Between a Highlander and a Hard Place by Mary Wine & Ache For You by J.T Geissinger

BETWEEN A HIGHLANDER AND A HARD PLACE
by Mary Wine

Series: Highland Weddings #5
Genres: Historical

Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Publication Date: November 6th 2018

Source: ARC received for review

Rating: ★★★

Amazon 

Mary Wine's Highland Wedding series has been a consistently entertaining historical romance series for me. I've been enjoying these books, these characters, and the setting tremendously. I'm always eager to pick up a new book with these books. Between a Highlander and a Hard Place was one I certainly could not miss, especially with that stunning cover. While I enjoyed my time with this 5th book, I have to admit that the books are starting to all blend together for me as they all have a very similar premise. When a broken-hearted Athena is forced to flee her uncle's home to escape the scoundrel who pretended to be in love with her, she runs into the arms of a Highlander, Symon. Symon helps her by providing her safety from the wilds of Scotland. While both were instantly drawn to each other, Athena was adamant about wanting to give in to her attractions. As with the other heroines in this series, she was fiery and feisty. It took a lot of courage for her to run away from the safety of her home to Scotland and I admired that about her. Symon was also a good caring man who wanted the best for his people. He had lost his wife recently and was on the look-out for a wife. Though he was fiercely attracted to Athena, he never forced himself on her. He was constantly there to save her from dangerous situations. The romance between the two was great as usual. There was a lot of passion between the two that only seemed to grow as the book progressed. What I really enjoy about this series that there are secondary storylines that delve into clan politics and historical issues that keep the books engaging. All in all, while Between a Highlander and a Hard Place did not offer anything particularly fresh in terms of characterizations and romance, it was still an enjoyable story that I think fans of the series will enjoy.

Kilts, Cooking & Annoying Heroines

Hi everyone! 

How are your weeks going? Mine is going okay. I haven't been feeling some of the romance books I've been reading sadly, so I've been getting back into murder mysteries and crime thrillers instead. I found my old collection of Tess Gerritsen books, and some I actually never got around to reading, so now I'm reading her Rizzoli & Isles books from the beginning.

Before I got into the murder mystery phase, I did get a chance to read some romance books, and I thought I'd share some quick thoughts with you all today. First, I'm sharing my review for the lastest book in Mary Wine's highlander series, Highland Weddings. Though I enjoyed the book, it wasn't as enjoyable as some of the other books in the series. I also review a diverse foodie romance with East in Paradise, which was a sweet book, but I also struggled with the heroine quite a bit.

Take a deeper look at what I thought about them!

HIGHLAND FLAME by Mary Wine [★★★]

Received for review purposes. This does not affect my opinion of the book.

Some of you may have followed my reviews for the previous books in this series by Mary Wine on the other blog. If you don't know, I'm totally in love with this series. It's my first highlander series and Mary Wine has done nothing but impress me with the way she weaves together romance and politics. I'm always eager to read the next book in the series, so I jumped on Highland Flame with a lot of excitement. 

Right away though I could tell that Highland Flame wouldn't be as good for me as the previous books in the series. It's not a terrible book, but compared to the others, it falls behind a little bit. In Highland Flame, we're given Jane's story. She's a feisty, brave and sometimes reckless Englishwoman determined to return back home after her Scottish husband's passing. Jane is a great character, who shows a lot of strength and resilience throughout Highland Flame. Her scoundrel of her husband was even ready to prostitute her to settle his gambling credit, but she knows she's worth more than that and vehemently refuses. She remains true to herself throughout the book, and always bounces back whatever the obstacle she faces. 

She totally deserved a sweetheart like Diocail. I initially wasn't quite sure what to make of Diocail. He's just become the leader of his clan and desperately needs a wife to fix things around in their decrepit castle. I couldn't quite get a handle on his personality at first, but as the story progressed, we got to see the caring man underneath all that gruff exterior. He wants to do good for his clan, and his kindness and patience towards Jane were nothing short of swoony. Though I loved these two characters individually, I felt like a certain spark was missing in their relationship. I don't quite know exactly why that was, but I only know that I never felt as strongly for them as I did the previous couple. They enter into a marriage with Jane still hell-bent on going back to her home in England, but throughout the Highland Flame, they become familiar with each other and grow a bond. I'm just not convinced by their bond though. As always, Mary Wine writes excellent steamy scenes. Another aspect I liked here was the deeper exploration of what it's like to belong to a clan led by Highlanders. 

All in all, Highland Flame was certainly readable, and if you're a fan of this series, I definitely recommend checking it out.

Week in Review #6

Hi friends

How are all of you doing? I hope everyone had a good week. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, which is really sad and upsetting, but this was another week of violence, carnage and hatred. I would really love some tips as to how you all stay positive through perpetual news like this because I'm finding it difficult to deal with all the panic and anxiety that comes along every time something like this happens. I've been reading more and more to get my mind off things, but the relief is very short-lasting.

I read a lot of adult books this week because that's what I was in the mood for. Some were great, some not so great, but overall, I had a good reading week. Here is my recap: 

Favorite Romance Books of The Year So Far

Hi everyone! 

How are your weeks going so far? I've started taking part in Top Ten Tuesdays, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, because I'm a list-lover and also because I like to torture myself by narrowing down my lists to 10 books!

I'm excited about this week's Top Ten Tuesday, topic, Favorite Books of the Year So Far. I've mentioned this quite a bit on my other blog, but I've been seriously struggling with YA titles, so I've turned my attention to a lot more adult titles this year than any other year. I've had a lot of luck though and have discovered so many great authors and books. As always, I had a tough time narrowing to down to just 10, but I went with my favoritest of the favorites! Without further a do, here are my: