Member Reviews
A short book that is the start of a series so the story is not fully wrapped up at the end. I enjoyed to story and will keep an eye out for the future one(s). Good character development t.
I enjoyed this light novella, reading it in two sittings. An American woman, Melissa, gets surprise divorce proceedings from her husband. Shortly thereafter, she learns she had inherited a house in the Scottish Highlands. Off she goes, meeting a handsome attorney in the airport. The plot predictably goes from there, but the story is told with intelligence and a few interesting twists.
As a novella, the book skimmed over several plot points and characterizations that probably would have taken a lot more space in a full novel. I had trouble picturing several of the key characters. Though better characterization was needed, the author made up for the succinct plotting by turning out a fun read that moved quickly.
This is the first in a series. There's potential in the plot twists, but I hope some more characterization develops in subsequent books.
Title: Highlands Christmas - Wishes Come True
Author: Amy Quick Parrish
Genre: Romance
Rating: 3 out of 5
Christmas wishes do come true.
Melissa MacKenzie is an American interior designer with a seemingly happy life — until her husband Dave reveals he's been cheating on her and wants a divorce and the house. But when a letter informs her that she will inherit a home in Scotland, things start looking up. At the airport she inadvertently meets Colin McGregor, a charming Scottish-American lawyer who happens to be her husband's divorce lawyer. She's taken by his sexy Scottish accent and charm and, as fate would have it, he's on Melissa's flight to Edinburgh ... and on her train to Inverness, and happens to live in the same town where she's inherited her home.
As sparks fly between Melissa and Colin, he agrees to help her secure the Scottish home that she believes she's entitled to. They dive right into Scottish culture — and each other's arms — as love and a new home seem within reach. Will they be able to succeed in both missions? Or will everything fall apart?
Highlands Christmas is a romantic and delightful story that will set hearts afire. In a fairy tale as captivating as the Loch Ness monster, Melissa and Colin must cross an ocean to end up right where they belong... because home is where the heart is.
This is a novella, so it’s a quick read. And I like the setting. Those are pretty much the only positives I can come up with. This was predictable. Melissa was naïve and clueless to a ridiculous extent—a relative you’ve never heard of dies and you just hop on a plane without determining if the “inheritance” you’ve been emailed about is legit? Really? She comes across as willfully gullible and without an ounce of common sense. Colin is too good to be true, as are the rest of the secondary characters. This just wasn’t a good fit for me. I’m all for HEAs and charming reads, but they have to be believable and well-drawn, which I didn’t find this to be.
Amy Quick Parrish is from Michigan. Highlands Christmas—Wishes Come True is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Flying Cactus in exchange for an honest review.)
(Blog link live 10/28.)
Highlands Christmas is Amy Quick Parrish’s latest novella that kicks off a new series. Melissa MacKenzie is a Christmas-loving interior designer that lives a happy life in the United States. On Thanksgiving, after the guests leave, her husband, Dave, admits that he wants a divorce because he’s having an affair with her brother’s ex-girlfriend. He tells her that she has a few days to remove her things from his house, and she should hire a lawyer. The reader is given no clues about their ages or how long they have been married, but they appear to be childless.
The next day Melissa makes an appointment with an attorney, for a date a few weeks later. Then she receives a letter from a Scottish real estate office informing her that a relative she has never met has died, and she’s the closest relative that they could locate. They ask for her banking information so they can send her the proceeds from the sale of the house. Melissa is thrilled and doesn’t recognize this for the phishing scheme that it is. She packs a suitcase and buys a plane ticket to Scotland; there is no mention of her packing up her personal belongings, contacting her interior design clients, or obtaining a visa.
At the airport Melissa receives a call from Dave’s attorney, who happens to be the gorgeous man standing in front of her in the coffee line. She then introduces herself to Dave’s attorney, Colin MacGregor, and discovers that he’s on her flight to Edinburgh to return to his family home for the holidays. Then they wind up taking the same train to Inverness, and he tells her that his family’s farm is in the same town as her inherited house. When she shows him the letter from the real estate office, he believes it’s a scam but offers to help her.
Melissa ignores the signs that the house is for sale and that the bank is in the process of taking it over. She hires a crew to make repairs and she redecorates it with her meager savings. While in town she makes a new friend, Lindsay, who happens to be Colin’s sister. Lindsay invites her to the family farm, and Melissa is enchanted with Colin’s dad, Alexander “Sandy”. Lindsay teaches her some Scottish phrases and introduces her to Scottish food and culture. Every time that Melissa sees Colin, she is in awe of his charm and goodness. He is careful to maintain his distance from her due to her pending divorce. At no time does Melissa seem to miss her estranged husband or mourn the end of her marriage.
Highlands Christmas is a sweet novella that contains no romantic scenes, profanity, or realism. The main characters seem to be more sketches than real people, as the reader barely knows anything about them. Melissa is impulsive but otherwise nice, whereas Colin is described as a perfect man. The story contains multiple descriptions of the Scottish countryside, food, and customs, so it is educational. This is a nice escapist read when you have two hours to fill and want something light. At the conclusion of the story, the author says that it will be continued.
I received an Advance Review Copy (ARC) from NetGalley and Flying Cactus for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!
I was hoping for a cure holiday romance but this book fell short, The book felt rushed and no true character development.
This was a super cute Novella. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.
Plot: As a novella of course it was rushed, but I felt like it was a good pace and story for being a short novel and being the first book! I cant wait to find out more of what happens between Melissa and Collin in the next book!!
Characters:
I thought the characters were likable.
It had the hallmark feel I always like going for in my romance Christmas novels.
Collin clearly has some secrets, wish we got. a little more in this book, hoping for more in the next.
I enjoyed Collin's family and Melissa's relationship with them - it was cute and felt authentic.
BONUS POINTS:
Absolutely loved this went heavy on the Scottish cultural traditions, and discussed the beauty of the landscapes and magic of Scotland.
Also, I felt like the book ended in an odd spot, when I finished I was like wait that is it?!
But I guess that will keep me coming back for book 2!!
A short novella introducing us to Melissa and Colin. Melissa is blindsided when her husband Dave announces that he wants a divorce just before Christmas. And, by the way you need to pack up and leave because the house is in my name. Then suddenly out of nowhere she is informed that she has inherited a property in Scotland. So as any self respecting modern woman would, at least the ones in novels, she packs her bags and heads off to Scotland from her hometown Boston. Whilst at the airport she meets Colin, who turns out to be her husbands divorce lawyer. Cue a lot of very Improbable coincidences and a light frothy tale emerges. I look for2ard to reading the follow up novel, which I hope is full length.
Tis the season for reading Amy Quick Parrish!
The author of bestselling YA novels, Highlands is her debut Christmas and what I am calling, the first gift of Christmas! This book immersed me into the life of Melissa who I instantly adored! As she receives her surprise inheritance, I was more than happy to accompany her on her trip to Scotland. You will smile with every page turned at her adventures and the people she meets. Even better? This book will be a series!
Bravo Amy! You have a new fan in me!!!
The title swept me into the story. I didn’t even bother to read the description. It was as if Amy Quick Parrish, knew I am a sucker for anything having to do with the Scottish Highlands. After entertaining their friends for thanksgiving, Melissa McKenzie’s husband announces he wants a divorce and he would be taking her house, he would also be leaving her alone tonight he would be shacking up with his new love, who just had dinner with us tonight, and they also are leaving to spend the holidays in the Bahamas. She would be hearing from his attorney, Colin MacGregor, quite soon so she better have one ready. She spent an unrestful evening alone thinking about what she shall do. Next day. She calls the only lawyer she knows. He’ says yes, of course, he will handle everything. She opens her mail to find a letter from Inverness,Scotland stating her long lost uncle had died and left her his house in Inverness, Scotland. She decides that was just what she needed, a completely new life to live as she pleased. She goes to the airport Hears the man in front of her in the coffee line who she understands is talking to her husband. She introduces herself. They happen to be on the same flight to Scotland. Small world. There is an accidental touch of their hands finding chemistry between them immediately but it is an unspoken romance that ensues. Of course family and friends must tell them that they can see the attraction is there before they do anything about it. Her free house was a scam. Colin MacGregor had to straighten everything out with the bank as it belonged to them. I was disappointed this was such a short book and wish the follow up was another part of this book. You just get curled up to really read and it ends. Very disappointed by that. But looking forward to reading their new year phase. Yes I will definitely recommend for a pre Christmas read. I also want to thank the following for allowing me to review early and to give my own, honest opinions : #NetGalley, #Amy Quick Parrish, #Highland Christmas, get your copy to read.
