Um... I don't want to say it's Sapphic Outlander, but it kind of is! Although I hated Outlander and I really enjoyed this one so...

What an interesting time travel storyline! I appreciated how much history was included and it made the story richer for sure. The characters were well fleshed out and the scenery from the current time in the book to the past sections were well described. Regardless of the sex scenes it felt more sci-fi than romance and that was fine with me. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let's travel to Scotland in the 19th century. Jane is one of the first women to go to medical school, great right? The problem is she's not allowed to practice medicine. She's married to a good friend of hers (even though he's gay) and gives her enough freedom to experiment and practice what otherwise she wouldn't be allowed to do. During one of her experiments, she travels back in time, and there she meets Ainslie. Their relationship soon starts to progress, and Jane falls in love with this new (old) world she has discovered.

I loved the premise of this book. The concept was so interesting, so unlike anything I've ever read before. I love historical fiction, and mixed with this sort of fantasy and time travel it was the recipe for my next favorite book. I have never been to the Scottish Highlands, but after reading this book I feel like I have. It was written so well, I could feel myself seeing what the characters were seeing. Jane was a cool character, and I love hers and Ainslie's relationship. They had a lot of chemistry, and I found myself rooting for them to end up together.
At some points in the book, the stories Ainslie tells explaining how her world works are a bit much, I feel like that information could've been given in a more natural way, but other than that I really enjoyed this book.

Overall, this was a very fresh story that I would recommend to any fan of historical fiction and f/f romance.

This one was my first lesfic in a while, and it was a good one to jump back into. Lady Jane Crichton was one of the first seven women to get a medical degree in Victorian Edinburgh, and though shunned by most of the scientific community, she has one friend with whom she can share her secret, and it’s a big one. Jane has built a time machine. Her first big test lands her in the 13th century Scottish Highlands and right into the arms of Ainslie nic Dòmhnaill, a wild, fiery-haired woman destined to inherit chiefship of the great Clan Donald. Jane has never been attracted to any living creature, only science, but she can’t ignore the way she’s drawn to Ainslie, and it’s tempting to stay, not only because of her attraction, but because women are treated far better in the 13th century than they are in 1888, but will the two be able to make things work across the time gap?

This book moved pretty quickly while covering a LOT of ground. There’s time travel, clan wars, unsettling discoveries, sexual tension, relationship drama, political intrigue, queer politics. So many things, but overall, a hoot. I didn’t know I needed a queer version of time travel in Scotland, but this book proved I definitely did. I’m on the uphill slope of a reading slump, and this book was easy to sail right through. Hopefully the slump is over, but we’ll see.

I will say I’ve already started a new lesfic novel, so things are looking up. I’m a little late to this one (published in June), but this book is perfect for fall going into winter. As the nights get cooler, we all need a little bit of heat. This book has plenty, and it’ll inspire you to hunker down with your favorite plaid blanket.

With My Heart’s in the Highlands, Amy Hoff went for a historically ambitious debut romance novel. Like all firsts, this one, too, had some teething problems. That’s understandable, every new author has to grow into it.

I don’t know much about the history of the Scots, but reading that Hoff is a Scottish historian, cultural anthropologist, and folklorist, we can assume she really knows her material and you are in safe hands. Sure, she has taken some artistic liberties here and there but she is honest about it. I think she offers the most comprehensive author’s guide in the back of her book I’ve ever seen. Any historical question you might have after reading this book will be answered. She even breaks it down per chapter. Very impressive.

So Victorian Lady Jane Crichton is brilliant. So brilliant in fact she has built a time machine. We are pretty much kept in the dark about how it works, what powers it, or what it looks like. I have to say I was really disappointed by that because I love time travel and it was mostly ignored, as was the lady’s brilliance. In fact, her rather reckless and impulsive actions made me doubt her brain power. Hoff could have spent some more time on this character.

Lady Crighton fires up her mystery machine and basically crashlands into Ainslie nic Dòmhnaill’s lap. We are now in the year 1200-something-another and in need of some subtitles. Ainslie’s dialogue will be heavily accented. I understand why the author chose to do it this way but it will give your brain a bit of a work-out. Readers who don’t have a feel for other languages might struggle.

