Lorelei Caldwell is elated about her first season in London. For the next few months, she and her best friend can indulge in balls, flirting, and enjoying the delights of London society without any family interference. This season is for adventure, not marriage. But her adventures are short-lived after the arrival of her friend’s brawny, dark-haired Highlander brother, Alasdair MacGregor, who insists on standing as chaperone.
Officially, Alasdair is in London to reclaim lands that rightfully belong to his clan. Unofficially, he’s here to figure out how best to win Lorelei’s hand in marriage. But London proves to be full of complications… especially when she begins matchmaking him with someone else.
Except Lorelai’s plans have backfired and she is finding herself craving Alasdair’s attentions. Her longing for freedom could come at a high price, unless Alasdair can salvage her reputation... without destroying her independent heart.

Alasdair and Lorelai are meant to be. Marriage is what neither one of them wants or is it?
This is a witty and poignant book. The girls get into trouble of their own making. Constantly on the run they are kidnapped and manage to save themselves.
Cynthia Breeding writes a stupendous novel.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Lorelei Caldwell has faced a lot in her life: losing her father, seeing her sister go through a horrific marriage for her sisters, moving to the Highlands of Scotland, and finally seeing both her sisters fall in love. Now it's time for her to have a London Season, and she's luckily got her sister-in-law and friend, Fiona MacGregor, for company. But all Lorelei can think about is Fiona's brother, Alasdair, who she shared a secret waltz and kiss before leaving Strae Castle. So when Alasdair unexpectedly turns up in London, and scuppers Lorelei and Fiona's plans for adventure, Lorelei is more than a little upset. She's not the only one who hasn't been able to forget their kiss, and Alasdair is heading to London mainly to lead the claim for lost MacGregor land, but also to to win Lorelei's hand in marriage. So when it's clear that both of them have other suitors giving them attention, and there may be danger on the horizon, will they be able to come through the other side unscathed?

I've been waiting for Lorelei's story since I read the other books in the series, and I really liked it, but not quite as much as I did the other two. Lorelei and Fiona were really good main characters, and the chemistry between Lorelei and Alasdair was good, but I felt like the drama was too much, and took away from the enjoyment of the book as much as Highland Hero. If I'm being completely honest, the side story with Fiona and Gavin hooked me a little more, and I desperately hope they get their own book, because I need to know more. I did enjoy the mystery and danger plot, but the Lady Melissa/Medusa plot line grated on me. All in all, decent but not amazing.

Alasdair loves Lorelei. This is clear from the beginning of the story. It's refreshing to see a hero who isn't fearful of commitment and who acts without hesitation when he finds the right woman. Unfortunately for Alasdair, Lorelei is very young and wants to experience a London Season. She needs time. Good thing Alasdair is patient.

As a reader, you'll have to be patient too as this is a very slow-burn romance. There are many, many scenes of Alasdair and Lorelei running into each other and becoming jealous. These scenes fade to black without ever being fully developed. I would have liked there to be fewer scenes with more focus on the couple. Often these scenes were like culture lessons that detailed the outing (theater, zoo, etc). However, the scenes that did focus on the couple sparkled. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!

I received a copy of this novel as a gift and this is my honest and voluntary review.

The third book in the Children of the Mist Series, Highland Champion follows Lorelei Caldwell as she ventures, with her best friend, into her first season in London. Thrilled to have a little freedom, Lorelei and Fiona have all kinds of adventures planned. However, their plans may be ruined when Fiona’s older brother comes to town and insists on chaperoning them.

Alasdair MacGregor came to London to reclaim land that was lost to his clan decades ago. However, he also has an ulterior motive. He wants to marry Lorelei. As Lorelei begins to draw the attention of several suitors, Alasdair must figure out how to win her hand.

