This inspirational romance had a fascinating, unique setting and was full of deeply felt emotion, tied to past experiences the reader discovered along the way through the narrative. I enjoyed the story, with it's random pet pig and vivid characters. There were very insightful moments as they reflected on the things we gain over difficult journeys through life.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

This book is stunning.

I can't think of a better word to describe it.

It is full of light and goodness that can overcome any dark or tragedy.

"Thank you...for not giving up on me."
...
"One day you'll understand. It isn't possible to give up on someone you love."

I am a huge fan of Charlotte-she is a Scottish woman through and through and I love that her personality is shown in a BIG way. Big feels (and all the feels) for everything she puts her mind too. A lot of times Scottish characters seem to get known for only their temper (and while there is that) I loved seeing that all of the emotions were encompassed in our heroine.

Alec is a broken hero. I loved getting to know Alec. I think he is relatable to any reader despite not having lived/endured the same situations. He has so much to offer and I loved seeing that ability shine brighter with each encounter he has with Charlotte.

I loved having settings in Scotland as well as Pittsburgh, PA! Pittsburgh has so much history and culture that it was incredibly fun to have that beautiful city get some representation!

I loved the themes and character growth in this book. Although Alec is broken in an outward way, Charlotte has just as much growth throughout the story. I loved the faith elements. I loved the redemptive and healing vibes.

I loved seeing that life can be so beautiful even when it's not what we thought it would be.

'It can be tempting to look for love on the highest summits and on the edge of sweeping vistas. But know this, Charlotte, my darling: true love, lasting love is forged in the deepest valleys and over the rockiest terrain. It is in the crevasses of uncertainty, on the steepest, most winding trails that our hearts are bent, broken, and reshaped into something capable of great love. And when we've proven ourselves capable of enduring such, the vistas come.'

All of the love, stars, and praise for this book.
It's a 2023 favorite for me (and can easily be added to my lifetime favorites list!).

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Content: loss of family members, loss of spouse, faith journey, medical injuries (our MMC is a doctor), helping women succeed, beautiful character arcs, family/friend connections, kisses.

This is a fantastic follow-up to Heart in the Highlands, also by Heidi Kimball. Though most of the book is not in Scotland this time, the location is just as fascinating: Pittsburg in the 1830s. Charlotte is still the inquisitive and animal loving girl from the first book, but now she is more mature, has been jilted in love and now needs an escape for a time. She travels with Tavish, her cousin, to America where Tavish is pursuing economic opportunities.
The first day in Pittsburg, Charlotte meets the good doctor, Alec Galloway, our broken hero. Charlotte and Alec are just what each other need, but their path is not easy and I enjoyed watching them grow separately and together as they worked through all of their obstacles. Their love is tender and the humor found throughout the book was heartwarming.
This is a sweet romance, so the focus is more on the emotional rather than the physical. There are so many wonderful moments where their attraction for each other is expressed and swoony, but everything is closed door. So don't look for open door here. Which is perfect for me, since I don't read open door books.
I love Heidi Kimball's writing. From her lyrical and seamless way she weaves character and setting descriptions into her story and the amount of emotion and heart that her character's are brimming with, I am always left feeling like my heart has been filled and changed in all the best ways.

Lady Charlotte Darrington needs a change from her life in Scotland. She is the heir to her fathers title but after a failed romance and season in London she needs a change. She asks her parents to let her travel to America with her cousin who hopes to go into business with a friend in Pittsburg. It is 1835 and Pittsburgh is a new and growing city. Once there she meets Dr. Alec Galloway. He isn’t impressed with Charlotte when he meets her at a welcoming reception.

At first I thought this was going to be a predictable wrong first impression story. But the author brings in much more. Alec is a son of a blacksmith and had challenges becoming a doctor. He is still recovering from grief. And the medical challenges of the time add to the story. Charlotte is a woman with inner strength and makes her own moves towards the handsome man. The story brings in the history of her parents which can be read in the standalone novel, Heart in the Highlands (Aug 2021). There is Scottish history and the author gets correct the differences in title heredity between there and England. Also there are several mentions of prayer and God’s influence throughout the novel. All these things bring depth to the story.

