This is my very first "Lady Emily Ashton" mystery by Tasha Alexander. It was phenomenal. It reminded me a lot of one of my favorite series, the Amelia Peabody books by Elizabeth Peters (the time period is similar, as is the dynamic relationship between husband and wife).

There are two stories playing out, when it's 1676 and the other in 1905. Both are compelling, and each often left me at a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter.

The audiobook narrator has a great voice, clear narration and inflections.

Isn't that book cover so elegant and enchanting? It's that craggy Highland landscape that really drew me in.

I hope to catch the next book when it comes out later this year!

Content: Contains some Illusions to mature topics.

I’ve read most of the books in this series and I’m impressed how the author is able to keep it fresh and has me wanting more even after 17 books in this series. Well done!

I'm a big fan of this series and this author and could not wait to dive into another one of Emily's adventures set in one of my favorite places. The story was nicely paced, the characters engaging and the plot clever and thoughtful, just as I had hoped. Recommended!

Scotland, dialect, murder, love, family, pride, witchcraft, guilt. Can you solve the puzzle?

This book is part of the Lady Emily series - In the Wild Scottish Islands but can be read alone.

There are two time periods simultaneously taking place in this story. One proceeds with the other to set up the events for the future. In the future, Colin Tergreaves and his wife, along with their three sons, live in Cairnfarn Castle. Suddenly, their gatekeeper, to whom Colin depends, is found murdered. He, Angus Sinclair, is a gruff older man and has made many enemies. So, who his killer is, we will have to wait and see. Meanwhile, Lady MacAllister, the wife of Laurd of Cairnfarn, becomes widowed in 1676 and, as tradition, is thrown out of the castle by her kin, along with her servant and friend, Tandy. They take residence in an old cottage and learn to live together on their own. Events take place that begin to scare the two women in fear of witchcraft. Who is doing this? Why? What will happen to them? Present day: What does Lady Emily discover? Does she solve this mystery? One hundred years in the future, Lady Emily is looking for a book on the witchcraft trial and the brutal death of Angus Sinclair to prove the facts from the events to save Lady MacAllister and friend, Tandy.

Narrator Bianca Amato presented the story with fantastic aptitude. She had fluctuating tonality drawing you into each event, changing appropriate dialects to fit with each character, and with rapid changeover during the character drama. Her character depiction was outstanding, along with her fluency, and steady, calm pace.she presented a relaxed ease in understanding the story due to her skill.

Overall, I enjoyed the dual time period blend incorporated. concurrently, as it created an exciting and extraordinary scenario. I loved endeavoring to decipher the puzzle from history in order to apply it to the present.

I recommend this book to all historical fiction, mystery, thriller, and all-time dimensional enthusiasts. It was a thrill ride!

I would like to thank: NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, and Tasha Alexander for providing a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

This is the 17th book (you read that right, 17!) in the Lady Emily Ashton Mystery series, but it is the first I've picked up.

In this new installment, we're transported to the wild Scottish highlands, for an ancient story of witchcraft that may hold the key to solving a murder centuries later. I enjoyed the split timeline, and the rate at which pieces of the story were dolled out to the reader. Of course, I can't go past a book set in Scotland either. It was cozy and mysterious, and an all-round enjoyable read.

The audiobook is narrated by Bianca Amato, and I quite enjoyed her performance. The audio comes in 9 hours, so it was a pretty quick listen.

I'm a big fan of the Lady Emily series and was really excited to see this story is set in Scotland. I wish there had been more "Scottish" stuff as it read like it could have been set anywhere. If It wasn't for the narration, I would have forgotten it was set in Scotland. I continue to dislike the secondary storylines that are happening in the series currently. They don't add much, if anything, to the main storyline and only serve to slow the pace of the book. I find myself skipping these parts entirely.

The narrator was excellent. Well-paced and was able to achieve a wonderful variety of accents and tones. I never got confused as to who was speaking.

This was my introduction to Lady Emily and I have to say that I’m quite taken with her and her colorful family. I very much enjoyed the murder mystery aspect. Tasha Alexander has a brilliant way of keeping the reader guessing and pondering until the mystery is solved. I’m looking forward to starting this series from book one now.

A Cold Highland Wind by Tasha Alexander is the newest installment in the Lady Emily series, and it may be my favorite to date!

Set in the Scottish highlands where Emily, Colin, and their boys are spending their holiday, the gamekeeper at Cairnfarn Castle is murdered down by the loch, and so Emily and Colin launch into an investigation, determined to solve his murder. What makes this story all the more interesting is that the murder may have connections to an old witch hunt that occurred in the late 1600s, when Lady MacAllister, the wife of the laird, was widowed and later accused of witchcraft.

The interweaving of these two stories was masterfully done, and the narration performed by Biana Amato was captivating. Her performance completely transported me to the wilds of Scotland, and it was easy to keep the different stories straight because of how seamlessly she switched between voices.

(I correctly guessed the identity of the murderer partway through, but that did not take away the enjoyment of watching Emily piece things together. There was still a lot I didn't figure out ahead of time.)

If you've been on the fence about starting the Lady Emily series, I'd say don't hesitate. Even though it's a series, they can be read out of order, as long as you don't mind minor spoilers. Each mystery is independent of the larger narrative. And I would *highly* recommend the audiobooks--not just of A Cold Highland Wind. Bianca takes over the narration of the series beginning with book six, and she does an INCREDIBLE job bringing the series to life with skilled consistency. The first five books are narrated by Justine Eyre, Kate Reading, and Charlotte Ann Dore. While these ladies delivered solid performances, Bianca IS Lady Emily.

This book was a bit slow to get started but once I got into it I was sold. I am now adding all the previous books in the series to my TBR. I love hearing about the Scottish Highlands and love me a good historical fiction mystery! This was my 1st book by Tasha Alexander but not my last!

Thank you @Minotaur_Books and @Netgalley for the #gifted ALC/ARC of A COLD HIGHLAND WIND!

I requested this book somehow not knowing that it was the 17th in a series but coming in cold was not a problem at all. A COLD HIGHLAND WIND is a delightful historical cozy mystery set in Scotland. The absolute best part of the audiobook is that I got to listen to a lovely Scottish accent narrate the book. I was in heaven!

There are two timelines in the book. The first is in 1905 Scotland as Lady Emily, her beloved husband Colin and their three boys visit a childhood friend Jeremy, Duke of Bainbridge at his Scottish estate, Cairnfarn Castle. The young boys are immediately swept up into Scottish mythology and the talk of faeries and kelpies are sprinkled throughout the scenes where the boys appear.
Their visit is, of course, marred by the discovery of Jeremey’s gamekeeper found murdered by the loch. Lady Emily and Colin are immediately on the case to find out who murdered Angus Sinclair.

The second timeline is in 1676 following Lady Rosalind MacAllister being ousted from Cairfarn Castle by her stepson and forced to live in the village with her Moorish slave Tansy. As Rosalind and Tansy attempt to settle into village life, rumors and fear of witches begin to spread.

I always find stories of witch hunts interesting but feel like the second timeline didn’t add much to the story. It would have been a wonderful mystery if it only stayed in the 1905 timeline. I found the characters in the 1905 timeline much more engaging and more dynamic, especially Jeremy’s elderly spinster aunts who called themselves The Greats. If I am even half as sassy as them in my 80s, I will be so pleased!

A COLD HIGHLAND WIND is out now!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5873143644
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CyBWoGdLSgP/

There is a current trend to do historical "parallel" timelines in books. And in some it works REALLY well. It leads you on an adventure that spans generations. That really doesn't happen here. There are two timelines, but they do not really relate until the very end, and then, not in a significant way. It was nearly as trivial as two random strangers happening to check out the same book from the library. So what?

That said, the primary timeline is a good "whodunit." It is well crafted and enjoyable. The characters are smart, but not contrived, and in the end, manage to solve the mystery.

The second timeline is, in a word, annoying. Tansie simply cannot let go of the bad things that happened in her life and seeks to blame everyone else for her troubles. Kidnapped and sold into slavery? Well, let's be pissed off at the person who gave you your freedom back because she only FREED you, but didn't give you a boat ticket back to wherever you originally came from. The sense of entitlement and constant haranguing about her victim-hood makes one - me at least - despise the character. Frankly, I wish she had been caught, convicted, and hanged so she would shut up about how the world owed her. THIS was a MAJOR turn-off in the book. I don't need "wokeness" from the 1600's. That she gets slapped in the face with the results of her allowing her victim status to rule her thinking doesn't help. By that time she is so irritating I just didn't care what happened to her anymore so long as she shut up.

I realize that sounds harsh, particularly when I really did enjoy the story. I simply did not enjoy that timeline at all. It did not contribute to the story in any meanigful way and served only to polarize the reader.

This installment in the Lady Emily mystery series finds Lady Emily and her family visiting her old friend in the highlands of Scotland as the return a crocodile that her sons borrowed for their Egyptian trip… when a surprise murder is discovered.

Lady Emily and her husband assist in the investigation at the murder of the new and mysterious games keeper - who ends up, not being what he seemed to be, creating a more tangled investigation!

