and passion and so much more. Spinsterhood was not in her future.

Ms. Evans gave us a story filled with characters that were very easy to like. I enjoyed this story although short it was easy to want to keep reading to find out what would happen despite the trickery.

Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent
Chemistry…things tended to happen a little fast but the way Ms. Kent wrote this story it worked. Robbie took off with all of the horses, men, and just everything to keep James from stopping Robbie’s wedding to James’s sister. Robbie directed him to a nearby cabin where provisions were left. Meanwhile Emma who had been sharing a coach had lost her maid. She’s a little high-strung not used to doing things on her own. When James and Emma arrive at cabin…cold, hungry you get the picture. Things tend to go fast…virginity lost…Christmas greens along with a lot of steamy sex with a hot Highlander. Fate gave Emma someone to love.

And Ms. Kent gave us characters that worked making me want to learn maybe a little bit more about them.

Sweet Home Highland Christmas by May McGoldrick
Last but not least is Ms. McGoldrick’s story. While I thoroughly enjoyed Gregory and Freya’s story I have to say that there would still have been a story but I found that Ella, a very precocious five years old, stole the story. Freya is Ella’s aunt; they were on their way to meet a cousin that Freya would marry so that Ella would be able to stay with Freya. Gregory is their guide to get them through the Highlands safely.

I found this to be a very entertaining story and all the antics that were within this story made it very special. I found that I wanted more…for me it was much to short even if all the elements woven within this story were finished and completed; I wouldn’t mind if this were a full length book. It was a magical Christmas story filled with lovable characters that tugged on my heartstrings.

These books are HOT, HOT, HOT!! After reading these Novellas I want to move to Scotland Highlands and see if I can find me a Highlander!! Each book is about finding their true love. You throw in some steam love scenes and you get the perfect Christmas books. All the Novellas were great and long enough to be a great story but short enough that you don't feel like you had so many to read.

Highlanders, kilts , Christmas and love all tie into these tales from 5 different authors. Enjoyed all of the stories in this box set and have read tales from these authors before. Find a chair and settle into the Highlands for the Christmas season.

Ebook from Netgalley and publishers with thanks. Opinions are entirely my own.

This was a delightful book that included 5 different stories that dealt with Scotland during the Christmas season. Each story had a great alpha Scot and a female ready to make them work for their love.

A Highlander's Hope by Terri Brisbin is about a Scott, Iain MacKillop who is widowed and now in love with another clan's town whore, Robena MacKendimen. Iain knows that most people wouldn't be too happy if he were to marry Robena, but he has made it his mission to do just that! Boy I loved Iain! Such a great alpha. Robena seemed like such a sweet lady and she deserved happiness too!

A Highland Christmas Wager by Lecia Cornwall is about a Scottish lady, Maighread MacLennan having to unexpectedly stop at a laird's castle for safety from the snow storm. Too bad the laird is someone from Maighread's past. What Maighread didn't expect was that there would be two other Scots there with all three of them vying for her attention....and the best man did win! I loved the guy she ended up with.

A Scot For Christmas by Bronwen Evans was a fun story about longing for your brother's best friend. I LOVED this story! Fiona Mackenzie has long wanted Dougray, the Earl of Lorne and now that he is a widower, Fiona is hoping he can give her one gift that she really is hoping for. these two were great together!

Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent was a fun and heartwarming story. Emma Spencer's life as she's known it has been ripped from her after her father's death. On her way to her Uncle's place she shares a ride with a strange man and the two ended up stranded together. James Barran can't believe his bad luck. Of course a forced circumstance leads to just what James needed!

Sweet Home Highlands by May McGoldrick is a story about Captain Gregory Pennington being hired to escort 4 adults and one child to Sutherland. Along the way Penn falls hard for Fie and her ward, Ella. Along the way these two fall in love and find their happy ending. I just adored Ella. She was such a blast for a little kid.

Christmas in Kilts

Received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Christmas in Kilts is an anthology with novellas by a list of authors: Terri Brisbin, Lecia Cornwall, Bronwen Evans, Lavinia Kent and May McGoldrick. All storylines have a strong sexy Highlander falling in love and lust with an independent strong-willed sexy woman. All have to fight to overcome a barrier to be together. All have some comical situations to entertain the reader along the journey to HEA. And all have those hot love scenes we have come to expect with any hero who wears a kilt.

A Highlander’s Hope by Terri Brisbin – The war commander of his clan, Iain MacKillop lost his wife 6 years ago and is being pressured to marry again for political gain of his clan. Before he ends up with a child wife, he prefers to wed a grown woman of his choice. He has chosen a woman who his clan may not accept easily, however he does not realize the hardest person to convince will be the woman herself. Robena has never known any other life since she took over her mother’s job on her death, the village whore. She feels she is not fit to be anything else and does not deserve to be happy. Robena does not see her own worth and Iain must find a way to show her.

