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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book feels like a hug. It’s a sweet but emotional book. This is book 3 of the True Scotsman series by Amy McGavin and can be read as a standalone, but the first two books in the series are so good, you’re going to want to read all of them. Plus we get glimpses into Iona and Lewis’s relation in the first 2 books and that just builds up the excitement for this book. The series is set in the fictional town of Bannock, in the Scottish Highlands. It’s told in 1st person Dual POV.
Iona and Lewis were childhood best friends turned sweethearts. Their mums were best friends and they lived across the street from each other. When they were 20 years old, Lewis’s parents passed away in a car accident and Iona’s mum took over the role as surrogate mum to Lewis and his 3 siblings. Then something happened, while Iona was away at uni, that ruined her and Lewis’s relationship (Lewis was the one at fault) but they still had to see each other during family gatherings and there was obvious tension between them. Fast forward 6 years, they’re now 27 and Iona has moved back to Bannock with her boyfriend, and Lewis still has feelings for her and tries to mend things between them. The story is told in a dual timeline so we go back and for the between the present day timeline and the past timeline, which starts when they’re 11 years old and runs till they’re 21 and the “incident” happens.
Like the other books in this series, the main characters are dealing with some emotional trauma that has shaped them into the adult they are now, but despite that, the book has an overall upbeat, light hearted feel. There’s a lot of banter and good-natured interference from both their families. As usual, we get glimpses of the McIntyre/Stewart men acting like complete children, which I love to see. It’s nice to see them let loose and be silly in the midst of all the struggles that come with adulting.
We don’t get to see that much of Ally, Emily, Aidan and Grace, who are busy being parents, but we get to see more of Jamie and learn more of his backstory, which was nice. It’s got me excited for the next book, which will be his. I also loved that we got to see glimpses of the parents in this book, since they passed away before the series started. Their passing greatly affected their children’s lives so it was nice to see first-hand, the relationship they had with them.
We don’t get to see that much of Ally, Emily, Aidan and Grace, who are busy being parents, but we get to see more of Jamie and learn more of his backstory, which was nice. It’s got me excited for the next book, which will be his. I also loved that we got to see glimpses of the parents in this book, since they passed away before the series started. Their passing greatly affected their children’s lives so it was nice to see first-hand, the relationship they had with them.
I love the dynamic between Iona and Lewis. I love childhood friends to lovers, because of the special connection the characters have, but this one is even more adorable because they’re both quirky; Iona more so that Lewis. They’re the perfect example of that saying “don’t settle down until you find someone who matches your brand of weird.” No one was going to understand them and treasure their quirkiness like they do each other. And even when their relationship was is a crappy place, they still obviously cared about each other. She makes him jump through hoops to win her back and at times I thought it was a bit over the top. (But then again, I have a soft spot for all the men in this family, so I’m biased.) But I also loved the way he persevered. Whatever she threw at him, he was up for the challenge. He acknowledged his fault, and was determined to do what it took to regain her trust. And the ending was really sweet. You can’t have a story set in Bannock without the community being up in everyone’s business and Lewis reacted perfectly to that situation.
This is a great book if you want to get in your feelings, but also if you need cheering up. It’ll have you feeling all kinds of emotions, but leave you feeling warm and contented at the end. It’s great for lovers of second chance romance, childhood friends to lovers, quirky main characters, a supportive community, lots of humour and a bit of spice (even the intimate scenes were humorous at times).
*I received a review copy from the author and these opinions are entirely my own.
Very grateful to have received an ARC copy, I devoured the first two books and was so excited for this one, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. Potentially my favourite of the three, and not just because of Bruce the Labrador!
Amy and Gavin weave this tale of friends to lovers with back and forth POVs and timelines that leaves you laughing and crying and emotional the whole way through.
Cannot wait for The Highland Game to be released in January, already marked the calendar!
Amy and Gavin weave this tale of friends to lovers with back and forth POVs and timelines that leaves you laughing and crying and emotional the whole way through.
Cannot wait for The Highland Game to be released in January, already marked the calendar!
I was lucky to receive an ARC of this book yesterday, hence why I stayed up til 2 am yesterday morning to finish The Highland Fling (book 2). I discovered @amymcgavinbooks via a tiktok on my fyp and ran to download The Highland Kiss (book 1) absolutely love this series....hope its not the last as it would be great to have a story for Jamie and also one for Cat.
@amymcgavinbooks is a husband and wife duo Amy & Gavin, the absolutely write so well together, safe to say they are now an absolute auto-buy for me!
@amymcgavinbooks is a husband and wife duo Amy & Gavin, the absolutely write so well together, safe to say they are now an absolute auto-buy for me!