Evelyn Worthington;s brother has recently purchased a castle in Scotland.  Evelyn and her sister travel north to open a school to educate young ladies.  They arrive expecting the castle to be empty but instead it is occupied by clan chief Grey Campbell and his sister.  Grey is none too happy to have an Englishman show up staking claim to his ancestral home.  

This was my first Heather McCollum book.  I was slow to warm up to the book.  The heroine really irritated me at first.  Her blind refusal to even contemplate that the castle might not belong to her family and might have been stolen from Grey.  

I’m glad I stuck with the book though because I feel like the story and the chemistry between the hero and heroine really picked up by the mid point.  I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoys Scottish romances.

A Rose In The Highlands by author Heather McCollum is a wonderful, entertaining read. Evelyn and Grey were attention grabbing and made for an interestingly entertaining read that did not cease from one chapter to the next. Another fantastic read from Ms McCollum.
Review copy received from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley

This is an interesting story filled with lots of guilt, suspicion, passion as well as a bit of intrigue and treason. The author brings the story to life, but even though this story is long I think the end feels rushed. Amusing in parts, the main characters are exciting together and their passion is wonderfully described. Several periphery characters are very interesting and I hope they will feature in subsequent stories.

I enjoyed this read and really liked the characters. I liked that Evelyn actually made a plan and executed it rather than simply accepting her fate in an unhappy marriage. I hate romances where the h is a pushover  and just lets men dictate her future. That us luckily nit the case with Evelyn. I also liked Grey who was dealing with a difficult situation. I emphasized with how his actions both brought him guilt and a sense of rightness when dealing with Evelyn. All in all, I really liked the read and would recommend it.

I enjoyed this story of a brave English woman and her sister fleeing their home in England to make a life for themselves in Scotland.  When they arrive at their new home they find it still occupied by the previous owners despite English soldiers trying to burn them out of it.  What followed was a wonderful story of Evelyn , a determined Englishwoman trying to start a school for girls and Grey, laird of the clan Campbell learning to trust each other and fall in love.  This was an excellent story.  I very much enjoyed it and look forward to scarlet and Nathaniel’s story.

I loved Evelyn and Grey's story!

Evelyn was trying to get out of an unwanted marriage when she traveled to Scotland with her sister to set up a school on her brother's newly purchased property. She had no idea that she would encounter an angry laird that wasn't about to give up his home. What ensues is a throughly enjoyable read with plenty of adventure!

I can't wait to read the next book in the Highland Roses School series!

Excerpted from the review posted to my blog (https://fanscihist.wordpress.com/2018/08/10/a-rose-in-the-highlands-by-heather-mccollum/):

My Rating: 4 stars

Library recommendation: Recommended for public library historical romance collections.

Warning: Hereafter, you chance spoilers. I will try never to reveal major plot points, but to review any book, you must reveal some parts of the story. 

 

 

Number of titles I have read by this author: 1

Love story speed: Sneaky medium burn

Relationship dynamics: The Financially Disowned Schoolmistress on the Run (h) / The Brawny, Wronged Highland Chief (H)

Sexual content: Some; sex is romantic, “onscreen” and explicit, although the author avoids using the more vulgar words for sexual anatomy (numerous references to H’s “rod”, “jack” and “member”)

Triggers: Physical violence (not a significant amount “onscreen”); some survivor trauma (h)

Grammar/Editing: A few typos, some awkward phrasing and incorrect word usage (e.g. hanged vs hung). As this is an ARC, much of this will hopefully be corrected in the final, published version.

Review: This book sets a medium pace and is mostly well-written. The conflict was fairly balanced and I felt that that balance really helped draw emotional investment from me as a reader. The action in this book is well set within its historical context. The author has created a plausible and engaging intrigue in what is a tight timeline at the end of Charles II’s life (Charles II is dead by mid-February 1685). 

Evelyn and Grey are very likable, eloquent characters and their verbal sparring is quite cheeky and funny, which made the book an easy, quick read. The tension in the relationship is really well-done and the progression of the relationship feels very natural, even though they are in what amounts to a hostile environment, although it’s not “you and me against the world” in tone. The supporting characters are well-developed, interesting, and some are quite funny. It’s clear who the next book will feature as a heroine and I am left with hopeful speculation about potential heroes.

I will certainly be putting the next book in the series on my to-read list. 

Self-Defence version: This book starts with a full-frontal attack. Readers must be ready to turn pages quickly – the dog-ear technique will not be necessary in a fight with this book. Readers should still be ready for a sneak attack, but remember that the end goal of the book is to entertain – don’t tense up; just go with the flow. 

Full disclosure: I received a free advance review copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.