I generously received a digital advanced reading copy from the publisher and Netgalley. This was a combination of five very talented women with stories that center around Christmas and the Scottish Highlands.

Life often has a way of throwing curveballs and yet sometimes those unexpected twists can lead to just the right place to be. These stories were tales of men and women who each found themselves at a crossroads and how sometimes when you least expect it, you can find what you've been looking for all along.

Each of these stories involved finding love when you least expect it and the magic of Christmas. I loved each one of these stories and the characters that they brought to the mix. Trying to pick a favorite story is akin to me attempting to pick just one book to take on a road trip which is impossible and each one has helped me to see why I love reading fictional books about finding love in Scotland whether it be from the 12th Century or the present time.

There were a couple of authors that I hadn't read before and now I have added to my list of authors to want to read more of their books!

Full of adventure, men in kilts, mystery, steamy scenes, the power of love and Christmas in the Scottish Highlands, it was such a wonderful compilation of stories to curl up with especially now that the seasons are changing and it's getting colder. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a love of historical romance that takes place near Christmas and checking out each of these authors!

I'm so looking forward to what next this talented group of ladies will have up their sleeves!

This set was a hit and a miss for me. I really only enjoyed the stories by Bronwen Evans and May McGoldrick. These reads had characters that shared a steamy romance and I felt the connection between the H and h in these stories. The other stories feel flat for me. I did not connect with the heroines of the stories, especially the heroines of A Highlander's Hope, Leftover Mistletoe, and A Highland Christmas Wager. These stories felt rushed and I felt their stories were more of lust than love. I usually avoid novellas for this reason and although two of the novellas were great reads, I think I'll stay away from them in the future.

All the stories are set in the Highlands around the holidays, so if you’re looking to get in the Christmas spirit… And is that not the most luscious cover?

Each book is of almost identical length; the total is listed at nearly 500 pages, which I thought couldn’t be right, but they took nearly an entire day to read, so it probably is.

A HIGHLANDER'S HOPE: Totally unbelievable plot, but if you can get past that, it’s a pretty good story. 3.5 stars

A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS WAGER: My favorite. The wager was a nice angle, and it’s in doubt at the beginning who Meggie will choose (if anyone) and who the cads really are. Loved the grandmother! 4.5 stars

A SCOT FOR CHRISTMAS. Another unbelievable plot and a little maudlin, but still a good read. 3 stars

LEFTOVER MISTLETOE: If I hadn’t known this was written by Lavinia Kent – which I didn’t until afterward - I’d have never guessed because it doesn’t have anything like the same vibe as other things I’ve read from her. Well-written, as you’d expect, and a good story. 4 stars

SWEET HOME HIGHLANDS (incorrect in synopsis): My least favorite. The kid Ella annoyed me, and she was inconsistently precocious besides. Example: She understood the concept of martyrdom, yet she had no idea what mourning meant. In the 19th century, when death and mourning were part of everyday life? Plus everyone thought she was oh-so-adorable when she wouldn’t do what she was told, which was most of the time. The plot also seemed to revolve mainly around Freya’s determination to martyr herself to keep Ella. 2 stars

As is the norm with compilations, this was a mixed bag. Grab it on sale if you can.

*ARC via netgalley*

A wonderful collection of Holiday stories filled with holiday magic as fate intervenes to bring everyone their HEA!!!

A HIGHLANDER'S HOPE by Terri Brisbin. A Highlander whose has lost his wife five years ago is contemplating taking a new wife, but all he can think of is the village whore who he spends every Hogmanay with at a friend’s castle. His nephew the laird is encouraging him to marry for the betterment of the clan, but this time he’ll marry who he wants. He just needs to convince her of his offer his hope for their future.
LEFTOVER MISTLETOE by Lavinia Kent. A snowstorm forces a young woman to take shelter with three highlanders or is she kidnapped? Be careful of wagers you just might lose your heart too. See what happens under the mistletoe!
A SCOT FOR CHRISTMAS by Bronwen Evans. A young woman is ready to give up her hopes of finding the love of her life and become a spinster, but she wishes to at least enjoy one night of passion to hold onto in her lonely nights to come. He’s trying to have one last hurrah before he gives into his family's wishes and proposes marriage to his neighbor. Fates intervene and the lady and the Scot meet at a holiday house party in the wilds of Scotland.

