Forbidden love/long lost lovers isn't my fave, so this one wasn't a success for me but that's more on my reading taste. It was swoony and emotional.

Overall: 2.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡
Romance: 💞💞
Sensuality: 💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥 - 🔥🔥
Humor: Not really

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.

Karen Ranney is one of the masters of the highlander trope. This book was no exception! This book has childhood love, long-distance relationship,s and second chance love! Jennifer and Gordon were meant for each other, so when Gordon leaves and it takes him five years to get back to Jennifer, all that could be a disaster! This book will make your heart race with anticipation but thankfully we already know that it'll end with a HEA!

Karen Ranney has been a favorite historical romance author since the late 1990's began the Highland Fling series with My Highland Rogue published in July of 2020. Unfortunately it was the last book by this author who passed away in June of 2020. Karen will be missed by her fans.

My Highland Rogue is a beautiful love story that begins with machinations worthy of a Shakespearean play. Everyone can see the love developing between the young lady Jennifer Adaire and the gardener's boy, Gordon. Their love is put and true but fate is against them. Lady Jennifer's family plots to separate the two. Gordon is sent away, both are told lies. Gordon is determined to make his fortune and come back to Adaire in triumph.

Five years later Jennifer writes to Gordon telling him of his father's failing health. Gordon makes the trip in style showing off the wealth he has accumulated as the owner of an exclusive gambling house. Little does Jennifer know that her own brother has lost a fortune gambling at Gordon's Mayfair Club.

With all the secrets and hurt between Jennifer and Gordon can they rekindle their love and find their happily ever after?

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.

Everything in this book was super great : from romantic story to highlands description to beautiful writing. If you never read anything by this author - start now!
Solid 5 stars for historical romance here!

A friends to lovers and a second chance lovers all in one! Gordon is the gardeners son and cannot expect to marry Lady Jennifer, however, he did not expect to be sent packing and that his relationship was all a lie. Five years later he is forced to return to her home since his father is dying. What he thought would be a hard trip turned out to be brutal. Gordon learned things about himself, about Jennifer, and her horrible brother that will alter all of their lives. I loved Gordon and Jennifer. They are both great characters who are faced with some hard truths. Their road to HEA is not easy but along the way we meet some great secondary characters!
Definitely recommend!

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.

So, first things first, the description for this book is misleading given the actual content of the book. The description makes it sound like the characters have been exchanging letters and pining for each other, when in fact that is clearly not the case. I was really looking forward to seeing two characters who know they're in love with each other reunite. Instead I got two characters who both thought the other left them/hated them. They did not exchange letters. Jennifer wrote letters to Gordon that he either ignored or didn't get. So yeah, the description should probably be changed.

Additionally, this book doesn't really follow the usual structure of a romance novel. While other genres can really play around with form, there is a certain expectation that romance readers have going in. The best I can explain it is a romance novel backwards.

I feel, between the misleading content and the weird structure, this book is so-so at best.

Despite their difference in station, Lady Jennifer Adaire, daughter of the Earl of Burfield, and Gordon McDonnell, son of the estate’s gardener, grew up together as close friends. Jennifer has always loved Gordon, even though their relationship was forbidden. When Gordon left Scotland with no explanation, Jennifer was devastated. Gordon has spent the last five years amassing his empire in London but has only just returned to Adaire Hall, ostensibly to see his dying father, but really to finally claim Jennifer now that he is worthy of her. The two are shocked to learn of the meddlers who conspired to separate them all those years ago, but they find their love is stronger than ever and they refuse to be separated again. Just when everything is coming together for these two, a secret comes to light, threatening any hopes of a future together.

This was a strange and very slow-paced book. I enjoyed it at first, but as it continued and more side characters were added, it began to feel more and more discombobulated. There was so much misunderstanding and plot twisting that it almost felt repetitive and there were several points left totally unaddressed. I found Jennifer to be a rather flat character; there was nothing much to her beyond her love for Gordon and Adaire Hall and she was a bit too sunshiney for me much of the time. There was some great drama here, but I would’ve liked to see an actual comeuppance for Harrison, though perhaps that had been intended for a future book. Sadly, this was the late Karen Ranney’s final work, so we readers will just have to come up with our own just desserts for him. Overall, it was clear that this author was a master plotter, the family saga and slow burn just had me losing interest in places, though credit must be given for the sheer originality of the plot. This was definitely unlike anything I’ve read before.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Such a fun highland romp. Melt-your-Kindle hot and a great romantic story. Loved this one!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This story had so many twists and turns I didn’t know how it would end. Karen has me guessing where she was leading us with these two characters who were torn apart 5 years prior. To have them come together again and be ripped apart, I felt my heart breaking for them. I was engaged from the beginning to end. The female character was strong willed and knew her mind and what she wanted while the male “hero” had moments you wanted to scream at him to not give up so easily. I recommend this book that kept you wanting to know more.