A Highland Christmas Wager by Lecia Cornwall – Meggie MacLeod, a lass who should have been married years ago, is trapped by a snowstorm with her grandmother and some of her clansmen at a castle with three handsome Highland lairds. She would rather freeze to death than die of embarrassment when she has to take shelter at this particular laird’s castle, Years ago she knew Magnus McVane, Laird of Gleanngalla, intimately, but grandmother’s safety comes first. Magnus has invited Charlie MacKay, Laird of Dunlinton, to make him marry Catriona, the sharp-tongued sister of Magnus. And the third visitor Laird Hugh MacAulay had not yet explained why he had come. The three men make a bet on who can first seduce Meggie for a kiss, and then into their bed. The rules say the kiss must be willingly given and passionate, with tongues involved. The prize and forfeits vary for each man but they all have a good reason for wanting to win.

A Scot for Christmas by Bronwen Evans. All is not as it appears with Dougray, the Earl of Lorne, who tragically lost his wife six years ago. He has a death-bed promise to keep and can only see one way to honorably fulfil it. Lady Emma, the sister of Dougray’s best friend, Lord Thornton, has invited herself to a Christmas house party meant for his friends and their mistresses. At 26 years of age and a height of five feet and eleven inches, society is being doubly cruel to Emma with the constant reminder she is unmarried. She asks advice from her brother’s mistress, Serena and they together they have come up with a plan. Emma will ask Dougray to take her as a lover so she can experience passion before she moves to the country estate she inherited and becomes a confirmed spinster. Dougray has just recently told his cousin Angus that he will propose marriage to the neighbor’s daughter for reasons of honor. Having the vibrant and beautiful Lady Emma at his house party, it is very tempting to say yes to her, but he has made up his mind to refuse. With the interference of Angus, Serena and a very determined Emma, he doesn’t stand a chance. And Emma is keeping a secret that could make his answer go either way.

Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent - Emma Spencer, raised English but half Scottish on her mother’s side, is traveling to Scotland to live with her uncle whom she has never met. Shipped off on a public coach just before Christmas, after her cousin inherits the estate on her father’s death, Emma is still mourning the loss of her father and her change of fortune. After a week of traveling mishaps and her maid disappearing with her travel bag, the final straw is being abandoned on the road with a smelly, sleeping, dangerous looking, large man in the middle of nowhere. James Barran, is trying to stop the marriage of Catriona and Robert. He knows too much about his best friend Robert to think he would be a faithful husband. When Robert steals Barran’s horse on the trip, he needs to buy a seat on the public coach. You would think that having a piece of mystical mistletoe would bring them some good luck.

Sweet Home Highlands by May McGoldrick- A precocious child plays Cupid with her aunt, and the man sent to escort them on a Christmas visit to her grandmother. Freya has raised Ella, her niece, from birth till age five due to the death of both parents. Now the grandmother who disowned her son for marrying without family consent is wanting to meet her granddaughter and check out the aunt who is her guardian. Freya is afraid that if she is not engaged to be married, she will lose Ella. Her cousin, Colonel Richard, who is heir to her father’s estate has often asked her to marry him, so she has finally given in. Colonel Gregory Pennington has plans to resign his commission in the army and move to Boston to pursue an engineering career and build roads and bridges in the enterprising city in America. Gregory happens to know some unsavory information about Colonel Richard and feels protective of both Freya and Ella. Gregory is charmed by both the two females in his charge and searches for a solution to save them all.

All the authors weave an intricate tale of how the hero meets the right heroine and they discover love. Fight to win their love and celebrate their attraction with romantic yet hot love scenes. Characters are well described and believable, which makes them realistic and allows you to care about their happiness. Sometimes the “villain”, in a way, mysteriously helps the two lovers find one another.

This anthology was an entertaining romp of romantic couples who are falling in love with one another despite their situations. The range of emotions from sadness to laughter to happiness is a roller coaster ride for the reader. Whether it be choosing the wrong laird or lady the first time or having made a bad decision in the past, the happily ever after is coming true this time. Highly recommend for an enjoyable few hours of reading a Highland romance.

A Highlander's Hope by Terri Brisbin - 2 stars

I really just couldn't get into this one as it didn't catch my interested. The characters didn't inspire me to want their HEA. Maybe if I had read the other books in the series (I'm assuming there are some because of some of the things said...), it would have grabbed me more...

A Highland Christmas Wager by Lecia Cornwall - 3 stars

I did enjoy this story. It was definitely a different type of story and went in a different direction from the one I originally thought it would. The heroine was one of MacLeod's many daughters, so it was nice to visit the family again.

A Scot for Christmas by Bronwen Evans - 4 stars

I enjoyed this one. The heroine just wants one thing before she begins her life as a spinster, but will the hero give it to her??

Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent - 4 stars

I did really enjoy this story. Two strangers thrown together and make the most of a disastrous situation.

Sweet Home Highland Christmas by May McGoldrick - 4 Stars

I have to say this story was the best of the bunch. The little girl in the story was my favorite!!

I generously received a digital advanced reading copy from the publisher and Netgalley. This was a combination of five very talented women with stories that center around Christmas and the Scottish Highlands.