All the while 200 years earlier at the same estate, a widowed lady McAllister, wife of the former chief, is put out of her home by her son-in-law, and left with only a handful of possessions in the company of her Moorish slave girl companion, Tansy as they navigate their new situation and whispers of witchcraft.

I love how Alexander creates is dual timeframe mysteries and interconnects their stories and histories!

I listen to the audiobook with narration from Bianca Amato and was impressed at how she delineated the two stories and created such a diverse characters in her reading. Her narration had a very atmospheric feel, which really helped transposed me to the highlands.

As the 18th book in the series, one may be hesitant to start at such a point. This is my second Lady Emily mystery and I don’t feel like I am missing a great history by not being caught up with the rest of the series- even though I do plan on reading them at a later date. Her mysteries or singular, and we can be picked up on their own at any time!

A Cold Highland Wind by Tasha Alexander is available now no formats.


Thanks to Minotaur books for my arc review copy, and Macmillan audio for my alc. Opinions are my own.

#AColdHighlandWindBook #TashaAlexander

As I’m going to write this review, I see that this is book #17 in the series.
Maybe that’s why I feel like I was LOST multiple times throughout this book? Maybe not. It’s the first one I’ve read by this author!

So Lady Emily and her husband Colin are taking their family on vacation to Scotland. Shortly after they arrive, and following a big celebration, a murder is revealed.
We spend a good part of the book trying to figure out who the killer is.
We also spend a reasonable amount of time trying to see who the murder victim actually was…because for all intents and purposes, he is a liar.
I did have a hard time going back and forth between the late 1600’s and 1905. For me the difference was not so easy to see.
But, the premise was good and he built up some great character within each of the figures.
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!
#TashaAlexander. # AColdHighlandWind

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MaxmillanAudiobooks for the ARC of the audiobook.

If you like my review, please feel free to “like” it and follow me for more reviews on Instagram at #BookReviews_with_emsr Thanks!

3.75

This is my 17th lady Emily novel, not including the Christmas and wedding novellas. I have both read and listened to the books, based on availability. The narrator, Bianca Amato, is the same as has done the narration for approximately the last 10 books. She is very good and this novel especially is enjoyable for all of the Scottish brogues. The previous first few novels had different narrators and, from what I heard of them, were not as overall convincing and pleasant to listen to.

I must say that I HATE the tragic interludes from the past in nearly all of the Lady Emily books! We always know that there is no hope and I hate it, as does my mother. Some of them had variations that we’re not totally unpleasant.

I also HATE spoilers but had wish I’d known that…

<spoiler> the story wasn’t as tragic as I thought, and they are not in fact burned at the stake.

</spoiler>

I listened to those chapters at either 1.5 or 1.75 where I could hear it, but it went by fast enough that I could somehow tolerate it. I really can’t imagine that many people like those and would strongly recommend easing up on them or some of the alternate stories.

It’s much more pleasant to listen to the “triplets“ or listen to Jeremy. The story is about the Hargroves visiting Jeremy‘s Scottish castle. It’s a little hard to understand because Jeremy spent his youth near Emily and spends a lot of his time in London. However, it seems that this is the location of his dukedom, I guess that’s because his father was not the Duke but his uncle did not have any sons. They make it sound like he spends a lot of time up there, but we know that, in addition to spending time with Emily and her family in the country and London, he has spent quite a bit of time across Europe. The idea of him in a kilt sounds as pleasing to me as he is pleased with himself.

The gist of the story is that a man who works for Jeremy as his gamekeeper is found dead the morning after a celebration. They then find that the man is not actually a former son of a farmer returned after years away, but an imposter. He also seems to be a bit of a ladies' man, though I never got the impression that he was very intriguing. I guess that’s small town for you! There are various townsfolk who keep the story moving such as the vicar and his wife, the local apothecary or witch or something, and the current doctor and the new doctor who is a woman.

As unlikely as it probably is that the three of the boys are so eloquent and intelligent at their age and even when they were much younger, it is very entertaining to hear them and especially the ridiculous story of Henry and the crocodile. Is this a miniature crocodile of some sort? It’s also funny to hear of the greats as they are called, Jeremy‘s great aunts who seem to live in an isolated old part of the castle and our major gossips and seem to drink quite a bit. I guess it is Scotland.

Overall, it’s a good Emily book, but I think it was ruined by the fear of listening to the intermittent flashback chapters and the fear of what was coming, based on how the story was laid out and especially all of the previous books using the same formula. If I had only known, maybe I would have enjoyed the book more.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for providing an unbiased review.

Lady Emily, her husband, Colin and their children are off on their family vacation to Cairfarn Castle. Not long after they arrive a body is discovered. It is the gameskeeper of the castle. He has been found murdered on the banks of the loch. But clues to his death go all the way back to the 1600s and the accused witch, Lady Macallister

I love anything set in Scotland. And this is a good read, just not the best. It just felt a bit disjointed in places. It flashes back to the 1600s and sometimes that is a bit confusing…NOW! This could have been me. It comes out in the end, but I just had issues with it during the book.

I did enjoy the history thrown into this tale…add in the hidden motives and all the secrets and you have a pretty good tale…Lots of intrigue and puzzles to decipher!

The narrator, Bianca Amato did a wonderful job, especially pronouncing Loch correctly! Kudos! (I practiced every time she said it…still can’t do it right!)

Need a unique mystery…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher, but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. A Cold Highland Wind is the latest title in the now long running Lady Emily series and readers likely would want to read earlier books in the series before reading this one. As with more recent books, the story is told in alternating chapters set in different eras - Lady Emily in the Edwardian era, and the "historical" one set during the later part of the 17th century in Scotland. Lady Emily, her husband, and her children have traveled to Scotland to visit her childhood friend, Jeremy, the Duke of Bainbridge. The morning after a local dance, Emily's children find the body of the estate game keeper dead leading Emily to investigate what happened. In the historical portion, it follows a young woman kidnapped from Tunis and sold as a slave who eventually makes her way to Scotland. Although freed by her mistress when she learned Tansy was enslaved, Tansy has no means or way to make it back to Tunis; she has thrown in her lot with her mistress, Rossalyn. After Rossalyn's husband dies, she and Tansy are forced to move into a small cottage in the nearby village. Times are dangerous as woman are still accused of witchcraft and if convicted, killed. The mystery in both portions are interesting, although I do wish there was more in the "current" day as I really wish we could see more of Emily's children as they are growing and developing their own unique personalities. Fans of the series will enjoy this title. The narration of this title is excellent and really enhanced my reading experience. This is one series that given the choice I prefer to experience in audio.

I’m so excited to be able to review this book. One of my favorite series next installments. I love how the author has a different place for each book. It’s like we are able travel within her stories and you get to learn about the area through her view. Scotland is one of my favorite countries. Highly recommend all of her books but I would read them in order to fully understand the characters.

A Cold Highland Wind is a mystery set in 1905, yet it beautifully intertwines with a story that happened in 1676. The author effortlessly causes the reader to travel through time, to two periods where women are the main characters. It is not lost on the reader, that both periods represent timeframes in which women were not thought to have intellect . Lady Emily supported by her husband settle in to solve a murder. In doing so, they discover that the victim Mr. Sinclair is not who he seems. The story takes many twists and turns to uncover the imposters true identity. Meanwhile in 1676, we've introduced to Tansy a brillant young woman who has endured kidnapping and slavery. Originally from Tunis, she has been brough to Scotland and endured brutal treatment at the hands of several masters. It is not until she is given to Rosalyn as a gift, that she is finally set free. Though Rosalyn frees her, she also attempts to kept her captive. Tansy writes home to her family, letting them know her plight and asking for assistancein returning home. Her letters go unanswered. It is not until much latter that Rosalyn informs her that she never mailed the letters. Selfishly Rosalyn wants Tansy's friendship and comraderie all to herself and fears being left alone.
Kudos to the author on character and plot development. There are some reocurring themes relating to love, friendship and trust. It is easy to understand how people believe what theyre told. How facts are manipulated to fit motives. There are perhaps no real witches in the tale. Just people bent on manipulation, driven by jealousy and those who are simply not understand.. The later are the victims, as they are unfairly branded. One of the most beautiful themes rests in the ability to have a second chance.
I highly reccommend this novel and would like to read more of Lady Emily's adventues.
#NetGalley

A Cold Highland Wind by Tasha Alexander
Narrator Bianca Amato
Lady Emily Mysteries Book. 17
I have been reading this series since the beginning but have missed a few here and there. This one was a little bit sad because of the ending with the murderer. The alternate storyline set in the earlier time period had a mostly good ending but it was a little nerve wracking getting there. I kept worrying about what would happen next.
This may have been a bit of a letdown for me because the previous book that was set in Egypt was so fabulous and this one just didn’t quite measure up to that one. Also, Jeremy was so down on himself in this book that it was a bit irritating. I do love that Lady Emily is an emancipated woman and her husband is a hottie.
Narration by Bianca Amato was excellent as always. She is a longstanding favorite of mine.

A fantastic who's don-it spanning 2 centuries.

Emily, Colin and Jeremy hit it out of the park as always. Engaging dialogue, a love affair gone wrong, runes and witches keeps this book an enthralling read.