Thank you to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

This book is everything I have come to expect from a book written by Heidi Kimball. It is well written with characters that are complex and interesting. It is hopeful, inspiring, romantic, and will bring many emotions to the surface. I love that the characters grow and mature in their own lives and in their relationships.

My favorite paragraph from this book is: "It can be tempting to look for love on the highest summits and on the edge of sweeping vistas. But know this, Charlotte, my darling; true love, lasting love, is forged in the deepest valleys and over the rockiest terrain. It is in the crevasses of uncertainty, on the steepest, most winding trails, that our hearts are bent, broken and reshaped into something capable of great love. And when we've proven ourselves capable of enduring such, the vistas come." It is from a letter written to Charlotte by her mother.

I would highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed this story of two people helping each other overcome past hurts. Charlotte is a titled Scotswoman and will inherit a dukedom, whereas Alec is a self-made man, starting out as a blacksmith, and is a practicing doctor when they meet. Their’s is a rough start, neither liking the other at first. But as Charlotte learns more of Alec and his humble beginnings and the pain and hurt he has endured, she begins to want to help him which blossoms into love. Charlotte came to America with her cousin, partly to escape her future for awhile, and she finds purpose in her stay in America by teaching a young girl to read and finds ways she can help the people under her care once she returns to Scotland. Alec has ignored social situations since the death of his wife and battles grief and guilt as his constant companions until Charlotte slowly begins to tear down his walls. Love's redemptive power is one of my favorite themes and this story does it beautifully! Thanks to NetGalley and Covenant Communication, I received a free ARC copy. These thoughts and opinions are my own.

Oh my goodness this was such a great story!!!
I loved it from start to finish!
A Not-So-Distant Love is about Charlotte, the daughter of the main characters of Heart In The Highlands.
This book can be read as a stand alone - and you probably wouldn't struggle too much, but I recommend that you read Heart In The Highlands by this author before A Not So Distant Love. There will be parts that make more sense if you do. They are not advertised as a series though. Both books are equally grand!
I loved Charlotte and Alec's characters. There were a lot of emotional moments.
Alec has several past issues that cause him a lot of pain - and he has created walls to protect himself.
Charlotte is just the lady to help dismantle those walls.
Excellent chemistry and attraction. Clean romance with a nice bit of kissing.
The book overall is very well written and flowed wonderfully.
Great supporting characters - I really loved Mr. and Mrs. Magann.
I am hoping that Iseabel will get a story as well!
I highly recommend this book!

Ok, if you haven't read Heart in the Highlands then I highly recommend you do so. This will be kind of spoilerish for that one if you don't. But at the same time you can read this one on its own. They're both lovely and heart melting books! In a good way! ;-)

Lady Charlotte is truly delightful. She kept me smiling throughout the book as more of her personality and characteristics were revealed. I loved her tenacity and strength, her compassion and trust. But I most especially loved her gentleness and tenderness. All of these and more showed her as a wonderful character! She's been dealt some heartache and struggles in her past but I loved watching her as more moments could have caused her to feel the same way, and yet she stood strong and knew herself that she was able to move past those things. She's very good at finding the root cause and gently supporting. That might seem confusing but when you read the book you'll understand.

I loved her adventurous spirit and following what her heart kept prompting her to do. All that was opened up to her eyes and bettering her understanding in her upcoming role was very sweet to watch.

Alec was a complicated character. More so in his history and waiting for it all to be unfolded and told to us readers. His reserved nature didn't hold him back from caring and protecting and championing and healing those around him. He was a very good advocate for finding healing for others. Unfortunately not so much for himself.

Amidst the heartache and sorrow of the story, there is plenty of joy and lightheartedness. Especially some scenes with a pig. Hahaha! You'll love watching for those and seeing what happens!

This story will tug at your heart strings. I found I had tears slowly trailing down my cheeks during a couple scenes. They were sad and yet they were beautiful. I love Heidi Kimball's way with words and portraying a great depth of understanding of human nature and love. This is one you won't want to miss.

Content: Clean. Some mild moments of peril and sickness. Nothing graphic. Some kisses but nothing further than kisses.

