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books_and_more_books_byt's review
3.0
3.5 Stars
My Highland Rogue is the first novel in the new series A Highland Fling and it was a good start for the series. It was a forbidden childhood romance with lots of twists and drama. The book started fast-paced but slowed down in the middle and then felt rushed in the end. I feel like the book focused too much on the side characters which slowed it down.
Gordon McDonnell’s father was the gardener for the Earl of Burfield. He grew up with Lady Jennifer and fell in love with her. Gordon was devasted when he was told that Jennifer had requested he leave Adaire Hall. He left and went to London where he made his fortune. After five years of living in London, he received Jennifer’s letter telling him his father was dying and he decided it was time to return to Adaire Hall.
Lady Jennifer Adaire grew up with Gordon and never cared about him being the gardener’s son, she loved him. She never knew why he had left and when he returns and tells her he still loves her, they make plans to be married. A secret is revealed when Gordon’s father is on his death bed. It shocked them and made it impossible for them to marry until another twist changes everything.
I liked the book even though I do wish there would have been more written about Gordon and Jennifer’s relationship and their future life together.
My Highland Rogue is the first novel in the new series A Highland Fling and it was a good start for the series. It was a forbidden childhood romance with lots of twists and drama. The book started fast-paced but slowed down in the middle and then felt rushed in the end. I feel like the book focused too much on the side characters which slowed it down.
Gordon McDonnell’s father was the gardener for the Earl of Burfield. He grew up with Lady Jennifer and fell in love with her. Gordon was devasted when he was told that Jennifer had requested he leave Adaire Hall. He left and went to London where he made his fortune. After five years of living in London, he received Jennifer’s letter telling him his father was dying and he decided it was time to return to Adaire Hall.
Lady Jennifer Adaire grew up with Gordon and never cared about him being the gardener’s son, she loved him. She never knew why he had left and when he returns and tells her he still loves her, they make plans to be married. A secret is revealed when Gordon’s father is on his death bed. It shocked them and made it impossible for them to marry until another twist changes everything.
I liked the book even though I do wish there would have been more written about Gordon and Jennifer’s relationship and their future life together.
lonelyfangirlirl's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
loverofromance's review against another edition
4.0
I read this a while ago and somehow forgot to write the review for this treasure of a read. so not sure if I will be able to give the length and depth of a review I would prefer, but here we go. My Highland Rogue is the first book of the series, and honestly might be the last book we will ever receive from this author here. I know that she passed right before this one was published, but I will say this was a beautiful treasure of a romance, and I had such a delight in the reading of it. Now I mostly listened to this book on AnyPlay and loved the narration here. It definitely drew me in so quickly into the story. So I highly recommend the narration if you enjoy audiobook style of reading. My Highland Rogue is a story that is sweet and deeply rich. Its a story of two people that were childhood sweethearts but they were from opposite sides of the tracks. The heroine is from a aristocratic family and the hero is a common man who works for her family. But then they were split apart and didn't see or hear from each other for five years. But when Gordon's mother dies, he returns back home and back to Jennifer and both he and Jennifer have to resolve what happened all those years ago and they both realize that they were duped by those they trusted the most. But when a secret come to light about Gordon's true parentage, their relationship will be tested in the worst of ways. But this is a story that shows that love is stronger than doubt and secrets.
I was so drawn into this story and I just wanted to cheer these two on through their triumphs. It definitely kept me engaged and I wanted more time of these two together. They do spend some of the story apart from each other, but I also loved seeing them find their way to each other and what they are willing to fight for. This story was GOLD in my book and I was left with such a bittersweet feeling to it. I am so saddened there won't be any more books from this author, but if this is her final work, it was beautiful. And definitely plan on purchasing it in print.
Overall I found this book to be a breathtaking addition to the works of Karen Ranney, its a story of unforgettable love, the worth of fighting and holding value to what you build in life. Breathtaking in its sincerity.
I was so drawn into this story and I just wanted to cheer these two on through their triumphs. It definitely kept me engaged and I wanted more time of these two together. They do spend some of the story apart from each other, but I also loved seeing them find their way to each other and what they are willing to fight for. This story was GOLD in my book and I was left with such a bittersweet feeling to it. I am so saddened there won't be any more books from this author, but if this is her final work, it was beautiful. And definitely plan on purchasing it in print.
Overall I found this book to be a breathtaking addition to the works of Karen Ranney, its a story of unforgettable love, the worth of fighting and holding value to what you build in life. Breathtaking in its sincerity.
ajenkins979's review
5.0
to be honest, when I first started reading this book I didn't think I would be interested. See, I don't normally read the description of most books I request for review or even pick up to read by certain authors- and that was the case with this book. However, I loved this book!
I was so wrapped up in the story I didn't want to stop reading. At 60% I thought I had been reading this book forever but knew that there was much more to the story for it to be ending then I checked my progress and was shocked.
This story kept me so engrossed that I was fully invested in the characters lives and I just NEEDEd to know what was happening.
There were so many twists and turns and drama, lets not forget love and happy ever after.
*I received my copy in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.com
I was so wrapped up in the story I didn't want to stop reading. At 60% I thought I had been reading this book forever but knew that there was much more to the story for it to be ending then I checked my progress and was shocked.
This story kept me so engrossed that I was fully invested in the characters lives and I just NEEDEd to know what was happening.
There were so many twists and turns and drama, lets not forget love and happy ever after.
*I received my copy in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.com
rjordan19's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Overall: 2.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 - 🔥🔥
Humor: Not really
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Basic plot:
Jennifer and Gordon had a beautiful blooming romance. Jennifer, the daughter of the earl, and Gordon, the gardener’s son, knew their love would survive their differences in class. Until suddenly they were separated without understanding what had happened. It’s 5 years later and they are reunited, trying to understand their feelings and work through their hurt.
Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian time period – 1870
- Majority of the book takes place at the heroine’s highland estate
- Class difference/forbidden love trope
- Childhood friends to lovers trope
- Slow burn/Lower steam – there’s 2 scenes but they are directly after each other so I just counted it was 1
My thoughts:
I loved the narrator for this book – Liam Gerrard. He had a fabulous accent and I actually enjoyed the way he did the women’s voices.
But the story itself I really struggled with. And I will admit I have a harder time with second chance romance. I feel like you walk in on a story already started and miss most of the parts of falling in love that I live for with romance. Here, you don’t get many flashbacks, you just know that the earl’s daughter and the gardener’s boy love each other.
Forces are trying to keep them apart, and lies are told. Both sides believe them in some ways and leave each other, confused and hurt. Jennifer is abandoned in the highlands for 5 years while Gordon goes to London to make his own way in life. The story picks up when he returns to the highlands upon finding out his father is seriously ill.
The big reason I struggled with this book was simply that I was bored. There was a lot of internal dialogue with both characters. A LOT. And I just ended up wanting them to talk to each other and interact. I didn’t feel any tension between them and though it was kind of an angsty book with all the longing and wanting on both sides, it just didn’t engage my heart in any way.
I struggled with how once they are back together and they talk, they just love each other again. It was like, oh this was all a misunderstanding?? I love you! Then the second act of the book, the big destructive secret I won’t mention, well I just thought it was all a bit silly. Being a romance novel, we all know how it would end up, so it just made for a lot of yucky feelings and more of them not talking to each other while we waited for the big reveal that would make it okay.
I was extremely disappointed in Gordon as a hero. He just left Jennifer for 5 years upon hearing something he didn’t like, basically without question and I wasn’t too impressed with them then. But after the big secret happens towards the middle of the book, he just….ignores her??? Hoping she’ll go away and he won’t have to deal with it? Who does that? At this point they were engaged to married so it was just ridiculous for him to act like that and think it would all just ‘go away’, it made no sense.
Jennifer I liked and felt bad for. I think she deserved better than Gordon.
Content Warnings:
Possible incestuous kisses/love
Cancer
Loss of a parent
Toxic family members
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes – I had the audiobook so locations might be weird
3% - remembered kiss
9% - remembered kisses
26% - kisses
31% - kisses
92% - kisses, oral for her, first sex scene, followed by another
100% - kiss
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥 - 🔥🔥
Humor: Not really
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Basic plot:
Jennifer and Gordon had a beautiful blooming romance. Jennifer, the daughter of the earl, and Gordon, the gardener’s son, knew their love would survive their differences in class. Until suddenly they were separated without understanding what had happened. It’s 5 years later and they are reunited, trying to understand their feelings and work through their hurt.
Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian time period – 1870
- Majority of the book takes place at the heroine’s highland estate
- Class difference/forbidden love trope
- Childhood friends to lovers trope
- Slow burn/Lower steam – there’s 2 scenes but they are directly after each other so I just counted it was 1
My thoughts:
I loved the narrator for this book – Liam Gerrard. He had a fabulous accent and I actually enjoyed the way he did the women’s voices.
But the story itself I really struggled with. And I will admit I have a harder time with second chance romance. I feel like you walk in on a story already started and miss most of the parts of falling in love that I live for with romance. Here, you don’t get many flashbacks, you just know that the earl’s daughter and the gardener’s boy love each other.
Forces are trying to keep them apart, and lies are told. Both sides believe them in some ways and leave each other, confused and hurt. Jennifer is abandoned in the highlands for 5 years while Gordon goes to London to make his own way in life. The story picks up when he returns to the highlands upon finding out his father is seriously ill.
The big reason I struggled with this book was simply that I was bored. There was a lot of internal dialogue with both characters. A LOT. And I just ended up wanting them to talk to each other and interact. I didn’t feel any tension between them and though it was kind of an angsty book with all the longing and wanting on both sides, it just didn’t engage my heart in any way.
I struggled with how once they are back together and they talk, they just love each other again. It was like, oh this was all a misunderstanding?? I love you! Then the second act of the book, the big destructive secret I won’t mention, well I just thought it was all a bit silly. Being a romance novel, we all know how it would end up, so it just made for a lot of yucky feelings and more of them not talking to each other while we waited for the big reveal that would make it okay.
I was extremely disappointed in Gordon as a hero. He just left Jennifer for 5 years upon hearing something he didn’t like, basically without question and I wasn’t too impressed with them then. But after the big secret happens towards the middle of the book, he just….ignores her??? Hoping she’ll go away and he won’t have to deal with it? Who does that? At this point they were engaged to married so it was just ridiculous for him to act like that and think it would all just ‘go away’, it made no sense.
Jennifer I liked and felt bad for. I think she deserved better than Gordon.
Content Warnings:
Possible incestuous kisses/love
Cancer
Loss of a parent
Toxic family members
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes – I had the audiobook so locations might be weird
3% - remembered kiss
9% - remembered kisses
26% - kisses
31% - kisses
92% - kisses, oral for her, first sex scene, followed by another
100% - kiss
laurasalwaysreading's review
3.0
This book is a well-written highland romance. While I struggled with various parts of it, I can definitely appreciate Ranney's writing and would read more from her in the future. My Highland Rogue features Gordon, the gardener's son on a highland estate, and Jennifer, the Earl's only daughter. The two grow up together along with Jennifer's brother, Harrison, despite disapproval from various people due to their class differences, including Gordon's own father. The one champion for Gordon was Jennifer's mother who leaves him a large amount of money upon her death. Gordon must leave the estate when she dies and heads to London to make something of himself, leaving Jennifer (not knowing what happened to Gordon) confused and saddened by his sudden departure.
Years later something happens that sends Gordon from London back up to Scotland. Here is where I began having some issues. Without ruining the story, I'll just say that various secrets and plot lines come out that just didn't work for me. While some turned out differently than they first appeared I just couldn't get past the initial reaction and my suspension of disbelief just couldn't handle some things...be it the twists and turns that come up in the story or just the way that Harrison behaves.
That being said, I do think this is a well written book. I did love the portrayal of the highlands and the culture and traditions. If you are looking for an escape this book may be for you.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. The opinions here are my own.
Years later something happens that sends Gordon from London back up to Scotland. Here is where I began having some issues. Without ruining the story, I'll just say that various secrets and plot lines come out that just didn't work for me. While some turned out differently than they first appeared I just couldn't get past the initial reaction and my suspension of disbelief just couldn't handle some things...be it the twists and turns that come up in the story or just the way that Harrison behaves.
That being said, I do think this is a well written book. I did love the portrayal of the highlands and the culture and traditions. If you are looking for an escape this book may be for you.
I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review. The opinions here are my own.
manga26's review
2.0
ladywithaquill's review against another edition
4.0
A romance that reads like a soap opera, this book sucked me in very quickly and had my heart tied up in knots by the time I was done reading! So much drama, mystery, villainry, and romance, the author threw in so many elements that could appeal to a variety of readers. I was very sad to hear the author passed away last month, and I assume this will be her last published work - it is a good one to end on. While it was predictable, it was also memorable in all the different facets of historical life it touched on. I can't talk about much without giving away a large portion of the plot, but suffice to say we are shown a lot of the shady elements of life in the 1800s. You certainly won't be bored!
Gordon McDonnell, the gardener's son, and Jennifer Adaire, the earl's daughter, were never meant to fall in love. Growing up, they were inseparable but doomed to be star-crossed lovers. As time passed, their friendship turned into something more, and it was then that their loved ones decided it was time to separate them. Both led to believe that the other was no longer interested in them, they were forced apart for five years. During that time, Gordon made a name for himself as the owner of two music halls and a gentleman's club, but he never forgot Jennifer. She never forgot him either, staying away from London and potential suitors, she's been running Adaire Hall virtually by herself. When Gordon's father becomes ill, Jennifer writes to Gordon, and he returns to find that their love has just been simmering all these years. Soon it is set aflame once more, but a horrifying secret threatens to doom them both to an eternity of heartbreak.
It all seems very familiar, and yet I found myself intrigued. I figured out fairly early on where the story was going to go, I had a feeling I knew how things would resolve themselves, and yet still, I couldn't help but read on. Gordon and Jennifer fit perfectly, like two puzzle pieces, and while I'm not usually a fan of love being rekindled so quickly after a long separation (I like more angst), it worked for them. We were given enough background, without settling too long on backstories, to understand how devoted they were to each other, and I also understood the variety of villains in their midst. Gordon's father and mother were absolutely dreadful, Jennifer's brother was disgusting, and it makes one wonder what Jennifer's godmother was doing all this time. She loved Jennifer, but she never did anything to help her find out what happened with Gordon all those years ago. Seemed odd to me, and I would have liked a bit more explanation there. Maggie was also a conundrum to me, for her actions didn't match what little we learned of her in the beginning of the book. Both she and Ellen (the godmother) needed more backstory, but even without it, the book flowed well.
I wish I could say I look forward to the next book, as I often do at the end of a review, but sadly there will be no more. Karen Ranney was a fine author, one who could write stories that captured the imaginations of her readers, and she will be dearly missed.
**I received a free copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.**
Gordon McDonnell, the gardener's son, and Jennifer Adaire, the earl's daughter, were never meant to fall in love. Growing up, they were inseparable but doomed to be star-crossed lovers. As time passed, their friendship turned into something more, and it was then that their loved ones decided it was time to separate them. Both led to believe that the other was no longer interested in them, they were forced apart for five years. During that time, Gordon made a name for himself as the owner of two music halls and a gentleman's club, but he never forgot Jennifer. She never forgot him either, staying away from London and potential suitors, she's been running Adaire Hall virtually by herself. When Gordon's father becomes ill, Jennifer writes to Gordon, and he returns to find that their love has just been simmering all these years. Soon it is set aflame once more, but a horrifying secret threatens to doom them both to an eternity of heartbreak.
It all seems very familiar, and yet I found myself intrigued. I figured out fairly early on where the story was going to go, I had a feeling I knew how things would resolve themselves, and yet still, I couldn't help but read on. Gordon and Jennifer fit perfectly, like two puzzle pieces, and while I'm not usually a fan of love being rekindled so quickly after a long separation (I like more angst), it worked for them. We were given enough background, without settling too long on backstories, to understand how devoted they were to each other, and I also understood the variety of villains in their midst. Gordon's father and mother were absolutely dreadful, Jennifer's brother was disgusting, and it makes one wonder what Jennifer's godmother was doing all this time. She loved Jennifer, but she never did anything to help her find out what happened with Gordon all those years ago. Seemed odd to me, and I would have liked a bit more explanation there. Maggie was also a conundrum to me, for her actions didn't match what little we learned of her in the beginning of the book. Both she and Ellen (the godmother) needed more backstory, but even without it, the book flowed well.
I wish I could say I look forward to the next book, as I often do at the end of a review, but sadly there will be no more. Karen Ranney was a fine author, one who could write stories that captured the imaginations of her readers, and she will be dearly missed.
**I received a free copy via NetGalley and this is my honest review.**
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