Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780062387226 |
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| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 01/27/2015 |
| Sold by: | HARPERCOLLINS |
| Format: | NOOK Book |
| Pages: | 208 |
| Sales rank: | 48,043 |
| File size: | 834 KB |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Her Highland Fling: A Novella
4.2 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
10 reviews.
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Cute story with engaging characters met in previous novels. Nice wrap-up.
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I'm frequently intrigued by secondary characters in the books I read and often left wondering what happens to them after the final page. Such was the case with Penelope "Pen" Tolbertson, sister of the heroine of Summer Is For Lovers and William McKenzie, brother of the hero of What Happens In Scotland. You can imagine my delight when I discovered Jennifer McQuiston's plans to write a story for the two in the novella, Her Highland Fling. I'm happy to say it more than met my expectations!
Readers - and characters - are taken on a fun, fast-paced, heartwarming journey in Her Highland Fling. With witty banter, quirky secondary characters and intelligent writing, McQuiston brings us an entertaining tale with plenty of humor and heart. I've been rooting for Pen since meeting her in Summer is for Lovers. She deserves a man who will show her there's more to life than her pencils and notebooks and who will love her for who she is but first, she must learn to accept that love. I was intrigued by William in What Happens in Scotland but fell head over heels for him in Her Highland Fling. When he finally declares himself, I decided if Pen didn't want him I was ready to travel back in time and claim him for myself.
The village of Moraig is brought to life through McQuiston's words. Characters from previous books are an integral part of the story, adding richness without detracting focus from the hero and heroine. Touches of whimsy add charm while quiet moments between William and Penelope fan the flames of desire in addition to gradually deepening the emotion and feelings between them.
As I mentioned earlier, Pen and William were secondary characters in McQuiston's first two books. Do you need to have read those books in order to enjoy Her Highland Fling? No. McQuiston has crafted a humorous, sexy, whimsical, tender story that stands well on its own. Having said that, however, there are occasional references that you won't "get" without knowing the previous stories and while William and Pen are fully formed characters, knowing their back stories will only add a greater depth of richness to the people you meet in Her Highland Fling.
~PJ Ausdenmore
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Shallow, predictable story line. Kept waiting for more "something" in this book, but never happened. Would not recommend.
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Good
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What a great story! Jennifer McQuiston has quickly established herself as one of my favorite historical romance writers. She tells a beautiful story in this little novella, a passionate romance told with joy, humor, and emotion.
It’s 1843 and the Scottish village of Moraig, Scotland is the subject for a brand new news reporter for The London Times. William MacKenzie, heir to the earl of Kilmartie, is Moraig’s biggest supporter; he loves his hometown with a passion and is eager for tourists to bring an infusion of money into its coffers and businesses, and to experience its culture and beautiful landscape.
What he does not expect is that his much-anticipated reporter is a lovely and independent female. Penelope (Pen) Tolbertson is the older sister of Caroline, the heroine from Summer is for Lovers. She’s keen to be the first female a reporter for an important newspaper. She also has an adorable slight stammer but her love of the written word overcomes her natural shyness and reserve. With this important assignment, Pen feels emboldened for the first time and is excited to try new adventures and experiences in Scotland, so different from her quiet and sheltered Bath upbringing. This is her highland fling.
William is a big and brawny Highlander, Cambridge educated and loves Scotland, but Pen’s beauty and unexpected gender throw him for a loop. He soon is delighted with Pen’s assertiveness as well as her desire to experience everything that Moraig has to offer (wink, wink).
The humor in this story is irresistible. I love how at first, Pen assumes William is kind of dense when he is simply tongue-tied in her company. His constant self-criticism throughout the story—“she thinks I’m an idiot”—made me laugh out loud more than once. There is also some nice banter and ribbing between William and his brother James, the hero from McQuiston’s fabulous debut, What Happens in Scotland, as well as McRory, the local braggart.
The romance between Pen and William is daring and sexy, a young woman who knows what she wants and simply asks for it. At age twenty-six, Pen doesn’t ever plan to marry but does want life experiences. And as she gets to know William, she begins to possibly contemplate a different future. William falls hard for Pen, and his heartfelt declaration and willingness to sacrifice to be with her is touching to read.
Her Highland Fling is a story full of heart, surprises, and delight. If you love Scotland, kilts, highlanders, and an independent and brave heroine, you will enjoy this story. Oh, and the cover is fantastic, just how I imagine a highlander.
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This is a fun, quick read set in the Scottish village of Moraig. William MacKenzie wants to help the economy of his village by starting a festival featuring Highland games. He's counting on the good opinion of a London reporter to spread the word and save the town. He's flabbergasted to find out that the reporter is a female. If only he weren't such a tongue-tied idiot when she is around!