The romance part was not quite to my tastes. I felt this was the weaker part of the book. Lady Jane went from sexless to ravenous in the blink of an eye. Ainslie hovered between being a perfect gentle-woman and a rapist. There were some borderline abusive sex scenes that made me uncomfortable. I did not really understand the dynamics. They were all over the place.

Overall the book was entertaining although plot-wise it felt a bit too easy sometimes. Also I would have loved a bit more show than tell. Kudos on the historical part. I love to see what Amy Hoff will show us next time.

f/f explicit with a trigger warning for dubious consent

Themes: Victorian Edinburgh, Scotland, The Edinburgh Seven, time machine, 13th century, the feuding Donalds and Campbells.

3.5 Stars

* A free copy was provided by Netgalley and Bella Books for an honest review.

I have a lot of nostalgia for 90s-style Highlander epics, but I hate alphaholes so I can’t read them anymore. Babes, My Heart’s in the Highlands has everything I loved about those books, but with two women instead. We get a protective lover in a kilt and a lady scientist who’s appalled, yet intrigued, by the rough manners of her muscular Scottish rescuer. Plus, a demisexual heroine, and a cameo by a fucking Viking warrior queen.

Who cares about plot holes when you have all this joy? It’s such a treat, getting a historical heroine who is super strong, and had no sense of there being any limitations on what women could do. Jane is also strong in her own way, because she’s trying to carve her own path in a famously restrictive time period for women. When she travels in time, she’s suddenly trapped in a place where her being tall, smart, and loud isn’t a flaw. Jane’s self confidence just blossoms in this book, and I loved watching her slough off all the sexist beliefs she’d internalized from loser Victorian dudes.

For the most part, I thought Ainslie’s sexual partnering was pretty similar to a typical historical romance hero; overwhelmed with lust, and desperate to please their partner. But in that one scene their dom/sub sexual dynamics slid right past passionately forceful, into dubious consent. Ainslie sneers at Jane, and calls her a harlot. It was gross, and didn’t jibe with Ainslie’s characterization for the rest of the book, where she’s strong but very loving. I did appreciate that afterward, Jane has to come to terms with her shame about her desire to have Ainslie dominating her, and ultimately communicates her boundaries to Ainslie.

I thought the historical setting was both a strength and a weakness. The medieval Hebrides are not a common setting for romances, and I had trouble believing some of the stuff in this book, like frequent baths, and women being able to be chiefs. The writer seems to have anticipated that, because 15% of the book is devoted to historical references. I was schooled, and impressed. Many characters were even real historical figures, including Ainslie’s parents! But then we get stupid small inaccuracies that even casual readers of historical fiction would clock, like white satin wedding dresses in the 13th century.

I think readers who miss old school batshit romances, but are also annoyed with men, might like this. Why, that’s me! I also love stories that creatively reimagine the historical past, and this a great book for that. I think readers who like a slow burn romance or, ahem, logical reasoning, would be disappointed. The characters get together early in the book and there are dropped plot threads, and unrealistic science that’s never fully explained. For me, this book was both fun and made me think about suppressed indigenous histories. I’d love a sequel starring Jane’s lesbian friends. If you can suspend all disbelief and are happy to just hang on for the ride, I recommend My Heart’s in the Highlands with caveats. But if you can’t set aside glaring oddities, inconsistent science, and a brief detour into potentially dubious consent, this will not work for you.

The cover of this book is a bit misleading, as both Jane and Ainsle are supposed to be very tall (and Ainsle quite muscular, plus wears an earasaid) and nearing their forties. This is one of those books where a lot of side characters are cinnamon rolls and a historical romance where you don’t have the main characters fighting homophobia. There is some mention of homophobia in the 19th century, but most of the story happens in the 13th century really, and we don’t get to see much of the struggles of LGBT+ people in Victorian Scotland. It’s also noteworthy that Jane is demisexual and demiromantic, which is lovely to see represented!