My Highland Rogue by Karen Ranney is the First book in the Highland Fling Series. This is the story of Gordon McDonnell and Jennifer Adaire. Jennifer who is the daughter of the Earl of Burfield, has always been in love with Gordon who was their gardener's son. But about some years ago, Gordon left to start life on his own along with fulfilling his dreams. Unknown to Jennifer nor to Gordon they were lied to making them both think that the other didn't want anything to do with each other anymore.
Now about 5 years later, Gordon has returned homed with the wealth and goals that he wanted but is taken back by his feelings that still run deep for Jennifer. Loved their story and this author's writing.

My Highland Rogue is the first book in Karen Ranney's new Highland Fling series. I'm a long-time fan of Ms. Ranney, and I did not know until I was almost done with this book that she passed away before its publication. I was so sad to hear the news. I don't know if she had the next book of the series in the works at the time of her death. She will be greatly missed by her fans.

Jennifer Adaire and Gordon McDonnell were great friends as children growing up at Adaire Hall in Scotland, and they fell in love as they grew older. This was a match not to be countenanced, however, as Jennifer was the daughter of the Earl of Burfield and Gordon was the son of the gardener. Yet they were deeply in love, until Gordon was forced from Adaire Hall and had to make his own way in the world. Neither knew the truth as to what happened when they were separated. Five years later Gordon is a successful businessman, the owner of music halls and a posh men's club. When he receives a letter from Jennifer informing him that his father Sean is extremely ill and likely to die soon, he returns to Adaire Hall to say his goodbyes. The love between Jennifer and Gordon flares to life when they discover how they were torn apart, and they are given a second chance at happiness. Yet when a deep family secret surfaces, will they be torn apart again, this time permanently?

This was quite a lovely second chance romance between two very likeable leads. I admired Jennifer for not caring about the difference in their societal ranks. She was a strong young woman, who served as chatelaine of Adaire Hall when her odious brother Harrison deserted his young expecting wife to gamble and have affairs in London. Gordon, meanwhile, did everything he could to make his businesses a success, starting out with the money left to him by Jennifer's mother. He was strong enough to be open and honest about his love for Jennifer. When it looked like they would once again be denied a lifetime together, my heart broke for them and I cried along with Jennifer and felt the coldness in Gordon's soul. Some other characters also stood out, including Jennifer's godmother Ellen, and her mother Mary the countess, an important character even though deceased. It was a beautiful, heartfelt story.

Thank you, Ms. Ranney, for sharing your stories with us.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Adaire Hall, Scotland - 1865

Gordon McDonnell grew up as the son of the gardener and became friends with the Countess of Burfield. When seeing her sitting outside, he would bring her a bunch of flowers. They had nice chats and became friends. As Gordon grew up, he and Lady Jennifer, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Burfield began a friendship that turned into love. When the Countess passed away, she left Gordon a bequest and was then told to leave Adaire Hall and not return. Jennifer was heartbroken.

London - 1870

When Gordon first arrived in London, he worked and saved shrewdly, soon building a music hall followed by another. He is now very wealthy. When he learns that his father is very ill, he decides to return to Adaire Hall. Neither of his parents ever showed him love. Now his mother has passed away and his father is on his deathbed.

Gordon is welcomed at Adaire Hall by Lauren, the wife of Harrison the current earl and brother to Jennifer. Harrison always disliked Gordon because Gordon is much smarter than he is as proven when they all were educated together. Harrison stays in London, drinking, gambling, and womanizing while his pregnant wife stays at the Hall. Jennifer is happy to see him again but they are cool toward one another. Her hurt at him leaving and never returning for her has left her scarred.

Before his father died, Gordon learned a secret from the man that changed everything about who Gordon truly is. It is shocking but it also means that his love for Jennifer can never be. How can he let her go after working so hard and so long to be with her?

This story is full of emotion and angst that just pulled at my heart strings all the way through the book. I loved it.