LEFTOVER MISTLETOE by Lavinia Kent. Emma Spencer is a proud English woman who’s hit upon some hard times. She’s been sent to go live with an uncle in Scotland and her travels to his place has been quite the adventure. She takes a coach where she soon finds out she would not be the only passenger. James Barran is a man on a mission to stop his sister’s wedding and traveling by coach where encounter Emma and he knows no lady would be traveling alone in a coach. A highlander and a lady find themselves stranded and fending for themselves in a remote cabin.
SWEET HOME HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS by May McGoldrick. Ship’s Captain Gregory Pennington had just recently retired from the military when he encounters Freya Sutherland a desperate aunt trying to keep custody of her young niece. What Gregory doesn’t expect is the child is most entertaining and the Aunt is most alluring to him. This leads to a little holiday magic as both ship's captain and the Aunt are both soon smitten.
This is my honest opinions after I voluntarily read a copy of this book that was provided to me with no requirements for a review.

A delightful read of five Christmas novellas set it Scotland:

A HIGHLANDER"S HOPE

A Highlander would love to marry again and has someone in mind, but he knows his family may be against it because of her work as a prostitute. She fights his idea because she knows he would have to sacrifice so much and she can't have children. But miracles can happen, and she opens her heart to love, an unexpected baby is left on her doorstep and she's able to give her love the family they both desire.

A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS WAGER

Forced to spend Christmas with the man who jilted her years ago, plus his company. The more she's near him, the more she realizes being jilted was the best thing. Two other men vie for her. Circumstance keeps throwing her with a neighbor she never met, the de facto heir to his clan. He is not wealthy, but he has his heart to offer. She must decide whether he wants her for her dowry or for her and she must prove to her father he's the one she wants before being betrothed to another.

A SCOT FOR CHRISTMAS

A woman loves one man, but he's not ready to love another after feeling guilty for his first wife's accidental death. She wants one night with him, no strings, before she resigns her life to spinsterhood. He gives in, and feelings stir within he'd never felt before. He must decide if he can truly find room in his heart for her before it's too late.

LEFTOVER MISTLETOE

Stranded in a coach with a stranger en route to an uncle in Scotland, an English lady is forced to accompany the Scot to a cabin for safe harbor. She thinks he's a poor man, and she succumbs to temptation with him. He says he'll marry her, and since her chances are few due to reduced circumstances, she agrees. But Christmas miracles abound, and love finds away to the hearts of each.

SWEET HOME HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS

A Highland military engineer set to retire agrees to accompany a family to his brother's neighbor's home since they're traveling the same distance. A young aunt is the caregiver to her little niece, and if she's not married to her betrothed before she arrives, she'll likely lose the lively charge. Unfortunately, her betrothed is a wastrel and the engineer knows of him from the military. Spending time together as they travel, he admires her and begins to care for her and her niece and they for him. He cares so much, that when the ne'er-do-well shows up, he devises a plan to get rid of him for good. The slow-burn romance is free to love with him out of the picture, and their families approve the match.

**received an ARC from Netgalley**

Christmas in Kilts is an anthology of historical romance stories set during the holiday season written by Terri Brisbin, Lecia Cornwall, Bronwen Evans, Lavinia Kent and May McGoldrick. Though some of the stories are a part of an ongoing series, all of the short stories can be read as a standalone.

This was such a warm and romantic anthology to read. All the plots weren’t overly complicated, confusing to follow, nor were they unimaginative. It was full of memorable heroines, heroes in kilts, and heart-pounding moments. Vivid, rich, and detailed with as much precision and perceptivity than I could imagine.

I would definitely recommend checking this anthology out if you are a fan of historical romance, want to find new authors to read, or if you just love reading bite-sized stories.

