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Highland Fling

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 1,328 ratings · 87 reviews

After a fight with her boyfriend, a business trip to Scotland is the perfect diversion for Jenny Porter, who works as a virtual assistant for a financial executive. Dispatched to assess a failing textile mill, Jenny instead finds herself determined to save it at any cost after befriending its charming employees. That cost might just be her sanity as she stretches her resou...more

Hardcover, 326 pages

Published August 1st 2003 by St. Martin's Press (first published 2002)

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Apr 26, 2013 ..Mary.. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Avevo bisogno di un bel romance, siccome adoro la Scozia, quindi non potevo non tuffarmi in questo libro.
Ma vediamo la trama:
"Di mestiere Jenny Porter presta la propria opera professionale a gente che non incontra mai di persona. No, non fa il sicario, bensì l'"assistente virtuale", ed è tanto risoluta ed efficiente nel lavoro, quanto è una frana a gestire la sua vita privata. Per questo, quando un cliente le chiede di recarsi in Scozia per valutare la situazione economica di una fabbrica tess...more Avevo bisogno di un bel romance, siccome adoro la Scozia, quindi non potevo non tuffarmi in questo libro.
Ma vediamo la trama:
"Di mestiere Jenny Porter presta la propria opera professionale a gente che non incontra mai di persona. No, non fa il sicario, bensì l'"assistente virtuale", ed è tanto risoluta ed efficiente nel lavoro, quanto è una frana a gestire la sua vita privata. Per questo, quando un cliente le chiede di recarsi in Scozia per valutare la situazione economica di una fabbrica tessile in crisi, accetta volentieri l'incarico poiché le offre la scusa per allontanarsi per un po' dal pedante fidanzato e immergersi nella natura selvaggia e romantica delle Highlands. Ma il viaggio non si rivela la riposante gita tra pecore ed erica che lei si aspettava. Jenny infatti ha il vizio di accorrere in aiuto del prossimo, sia che si tratti di salvare l'impresa di famiglia dello stravagante clan dei Dalmain o di dare una mano in un chiosco di hamburger, improvvisarsi intermediario d'amore oppure preparare una cena per sedici col minimo preavviso. Così l'inverno scozzese di Jenny metterà a dura prova le sue risorse, la sua pazienza e la sua resistenza al freddo. E a movimentarlo ulteriormente arriverà l'incontro, o meglio lo scontro, con il ruvido e misterioso Ross."
Allora, è stata una bella lettura che mi ha tenuto compagnia, però avrei preferito un pò più di romance. Non voglio che si basi solo sulla parte romantica, però qui secondo me è stata messa un pò in secondo piano. Tutto il resto mi è piaciuto, soprattutto i problemi legati alla fabbrica tessile, e la bizzarra famiglia Dalmain.
Jenny è una forza della natura, vorrei essere un pò come lei. Tutto fare, e non ha paura di imbarcarsi in nuove sfide. Doveva solo descrivere nel dettaglio la situazione della fabbrica, invece il suo cuore gentile decide di aiutare, e salvare in tutti i modi dal fallimento, ed evitare il licenziamento di molte famiglie. Non si arrende davanti a nulla, e non ha paura di fare i lavori più umili, come occuparsi di un chiosco di hamburger, praticamente di un sconosciuta incinta, che diventerà un'ottima amica.
Per quanto riguarda il fidanzato di Jenny, Henry, io gli avrei dato un calcio nel sedere da molto tempo, insopportabile, sempre li ha bacchettare Jenny, "non parlare in quel modo", "non bere questo", "non andare li", stavo per prenderlo a schiaffi al posto della protagonista.
Ma andiamo alla stramba famiglia, il membro che mi è piaciuto di più è Iain, il figlio minore, nonché marito della proprietaria del chiosco. Philip il secondo genito, il primo maschio, non emerge molto, e quando emerge mi è sembrato un vigliacco. Felicity è la figlia maggiore, rimasta in casa, e diciamo è la serva della madre, in certi momenti mi è piaciuta, ma certe volte l'avrei strangolata, con certi commenti altezzosi. Però vivendo con una madre del genere, è logico che si prende qualcosa. Ma adesso parliamo della vipera, ovvero Lady Dalmain, io che mi lamento di mia madre, ma questa donna supera tutte. Lamentosa, altezzosa, spocchiosa, tratta Felicity e Iain come spazzatura, e invece innalza nel piedistallo Philip, e non ha vergogna di usare Jenny, che sarebbe un ospite in casa sua, come una serva.
Ross è un bel maschione, con Jenny fanno scintille, i loro battibecchi fanno morire. Peccato che viene lasciato da parte. Insieme al finale un pò troppo frettoloso, avrei preferito un epilogo, sono le uniche pecche che ho trovato!!