Penelope Tolbertson happens to be the mayor's sister-in-law and is on her first real assignment in her new job at the London paper. She's determined to report fairly and sample all the delights of the games. If only her guide weren't such a bumbling half-wit, maybe she could get the story and find a little romance while on this assignment!
William and Pen are great together, despite the bumbling. The romance is sizzling, and the story is full of good humor. This is my first book by Jennifer McQuiston, and I'm eager to read the rest of this series. Two of the couples from her previous books are in this novella.
Be aware that the novella is only about 85 pages long. The rest is previews and excerpts from other books.
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Oh what a nice treat to return to Moraig, Scotland and dive into the world and concerns of the characters from Jennifer McQuiston’s
Second Sons Series. I’ve read the 3 full length novels in this series, and loved them all, so it was a no-brainer to return.
William is worried about his little village: fiercely protective and loyal to it and the people who live there, things are tough for the town,
and he is plotting to bring in tourists to boost the local economy and share this gem of the Highlands with those who may spend much
needed coin. He decides to invite journalists to come and see the town, with a plan to bring the Highland Games back to Moraig as a
draw.
Penelope is living in Brighton, and is finding her choice of a career in journalism is not going as well as it could. Loathe to accept offers
that are ‘less than’ what she believes are suited for her quest for independence, she is frankly floundering a bit. Quick, bright and not to
be put off by small obstacles, the invitation to write about the Highland Games in Moraig just may be the spark that is needed to ignite
her career.
Arriving in Moraig, Penelope is intrigued by the gruff but knowledgeable highlander that is serving as tour guide and organizer of the
event. While it’s apparent that William is solidly loyal to his town, and can wax poetic with the best of them about the town, the highlands
and the games, he is surprisingly tongue-tied around her when they are alone. But she feels the spark, and is curious about him, even
as they seem to digress on her very determined desire to remain independent.
Similar to other stories I have read from McQuiston, the characters play off one another beautifully with frustration, desire and even utter
confusion clear in every interaction and description. Using the town we have come to know from earlier stories, this one adds another
layer of description and detail to the area, with plenty of moments to enjoy. McQuiston takes a “love at first sight’ premise and deepens
the story and interactions: the perfect set-up for a novella that is filed out despite the brevity of the story to make this a highly enjoyable
installment. While you don’t have to read the other titles in the series, this novella should whet your appetite for the other books: and
you can see the connections that McQuiston has expertly woven through the story. Wonderfully rich with what I have come to admire as
McQuiston’s ability to engage and envelop readers in her stories, this is not to be missed.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review:
all conclusions are my own responsibility.
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4 Stars!
I loved this little story! This was one of those fulfilling yet short reads that I just love to pick up every once in a while. Although this story is listed as #2.5 in the series, it can easily be read as a stand-alone. I actually haven't read anything by Jennifer McQuiston before this story and I followed everything without any issues.
I fell in love with the two main characters in this story. I really liked the fact that they weren't perfect. William gets completely flustered at times and Penelope has a stutter. It was so nice to see the human side of these characters complete with flaws. It really helped me relate to the story.
The chemistry between the pair was wonderful and the emotions between them felt so authentic. I loved that Penelope made William nervous. It was also very nice to see such an independent female character in a historical story. Penelope knew what she wants and worked to get it. It would have taken a woman with a lot of guts to be a reporter during this time period and I believe that Penelope would been able to do it.
I was really impressed that a little bit of humor made its way into this story. The butcher and the rest of the townspeople were just wonderful characters. All in all this was exactly the kind of novella that I like to read. It was a fun, touching story that left me feeling completely satisfied after a short time reading. I would highly recommend this story to all fans of historical romance.
I received a copy of this book from Avon Impulse via Edelweiss for the purpose of providing an honest review.
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A truly sweet and delightful read, Her Highland Fling was simply wonderful. It was a charming, enjoyable read and I thought it was fantastic.
I really liked both of the main characters in this novella. Penelope was smart and determined to make her way in the world without having to rely on someone else. But, she also realized that she could do the same with someone there to encourage her along the way. William was just adorable. He was very smart, very devoted to the people of his village, and determined to take care of them in any way he could. And, he also had moments where he was struck into a bumbling fool because he was nervous around Penelope, which I thought was adorable. I thought both characters were wonderful.
The romance was lovely. Penelope and William were great together. They had a thing for each other from the moment they met and it quickly turned into something more. They definitely had chemistry as well and both of them were totally unapologetic about how much they lusted after each other. Both sweet and steamy, their romance was great.
The plot moved quickly and had me hooked from page 1. This book was genuinely fun to read, a sweet, entertaining novella if I ever read one. I really liked the story and I thought the ending was just perfect.
Her Highland Fling was a truly excellent historical romance novella that I absolutely loved. With its sweet romance, engaging characters, and delightful romance, this book was a winner. Romance lovers, you won't want to miss this one.
*I received a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
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