The Kinloch Series, Book 1
From the publisher:
Sparkling, sexy and utterly unputdownable – it’s the romantic comedy of the year!
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 steamy, 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…
This was my first Evie Alexander read and it was a good one. From the title, I assumed it was an historical Scottish romance but the cover gives it away. This is a contemporary romcom set in the Scottish Highlands of today, and that was interesting for sure.
Zoe is an amazing heroine; fierce and fun. She has great memories of the summer she spent with her uncle in his cabin in the Highlands, so when he leaves it to her after he passes away, she decides to quit her job, leave London and move in. Except her uncle hadn’t lived there for a few years before he died, and the place is a wreck. Luckily, her neighbor, the very hot Rory, is there to help. Sort of.
Turns out Rory thought he was getting the cottage and is pissed off that Zoe has moved in. He helpfully points out that the front door is broken, the roof leaks, and there is no electricity or water. But Zoe doesn’t care, she will fix the place up and make it her own. Rory has a few tricks up his sleeve to try and get rid of her, but Zoe is one tough cookie and manages to turn the tables on Rory more than once.
Giving up, Rory and Zoe form a friendship and he ends up helping her out quite a bit. And then they become something more – except Rory has some major secrets he hasn’t shared with Zoe that could cause their whole relationship to blow up. But no fear, they get their happily ever after but not until the fireworks have passed.
There were a couple of things that took me right out of the story, but this was the worst: Rory says, “I reckon.” Do they say that in the Highlands? In England where he went to school? Or is it just the southern/western thing that I thought it was. I poked around the internet a bit but never did get a satisfactory answer. But the thing is, I didn’t want to poke around the internet in the middle of the book, so that was annoying.
Aside from those little things, it was a good story with interesting characters in an unusual setting. There are some real laugh out loud moments, and lots of witty dialogue between Rory and Zoe, making this a fun read and a real romcom. Would love to see this as a movie!
11/2021 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
HIGHLAND GAMES by Evie Alexander. Emlin Press (October 5, 2021). ISBN: 978-1914473012. 310 pages.
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