I love Christmas anthologies because you get that yummy Christmas feeling over and over again in one book! As with most anthologies, some of the stories were a hit for me and some were a miss. I really liked the last three: A Scot for Christmas by Bronwen Evans, Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent and Sweet Home Highland Christmas by My MacGoldrick. The other two were okay, but I really liked these three the best. If you like big yummy men who will do anything for their women, this will be a good read for you!
I received this book through Netgalley. The opinions are my own.

A Highlander’s Hope by Terri Brisbin - This is a wonderful short story of a highlander whose wife died and he finds love again in the mostly unlikely person. It is well written and a great quick read.
A Highland Christmas Wager by Lecia Cornwall - wagers were made as to who woukd receive the first willing kiss from Meggie. The romance between Hugh and Meggie is a heartfelt and hilarious at times. In the end there is a HEA.
A Scot for Christmad by Bronwen Evans - Emma is a young woman who wants to experience passion before retiring to the country. She ask the only man she has ever loved, Dougray to help with this request. It is a love story of three couples who overcome their own individual obstacles to be together. It is a great love story that is well written.
Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent - Emma, who has lost so much upon her father’s death, meets James on her way to her uncle’s estate in Scotland.. The story evolves around the few days they are stranded together and how their relationship develops to the point he asks her to marry him and she agrees.
Sweet Home Highlands by May MacGoldrick - Even though this is a romance between Gregory and Freya, I believe Ella is the star of this story. As a five-year-old she is way more mature than most young adults. She steals the book with her banter between Freya and Gregory and her quick wit. Without her this book would not have been enjoyable.
Each of these books are a quick and good read. I would recommend this collection.

Five stories from best selling authors bring the Christmas spirit alive in this boxed anthology.
Romance and love is abundant, courting and wooing and all things nice leave you with that warm
fuzzy feeling you get after good glass of wine with good friends

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher for my honest opinion through NetGalley

This book contains 5 short novellas. My review may contain a few spoilers.

#1. A Highlander’s Hope by Terri Brisbin - It is my sincere hope to never come across such an unappealing, unromantic relationship setup again, folks. The very popular Christmas shout-out of “Ho, Ho, Ho!” kept ringing in my ears as I was introduced to the heroine, who was a very popular “ho” that seems to have slept with every single man, at one point in time or another, within a hundred mile radius. I had no desire to get to know her up close and personal myself, especially after having her mentally think about all the men she’s recently pleasured during the week as she awaits the hero’s yearly holiday visit to her doorstep, where he becomes her sole paying customer for several weeks. No...thank...you. Just not my ideal of romance.

#2. A Highlander’s Christmas Wager by Lecia Cornwall - Here we have a hero who years earlier deflowered the virgin heroine in her family’s hayloft while the ink wasn’t even dry yet on the marriage contract he just signed with another woman. Why? Well, because she and her sisters had a reputation of being good, decent, morale women, therefore, a challenge to tup. With him happy as a lark his shrew of a wife is now dead, he’s overjoyed this Christmas to have this former notch on his conquest list show up on his doorstep in the middle of a storm, where she’s obviously going to have to deal with two other lecherous lairds leering at her, as well. Again, No...thank...you. Just not my ideal of romance.

#3. A Scot for Christmas by Bronwen Evans - An uninvited heroine who shows up at the hero’s house party of ill repute hosted for his guy pals and their mistress ho girlfriends. On top of that, she’s always been in love with him, even after he married someone else years ago, who though deceased, he is still hopelessly/desperately still in love with. She wants a quick fling with him before she signs herself up for permanent spinsterhood. Again...No...thank...you...Just not my ideal of romance.

The last two, Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent and Sweet Home Highlands by May McGoldrick, are the only ones in my opinion that are worth reading. I knew May McGoldrick would not let me down, folks. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend a book where the majority of it broke lots of my personal character codes of conduct.

