I am loving Highland, GA and the wonderful Scottish men that are showing up there. Laura Trentham has me totally hooked on this series and I can’t wait until she releases another. The stories are fun and funny and just plain wonderful to read.

Iain and Anna were hysterical. Anna is uptight … Iain is the strong and silent type. Together they bring sexual tension to a whole new level. And, when they finally act on it, there’s an explosion. And then another, and then another … well, you get the picture.

Anna is in charge of the Highland games … or so she thinks. Iain is in charge of the Highland Games … or so he thinks. They have to learn to work together. He refuses to just be a caretaker for the animals and she refuses to listen to anything he has to say. But, when she finds out all that he’s helped with and the ideas he has for future celebrations, she starts taking some of his advice. She soon finds out that together, they just may put on Highland Games that will rival Isabel’s and her mom’s. But, all good things must come to end. And, it does, abruptly. Anna is left with a broken heart and Iain is back in Scotland miserable. What can they do but be miserable. There is nothing either of them can do. He has commitments in Scotland he doesn’t want to keep and she has aspirations of her own in Highland, GA. But, will the birth of a sweet little baby bring them together and will their true feelings finally be known.

Like I said, Highland, GA stole my heart. The characters, the stories and the love. Laura Trentham has brought both Georgia and Scotland alive in this series. You could hear the Scottish brogue and feel the heat of Georgia with every turn of the pages. And, she’s really trying to answer the age-old question of what’s work beneath the kilt. I guess you’ll have to read the story to find out just what Iain has hidden there. If you love funny, quirky characters and a story to go with them, you’ll enjoy the Highland, Georgia novels.

highlander highlander and Highlander!! That all I will say about this book. You must read it. !

Iain Connors is the poster boy for the strong and silent type. Growing up a loner at Cairndow Castle in Scotland with only the cliffs and moors for company, it’s understood Iain will assume the mantle of Cairndow groundskeeper when his father is ready to relinquish it. But his stint in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces has opened up a whole new world—and now, rather than settle down, he accepts an invitation to travel to the States to take charge of the Highland Games. After all, he’s led men into battle, how hard can planning a party be?

Anna Maitland is ready to step up for her best friend Isabel Blackmoor, who can’t run the Games in their hometown this year. Surely Anna, a dance instructor with boundless energy, spirit, and charm, is up for the challenge? What she doesn’t anticipate is a man in a kilt who turns up claiming he’s the one in charge. What’s worse about this Iain? He’s so infuriatingly handsome that she can’t help but fantasize about him whispering sweet-nothings in her ear in his rumbly, sexy brogue. . .

I like this series but for some reason I don't love it . It's cute to have all of the Scottish traditions in a Georgia town

A highly recommended book.
Excellent and funny.
A Highlander in a Pickup is the second book in award-winning author Laura Trentham's romantic comedy Highland Georgia series, full of love, laughs...and highlanders!

When a gorgeous new man—in a kilt—comes to town, life in Highland, Georgia will never be the same…

I really like the setting of small town romances. There is just something about them that invite you in. The people are usually so friendly and that's what the town of Highland is. Anna and Lain have chemistry from the very beginning. I enjoyed their story as it was an interesting one! The author really knows how to tell a story between two people and not just the usual romance story. I couldn't read fast enough to find out what was going to happen.

This was a great book dealing with returning vets and their injuries and survivor guilt...and how two broken people help each other and others

A fun and flirty contemporary romance, where a steamy Scotsman heads to hot and humid Georgia to help out at a Scottish festival, and maybe fall in love. This was a great read that I devoured quickly. Full of humor and steamy scenes.

This was a fun, sexy, romantic read! It was as refreshing as a glass of Southern tea.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Despite considering myself a solid Laura Trentham fan, this Highland, Georgia series is not working for me. Not one bit, sadly. And even more frustrating is that I’m not really able to put my finger on WHAT isn’t working. I just know it isn’t.

Anna grew up in Highland, Georgia and returned home after trying to make it as a dancer in New York. When her mom decided to move to Florida, Anna took over her dance studio. Now she has big dreams for Highland and hopes to accomplish them by becoming mayor. But first she has to successfully manage the town’s annual Highland Games, which she was left in charge of when her best friend Izzy moved to Scotland with her husband Alasdair.

