This book was a solid 3.75 starts for me.

Rose is a Jersey girl who plays it in safe in every aspect of her life. Instead of pursuing a career in history, she becomes a paralegal to ensure she's always financially safe. She always dates the safe guys and is seriously missing some passion in her love life. When her best friend Katie gets swept up in a whirlwind romance in Scotland, Rose flies there to be her maid of honor. Rose has decided she's not going to play it safe in Scottland, she's going live on the wild side and have a bit of fun. She never expected to have anything more than a fling, but sometimes things are harder than they seem.

I loved this author's feisty, independent lead female character. So often in romance novels the woman is looking to get swept off her feet and find her prince charming, but Rose is just looking for a fling to satisfy her sexual needs. Rose was such an enjoyable character and I was definitely crushing on Lachlan. This story immediately drew me in and I was invested in the outcome. I enjoyed this book (I read it in one sitting) and look forward to the second book in the series.

Thank you Natgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rose arrives in Scotland to be maid of honor at her friend's wedding. She vows to let loose and relax. If it can be in the company of a hot Scot-even better!

Lachlan is the best man, laird of his clan, and is sizzling hot to Rose! When she finds out he also owns the wedding venue castle, she realizes he's a much bigger deal than she thought. They start spending a lot of time together-wedding duties to start, then gradually more and more. What was supposed to be a casual, no strings fling, turns into something entirely different. Add in an unexpected wedding guest fiasco, and Rose is set to leave Scotland with a broken heart.

Although this seems to be a historical, there is nothing historical about it beyond the location. It takes place in present day Scotland. Rose is a history buff so I liked how she was interested in the castle history and about the ruins in the area. She felt real to me. Katie, the bride, was a little over the top sometimes, but we all know a friend who is exactly like that! I also adored Lachlan and felt he never led Rose astray. He was a straight shooter and I liked that about him.

Overall it was a fun and flirty read! Definitely a good start to a promising series!

A wonderful romantic tale - especially if you’re a history buff. Interesting in the author’s atypical approach to a love story that crosses the ocean as well as cultures. Ms. McKnight presents the wedding of Rose’s best friend in Scotland as the backdrop. Being immersed in Scottish history and wealth plays a big part. This is where Rose meets Lachlan and where their adventure begins. As with all adventures, things don’t go as planned or even as one would dream. Oh but what an experience this book takes the reader on!
Loved the characters, the backdrop, but especially the ending!
I received an arc from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

While I enjoyed the romance for the most part, there were a couple of things that were not my favorite parts. I realize that the hen night drinking led to their night together but it just seemed like Rose and Katie were back in their college days with their drinking and how they kind of acted immature at parts.

Again, I realize that the Lachlan's actions were what led to the misunderstanding but how to guys not get that if you are with (even for just the week) a woman, they don't want to see you with another woman hanging on you. It isn't that hard to separate yourself and still be "nice" to the other woman.

I did like Lachlan and Rose together as they did seem made for each other, and when you do hit it off with someone, it can be quick.

I especially liked that Lachlan was the one who followed Rose as she did not want to lose her job if things did not work out. Sweet romance with a sweeter HEA!

I received an ARC of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for my review. After Outlander, who doesn’t want to read more books about men in kilts? Rose is in Scotland to be the maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding. Rose is swept away with all the romance of the wedding when she meets her own Scotsman, the best man, Lachlan. Of course, sparks fly but Lachlan has not quite dealt with his past and it seems as though his past has the potential to stop his future with Rose.

Not many plot twists, but the setting made the story a lot of fun.

Overall not a bad romantic storyline. I really liked the setting and the characters. The romance was pretty standard but it was an interesting plot.

This is the perfect story of a vacation romance! It is full of blunders that lead to misunderstandings to complicate things. There are lovely descriptions of the Scottish highlands bringing beauty to the story of love that might be, only if.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Who doesn't love a man in kilts? Rose, has arrived in Scotland for her best friend's wedding when she meets the best man, Lachlan. What's wrong with a fun little fling, until your heart gets more involved. I could not put this book down today, it has everything you want. Laughter, tears (funny and sad), great chemistry between the characters and even a villain. I now want to travel to Scotland and not just for the kilts, lol.

This is the first book that I have read by the author and will not be my last. I highly recommend.

what happens in the highlands is told in the first person, and one thing that happens when you read first person books is that you have to like the person who's pov you happen to be in. but my issue with rose hensel is that i found her to be kind of a nincompoop. she's maybe a stereotypical jersey girl, but like being from jersey myself the stereotype didn't feel particularly well drawn.

anyway, so i didn't love the main character. and how she falls in love with lachlan, her scottish hero is... i mean it maybe would have been less problematic if she'd actually recognized him before she slept with him. in the end, i find more things to pick apart here than to love, but it's still a perfectly okay contemporary romance. i just didn't love it.

**what happens in the highlands will publish on april 2, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/tule publishing in exchange for my honest review.

I had a blast with WHAT HAPPENS IN THE HIGHLANDS. While I wouldn’t call this romance light it certainly is an enjoyable experience going along on the journey of one very straitlaced Rose traveling to Scotland for her friend’s wedding and discovering that letting loose could bring her the love of her life – if she trusts him and herself enough.

The descriptions of the beauty and uniqueness of Scotland drew me in and made a lovely backdrop for Lachlan and Rose to fall in love against all odds. I easily enjoyed my encounters with the beauty of Scotland as much as the romance between one American and one Scottish lord.

There is, of course, a troublemaker in this romance as an ex from Lachlan’s past sets out to destroy his happiness. Will Rose let her get away with her shenanigans becomes the question.

If you enjoy a love story that will capture your heart and take you away to a beautiful location as well, then you’ll want to pick up WHAT HAPPENS IN THE HIGHLANDS. I enjoyed Rose and Lachlan love story, it’s believable, relatable and full of the magic of falling unexpectedly in love.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

The story was ok but slow and I actually had to force myself to read it.
I was so disappointed because I was so excited to read this one but it just didn't live up to my expectation.

This is a modern day romance set in a historical setting in Scotland. Rose is the maid of honor for her best friend Katie and the wedding in in Scotland. Rose decides that since her best friend is uprooting her life and moving to Scotland, the least she can do is let loose and have a good time. Rose is defiantly not against a hook up with a Scotsman if the opportunity arises. Lachlan is the grooms cousin and the best man. When they meet Rose makes a less than great first impression. What starts out as a fling quickly turns into more. Then a misunderstanding threatens to shorten their time together. Rose heads back to her real life leaving a part of her heart in Scotland. Maybe sometimes the heart knows what we need before we do. Fun read!

What Happens in the Highlands by Kelsey McKnight
Match made in heaven or maid of dishonor?
Tight-laced Rose Hensel arrives in Scotland for her best friend’s wedding with a plan—to be the greatest maid of honor ever, let loose for the first time in years, and find out what Scottish guys really wear under their kilts. After meeting the best man, she thinks she found the man who checks all the boxes for a no-strings-attached romp among the heather.
Lachlan Calder-Mackinnon knows how to show a girl a good time. Gourmet dinners in castle ruins, picnics among rolling hills, and a seaside escape create some unforgettable dates. But as the fling begins to morph into something more, an unexpected wedding guest threatens to ruin Rose and Lachlan’s new romance.
With a plane ticket in one hand and her broken heart in the other, Rose prepares to head home to reality. However, she’s about to learn that what happens in the Highlands don’t always stay there.
This is Rose Hensel and Lachlan Calder-Mackinnon's story.
“Rose Hensel, please come to the baggage area. Rose Hensel to the baggage area,” a woman’s voice said in a professionally clipped accent over the loudspeaker.
Looking around at the myriad of signs that hung over other people’s heads, I shouldered my heavy carry-on, feeling the straps dig in, and began pushing through the crowd. I had been wandering the terminal for some time, searching for somewhere to get a decent cup of coffee. But my search was in vain. While a seven-hour flight wasn’t terrible to some people, I needed caffeine to survive and airplanes have the weakest brew of them all.
But now that someone was apparently searching for me, I had the renewed strength to continue on with my hike around the busy halls with a more concrete destination. Knowing my luck, I was being called because my bag had never arrived or had been searched by security and all my stuff was strewn all over the cargo hold of the plane and they needed me to identify my hairdryer on the tarmac.
Castle owner Lachlan Calder-Mackinnon. Rose and Lachlan spend as much time together as possible leading up to the wedding. Rose begins to see how easy things are with Lachlan and the fact that she can just be herself with him.
Best friend of the groom is Lachlan Calder-Mackinnon.
The groom's cousin, Lachlan. He's the laird of his clan and owns a castle and wears a kilt.
Lachlan knows how to show a girl a good time.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
What Happens in the Highlands by Kelsey McKnight is a 4 star book.
Kelsey's Books with Tule:
What Happens in the Highlands
The What Happens Series