Title: Christmas in Kilts: A Highland Holiday Boxed Set, Authors: Various, Pages: NL, 5 short novellas, only liked the last two, very steamy scenes, most of them were not my ideal of romance.

(I received a free advanced reader copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No type of compensation was given to this reviewer. There is no relationship or affiliation between the reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

Tis the season to fall in love! These five bestselling authors bring you great tiding of highlanders and romances this holiday season!
This was a mix of holiday stories for anyone that loves highlander stories. They were all definitely different and opened me to new authors I hadn’t heard of before. I liked that the stories weren’t straight-forward on what you usually get in highlander books and they each felt complete even though they were stories in an anthology. I highly recommend.

Christmas in Kilts by Bronwen Evans, May McGoldrick, Lecia Cornwall, Lavinia Kent, and Terri Brisbin has an obvious theme going on with the kilts. It’s Scottish Highlanders all the way. For historical romance fiction fans, this is a must read. The stories are short but not so much as to feel incomplete. The variety comes in the styles of the individual authors’ writing, as well as in the choice of female characters. The highlander males are more alike than different.

A Highlander's Hope by Terri Brisbin has an interesting story-line, different from most romances. I found the characters likable, even though they were flawed and with plenty of baggage that would hinder them from a HEA..

A Highland Christmas Wager by Lecia Cornwall has three highlanders bidding on a kiss form a fair lady. One wins much more than a kiss. This is the most fun of the 5 stories.

A Scot for Christmas by Bronwen Evans is a second chance at love for the highlander. A chance that he did not see coming.

Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent has two stranded in a snowstorm. The setting with the storm is predictable but the characters are engaging.

Sweet Home Highlands by May McGoldrick is my favorite of the five stories in this anthology. A precocious child, an aunt who dearly loves the child, and a retired military captain who finds he loves them both makes for a charming Christmas story.

I really liked these 5 historical Christmas romances. The stories are fast-paced with great characters and entertaining stories. Each read had plenty of drama and the heroes and heroines have great chemistry. This read is perfect for snuggling up on a cold day and getting lost in the romance of Christmas past. A good read.

Publisher's Description:

Tis the season to fall in love! These five bestselling authors bring you great tiding of highlanders and romances this holiday season!

A HIGHLANDER'S HOPE by Terri Brisbin
A village harlot who would never dream she could have a different life meets a Highlander who visits for the holidays and brings with him an offer and hope.

A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS WAGER by Lecia Cornwall
When a snowstorm forces a charming lass hiding a broken heart to take shelter in a castle with three fine Highland lairds just days before Christmas, there’s a game afoot—who will be the first to win a kiss and maybe her heart.

A SCOT FOR CHRISTMAS by Bronwen Evans
She's ready to embrace her life and future as a spinster, he's trying to have one last hurrah before he gives into his family's wishes and proposes marriage to his neighbor, but fate has other ideas when the lady and the Scot meet at a holiday house party in the wilds of Scotland.

LEFTOVER MISTLETOE by Lavinia Kent
What happens when a highlander finds himself stranded, maybe kidnapped, with an English lady around Christmas... maybe the mistletoe will help answer that question.

SWEET HOME HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS by May McGoldrick
An encounter between an English officer and a desperate aunt trying to keep custody of her young niece leads to a little magic during the holidays.
My Thoughts:
A HIGHLANDER'S HOPE by Terri Brisbin
This was probably my least favorite as it was both unrealistic and somewhat predictable. I would give this novella a 3.25 of 5.0 star rating for storyline and characterization. I did like the ending though.

A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS WAGER by Lecia Cornwall
I am so used to Lecia's fairytale like novels that this one was a bit of a disappointment. The fact that the heroine already knew one of the men from her past did throw a bit of mystery into this story but it isn't among my Lecia Cornwall favorites.
I gave this novella 3.75 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization.

A SCOT FOR CHRISTMAS by Bronwen Evans
I liked this story more than the first two. The hero isn't really looking for love but he must marry to produce an heir. Our heroine is the sister of a friend and has loved him for a long time. She isn't sure she can measure up to the memory of his dead wife though.
I gave this book 4.25 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization. It's not the best this anthology has to offer though.

