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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lady Emily, her husband, and their three sons are vacationing at their friend’s castle in Scotland. On the first night there, the body of the gamekeeper is found murdered on the beach of the adjoining loch. And curiously, there is a runic stone sitting on his forehead. Who killed the gamekeeper and why? And what is the connection between a former Moorish slave, the former lady of the castle, and a trial for witchcraft in 1676 and the murder in 1905?
I am a sucker for Scotland and will buy/read any book set there. So, when I saw this book in the SMP Influencer email, I accepted the invite. I didn’t know (mainly because I didn’t pull it up on Goodreads) that this was the 17th book in the series. I admit I had second thoughts about reading it. But the lure of Edwardian-era Scotland was too big of a pull, and I dove right in.
A Cold Highland Wind is the 17th book in the Lady Emily Ashton Mystery series. Yes, you read that right, book 17. But, surprisingly, readers can read this book as a stand-alone. There are mentions of past cases that stay just mentions.
A Cold Highland Wind is a slow-paced book. I tend to read books relatively fast; this book took me two days to read. But, the slow pace worked. There were parts of the book where I wanted it to move more quickly, but that was just me.
The first storyline centers on Lady Emily’s investigation into the gamekeeper’s death. This well-written storyline had me guessing who killed the gamekeeper (and the housekeeper later in the book). She was a thorough investigator who left no stone unturned during the investigation. The lead-up to the big confession was heartbreaking (for all involved), but what happened after shook me. I was teary-eyed at the end of that storyline.
The second storyline held my attention more than the first one. It follows Tansy (or Tasnim), Rosslyn, and a witchcraft trial. Again, this was a well-written storyline. But Tansy’s plight kept my attention more than the 1905 storyline. She was kidnapped, sold as an enslaved person, suffered unimaginable situations, and ended up in Scotland. I was astonished at how this storyline ended up. From how it began and what it ended up as was different from what I expected.
The characters in A Cold Highland Wind were interesting. I liked that Lady Emily and Tansy bucked the traditional perceptions of women of their times. I did find some of the secondary characters a little flat, but they weren’t the ones that were important.
The author keeps the two storylines separate for the entire book. They are only connected at the end of the book when Lady Emily’s friend mentions items prevalent in the second storyline.
The mystery angle of A Cold Highland Wind was terrific. The author did a great job of keeping me guessing what would happen in the 1676 and 1905 storyline. With 1676, I expected the last half of the storyline to go differently than it did. I thought it was going to go another way. In the 1905 storyline, I did not expect the killer to be who he was or what that person did. As I stated above, I was distraught by what happened and got teary-eyed.
The end of A Cold Highland Wind was typical. The author wrapped up both storylines and connected them. I liked how she left enough room to wonder if another book would be.
I recommend A Cold Highland Wind to anyone over 16. There is violence and a very mild sex scene but no language.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Tasha Alexander for allowing me to read and review A Cold Highland Wind. All opinions stated in this review are mine.
medium-paced
The setting is beautiful, as is the cover. I was swept away to the beautiful Scottish highlands of my ancestors, and I loved every minute of it. There are two periods: the early 1900s (main timeline) and the late 1600s (for a backstory of witch trials in that area). Both stories are compelling and consistently medium-paced, though I’m not sure I enjoyed the frequent back-and-forth between the two.
I adored Lady Emily. She gets the job done with a soft touch and an empathetic heart. Her partnership with her husband, Colin, is just beautiful. He has enormous respect for Emily, and that always shows. I even love that her sons have a pet crocodile named Cedric. It threw in a bit of the unexpected and made me laugh.
The mystery is a true whodunit with lots of red herrings and misdirections. It reminded me of Agatha Christie’s mystery style, and I always enjoy that. It also can be read as a stand-alone even though it’s the 17th book in the series, which is good since this was my first Lady Emily mystery.
I look forward to picking up more Lady Emily mysteries in the future!
I adored Lady Emily. She gets the job done with a soft touch and an empathetic heart. Her partnership with her husband, Colin, is just beautiful. He has enormous respect for Emily, and that always shows. I even love that her sons have a pet crocodile named Cedric. It threw in a bit of the unexpected and made me laugh.
The mystery is a true whodunit with lots of red herrings and misdirections. It reminded me of Agatha Christie’s mystery style, and I always enjoy that. It also can be read as a stand-alone even though it’s the 17th book in the series, which is good since this was my first Lady Emily mystery.
I look forward to picking up more Lady Emily mysteries in the future!
mysterious
It is rare to pick up the 17th book in a series and be able to understand and enjoy the mystery. But this was my first Lady Emily Ashton novel, and it was an enjoyable read! The pacing was a little slower than I typically like in a mystery novel but I really enjoyed the murder plotline! The characters were engaging and even though I guessed the murderer pretty early on, I enjoyed watching the twists and turns to their investigations. But I didn't understand why there was a subplot set in he 1600s. The plotlines barely mixed and the chapters set in the 1600s really slowed down the storytelling. But overall, it was a sweet mystery and makes me interested in what happened in the first 16 books in this series!
Thank you to Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This series continues to be fun and entertaining with a minimum of weird colonizer politics. Win.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing access to an ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing access to an ARC.
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Lady Emily, husband Colin, and their three sons have traveled from the Nile to Cairnfarn Castle in Scotland. The estate is owned by their friend the Duke of Bainbridge, Jeremy., and they are hoping for fun and relaxation. However, at the local celebration, the duke’s gamekeeper is found dead. Angus Sinclair left Cairnfarn once but has now returned and appears to have collected his score of enemies.
The second storyline is set is 1676. The now widowed Lady MacAllister has been removed from her home following the death of her husband. Her companion is a former Moorish slave girl. The two women realize that they left the Lady’s family books behind and steal into the castle to retrieve them. When a poppet is found, Lady MacAllister is accused of being a witch.
I read book 16, and the ending made me fall in love with Lady Emily’s sons. I would have loved to read about their journey to Scotland. I imagine hijinks ensued. I do wish there had been a little more involvement with the boys throughout the mystery as well, especially since it was the boys who discovered the body.
As this is book 17, I would encourage everyone to read from the beginning. However, if they are like me and ignore that advice, this is capable of being a standalone novel. No previous spoilers, and there’s really not much need for specific background on characters. Any background provided is more for the plot than it is for development or growth.
I enjoyed the mystery as well as the investigation. I knew from previous books that the reader would be transported from Lady Emily’s timeline to a past timeline. Eventually the storylines begin to connect. However, I find that every other chapter makes the story pace slower. I would become engrossed with Lady Emily and Colin’s investigation, and then find having to reconnect with someone entirely different. Maybe if it was every other chapter, or a middle section devoted entirely to that past, would have helped.
Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
The second storyline is set is 1676. The now widowed Lady MacAllister has been removed from her home following the death of her husband. Her companion is a former Moorish slave girl. The two women realize that they left the Lady’s family books behind and steal into the castle to retrieve them. When a poppet is found, Lady MacAllister is accused of being a witch.
I read book 16, and the ending made me fall in love with Lady Emily’s sons. I would have loved to read about their journey to Scotland. I imagine hijinks ensued. I do wish there had been a little more involvement with the boys throughout the mystery as well, especially since it was the boys who discovered the body.
As this is book 17, I would encourage everyone to read from the beginning. However, if they are like me and ignore that advice, this is capable of being a standalone novel. No previous spoilers, and there’s really not much need for specific background on characters. Any background provided is more for the plot than it is for development or growth.
I enjoyed the mystery as well as the investigation. I knew from previous books that the reader would be transported from Lady Emily’s timeline to a past timeline. Eventually the storylines begin to connect. However, I find that every other chapter makes the story pace slower. I would become engrossed with Lady Emily and Colin’s investigation, and then find having to reconnect with someone entirely different. Maybe if it was every other chapter, or a middle section devoted entirely to that past, would have helped.
Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
This is a great "episode" for this series. It's set in Highlander lore with witchcraft and murder. The mood is great. Lady Emily gets to interact with great characters but more than that the story is told at two different times. Emily's present 1905 when and where the murder occurs, but also the story of other women who have lived in the 1600s there. I love following both. This made me want to check out the previous book set in Egypt and other volumes. I won a giveaway via Goodreads for this ARC.
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Won this in a raffle. Like the rest of this series the plot moves quickly and is intriguing with a surprise twist at the end. The author managed to strike a balance between setting the scene in Scotland without turning it into something too fantastical or a place outside of Lady Emily's normal world.