Lorelei and Alasdair are both compelling characters, and I enjoyed their slow-building relationship. They are well-layered and interesting protagonists, and their love story is filled with angst, conflict, and obstacles. Their biggest obstacle is their hesitancy to admit their deep feelings for each other. They are both so good at hiding how they truly feel, which is to their detriment. As Lorelei starts her season in London, another young woman attempts to interest Alasdair. Between the courting of others, worries about losing her independence, family connections, and more, many problems stand in their way. It’s interesting to see how Lorelei and Alasdair confront their feelings and their obstacles and work on the communication that they initially lack.

I also really like the abundance of strong and independent women in the story. Lorelei, Fiona, and Louisa, in particular, defy the female norms expected in London society. They are smart and outspoken, and they don’t play by the rules. They are also great supports to each other and help each other fulfill their desires, which I like. The bonds of sisterhood are strong with these friends, and even though they don’t always choose the safest paths (they’re all a bit naïve at times), their actions and beliefs are admirable.

The story also highlights some of the issues in London at the time, especially social class and gender inequities. Some of my favorite parts of the story are when Lorelei and Fiona are together in London. Going to different events, attending balls, shopping, and secretly exploring the city, Lorelei and Fiona have a grand adventure, and they embrace the city and their experiences there. As Lorelei and Fiona explore the city, they see so much poverty and are particularly drawn to children in need. Though they help as much as they can, both women see the vast differences between their world and the world of the children they meet in the streets. It’s a stark contrast and a powerful message about society. Louisa’s secret outings, and the overall limitations put on her, Fiona, and Lorelei, highlight the gender inequities and constraints put on women. Also, Alasdair’s dealings with politics highlight the brewing tensions among England and other countries, which offers an interesting view on how global events have long-lasting ripple effects.

Though this is the third book in the series, the author provides enough context that it can be read as a standalone. That being said, the first two books in the series are great too, and I definitely recommend them, and this one, to readers of historical romance. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Entangled Publishing, and the author for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

This low angst, slow burn, plot/situation driven novel was an interesting third installment in Cynthia Breeding's Children of the Mist series. Breedings writing is entertaining and engaging and clips swiftly along from event to event. The focus of this story is really around the events of the London season and how our Heroine and her friend approach and explore these events and London as a city. This novel is definitely peopled with a lot of characters that drive the events around this novel.

Lorelei, is the heroine, she and her best friend Fiona are ready to take London by storm in their first season. Their plans are to have fun, explore, engage in flirtations with out the overbearing eyes of family. This plan is thrown on it's head when Alasdair comes riding into town. Alasdair is Fiona's older brother and Lorelei's brother-in-law by marriage. Alasdair is in town to approach parliament about this family lands and gaining back full ownership, with the expectation that he will be able to keep and eye on his sister and Lorelei, while hoping to pursue Lorelei's hand in marriage. Both girls are a bit frustrated with Alasdair's appearance and they manipulate a situation which puts a distraction in Alasdair's way, so they can hopefully go about London with limited interference from Alasdair.

I think the interesting thing about this novel really revolves around the events in society and watching the girls go from event to event and be young and have fun. The relationship between Lorelei and Alasdair really takes a backseat in this novel and it is very slow burn. We know that Alasdair is charmed by Lorelei and fancies himself in love, we know that both Lorelei and Alasdair have shared a stolen kiss (which would have been events during the duration of the first novel), and we see Lorelei start to see Alasdair in a new light when jealousy is sparked with in her. But overall the true heart of their relationship just has something lacking, the majority of the novel they spend apart or in the company of others and are just dancing around each other on the periphery. Because of this, I did not have any strong ties to them as a couple or really feel the love between then, it all felt very surface level. The true driving force of the novel to me was between Lorelei and Fiona as they explored the city, found themselves in some sticky situations but were independent and strong on their own to get themselves out of the obstacle with limited need from help from Alasdair.

If you are looking for an interesting exploration of the London season, with low stakes, low angst and fun events that this is the novel for you. I think this was a nice installment in the series, but I do wish there was a bit more attention and build up of tension between the hero and heroine. Overall rating would be a 3.5 star, rounded up to 4.