This is by no means a very sci-fi story, the time machine’s technology is pretty much glossed over and hardly acknowledge for the Huge Accomplishment that it is. When Jane was telling her friends (incl. some scientists) about meeting Ainslie in the 13th century, no one asked anything vaguely scientific about the machine, or how it’s supposed to work, and were 100% curious about the romance instead. I know this is a rather unimportant rant, but as maybe some other readers might also read this thinking it will be somewhat sci-fi, I thought I’d make it clear here that it hardly counts as sci-fi at all. The time machine could easily have been replaced by a glitch in time, or a magical portal instead – it’s hardly relevant to the story, except for being a plot device & establishing Jane as a brilliant scientist.

Where I think this book really shines is when it shows that morals and views on what is appropriate, decent or right for someone to do (for example, women working in science, or men taking care of children and being midwives) changes with each culture and with time, and has more to do with having power over a certain group than an actual care over actual historical precedence (i.e. “it’s always been this way”, when in fact historically it has not been this way in many places).

There’s a lot going on in terms of plot (I will not go into it for the sake of not spoiling the story), and it felt like too much. There is also some dubious consent in a few scenes, plus I thought some of the conflicts were not dealt with entirely, and their communication was missing a lot of clarity. If you are into the rough, passionate lover and prim lady kind of romance, I think this is a better match for you than it was for me.

In the end this left me wanting a bit more out of it, both from the writing and from the characters. I enjoyed this as a cute romance and loved the inclusion of some famous real characters (Joe Bell, for one!), and enjoyed it less when the story tried to take itself seriously. My Heart’s in the Highlands felt like it tried to be fluff, high stakes historical fiction and a queer, feminist history lesson in one, and it did not quite work for me. Still, it brings so much to the table (warrior queens! Victorian scientist lesbians! Druids!) and was a mostly enjoyable read!

This was sooooooo much better then I anticipated. Honestly I have not read a time travel book like this before, I felt it was very original and complete with all the boxes ticked. Historically I felt the author was pretty accurate, the character development was great and complete. There were no missing elements for me and I loved how this evolved and just finished perfectly.

Lady Jane Crichton is a fully-trained, although without a conferred degree, medical doctor, but her marriage of convenience has allowed her to dabble where her true interests lie: time machines. A test flight crashes in 13th C Scotland where Ainslie, heir to the Dhomnaill kingdom, discovers her.

With her machine out of order, Jane remains in the highlands, where her friendship with and attraction to Ainslie deepens. There are several secrets, obligations, and worries that must be worked through on the way to happily ever after, though, and there are some delightful surprises along the way. The characters were compelling, the love story was hot, and the history was interesting.

There are several pages of back matter included at the end, and some of that information was as engrossing as the story.

Reading the blurb of this book, I basically felt like it was written for me. Historical romance...✔ LGBTQ+... ✔ Strong female protagonist...✔ But did it float my boat? Not so much.

I had my ups and downs with this book. I really struggled with how some of the dialect was written and although I completely get why it was done that way, it left me re-reading certain passages over and over again to understand what some of the characters were saying.

I also had issues with the pacing and felt like parts of the story were rushed when they could have been explored more, like Jane's time with the Caimbeuls for example. That should have been a big chunk of the story but was rushed through in about 20 pages, covering weeks of imprisonment, a declaration of love, a battle, a rescue and an overly aggressive reunion. The book really would have benefited from being longer as I think there was a lot to enjoy but it just needed room to grow.

On a plus I really liked David and the relationship between him and Jane, I found the history and setting interesting and I loved the additional information given on the time period etc at the back of the book which really helped me understand it more. You can tell that a lot of research has gone into this book and I think that shines through in the writing.

Thank you Netgalley and Bella Books for sending me a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One of the first women to attend Edinburgh University, Jane keenly feels the restrictions placed upon her as a woman living in the Victorian period. After all, she is more intelligent than many of her male colleagues.The proof: she’s invented a machine which allows her to travel through time. But when she goes to show it off to her favorite Professor, something goes wrong and she ends up trapped in the Scottish Highlands.

Thankfully, she’s found by Ainslie, the daughter of a laird and heir to the title herself. Jane needs to get home, but the longer she stays the more enchanted she becomes with 13th century Scotland, its people, and... and... Ainslie.

Can Jane bring herself to return to her Victorian life or is her heart going to remain forever in the Highlands?