LEFTOVER MISTLETOE by Lavinia Kent
This novella was one of the best of this collection. Our hero is not looking to marry. He has set out on a journey to actually stop the wedding of his sister to a most unsuitable friend. Our heroine has been left almost penniless after the death of her father and the subsequent inheritance of the title to a cousin who turned her out. She is headed to the home of an uncle who has offered to take her in.
This unlikely pair find themselves stranded together and just maybe our heroine has been compromised and our hero finds himself maybe an unwilling bridegroom.
This story was well written and comical at times. I gave it 4.5 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization.

SWEET HOME HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS by May McGoldrick
This is my favorite story with a desperate heroine who needs a way to keep custody of her precocious niece,

I gave this story 4.75 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization. Will our hero be the answer to her prayers?

I always enjoy reading holiday romance. This is a good example.
I gave the collection as a whole 4.25 of 5.0 stars for storylines and character development and a sensual rating of 3.75 of 5.0 flames. Some of the stories had a more sensual storyline than others but none of them were overly explicit in nature.

This is a great mix of historical authors telling five short stories of finding love in Scotland during Christmas time. The stories are well written with each characters that will keep you entertained. These stories will definitely put you in the Christmas spirit.

This is a great collection for the beginning of the Holidays! I enjoyed all the stories!! Hope to read more books of,these authors!!

Christmas in Kilts was my October 2017 pick for Best of the Month at the Heroes and Heartbreakers website. Here's the text:

My “Best of October” was a delightful Christmas anthology—and do I ever love Christmas anthologies. It's all about get the Yuletide Party started! Christmas in Kilts features five authors, three of whom I've read in the past and have so enjoyed: Bronwen Evans, Lavinia Kent, and May McGoldrick. (Amazon | B&N | Kobo)

Pick your poison—Bronwen Evan's Scot for Christmas has the delightful make love to me before I disappear into spinsterhood plot—I think we know there will be no spinsters on the horizon! Leftover Mistletoe by Lavinia Kent is so sweet: a meant-to-be couple meets on a public coach—they're thrown together and gently, sweetly, hawtly, fall in love. The last story of the five features an imp of a matchmaker: the heroine's young firebrand of a niece. Resistance is futile with May McGoldrick's Sweet Home Highland: the protagonists are meant to be.

If you want the holiday season to start yesterday, you'll love Christmas in Kilts.

If you’re looking for something to read this holiday season. Then look no further than Christmas Kilt. This book contains five short novellas, which will have you more interested in the outcome of the characters than the Yuletides. My favorite of these was A Highlander’s Hope. It proved that everyone no matter your life choices you still deserved to be loved.

Christmas in Kilts
An Anthology of Holiday Novellas

A HIGHLANDER’S HOPE by Terri Brisbin
A widow wants a wife but this one he wants to marry for love – even if she might not be acceptable to his clan. He has to woo her and what a wonderful job he does of doing so.

A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS WAGER by Lecia Cornwall
Meggie made one mistake when young and has lost her ability to trust. Snowed in for Christmas with three lusty men wanting a kiss – will she finally be able to find a man she can give her heart to?

A SCOT FOR CHRISTMAS by Bronwen Evans
Emma is sure she is soon to be on the shelf BUT before she embraces spinsterhood she has a request to make of a man who never wants to love again. The request is a big one and might change both their lives forever.

LEFTOVER MISTLETOE by Lavinia Kent
Two people meet on a stage and are stranded on the road. Unlikely they would have ever met otherwise but definitely a propitious meeting for both of them.

SWEET HOME HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS by May McGoldrick
Ella needs to keep her niece and that means marrying someone she rather despises…until her niece starts playing matchmaker with the man accompanying them to visit family.

All of the books were different but well worth reading. The times of the stories ranged from the 1500’s to the 1800’s and were all set in Scotland. Definitely worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press – Swerve for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars