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irishtraveller's review against another edition
4.0
Winter Heat
The first story in the anthology by Dawn Halliday is an intriguing one. Halliday weaves a tale of a beautiful, wounded clanswoman lost in the snow after escaping from her would-be rapist. Logan Douglas, on his way home from war, finds her along the way but loses an important piece of jewelry she treasures in the process. When Maggie MacDonald awakens, she finds herself entranced with Logan and his powerful, quiet ways. Over the next days, as a storm rages outside, they fall in love. But will Logan win Maggie? They have much at stake when she finally returns home.
I loved this story. My only issue with it has to do with the brooch Maggie wears. I won't give away the tie-in, but it felt as if Halliday had to throw in the last twist in the story because it is billed as a paranormal. I believe the story would've worked just as well without it.
Yuletide Enchantment
Isobel has been witnessing the appearance of a white hart since childhood. Known as mythical and magical creatures warning of the Otherworld, she's told to stay away while her brother wants to hunt it and make a trophy of the enormous rack of antlers. But Isobel feels there's something more to the hart and begs her brother not to kill it.
Daegan is prince of the Sidhe, and he's been watching Isobel from afar for years. He's determined to have her as his own. He appears to her as the white hart many times, luring her to him with enchantment spells.
When Isobel discovers that her hart is not exactly a man but not exactly an animal, she's confused and isn't sure how she should react. Daegan is hurt at her seeming repulsion.
Sophie Renwick wove a story even I would read. I found the story of the hart mythical and intriguing. A sucker for myths of all kinds, I found myself wondering if the white hart was an actual myth. The writing was compelling and interesting.
A Christmas Spirit
Paige MacDonald is lonely. With no family left, she's determined to not spend another Christmas by herself. Instead, she packs up her things and decides to spend Christmas on a self-driving tour of the Scottish Highlands. But she's surprised by a snowstorm only a few days before Christmas, and her car strands her at the driveway of a bed and breakfast. There, she's met with Gabriel Munro, a beautiful specimen of a man who happens to be a ghost.
When Paige discovers that Gabriel isn't exactly alive, she wants to run. But due to the snowstorm and Gabriel's assurances that he doesn't want to hurt her, she thinks it would be best to stay warm and dry for the evening instead of trying to find a way to Inverness where she has reservations.
Over the next few days, Paige and Gabriel spend time getting to know one another, and Paige is particularly interested in why Gabriel is a ghost trapped in an old castle.
Cindy Mile wrote the last tale in the book, and I think it might be my favorite of the three. While the ending wasn't exactly believable (I felt there were some gaps in the story), I loved how Paige and Gabriel fell in love. They really seemed to be soulmates who happened to be born centuries apart instead of months or years.
The first story in the anthology by Dawn Halliday is an intriguing one. Halliday weaves a tale of a beautiful, wounded clanswoman lost in the snow after escaping from her would-be rapist. Logan Douglas, on his way home from war, finds her along the way but loses an important piece of jewelry she treasures in the process. When Maggie MacDonald awakens, she finds herself entranced with Logan and his powerful, quiet ways. Over the next days, as a storm rages outside, they fall in love. But will Logan win Maggie? They have much at stake when she finally returns home.
I loved this story. My only issue with it has to do with the brooch Maggie wears. I won't give away the tie-in, but it felt as if Halliday had to throw in the last twist in the story because it is billed as a paranormal. I believe the story would've worked just as well without it.
Yuletide Enchantment
Isobel has been witnessing the appearance of a white hart since childhood. Known as mythical and magical creatures warning of the Otherworld, she's told to stay away while her brother wants to hunt it and make a trophy of the enormous rack of antlers. But Isobel feels there's something more to the hart and begs her brother not to kill it.
Daegan is prince of the Sidhe, and he's been watching Isobel from afar for years. He's determined to have her as his own. He appears to her as the white hart many times, luring her to him with enchantment spells.
When Isobel discovers that her hart is not exactly a man but not exactly an animal, she's confused and isn't sure how she should react. Daegan is hurt at her seeming repulsion.
Sophie Renwick wove a story even I would read. I found the story of the hart mythical and intriguing. A sucker for myths of all kinds, I found myself wondering if the white hart was an actual myth. The writing was compelling and interesting.
A Christmas Spirit
Paige MacDonald is lonely. With no family left, she's determined to not spend another Christmas by herself. Instead, she packs up her things and decides to spend Christmas on a self-driving tour of the Scottish Highlands. But she's surprised by a snowstorm only a few days before Christmas, and her car strands her at the driveway of a bed and breakfast. There, she's met with Gabriel Munro, a beautiful specimen of a man who happens to be a ghost.
When Paige discovers that Gabriel isn't exactly alive, she wants to run. But due to the snowstorm and Gabriel's assurances that he doesn't want to hurt her, she thinks it would be best to stay warm and dry for the evening instead of trying to find a way to Inverness where she has reservations.
Over the next few days, Paige and Gabriel spend time getting to know one another, and Paige is particularly interested in why Gabriel is a ghost trapped in an old castle.
Cindy Mile wrote the last tale in the book, and I think it might be my favorite of the three. While the ending wasn't exactly believable (I felt there were some gaps in the story), I loved how Paige and Gabriel fell in love. They really seemed to be soulmates who happened to be born centuries apart instead of months or years.
witandsin's review against another edition
3.0
My review originally posted on Joyfully Reviewed: http://www.joyfullyreviewed.com/reviews/Feb10/ahighlanderchristmas.ANTHO.html
“Winter Heat” by Dawn Halliday
Maggie MacDonald’s mother always told her that her clan brooch would lead a MacDonald woman to her soul mate. Maggie doesn’t believe the legend, but she does find the brooch helpful in her last-ditch attempt to flee a brutish suitor. Her escape sends Maggie into a blizzard…and then into the arms of warrior Logan Douglas. Attraction flares, but in order for their holiday romance to last, Logan must find a way to free Maggie of the villain who wishes to possess her.
The protagonists in this enjoyable story by Dawn Halliday could melt snow with the kind of heat they generate. “Winter Heat” is a sexy story about finding love where you least expect it. Both Maggie and Logan are likeable characters, each with strengths and weaknesses that complement one another. The villain is suitably despicable, making the reader cheer all the more for Maggie and Logan. This is the first story I’ve ever read by Ms. Halliday and I look forward to reading more of her work.
“Yuletide Enchantment” by Sophie Renwick
All her life, Isobel MacDonald has felt a connection to the white hart in the woods. She doesn’t put much stock in the ancient tales of Annwyn or the Sidhe said to inhabit the woods, but Isobel can’t put her finger on why she is repeatedly drawn to the forest. At least not until she loses her clan pin. It’s then that she meets Daegan, the Sidhe prince, and also the white hart Isobel has seen since she was a child. But love between a Sidhe and a mortal is forbidden, so when Daegan and Isobel fall for one another, what are they to do?
Something sensual lurks in the woods in the magic-filled “Yuletide Enchantment.” Sophie Renwick creates two likeable protagonists and sets the stage for some interesting scenes as Isobel and Daegan fall in love. However, I was left with many questions at the end of the story which kept me from liking “Yuletide Enchantment” as much as I wanted to. However, I am excited to read Ms. Renwick’s book for Daegan’s nephew Bran.
“A Christmas Spirit” by Cindy Miles
Paige MacDonald doesn’t know what possessed her to book a self-driving tour of the North West Highlands in December. When her car breaks down in the middle of a snowstorm, Paige takes refuge at the Gorloch B&B, a castle inhabited by the most unusual of Highlanders.
Gabriel Munro can’t believe the innkeepers left him alone for the holidays. He was sure the weather would keep visitors away, but he can’t very well turn out a woman in the middle of a blizzard. Especially not a woman as tempting as Paige. But what will Paige say when she learns that the man she is trapped in the castle with is a ghost?