The sweet, romantic book cover lured me in, folks. Also, my sappy at times romantic heart is always a sucker for anything to do with highlander romances. Past, present, future...It makes no difference the time period. Scottish brogue has me swooning every single time.

You pretty much get what is outlined in the synopsis. After a brief rocky then surprisingly smexy start, I enjoyed lovely Lachlan’s sweet gestures and dates with Rose. You could tell he was falling for her quickly in a verra big way. She, likewise, was verra attracted to this handsome laird of the manor, especially when he donned his kilt. Speaking of which, I think we all know what a lad has under his kilt. Really, it just seems silly and juvenile to keep making references to it like it is some big mystery. Just saying, more than once, and I’m rolling my eyes.

Rose was likable but a tad contradictory at times. She claimed to just want a brief fling, so she could step out of her boring life for a little while, yet seemed to want more from Lachlan from the get go. When an uninvited guest shows up, both of them made some missteps. I wanted to remind Lachlan it is perfectly fine to be polite yet give someone the cold shoulder when they get too handsy. He’s allowed to his own personal space. Rose didn’t really handle things properly either, though I could see why she was concerned. Not surprisingly, knuckleheaded thinking takes over and relationship angst rears its predictable head.

I was surprised by the out of the blue, make that “where did that come from”, colorful language that occasionally popped out of Rose and her bestie friend’s mouth. It didn’t match their character portrayal. Rose also came across rather too desperate for a random hook iup in the beginning, which supposedly was something she never did. The fact she didn’t recognize Lachlan at a point when he clearly did know her felt wrong, too.

All ends well, of course, with a romantic conclusion that only a wealthy guy, who has the world laid at his feet, could pull off. This whirlwind couple get their happy for now ending.

Title: What Happens in the Highlands, Author: Kelsey McKnight, Pages: 180, stand-alone, modern day American meets Scot romance, some very steamy scenes, relationship angst.

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

I was intrigued by the title, enchanted by the cover so I was eager to read What Happens in the Highlands by Kelsey McKnight. The setting was lovely, the wedding wonderful. However, I did not care for the characters very much.

These were college graduate adults who seemed more high schoolish to me. Lachlan Calder-Mackinnon was not so bad but did seem to play the role of Mr. Popular at times. Rosie was more silly than uptight. Then the dialogue between bride-to-be, Katie and Rosie did not seem to move the story along. I think this story is more for fans of Bridget Jones Diary than it is for me.