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This book has everything that I could ever want in a romance! Time Travel? Check. Women being awesome? Check. Promised Historical Accuracy? Check. Historical Lesbian Romance? Check. Accurate portrayal of Scots and Scottish culture. Check.

I was so looking forward to reading this book. Sadly the execution did not live up to the potential. I was disappointed, and that’s, well, disappointing.

First off, the editing left a lot to be desired. I found so many comma errors (both missing commas and randomly added ones) that it was distracting. The same was true with missing or wrong words. At one point, I was thrown out of the story at the mention of Potatoes being served in the 13th century... this is out and out impossible historically since potatoes are a New World crop and weren’t introduced to Europe until the 16th century at the earliest.

And that wasn’t the only thing that threw me out of the book. It felt like a thinly veiled Outlander satire... and not a good one at that. Multiple times during the story I felt like I, the reader, was being attacked for enjoying highlander romance. That there was something wrong with me. It felt like the author was taking pot-shots at the genre... and we all know how I feel about that. Romance needs to be respected, it’s one of the few genres where women are the primary audience. I didn’t like feeling like I was somehow lesser for liking and enjoying romance.

I suspect that the author isn’t a romance reader, or if they do read romance they’ve really only read old school romances. Because there are a lot of beats and tropes in this which have been largely discredited in romance. The biggest of which has to do with the sex scenes. There’s no consent. Which in LBGTQIA+ romance is a particularly egregious no-no. There’s also instalove... which is not one of my favorite tropes in general. The pacing was off, and I struggled with this book. Plot points came out of nowhere... as if the author went “Oh! I like this idea! And then didn’t go back and foreshadow it.” There were many times that I had to put it down and walk away for a bit before I could continue reading it. Or times where I jumped back to reread sections because I was confused about if I’d missed something.

So what did I like about this book? First off, I did like Ainslie... mostly she loses her shine for me as the story goes on. She was fun and funny and spunky. The author has the occasional lovely turn of phrase -- there were times in this story where the prose was so lyrically lovely it made me weep. The depiction of the Scots people, language, and culture was lovely. It was nice to see a highland romance without the randomly gratuitous Gaelic that is so prevalent in the genre. I liked the originality of having the time traveling heroine coming from a time that wasn’t “modern.” I liked Jane’s husband. (Yes she’s married, it’s a marriage of convenience... he’s gay and their marriage is mutually beneficial.) I also liked Jane’s mentor.

There’s good here, but it’s like a diamond in the rough. It needs polishing, trimming, and shaping.

I’ve struggled with what to rate this. I liked it and I didn’t. I could see some people really going for it, especially those for whom dubcon isn’t a huge turn off.

But since I didn’t enjoy it, and there were enough other problems I really can only give this

Two Stars

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Well, I do have to say that this is my first true bodice ripper romance, and I can understand the appeal, but I have a ton of issues with some of the plot points. I understand that Hoff is a debut author, so some of it is just her getting into her craft. Also, she shines when she is puts her considerable research and expertise into the story. The romance between Ainslie and Jane is hot but does rely a little bit too heavily on love at first sight and some of the sex scenes are a little too close to assault for my comfort.

I will say that I love the characters and the vivid way that Hoff describes both Edinburgh and Insley. Both locations just come alive, and it helped me get into the feel of both time periods that Jane inhabits. I enjoyed Jane's wonder on the islands, the lushness of the flora and the smell and feel of the air are so different than Edinburgh. They reflect the times they are in, and love the little details that help us differentiate between the city and the island and the cultures they reflect.

I loved the characters, and enjoyed the development, for the most part, of our main couple's romance. I can understand Ainslie's love at first sight because it is tied to what she thought Jane was (a fairy that makes people obsess over them). Jane, though, I have trouble with. Jane is heavily coded as someone who may be asexual or demisexual - so that Jane is attracted to Ainslie, then jumping directly into a sexual relationship with her doesn't quite jive with her character. It could be that the whole story does have pacing problems so the development of the relationship could have suffered as a result of that. The one sex scene in which Ainslie raids the Campbell castle was very, very close to assault, especially since Jane literally tells Ainslie that there is a time and place -like implying that Jane enjoyed the act, but was just overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment to really thing about it. If anything it gave me some mixed feelings. It was passionate, desperate, very bodice rippy and bemusing. Given Jane's reactions during and after that scene, it felt off for me, though.