Enter Scotsman Iain, who was sent by Alasdair to help Anna with the festival. Except Anna doesn’t want help and is suspicious of Iain’s every act.

I tried, I really tried to get into this story. I got all the way to 60% and still didn’t care about what was happening. After reading for five days (which is a long time for me to read a book), I let myself quit and added another book to my 2020 DNF list.

The thing is...Ms. Trentham has a way of writing that is often poetic and flowery without being ridiculous. The hero gets into an old, dusty truck that “started with a grind of the engine that made his ears tilt toward the unharmonious sound. A well-tuned engine was like an orchestra. This was more like a garage band.” This author frequently has a fantastic way to describe things - and she does so many times in this book!

But I think the big problem I have is this story goes against my motto of "Less Pecs, More Plot.”
The heroine spends a good deal of time outwardly behaving as if she despises the hero, but internally going on and on about how hot he is, waxing poetic about all his body parts, and wondering what he’s wearing under his kilt. We also get repeated concerns about spontaneously combusting, and ovaries popping - both of which are trite, cliched and overused phrases in today’s romance books. I get disappointed seeing an author - who I know is capable of writing clever and unique prose - using such run-of-the-mill wording.

Were this book written by any other author, I would have given up far sooner than I did. After not liking the first book in this series, I was truly hoping this one would rebound and I’d find myself in love with the characters and the town of Highland - as I did with Ms. Trentham’s Cottonbloom series. Alas, it was not to be, and I’m feeling sad.

This was a great, fun 'enemies" to lovers story. And who doesn't love a story with a Scotsman? I definitely recommend!

I live highlander storylines. This book is not a historical one, but modern highland story I truly enjoyed. What made me like this book was the fact that was not only funny but also very romantic. The book was refreshing from the historical highland bookshop read in the past.

4 stars

A Highlander in a Pickup by Laura Trentham is a sweet, fun and entertaining read.

The storyline is entertaining, the characters are likable, engaging and my interest was captured from the first page until the end.

Another wonderful read by the talented Laura Trentham and a great addition to the Highland, Georgia Series.

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC.*

A Highlander in a Pickup

by Laura Trentham

If you’re looking for a clean, heartwarming romance, A Highlander in a Pickup is not for you. The main character, Anna Maitland, owner of a dance studio in Highland, Georgia, is a lithe spitfire desiring to prove her competence. She has been left in charge of the Highland Festival by her friend Izzy who has moved to Scotland. She unsuccessfully fights falling in lust with Iain Connors, sent from Stonehaven Castle in Scotland to help Anna. Much of the story revolves around their competitiveness and sexual attraction and is not even PG ratable.

There are many positives in this book. Laura Trentham has good plot ideas and weaves in complications skillfully. She also has a way with words that results in setting descriptions that paint great visuals for the reader. She adds humor to the romance that helps the book not get bogged down in the repeated sexual encounters. She has created interesting characters including minor ones that flesh out the tale. Trentham includes just enough of the character from the first book in the Highland, Georgia, Novels to provide a sturdy frame for the new romance without making the new dependent on the old. As in the first book, the author has shown that she excels in providing in the epilogue a hook to entice readers to accompany a minor character from the current story into a new tale.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

Category: Romance

Notes: 1. Everyone approaches individual books with different expectations. For some a romance without steamy sexual encounters is a disappointment. Others appreciate a romance for meaningful conflict, likable characters, and a satisfactory resolution. I tried to present in this review enough information for readers to make an appropriate choice, but I also tried to rate this book based on the author’s skills as a wordsmith and success with plot, characters, and setting rather than my personal taste.
2. #2 in the Highland, Georgia Novels. OK as a standalone.
3. The first Highland, Georgia Novel had one chapter that was offensive to me and could easily have been omitted without hurting the story. I was hoping that the sequel novel would not follow that pattern. It didn’t. Unfortunately, it sprinkled bedroom scenes throughout the book making it difficult for readers to just skip over the part they did not want to read.

Publication: February 25, 2020—St. Martin’s Press

Memorable Lines:

While Anna was generally good at navigating the teenage minefield, Gabby’s problem was more like an atomic bomb with an unseen trip wire.