Life often has a way of throwing curveballs and yet sometimes those unexpected twists can lead to just the right place to be. These stories were tales of men and women who each found themselves at a crossroads and how sometimes when you least expect it, you can find what you've been looking for all along.

Each of these stories involved finding love when you least expect it and the magic of Christmas. I loved each one of these stories and the characters that they brought to the mix. Trying to pick a favorite story is akin to me attempting to pick just one book to take on a road trip which is impossible and each one has helped me to see why I love reading fictional books about finding love in Scotland whether it be from the 12th Century or the present time.

There were a couple of authors that I hadn't read before and now I have added to my list of authors to want to read more of their books!

Full of adventure, men in kilts, mystery, steamy scenes, the power of love and Christmas in the Scottish Highlands, it was such a wonderful compilation of stories to curl up with especially now that the seasons are changing and it's getting colder. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love of historical romance that takes place near Christmas and checking out each of these authors!

I'm so looking forward to what next this talented group of ladies will have up their sleeves!

This set was a hit and a miss for me. I really only enjoyed the stories by Bronwen Evans and May McGoldrick. These reads had characters that shared a steamy romance and I felt the connection between the H and h in these stories. The other stories feel flat for me. I did not connect with the heroines of the stories, especially the heroines of A Highlander's Hope, Leftover Mistletoe, and A Highland Christmas Wager. These stories felt rushed and I felt their stories were more of lust than love. I usually avoid novellas for this reason and although two of the novellas were great reads, I think I'll stay away from them in the future.

All the stories are set in the Highlands around the holidays, so if you’re looking to get in the Christmas spirit… And is that not the most luscious cover?

Each book is of almost identical length; the total is listed at nearly 500 pages, which I thought couldn’t be right, but they took nearly an entire day to read, so it probably is.

A HIGHLANDER'S HOPE: Totally unbelievable plot, but if you can get past that, it’s a pretty good story. 3.5 stars

A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS WAGER: My favorite. The wager was a nice angle, and it’s in doubt at the beginning who Meggie will choose (if anyone) and who the cads really are. Loved the grandmother! 4.5 stars

A SCOT FOR CHRISTMAS. Another unbelievable plot and a little maudlin, but still a good read. 3 stars

LEFTOVER MISTLETOE: If I hadn’t known this was written by Lavinia Kent – which I didn’t until afterward - I’d have never guessed because it doesn’t have anything like the same vibe as other things I’ve read from her. Well-written, as you’d expect, and a good story. 4 stars

SWEET HOME HIGHLANDS (incorrect in synopsis): My least favorite. The kid Ella annoyed me, and she was inconsistently precocious besides. Example: She understood the concept of martyrdom, yet she had no idea what mourning meant. In the 19th century, when death and mourning were part of everyday life? Plus everyone thought she was oh-so-adorable when she wouldn’t do what she was told, which was most of the time. The plot also seemed to revolve mainly around Freya’s determination to martyr herself to keep Ella. 2 stars

As is the norm with compilations, this was a mixed bag. Grab it on sale if you can.

*ARC via netgalley*

A wonderful collection of Holiday stories filled with holiday magic as fate intervenes to bring everyone their HEA!!!

A HIGHLANDER'S HOPE by Terri Brisbin. A Highlander whose has lost his wife five years ago is contemplating taking a new wife, but all he can think of is the village whore who he spends every Hogmanay with at a friend’s castle. His nephew the laird is encouraging him to marry for the betterment of the clan, but this time he’ll marry who he wants. He just needs to convince her of his offer his hope for their future.
LEFTOVER MISTLETOE by Lavinia Kent. A snowstorm forces a young woman to take shelter with three highlanders or is she kidnapped? Be careful of wagers you just might lose your heart too. See what happens under the mistletoe!
A SCOT FOR CHRISTMAS by Bronwen Evans. A young woman is ready to give up her hopes of finding the love of her life and become a spinster, but she wishes to at least enjoy one night of passion to hold onto in her lonely nights to come. He’s trying to have one last hurrah before he gives into his family's wishes and proposes marriage to his neighbor. Fates intervene and the lady and the Scot meet at a holiday house party in the wilds of Scotland.

LEFTOVER MISTLETOE by Lavinia Kent. Emma Spencer is a proud English woman who’s hit upon some hard times. She’s been sent to go live with an uncle in Scotland and her travels to his place has been quite the adventure. She takes a coach where she soon finds out she would not be the only passenger. James Barran is a man on a mission to stop his sister’s wedding and traveling by coach where encounter Emma and he knows no lady would be traveling alone in a coach. A highlander and a lady find themselves stranded and fending for themselves in a remote cabin.
SWEET HOME HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS by May McGoldrick. Ship’s Captain Gregory Pennington had just recently retired from the military when he encounters Freya Sutherland a desperate aunt trying to keep custody of her young niece. What Gregory doesn’t expect is the child is most entertaining and the Aunt is most alluring to him. This leads to a little holiday magic as both ship's captain and the Aunt are both soon smitten.
This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.