This was a very quick read and such a cute little story. This book was exactly what I expected it to be. I wanted a cute, lighthearted story taking place in the Scottish Highlands and that is precisely what the book delivered. The book was definitely fast-paced and I do feel there was some places where things could have been flushed out a bit more. The book opens with Melissa's husband asking for a divorce, seemingly out of the blue, and her discovering that he has been seeing someone else. I feel like this could have been given more explanation, especially when Melissa claims she babysat the other woman's kids thinking her husband was out of town when really he was probably with her. I also enjoyed how her love interest Colin was representing her soon to be ex-husband in the divorce, though, I do feel like there should have been more tension created because of this. Overall though it was a fun read and I look forward to seeing what happens with the house and whether Melissa will actually be able to live in Scotland since it didn't seem like she had a visa or path to citizenship.
Cute, loving, Christmas story with a happy ending! Melissa's husband tells her he wants a divorce and her house. She finds a letter in the mail saying she inherited a house in Scotland. Off she goes! At the airport, she realized her husband's lawyer in front of her. They end up traveling together and you can guess what happens from there! Sometimes things you don't expect to happen end up being wonderful!
This was such a beautiful and enjoyable read. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys this genre. Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was really hoping for a great Scottish Christmas story, the synopsis sold me but unfortunately this book did not live up to my expectations. Melissa’s husband tells her after a Thanksgiving dinner party that he’s been having an affair and wants a divorce. She gets notified that some long lost relative left her a house in the Scottish Highlands, so she just takes off and without any paperwork of ownership decides to renovate and then is confused several times throughout this very short story when a For Sale sign appears on the property. To top it off while traveling to Scotland she meets Colin, an attorney who just happens to be her husband’s divorce attorney on his way home to spend the holidays with his family. He befriends her and takes her to his home to meet his family. They form a friendship that becomes more, and she just found out the marriage she thought was perfect is over? Seriously?
This book was just a mess from start to finish; best thing about it was Colin’s father and his dogs.
I’m always drawn to anything Scottish or Christmas-related, so it’s like this book was made for me and I had to download it from Netgalley the minute I saw it. It’s a cute, quick, festive read with found family, a lovely setting, and a sprinkling of holiday magic.
That being said…as an avid romance reader, I understand you have to suspend believability sometimes, but there was too much expectation of that suspension here. Everything happened so quickly and so much of it was completely unrealistic. Melissa’s husband wants a divorce? Okay cool, no big deal, she’ll just take off to Scotland and occupy a house with no paperwork whatsoever and start renos without any documentation that she owns the house. What about her belongings back in Boston? What about her job? How can she afford all the renos? Also, you can’t just up and move to Scotland, you need proper paperwork for that too. I also feel like we were told everything rather than shown - this happened, then this happened, then this happened. How did Melissa feel about any of it? She didn’t seem remotely heartbroken about her divorce, she just accepted it and moved on. There was also very little build-up to her relationship with Colin and then suddenly BAM they were together...but it's only somewhat satisfying between the lack of buildup and the fact Colin still lives and works in America. Also, I know this was an ARC so I try not to judge too harshly, but it was riddled with mistakes (changes in tense, spelling and grammatical errors, etc,) which did take away some of my enjoyment.
Overall, this was a fun, escapist read. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for the next book in the series.
Very cozy and sweet short holiday story. Would definitely read the next one to see what happens with Melissa and Colin.
Cute story. It was a quick read. For me, a little more character development would have been appreciated. I did enjoy it.
HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS. - WISHES COME TRUE by Amy Quick Parrish
If you are looking for a romantic Xmas romance, HIGHLAND Christmas will locate you in the beautiful highlands of Scotland.
I loved this book. I felt so warm reading it. The characters are great. I enjoyed being in Scotland for a bit. I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.
I struggled with this book from word one. There is just too much going on with the characters and plot to enjoy what could have been a pleasant Christmas read.
This book has so much potential and I think it would have made a great full length novel. In novella form, the story felt rushed, and I found there were lots of things left unresolved. There were plot holes. There were also inconsistencies. Despite that, the book kept me engaged and invested in the characters. I read it in one sitting. It was really funny and also sweet.
I feel like this book just needs a good editor before it's published. It has great potential.