The next day, all of Anna’s nerve endings vibrated like she’d plugged into an electrical source. Even her skin was supersensitive, her T-shirt more like a Brillo Pad than cotton. Her stomach felt like it was hosting a battle of the bands. Her mind struggled through a bog, thoughts falling away to be lost in black water, and her usual high energy dipped to an all-time low. Had she even gotten four hours of sleep the night before?

His laugh was like hot chocolate on a cold day or being covered in wriggling puppies or a BLT made with sun-warmed freshly picked tomatoes. In other words, it made her feel good and might qualify as one of her favorite things.

I love Laura Trentham's books and really enjoyed A Highlander in a Pickup. It was such a fun romance and I really liked both main characters, Iain and Anna. I am really enjoying this series and am excited to read more!

Review: A Highlander in a Pickup by Laura Trentham
.
A huge thank you to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the ARC. .
This is the second book in a series set in Highland, Ga and a highlander festival that takes place there.
.
Anna is a local who owns her own dance studio and has volunteered to help run the local festival for her pregnant bestie. She is young, determined, and passionate. .
Iain is a Scot, sent to help with the festival who is trying to find his way and his purpose. .
This book was exactly what I needed during the stress and uncertainty of our quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic. The story is light yet has depth and provides a nice escape.
.
Also to note, it has spice! And cute animals as minor characters.
.
Yes, we had snow yesterday, in March. It was another distraction and I loved it.
.
Don’t put addition stress on yourself, read what helps you get through these challenging times. And who doesn’t like a swoony Scot?
.
#ahighlanderinapickup #lauratrentham #highlandganovel
#advancedreaderscopy #stmartinspress #netgalley #snowday #readingduringapandemic #covıd19 #stayhome #stayathome #flattenthecurve #selfisolation #readingduringquarantine #justread #supportauthors

This book has been on my radar since the first one in the series came out last year. It takes us back to Highland, Georgia, the Highland Games festival, and the quirky characters that reside there. The heroine and hero were briefly introduced to us in the first book but this story can be read as a standalone.

I really enjoyed this story. It had many tropes and elements that I love, such as, enemies-to-lovers, kilts, broody Scottish hero, kilts, fully capable heroine, kilts, and small town romance. Oh and did I mention kilts? Anna and Iain initially clash over the planning of the town's Highland Games but come to realize they have more in common than they originally thought.

A fun, sexy, swoony read, recommended for anyone who likes small town romances or broody Scottish heroes.

I love this series!!! You can hand me a script to a soup commercial that is looking to cast a Scotsman and I’d be all in on that though too. Give me a Scot character and my basic heart is happy. This is a cute, well written contemporary romance that I recommend.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I really liked the first book in this series so I was eagerly awaiting this next book but was a bit disappointed. Anna was just too annoying and nasty to Iain! For me, that just makes them falling for them harder to understand.

As the story progresses, Anna finds that she can't do it all on her own and needs Iain's help. But this is a long process for her to move from trying to prove her worth and that she could do it on her own to where she finally accepts Iain's help.

Yeah, don't need the political views in a romance either.

The ending was the best part of the book as they finally get their HEA.

Laura Trentham’s second book in the A Highland, Georgia Novel, A Highlander in a Pickup is a very entertaining well written book. The characters are well defined, believable and likeable. Even though this is the second book in this series it can very well be read as a standalone. A Highlander in a Pickup is a continuation of the Highland Series you catch up on previous characters, get to know some new ones. This book will have you engaged from the first page until the last. Ms. Trentham wrote a wonderful, story which drew me right in, making me forget everything else and did not let me go until I turned the last page. I'm excited to see what she has in store for us next!

Can I just say how much I love Highland? The slow burn between mayor wanabe and dancing instructor Anna, and Iain, the rugged Scotsman who was sent to torment (or help, depending on how you look at it) consumes them both to the point where they can’t deny their attraction. As they prepare for the annual Highland Games, the time they spend together builds on that attraction, and these two fiercely independent people clash in every way imaginable! The scary part comes when they both realize it’s not just a Highland Fling anymore, but there are real feelings—and an ocean—between them. Steamy, sweet and hilarious, visiting Highland is always memorable! I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a review.