What Happens In The Highlands is light, fun and sexy - a perfect weekend read. Trading on our fascination with kilts, this story has plenty of men walking onto the pages in theirs, including Lachlan, the hero of the hour. He’s best man to his cousin Sean, and is hosting Sean’s wedding at his castle. Lachlan is, of course, tall and handsome with a delightful Scottish burr, and an instant attraction to heroine of the hour Rose, who is bride Katie’s best friend and bridesmaid.
The story takes place around Sean and Katie’s wedding and is written around a simple theme - American girl visits Scotland for a week to take part in her best friend’s wedding and decides she’d like a fling with a handsome Scottish lad. Of course the story itself isn’t quite that simplistic as Rose manages to find herself caught up in one embarrassing incident after another involving Lachlan, and of course along the way the pair fall in love.
This is not a hugely deep and meaningful story. It’s purpose is to entertain and it does that admirably. The plot moves quickly, the tone is mostly light and sexy and while the ending is predictable the journey has a few interesting twists. Just right for unwinding after a busy week or a tough day at the office.

A fun romance that take place in the Scottish Highlands.

This book has everything I was looking for. The main characters, Rose and Lachlan, were a lot of fun to read about. They had great chemistry once they let their guard down. Rose traveled from New Jersey to Scotland for her best friend’s wedding. She didn’t plan to meet a man while there, but she did. And, that man just happened to be the best man, the cousin of the groom, who was a Lord and lived in his very own castle.

I would almost want to classify this book as a romantic comedy because of the crazy things that happen between Rose and Lachlan. But then, there is that touch of drama too, especially with the ex-girlfriend. All around, this was a fun book to read.

This quote from the book really sums up the story:
The future was full of possibilities now, the promise of adventure and love and passion like I had only thought existed in romance novels. For the first time in my life, I shed the burden of staying safe and being responsible. All it took was a hen night, a wedding, and a week in a castle to show me that what happened in the Highlands didn’t always need to stay there.

DNF @ 13%.

This just wasn't for me. The way the friends shared past was put into conversation made things feel stilted and inauthentic, and the first two meetings between the hero and heroine were a huge turn-off for me.

This was a nice 3 star book, which had a couple of things I can't resist and others I didn't like as much.

To begin with, it takes place on Scotland.... smart because a different place would mean less stars. What is it with Scotland and Scottish men and Scottish everything? I can't even remember when this madness began, but I'm going to blame it on James Fraser and a couple of hot Scottish actors..
As I said, this book takes place in Scotland and is a story between an American young woman and a Scottish, rich, hot Highlander, with a kilt. Rose's best friend Katie and Lachan's cousin Sean are getting married and they are to be Made of Honor and Best man. They spend their time drinking, having fun, exploring beautiful places and castles and especially for Rose this is a great opportunity to let loose and forget her worries and monotonous life in New York.

The romance was good. I liked a lot Lachlan's romantic and sometimes grand gestures and his chemistry with Rose. One of the problems I found was that there was almost zero information about the main characters' past and for that I could find myself caring about any of them.
The story was a simple, well written and funny, but I didn't laugh out loud or swoon over the romantic scenes. It was a quick, romance read.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I received this from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
When I initially read the description for What Happens in the Highlands, I expected a novel full of typical romance tropes. I was pleasantly surprised several times throughout reading when the plot didn't go the way I expected. This romance is not only sweet, but also very funny.
Rose Hensel's best friend Katie is moving to Scotland to marry Sean, a man she met a few months before. Since Katie is really Rose's only close friend in New York, Rose worries that her already monotonous, somewhat boring New York City existence will become unbearable. Rose decides that Katie's Scotland set wedding is the perfect opportunity to finally let loose. Not long after arriving, she meets Sean's cousin and best man Lachlan. Though they don't exactly hit it off at first - due mainly to Rose's unusual klutziness around him - they soon fall for each other. Since Rose doesn't plan to stay in Scotland for good, both assume their fling will be short-lived; but the more time they spend on picnics and romantic dinners, the more they both think their attraction is more than superficial. Probably my favorite thing about this book is that the conflict is not either character's inability to commit. In fact, Lachlan is more than willing to prove to Rose that he's the man for her despite the ocean that separates them.
Overall, this was a funny, poignant love story.