Anyways, before I ramble too much, I will say that historical romance readers will absolutely love the story, especially since it the historical research just helps you delve right into the time periods and places. It also touches on finding and reviving your culture which is super important for someone like Jane who's highland blood still could open her up to discrimination if she didn't learn "proper" English and looked English. I loved that being in the Highlands and being with a proud, loyal Chief showed Jane that being a highlander can be a point of pride. I loved that sneaky theme. The sex scenes are quite detailed when Hoff decides to, and Ainslie's and Jane's chemistry just makes the scenes that much steamier. I just have some huge problems with the pacing and some of the plot points (ho boy the scene that has Jane going back to her time was not great at all). So if you are a fan of bodice rippers - this is for you. If you're a historical romance reader, you'll love it, too. But just be prepared for some debut author bumps.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Bella in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5
I really enjoyed this story of a woman who travels back in time and finds the love of her life. Hoff clearly has a great affection for Scotland and is very knowledgeable of its history and people. I liked seeing how Jane felt more free to be herself as her romance with Ainslie developed. Their romance is the highlight of the story. It's rare for me to find a well written lesbian book in the realm of historical fiction. This one is excellent!

As for some flaws: there is a scene that will feel non consensual to some readers and details of how the time travel machine works isn't really explained. They did not prevent me from enjoying the story overall. I strongly recommend checking it out!

Jane is one of the first women to go to medical school in Scotland 19th century but is not allowed to practice medicine. She's married to a closeted gay man who is a close friend and gives her the freedom to study carry out science experiments like her time machine. When testing the machine, she's taken back to 13th century Scotland where she meets Ainslie, next in line to the chiefship of Clan Donald. She quickly finds herself falling for the other woman, and is enchanted by the wold she's fallen into. But this isn't Jane's world, is there a place for their love in the past or in the future?

This was a really interesting book - I loved the concept. I love historical fiction so I'm always on the lookout for my next read and I'm always for a time travel situation as well. Overall I enjoyed this, it was a really cool concept. I love the Scottish Highlands so this book was right up my alley but further back in time than I usually read so I learned a lot. What took me out of the book was the way Jane spoke - she often sounded more like she was from modern times rather than the 1800's. I also felt like there was a lot of info dumping where Jane would asks a question and Ainslie would explain how things worked during her time rather than these details being worked in more organically. The author definitely dd her research and it showed, we were pained a very rich picture of the time period and it was a really great immersal into this time period. I loved it. The chemistry was also off the charts! I haven't read anything by this author before but I will be definitely checking out more in the future.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was one of the most exciting novels I've read in months - and I do read a lot! The premise was unique and I especially liked the idea of history not being linear and progress and certain values like gender equality and acceptance of various sexual orientations being lost over time. Having visited most of the locations mentioned in the book recently, including Finlaggan, I loved how real the Hebridean setting felt. It left me longing to leave London and move to Islay.

The author clearly knows their history - the background information provided at the end was very useful and interesting, although at times a little repetitive. For those who don't know their Scottish history, some of the historical references throughout the book weren't clear and would have benefited from some of the context that's been placed at the end being introduced throughout the book itself.

The thing that stood out to me was how well developed the main characters were and the amazing chemistry they had. The sex scenes were sizzling hot and nothing like the run-of-the-mill stuff one often comes across - definitely one of the author's biggest strengths. My only comment is that given Jane is described as a demisexual character who thought she was asexual/aromantic prior to meeting Ainslie I would have expected the romance to develop slower than it did. Having said that, I loved this novel and I really hope the author keeps writing for Bella Books. She has a really unique voice.

Brilliant inventor invents time machine and accidentally travels to 13th-century Scotland. The experience there challenge the conceptions of how a woman, and homosexuality, is perceived and judged in the different eras.'

