About the Book:
Series: Kinloch Series #1
Page Length: 310
Publication Date: Oct. 15, 2021
Publisher: Emlin Press
Synopsis: A fiery heroine, a Scottish god, a cabin, a castle, and enough heat to warm the coldest Scottish winter…
Highland Games is an unputdownable, enemies-to-lovers, romantic comedy, with sparkle and sizzle and a guaranteed happy ending. This sexy, witty, debut from Evie Alexander will have you laughing, swooning, and staying up way past your bedtime…
Perfect for fans of Sally Thorne, Talia Hibbert, Sophie Kinsella, and Helen Hoang. If you’re looking for a riotous romantic comedy with plenty of heat, then Highland Games is for you!
♥♥♥ Welcome to Kinloch, and the hottest winter Scotland’s ever seen. ♥♥♥
Zoe’s always played it safe, just as her parents wanted. But when her great-uncle dies and leaves her a ramshackle cabin in the Scottish Highlands, she decides it’s time to change her life.
Upping sticks seems like a good idea in her cosy flat in London, but the reality is very different. There’s no electricity or running water, the roof leaks and there’s no front door. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’s moved up in the depths of winter and her scorching hot neighbour wants her out.
Rory’s got a fifty thousand tonne problem. If he can’t make Kinloch castle profitable, he’s out of a job. He needs a clear head, but there’s someone living in the cabin he saw as his own and she’s turned his world upside down.
Rory needs Zoe out of Scotland, and out of his life. The trouble is, she has no intention of leaving.
Let the games begin…
Pre-order Link – https://amzn.to/3la37GY
Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58407362-highland-games
My Review:
Highland Games follows Zoe as she makes a huge change in her life and moves from the city to a secluded cabin in Scotland. When Zoe inherits a beloved cabin from her great uncle, she throws caution to the wind and decides to move there. Armed with all of her belongings and a lot of hope, Zoe is excited to be back at the place where she has such fond childhood memories. However, she didn’t expect the cabin to be so in need of repair. Nor did she expect a gorgeous neighbor to be so unwelcoming.
Rory is stunned when he finds Zoe living in the cabin he hoped to call his own, but he is sure he can get this city girl to return where she surely belongs. However, the more he gets to know her, the more uncertain Rory is that Zoe isn’t exactly where she should be.
Equally romantic and steamy, the enemies-to-lovers love story between Rory and Zoe is fantastic. I love their banter, and whether they’re fighting or loving or just being together, their chemistry is off the charts. These are two people who were not looking for love, yet they can’t help but be drawn to each other. Some of their interactions are laugh-out-loud funny, while others are quite touching, and others are downright sexy. It’s a heartwarming and witty and well-developed love story.
Rory’s story is really interesting, and I like that we learn so much about him and what led to his situation. He hasn’t had the best life, and he seems emotionally worn down at the start of the story. I love that Zoe helps him find happiness again and seems to give him a new outlook on life.
Zoe has such an effervescent personality, and her zest for life is infectious. A woman who has been very influenced by her parents, Zoe is finally doing something for herself, and I love that she doesn’t get daunted by all of the challenges that come her way. She is a problem solver, and her determination and resilience are admirable.
I also love the found family aspect of the story. This is one of my favorite tropes, and Zoe’s found family is wonderful. Kind and supportive and really funny, they welcome Zoe back into their lives as if she’s never been gone. These are the people Zoe knows she can always depend on, and I loved their roles in the story.
The setting is another part of the story that I loved. Zoe reflects a bit on the differences between her old life in the city and her new life in this small run-down cottage in the Scottish countryside. These two worlds couldn’t be more different. Though her house is in major need of repair, as is the castle she frequents with Rory, there is a vast openness and peacefulness of their town that juxtaposes the busy and loud city Zoe comes from. The author does a great job of creating a vivid picture of the town, and I can see why Zoe wants to live there.
Overall, I thought this was a fantastic contemporary romance and a wonderful start to what promises to be an excellent series. Rory and Zoe’s story continues in the next book, and I’m eager to see how their relationship progresses. Thanks so much to Rachel’s Random Resources and Evie Alexander for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The romance!!
- The setting.
- The found family.
Favorite Lines:
She looked like a firework mid explosion, every part of her shooting out, defying gravity and coherence.
Zoe had never seen such perfection before. He was made by mountains, forged by fire, washed by oceans and blessed by the gods.
She was as strong as acid, etching herself onto the steel plate of his heart, condemning him to a lifetime of printing out the same image, over and over again, a portrait of a woman of fire and light named Zoe.
About the Author:
Evie Alexander is the author of sexy romantic comedies with a very British sense of humour. She takes a method approach to her work, believing her capacity to repeatedly fail at life and love is what has given her such a rich supply of material for her writing.
Her interests include reading, eating, saving the world, and fantasising about people who only exist between the pages of her books. She lives in the West country with her family.
- Website: https://eviealexanderauthor.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eviealexanderauthor
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eviealexanderauthor/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Evie_author
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21611777.Evie_Alexander
- BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/evie-alexander
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/eviealexanderauthor/
Giveaway:
Win a signed copy of Highland Games, Shortbread and more… (Open to UK Only)
Prize is a signed copy of Highland Games, Exclusive postcard and bookmark, Personalised heart & Shortbread
*Terms and Conditions –UK entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/33c69494445/?
Wonderful review Julie. It sounds fun, but a bit too steamy for me.
Thanks, Carla!
First that cover and title won me over. Then I saw it was fans of Sally Thorne. Then I saw how much you loved it. I had to run and add it to the TBR before I even commented. LOL! This looks fantastic!
It’s so good! I loved the characters and the romance!