Once Upon a Highland Christmas

What a great Christmas story. Snow. Three castles. A fire. Handsome hero. Beautiful heroine. Mean girl trying to steal hero.

Oh how I love my Scottish-themed historical romances! I’ve somehow missed the second book in this magical series – and I bought it to add to my pile of reads during my ‘blog hiatus”.. a girl can dream right? But today I want to share about the third book, tied by setting and season and filed with the magic that is pervasive in Scotland. Lecia Cornwall brings us two families in their own versions of identity crises. Alanna McNabb is the sister of THE McNabb of Glenlorne, the Earl, a titled young woman with a mother who is bound and determined she ‘marry up’ into the English Society. She desperately wants to keep her Scots identity, and isn’t particularly pleased to be marrying to head off to England. Iain MacGillivray is a Scottish Laird of his own right, but a distant relative in England has died, and he has also inherited the English title of Earl of Purbrick, and ostensibly a fiancé, in the form of his very simpering, self-involved and snitty cousin Penelope. With a bit of unexpected magic spells practiced in the library by Iain’s younger sister Fiona and her cousin Elizabeth cooked up to see their “true loves”, a freak snowstorm blew up and set in motion several unexpected consequences. When Alanna is found at death’s door in the snow, miles from her home, Iain has no choice but to shelter in a small crofter’s cottage and try to thaw her out. An injury and the unusually snowy weather require Alanna to stay at Carigleith while she heals, delaying both her wedding and Iain’s begrudgingly offered proposal to Penelope. From the instant flash of magic that Fiona and Elizabeth experiment with, to Auld Annie the fey healer and overwhelming mother figure in the household, Cornwall imbues the story with a flavor that is uniquely felt in Scotland, a feeling that is as indescribable as it is palpable. Each character is blessed (or burdened) with personalities that bring them to life instantly. From the sweet and gentle Fiona to the protective and wonderful Annie, with Iain and Alana being wonderfully well-matched and solidly good hearted people, this is a story that will have you wanting to travel back to experience them for yourself. And perhaps to push Penelope into the loch – or off a chair, since the ‘outdoors’ is foreign to her. A lovely romance that takes the time to build complete characters and a solid sense of meant to be while creating imagery that brings Scotland to life, this is a not miss book for fans of historical romance, or those trying the genre for the first time. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via Edelweiss for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.