Anna: Anna grew up in a patriarchal society with a mother who pushed her to strive to be an ideal woman to marry into the higher classes. Anna is a well educated woman, married to a closeted gay man, who in her own time struggles to be taken seriously as a scientist.

Ainslie: Ainslie grew up as the next in line for chief-ship in a society which promotes a focus on everyone helping out. 

I really wanted to give this book a higher score, because most parts of it are exceptional. I love the premise and the "Outlander"-wibes. The author appears very knowledgeable and follows the book up with an Author's guide with history, culture and/or geography comments on each chapter. This is something I appreciate as it adds depth to the book. Unfortunately I feel like the book lacks coherence, mostly shown in the dialog, which effect the reading pleasure.

Pro:
Excellent premise
Lovely secondary characters - Both Ainslie and Anna have great support systems mostly shown through family (and Dr. Bell). Even though some scenes show un-supportive family members, it helps explain how the characters are who they are today.
Very knowledgeable author gives the book a very authentic feeling - The author's guide to Matter of History, Culture, and Geography in the end of the book is a treasure trove filled with information and comments from the author.
Challenge the historic depictions we have been fed - A very interesting and fresh approach to historical fiction where the protagonist can discuss who's society is the most civilized.

Con:
Lack of coherency - Hard to follow dialog as the way the character speaks changes back and forth during the book.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

This is an intricately crafted book laden with history and bursting with sass.

Doctor/Lady Jane (dependent on her addresser) devoted her life to science and in her ingenuity built a time machine. Her penchant for adventure landed her in the Highlands, 600 years in the past and met someone who stoked unfamiliar feelings within her. Used to a life of luxury and a husband who finances her experiments, Jane has hard choices that are difficult to make when she finds herself falling in love for the first time.

Advocacy for feminism and gender equality, a pairing of a full blooded, warrior queen and a cocky, sassy scientist? Well, if it’s not enough, both leads were fiercely independent, defiant and wild.

I haven’t been to Scotland - yet (that’s a shame and something to be addressed soon), but for now I’ll have this book to whet my appetite.

I just reviewed My Heart's in the Highlands by Amy Hoff. #MyHeartsintheHighlands #NetGalley

I basically went for this because it looked to be a sapphic Outlander - and on that I was not disappointed. I have to confess that I'm not a romance reader but I wanted something lighter and this worked well for that. There were plot elements I found very shaky (how did she build a time machine in 1888?) and some of the interactions rang a bit false to me. Overall though I really enjoyed it. Not my genre but if you're looking for sexy lesbian historical romance, give it a go.

“Jane was always too. She was too tall, too loud, too stocky, too much”.

First of all, I’d like to extend my thanks to the publisher, Bella Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to receive a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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Overall, I liked this book. Being a big fan of the Outlander series, the premise of this story thrilled me and I was excited to start it! This story felt like a rollercoaster, it consisted of constant ups and downs. I had moments where I enjoyed the writing and moments where I found it to be lacking. It left me wanting more. At times it felt as though the story was moving at lightning speed and I think there were scenes that would’ve been more enjoyable if they had been slowed down and stuffed with more details and dialogue. I wanted more from the characters and for Jane and Ainslie to discuss things of substance and truly get to know one another before beginning their relationship, which I felt didn’t happen.
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Things that bothered me:

Jane’s time machine! I wish there had been more details as to how she built the machine, etc. I was expecting to go through the process of her building it rather than the book beginning with the machine already made.

Jane being a Campbell seemingly came out of nowhere, I would’ve enjoyed the twist more if it had been foreshadowed!

Ainslie’s actions in chapter forty-seven & forty-eight. She came across as overly possessive and controlling. I can completely understand being into the dominant stuff, whatever floats their boat, but I wish there had been a more obvious form of consent issued. However, I did like that they had a discussion regarding these matters afterwards.
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Aspects of the story that I enjoyed:

DAVID !! I adored him (and his mustache!)

Madra and his twirls!

The research that went into the book was extensive and that was displayed throughout the story! As a reader, this is very much appreciated!

The wedding chapters were absolutely beautiful! I adored them. 🥺

This was an OK read, but it felt like the author was really crowbarring in modern day political correctness into historical fiction. Overall the feel Iof the book did not work for me. Well written though.