A Highlander in a Pickup

Hilarious, painful, emotional, romantic, this novel is all of that an more. Two characters couldn't be more different than Anna Maitland and Iain Connors and their initial interaction with Ozzie the Scottish black-faced sheep had me wiping the tears of laughter from my cheeks. Sent to Highland, Georgia to assist Anna in running the annual Highland Festival, Iain is standing in for his friend to make the event a success. Anna is determined to take control of matters, given that she has a point to prove and a reputation to build. Iain, on the other hand, has the experience and the skills to bring the plans for the festival together, but the feisty and energetic Anna is not giving him any quarter. The taciturn Highlander is more comfortable quoting Robbie Burns than voicing his own opinions, whereas sarcastic, quick-witted Anna is never at a loss for words. Despite her success as a business owner and a dancer, Anna nevertheless suffers from the years of exacting discipline imposed by her mother, and it takes very little to make her crumble in the face of disapproval. With his watchful sensitivity, Iain begins to get the measure of Anna and when he shows her his caring protectiveness, she feels her heart soften towards the man who could very well overshadow her. Through it all, the reader once again meets up with friends from Highland with all their quirky characteristics and I found myself rooting for Anna and Iain. However, Iain has made a promise to his father and being the honourable man that he is, he would rather turn his back on finding love than to break his word, leaving Anna devastated and angry. Although this book is part of a series, it is also a standalone and Anna and Iain's story comes to a really good conclusion. I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

You could certainly read this story standalone, but I would recommend reading A Highlander Walks into a Bar first. Anna Maitland is Izzy's best friend whom we met in the first book. Now that Izzy is on bed rest in Scotland waiting to have her baby Anna has agreed to run this year's Highlander festival and Izzy decides to send Anna a surprise in the shape of a hunky highlander in a kilt! Iain Connors has just gotten out of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and is expected to take over his father's position as the Cairndow groundskeeper but Iain wishes instead to see more of the world so instead he agrees to go to the States to help Izzy's friend run the Highlander festival. What he was not expecting was to be instantly smitten with the dance instructor.....to bad she doesn't want to give him the time of day. But little does he know that Anna is secretly lusting over him. As Anna and Iain spend more time together their attraction continues to grow, but Anna doesn't want to pursue anything so Iain just bides his time until these two control themselves! Just when Iain thinks he may have found the direction his life should be taking, a wrench gets thrown into the mix. It will take a lot of deep thinking by both Anna and Iain in order to finally find their happy ending. I really loved Iain! He was so sweet and sexy all wrapped up in a kilt! ;) I really loved him and Anna together!

It's Kilt vs. Tutu as the next Highland Festival gets underway! Anna, the local dance teacher, is tasked with organizing this year's Festival while her best friend, Izzy, recently married and now living in Scotland, is expecting her first baby any day now. She sends her husband's best friend, Iain, an authentic Highlander in every sense of the word, to help Anna pull together the annual festival. Iain needs a change of scenery before he commits to following his father's footsteps in Scotland, so he welcomes the chance to experience the Highlands through the eyes of the small town in Georgia. Learning to deal with the July heat and humidity isn't the worst of his problems, as he's consistently rebuffed by the infuriatingly gorgeous Anna, who is determined to show she doesn't need anyone's help with anything. This story was an absolute delight to read from start to finish. Iain is a swoon-worthy Highlander, to be sure, but he's also just a regular bloke who's trying to balance his duty and his happiness. Anna is the perfect Southern Belle, all steel and sweet tea in equal measures. Their flirtatious working relationship rang true throughout, and the gradual growth of their romantic connection was perfectly paced. My favorite part was the way the author infused the story with the poetry of Robert Burns. From providing words for Iain to express his feelings to the inspired new holiday event introduced in the epilogue, heartfelt tribute is paid to Scotland's national poet. After the charming HEA, we're treated to an intriguing introduction to the next book in this series. I was hooked right from the first book and loved this one even more. I highly recommend this series for all romance readers. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.