The author, Karen Ranney, passed away in June 2020. I not only loved her books, but she was also a personal friend. A quiet woman, she never sought attention and accolades. She simply shared her wonderful stories with readers all over the world. She will be deeply missed.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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.**

My Highland Rogue (Highland Fling #1). By Karen Ranney. 2020. Avon (ARC eBook).

It’s been five years since the gardener’s son, Gordon McDonnell, was sent away from Adaire Hall and his childhood friend, Jennifer Adaire. In that time he has become successful in London, but Jennifer and what might have been between them, is never far from his mind. When he receives news that his father is dying, he returns home and is welcomed by Lady Jennifer, who is more beautiful and gracious than ever. As the two once again feel the draw between, past machinations and family secrets come to light that may keep them apart for good.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a book by this author, but I always enjoy Ranney’s stories when I do. My Highland Rogue will have reader rooting for Gordon and Jennifer as they find their way back to each other.

This was an entertaining, well-written romance. Jennifer Adaire, daughter of the Earl of Burfield, has known Gordon McDonnell, the gardener’s son, since they were young. Gordon was force to leave, and was gone for five years, making a better life for himself. He returns because his father is dying. Jennifer and Gordon still have feelings and have many challenges to overcome. The book was fast-paced and hard to put down. I enjoyed thisstory and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Lady Jennifer Adaire, the daughter of the Earl of Burfield, has loved the gardener’s son, Gordon McDonnell for as long as she can remember and she had dreams of forever. But five years ago, her dreams were crushed when Gordon disappeared without a trace. Her brother Harrison, the new earl, tells her that their mother left him money and he took it and ran. But that is not quite true…

Gordon left Adaire Hall after receiving a bequest from the late countess and being told that he was no longer welcome. He argued that Jennifer didn’t want him to leave and was told she no longer wanted to see him and was shown proof. With a heavy heart and a burning need to prove himself, Gordon goes to London and proceeds to build an empire. Two years after he left, Jennifer sends him a letter telling him his mother passed away – he is sorry that Betty died, but he was never close to his parents and sees no reason to return to Scotland. But when she writes again three years later to tell him his father, Sean is dying, he decides it is time to return and face his past.

They quickly learn that they were lied to and have lost five years because of those lies. Their feelings haven’t changed and they are still in love. Gordon asks Jennifer to marry him and she happily accepts, it seems like their HEA is finally within their grasp when a deathbed confession changes everything and destroys every dream they ever had about being together. Sean’s secret seems insurmountable, but Sean is not the only one keeping secrets…

This was a very well written, fast paced story with extra helpings of angst and heartache! I loved Jennifer and Gordon and my heart broke right along with theirs when Sean told Gordon the secret he had been keeping since his wife Betty died. I was absolutely devasted and couldn’t imagine how they were going to be able to overcome such an enormous obstacle! But Ms. Ranney, as usual, cleverly found the perfect way to give them their HEA. The book is teeming with secrets, lies, heartbreak, lots of tears, sweet kisses, some wonderful secondary characters as well as some villainous ones, and finally a hard-won HEA. I truly loved this story and would happily recommend it. This is the first book in a new series – but sadly, Ms. Ranney passed away before this book was released and I have to wonder if this is her last book.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review of an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher.*

I am very sorry to hear of the passing of the author, and while this book wasn't for me, I am sure there's an audience that will very much enjoy it.

I found most of the story mired in material that didn't sit well with me, from the emphasis on how slender, thin, and pale women are who are considered attractive, to the strident heteronormativity and whiteness of the world the characters live in.

The structure of the story, where most of the romance has occurred off-page before the start of the narrative, also didn't work for me. I enjoy second chance romance, but I can't help feeling that another, better, story happened prior to these two people drifting around Adaire Hall remembering how things used to be. Then, since there's no real reason for the main characters not to be together (they're sure they're still in love at 25% and planning to marry at 50%) there's very soap opera twist to increase the amount of Drama (yes, with an uppercase D). It was at the point that the Hero knew the Drama secret but the heroine doesn't, and then he's an ass to her because how dare she make him have feelings or something, that I stopped reading. There's do romance here, just Drama, and at this point I'm pretty sure that the MCs don't belong together, and honestly, the story doesn't feel like it's about their romance but instead past events and choices made by characters that aren't them.

I do hope this book finds a readership, but it's not me.