Spirits have never been so sexy as in this enchanting story by Cindy Miles. “A Christmas Spirit” is my favorite story in this anthology; it’s both charming and unique. I liked Paige immensely. She’s intelligent, hardworking, and not used to a man practically falling all over himself for her. As for Gabriel, he’s a Highland ghost worth sighing over (and I admit I did).
“A Christmas Spirit” is the first story I’ve read by Ms. Miles, but it won’t be the last. Characters from Ms. Miles’s Highland Knight appear in this tale and I liked them so much I want to go back and their story.
A Highlander Christmas features stories that span over nearly three hundred years. The only connection between each tale is the heroines’ pin. I enjoyed the concept and the progression through time and each story featured its protagonists overcoming seemingly impossible odds to be together. A Highlander Christmas was a satisfying anthology, perfect for curling up with on a cold winter’s night.
“Winter Heat” by Dawn Halliday
Maggie MacDonald’s mother always told her that her clan brooch would lead a MacDonald woman to her soul mate. Maggie doesn’t believe the legend, but she does find the brooch helpful in her last-ditch attempt to flee a brutish suitor. Her escape sends Maggie into a blizzard…and then into the arms of warrior Logan Douglas. Attraction flares, but in order for their holiday romance to last, Logan must find a way to free Maggie of the villain who wishes to possess her.
The protagonists in this enjoyable story by Dawn Halliday could melt snow with the kind of heat they generate. “Winter Heat” is a sexy story about finding love where you least expect it. Both Maggie and Logan are likeable characters, each with strengths and weaknesses that complement one another. The villain is suitably despicable, making the reader cheer all the more for Maggie and Logan. This is the first story I’ve ever read by Ms. Halliday and I look forward to reading more of her work.
“Yuletide Enchantment” by Sophie Renwick
All her life, Isobel MacDonald has felt a connection to the white hart in the woods. She doesn’t put much stock in the ancient tales of Annwyn or the Sidhe said to inhabit the woods, but Isobel can’t put her finger on why she is repeatedly drawn to the forest. At least not until she loses her clan pin. It’s then that she meets Daegan, the Sidhe prince, and also the white hart Isobel has seen since she was a child. But love between a Sidhe and a mortal is forbidden, so when Daegan and Isobel fall for one another, what are they to do?
Something sensual lurks in the woods in the magic-filled “Yuletide Enchantment.” Sophie Renwick creates two likeable protagonists and sets the stage for some interesting scenes as Isobel and Daegan fall in love. However, I was left with many questions at the end of the story which kept me from liking “Yuletide Enchantment” as much as I wanted to. However, I am excited to read Ms. Renwick’s book for Daegan’s nephew Bran.
“A Christmas Spirit” by Cindy Miles
Paige MacDonald doesn’t know what possessed her to book a self-driving tour of the North West Highlands in December. When her car breaks down in the middle of a snowstorm, Paige takes refuge at the Gorloch B&B, a castle inhabited by the most unusual of Highlanders.
Gabriel Munro can’t believe the innkeepers left him alone for the holidays. He was sure the weather would keep visitors away, but he can’t very well turn out a woman in the middle of a blizzard. Especially not a woman as tempting as Paige. But what will Paige say when she learns that the man she is trapped in the castle with is a ghost?
Spirits have never been so sexy as in this enchanting story by Cindy Miles. “A Christmas Spirit” is my favorite story in this anthology; it’s both charming and unique. I liked Paige immensely. She’s intelligent, hardworking, and not used to a man practically falling all over himself for her. As for Gabriel, he’s a Highland ghost worth sighing over (and I admit I did).
“A Christmas Spirit” is the first story I’ve read by Ms. Miles, but it won’t be the last. Characters from Ms. Miles’s Highland Knight appear in this tale and I liked them so much I want to go back and their story.
A Highlander Christmas features stories that span over nearly three hundred years. The only connection between each tale is the heroines’ pin. I enjoyed the concept and the progression through time and each story featured its protagonists overcoming seemingly impossible odds to be together. A Highlander Christmas was a satisfying anthology, perfect for curling up with on a cold winter’s night.
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