I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

An entertaining story of struggling through the past to face the future
Some distance is in miles, some in memories. This story follows the challenges faced by two people as they struggle to move forward from a handicapping past. The characters are well developed and sincere as they struggle to define their futures. Charlotte is a Scot and in line to be a duchess in her own rights, yet she is hesitant when she considers what faces her. With all the power and influence her position will provide her, she is struggling to determine where to place her focus, where she can be most impactful. That sense of inadequacy is only worsened when memory of her broken engagement comes to mind. With that state of mind, she heads to the United States for a short visit with her cousin in hopes of finding some clarity. One of the first people she meets is Dr. Alec Galloway, a man who has disengaged from any emotion around him as he struggles with the death of his wife. Yet there seems to be more that haunts him, especially given that the death occurred three years ago. Their first meeting is one of discomfort and disdain. The second meeting one of fighting. Yet both feel drawn to the other. But their pasts and their futures provide huge hurdles to anything other than a passing friendship. A touching story. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy. This is my review and all thoughts are my own.

Utterly captivating!! The emotions run so deep with this beautiful historical romance. Alec and Charlotte whats not to love about these two?! There is sparring, there is friendship and there is love. The journey for these two is absolutely heart wrenching! You will find yourself laughing, swooning and definitely crying! Ms. Kimball standing ovation for this wonderful story!

A Not Do Distant Love is a clean and sweet romance with a doctor, a pig and a future duchess. Leaving the only home she has known, Lady Charlotte Darrington travels from Scotland to America, leaving the past behind and going toward something new. In America, she meets Alec- a handsome doctor with a grumpy attitude- who immediately takes a disliking to her. As sparks fly, both verbally and romantically, the two argue their way through each encounter. As Charlotte learns more of Alec’s past, she refuses to just leave him alone and begins to break down the walls he erected around his heart. Will he allow himself to open up enough to love Charlotte as she deserves?

A Not-So-Distant Love is a very cute romance that left me feeling calm and joyful. It is very low angst, clean and has many references to God and Christianity. There were some parts that were slow, and the inner monologue could be repetitive, bringing this from a 5 star to a 4 star for me. Overall, a recommended read, especially if you are looking for a clean, sweet, low angst read.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the arc- all opinions are my own.

this is the second book in Heidi Kimballs series and it follows Charlotte who is the daughter of Callum and Katie from Heart in the Highlands. I adored Charlotte. She was quick witted and unafraid to be herself. Alec was harder for me to like but he is just a grump since his wife died 3 years ago and Charlotte helps him discover life again. I loved the pig scene! I laughed so hard!

#ANotSoDistantLove #NetGalley.

This is a sequel to Heart in the Highlands which is definitely a must read before starting this book.
Charlotte's heart was broken in London by someone she thought she could trust. When her cousin Tavish wants to go to America, Charlotte decides to go with him, hoping to find some healing for her heart. I loved this book so much, a tender story that tugged at my heart.

So, I started this book, and realized that I hadn't read or didn't remember the first in this series. I quickly read it, and then finished this one. I don't feel they have to be read in order, but it does help the background basics for Charlotte.

Charlotte is trying to find a direction for her life, trying to understand how to function under the weight of an upcoming title. She chooses to follow her cousin to America for a short visit to see and learn.

Alec is a broken man. He has lost so much in his life, he cannot see what is good around him.

Can this brassy Scottish woman and this American doctor work towards each other and find ways to make a difference in their lives and of those lives around him?

The characters are well developed, you feel as they go through trials and hardships. You root for them to make it through.

Now, we just need a few more stories in this series, Tavish, Isaebel, and maybe the twins!

Confession, I don't like Christian Fiction, and I was warned by the author in a post that she made that this would have Christian themes, so I was hesitant going into it. But I shouldn't have been worried, Heidi does an incredible job weaving in themes in a natural way that builds to the story and shows a different side of characters that we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Charlotte's life has been easy as a duchess to be, she's strong and opinionated and obviously not what a man is looking for. Enter Alec Galloway...in America, who instantly doesn't like her and argues with her at every chance he gets. Their arguments were believable but interwoven were moments of sweetness.

It's beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time. She does an incredible job tying in Charlotte's parents' story slowly revealing it over time in a way that I feel like I'm seeing their story again for the first time.

I smiled, I cried, and I will definitely be reading it again.