(less)

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Jul 14, 2012 Lucy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scotland, women-s-fiction, library-book

Jenny Porter is sent to Scotland to look into a failing woolen mill. She finds herself wanting to save it if she can, for the employees if not for the owner. She's woefully unprepared for Scottish early winter weather, especially when the place she's to stay in is an unheated mansion, with not very good food. She tries to help out whoever and however she can, being a very soft touch. She has a peculiar reaction to an obnoxious man she meets while helping out at a fast food stand: she hates him a...more

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Dec 10, 2009 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: brain-candy

I picked this book up because it was set in the Scottish Highlands. It was an enjoyable light read with a very realistic view of Scotland in winter. It was refreshing to read of cold, draughty stately homes and dismal weather rather than the rose tinted view of Scotland and its weather that writers often give us.

Unfortunately Katie Fforde's realism didn't extend to the romantic story line which was very 'Mills and Boon'-ish with an equally unbelievable soft-focus ending.

Still, there were interes...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoy Katie Fforde books so when I saw this in my local bookshop at a bargain price I couldn’t resist.

The pace was comfortable and I quickly fell into the storyline, not wanting to put the book down. Unfortunately this did take me rather a long time to read but it wasn’t at all because of the book – I had so much going on in my real life that I just didn’t have time to sit and read as much as usual .

Jenny was a sweet character who seemed unable to say no to people but I loved how feisty...more

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Apr 09, 2010 Sara ♥ rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, challenge-spring-2010, chick-lit, romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 11, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(You can also read this review here: http://threadsfans.blogspot.co.uk/201...)

Highland Fling by Katie Fforde is about a woman called Jenny (Genevieve's her full name) who has a job as a virtual assisitant. When her client asks her to go up to Scotland to check on a mill he's thinking of closing she ends up trying to save the mill and work at a road side cafe (the Homely Haggis). Then, to complicate things even further, her boyfriend (who she's "practically engaged to" but doesn't actually love a...more

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Aug 28, 2007 Shannon rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: anglophilia

Ughhh I gave up on this book and returned it without finishing it. Story has the same plot line as the author has done before, female character as a fish out of water, quirky characters and unexpected romance.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 01, 2011 Linda Day rated it 3 of 5 stars

Read on the recommend of my friend, Rosemary, I liked this quirky little story of romance in the snows of Scotland amid the closing of the town-dependent mill, the annoying family of the Lady Dalmain, the side adventures of The Homely Haggis et all.

I found Genevieve (Jenny) a little too abrasive with Ross (the threatening land-lord) for the romance that developed (did that spoil the surprise ? I think not !
I had that figured out by Ch. 2. another complaint I had).

I learned a lot about wool, fe...more

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Dec 04, 2009 Liesel rated it 2 of 5 stars

A little slower of a book than the others, but still a nice finish. A few things that I like about Katie Fforde:
When driving is involved, no drinking is done by the driver
Pregnancy is always a very real possibility after sex
The couples always get engaged by the end
The heroine always falls asleep in the presence of the hero and it's generally in a car on the way to a date. And the hero doesn't mind. I don't know why I like this, but I do.

Something I don't like:
The heroine always finds as many ex...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Amy Brown rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-from-mum, fiction

Jenny Porter is a virtual assistant sent on an uncharacteristic real-life job, to check out the state of a woolen mill in Scotland. She's happy to go, to get away from her overbearing snob of a boyfriend and prove to him that her VA business *is* a real job. Once there she finds a whole variety of problems to solve, but finds herself growing too attached to the people she meets to do the job she thinks she is there to do: declare the demise of the mill. There's also a dashing stranger who is mor...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Goddess Of Blah rated it 1 of 5 stars

The first time I read this - I loved it.

Recent;y read it again and I loathed it. The main protagonist are superb. But the remaining characters are just annoying!!

Those characters ruined the book for me. The whole "marrying beneath one's class" is so old. If it weren't for the remaining characters - I would give this book a 5 star rating.

If you wish to read a good Katie Fford book then there are plenty more to choose from. Stately Pursuits, Living Dangerously, Flora's Lot, Summer of Love, Artist...more

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Sep 17, 2010 Rosemary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Katie Fforde is a very light read, a total escape. I love that the books take place in England and Scotland and I have been to some of the places. This was a fun read. It was not all that believable. Jenny is a Virtual Assistant sent to find out about a failing Mill, she falls in love with Scotland and the people, and does everything she can to save the Mill. In the mean time meats and annoying bloke. The romance starts. I liked it as quick read. Not clean surprise surprise some language and one...more

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Feb 26, 2010 Wanderer ♔ Wanderlust ♔ rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, contemporary-romance

Jenny Porter, who recently started a new career as a virtual assistant, and her boyfriend Henry. A virtual assistant (as we are told over and over) is someone who does various tasks for clients that hire her over the internet. Her current assignment is to travel to Scotland to assess an old family-run mill recently purchased by her current client, M.R Grant-Dempsey. With Henry's disapproval of her new job we, the readers, are already made aware that Henry = ass therefore, Jenny should go to Scot...more

Jenny Porter, who recently started a new career as a virtual assistant, and her boyfriend Henry. A virtual assistant (as we are told over and over) is someone who does various tasks for clients that hire her over the internet. Her current assignment is to travel to Scotland to assess an old family-run mill recently purchased by her current client, M.R Grant-Dempsey. With Henry's disapproval of her new job we, the readers, are already made aware that Henry = ass therefore, Jenny should go to Scotland and hopefully find Mr. Not-An-Ass.

On the way to the mill Jenny meets a lady working a booth selling food and drinks who happens to be an in-law of the family who runs the mill (her husband is second son, Ian). She is also extremely pregnant and in need of a trip to the bathroom so asks Jenny to hold down the fort while she steps out. It is then that a customer, a Mr. Ross Grant, approaches and he and Jenny take an instant disliking for one another. That meeting alone was the beginning of the annoyance factor for me because the argument they had was ridiculous. It was just the beginning of a series of similar meetings that raised my own level of annoyance with each encounter.

At one point they even started cursing at each other. That actually caught me off guard until I listened further and realized yes, I agreed with Ross when he told Jenny to, "Shut the fuck up". Bad sign, right? Another issue I had with the book was how Jenny became the savior of all and solver of everything. Want to save the mill? Jenny's your gal. Have agoraphobia? Jenny can cure you. Planning a big dinner at the last minute? It's Super Jenny to the rescue! Seriously, no one can do that…….well, maybe Martha Stewart.

I didn't care for any of the secondary characters (except maybe a little for Ian and his wife) and I definitely didn't believe in the romance build-up between Jenny and Ross. Also, the mysterious client's identity wasn't such a mystery. I realized who he was from the start and I didn't even have to use my Matlock deductive skills (yes, my mom was a big fan of that show as well as Perry Mason, Murder She Wrote etc…which gave me my mad skills at Clue).

The main reason I pushed through this was that it was an audio book and the narrator, Julie Franklin, did a decent job differentiating the characters. Listening to audio version during work. I know what's going on but don't really have an invested interest in where the story is going or what the heroine is doing. Ultimately, I used the book as background noise while at work. I still got the gist of the story but I never felt a need to give it my complete attention. This was my first book by Katie Fforde and I'm afraid it didn't leave a very good impression. (less)

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Apr 21, 2013 Trish rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: embarrassing-but-true

Bad. Take my other review for "Going Dutch" and you've got this book wrapped up. I did like the setting and characters a bit more in this one. Crotchety old ladies do it for me, I guess.

Quirky yet amazing protagonist with a heart of gold has jerk boyfriend. Goes for job in beautiful country. Finds new love with flawed Byronic-Heathcliff prototype, only much less developed, love, blah blah blah. Jerk comes back into picture. I don't understand the point of setting up such a cliched scenario. Ter...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Kat A rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My friend Amy passed this one on, and I thought it was a decent, light read. Too harlequin romance for my liking, with the "explosions went off behind my eyes and my skin sizzled as we kissed" type mooning about, but the story was pretty good. I like the aristocratic Scottish setting, and the different characters. A good read, if you like romance novels.

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Feb 15, 2009 Tory rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 03, 2010 Virginia rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was my first Katie Fforde, and I will read more! Though the story was a bit predictable, I think some of it was on purpose. I liked the characters a lot, especially the colorful supporting cast. The heroine's propensity for cluelessness (something that usually drives me nuts) was easily pushed aside for the sake of the story.

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Oct 27, 2011 Lianna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Again this was ok and there were things I liked. But I just don't feel the main people we are supposed to be rooting on getting together, have had enough time to be in love. I don't feel the love and the ending just happens as soon as something happens. I want to actually see them together or feel how they feel.

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Mar 04, 2012 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I would have loved this book to last longer. A British woman in a less than stellar relationship heads to Scotland to close a company for her client and ends up trying to save it instead. Very quirky characters, somewhat predictable, but overall a really enjoyable read.

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Mar 06, 2009 Abbie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit

This was pretty bad even for chick-lit. It probably had one of the dumbest endings to a book that I have ever read. The overall story could maybe have been good but the writing was terrible. I don't recommend it and I don't think I'll be reading anything else from this author.

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May 15, 2013 Purvashree rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

its a easy read...beautifully written...its a very breezy read if i have to say...i loved it...as i am a fan of chick lit..n its definitely in the category...t characters in t plot are nicely written...
would like to really more from t author...

♥pooh♥

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Apr 27, 2012 Michele rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fluff

I liked this book, but not quite as much as her others...did they save the mill? Were they able to sell the exotic fabrics? Did Henry leave? Those weren't really important questions, but too many loose ends for me.

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Oct 29, 2012 Nicolette rated it 2 of 5 stars

If you're looking for a light chick-lit with all the frills and fluff then this is the book to read. There are a couple of spelling mistakes, which is why I didn't give it three stars.

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Nov 29, 2011 Anne-Marie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: secret-reading, scottish-raawr, hangin-on-my-bookshelves

Well, the story was not that good and we could all guess the forthcoming events. But it was in Highlands. So a winner for my heart. And a romance once in a while is not that bad... no?

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Mar 15, 2011 Jenni rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, romance

This book is so british, but so cosy and fresh. Jenny is really a fighter and doesn't back off things that easily. She got a happy ending and it was a good read. Really enjoyed it.

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Feb 24, 2011 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

A fairly formulaic plotline, but entertaining, and an easy read. Sometimes you want to be challenged by a book, sometimes you want to just curl up and enjoy your escape from reality!

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Oct 21, 2009 Mulva? rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was okay. I would have liked a little more relationship development. I can't stand when the guy and the girl are always fighting and somehow that turns into an intense relationship. Can't you have two people who actually get along sometimes???
With that said... I'll still give Fforde another read. I'm not THAT picky.

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May 10, 2012 princessP rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. At the beginning, I thought Jenny should slap a few people--I guess she's a little more mature than I am. LOL. However, she did get more spunky as the book progressed, and I really enjoyed reading it. Great book!

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May 13, 2012 Karyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book as I do most romance/chick lit books. It was a light read and I liked all the people characterized. I just feel the ending could have been expanded upon

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Jun 02, 2012 Obisbooks rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Chick lit, not not too bad in the beginning but the character became very annoying and I only finished to be sure she ended up with the guy we knew she was supposed to and how the proposal would go.

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About Katie Fforde

Catherine Rose Gordon-Cumming was born 27 September 1952 in England, UK, the daughter of Shirley Barbara Laub and Michael Willoughby Gordon-Cumming. Her grandfather was Sir William Gordon-Cumming. Her sister is fellow writer Jane Gordon-Cumming. Katie married with Desmond Fforde, cousin of the also writer Jasper Fforde. She had three children: Guy, Francis and Briony and didn't start writing befor...more

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