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Highland Turmoil
She'd made an enemy of the wrong man!
Sarah was caught snooping on Brett McCabe's property. The powerful Canadian developer had purchased historic Strathbiggin Castle and had plans for the area that would change the face of her beloved Highland home forever.
He wasn't going to let her off scot-free. He demanded that Sarah, as a reporter for the local paper, give him good press, and despite her loathing for him, she had little choice.
But it wasn't long before her loathing began to turn to something quite different -- and equally intense...
Sarah was caught snooping on Brett McCabe's property. The powerful Canadian developer had purchased historic Strathbiggin Castle and had plans for the area that would change the face of her beloved Highland home forever.
He wasn't going to let her off scot-free. He demanded that Sarah, as a reporter for the local paper, give him good press, and despite her loathing for him, she had little choice.
But it wasn't long before her loathing began to turn to something quite different -- and equally intense...
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 20, 2016
Re Highland Turmoil - We start this one with a redheaded h who can't resist poking into various things in her little Scottish town. She is a junior reporter for the local small paper, so curiosity isn't really a downfall. Until she gets really curious about an open window at the construction office of the local Scottish Heritage Castle while walking her dog and decides to pop in and take a look.
This curiosity is driven by the knowledge than an unknown Canadian has recently purchased the vast estate and plans on turning it into leisure center. The h has a big grudge against big local landowners who use and abuse the local population. In her experience anything that is sponsored by moneyed locals means that the only one to profit will be them.
This comes from personal experience. The h's mum died at 10 and her father even earlier, her kindly uncle took her in. They lived quite happily in his tied cottage to the local estate, he tended the sheep and was promised by the big landowner family that he would have the occupancy of the cottage for life. Then he retired after 50 years of service and they kicked him out, with no pension. If his sister hadn't left him some money and a cottage when she passed, her beloved uncle would be destitute. Since her uncle sacrificed a lot to pay her way through uni, the h has boundless love and gratitude for him and hates the big landy's who treated him so callously.
So when she sees the open window, she just can't resist poking around. The h is very afraid that the refurbishment of the castle and resulting holiday center is going to be some plasticine tourist trap , filled with foreign workers who take up all the jobs and grungy tourists who will disrupt the placidity of her little town. She climbs right in to have a look around, she isn't sure what exactly she is looking for, but a reporter's curiosity is never ending. Except someone comes in while she is having a bit of a poke about, and it appears to be a large male someone. The h panics and in her panic, she hits the unknown male with a lamp and runs away.
The h makes it home and thinks she has escaped. Unfortunately, she was caught on tape and she soon discovers (in 1989 no less!) that the world is watching everywhere. Or in this case one very angry Canadian leisure center builder. The h gets sent to do an interview and is greeted with the scintillating footage of herself crawling thru the window. Thankfully, the h only managed a glancing blow with the lamp, but the town's newest big landowner isn't very happy. Fortunately the h can write compelling stories in favor of the new enterprise, sorta like a tame pet news reporter, and the new owner will not show anyone the tape or press charges.
The h is now in a bit a conundrum, cause she has been circulating a petition to stop the reconstruction. But she also really loves her uncle, and the clear evidence of mischief will get her fired and completely shame the elderly man. She has to comply with the new owner's request. Of course this means she has to spend a lot of time with him, and things aren't getting better cause the sight of the very handsome Canadian in his casual leather jerkin is tying her stomach in knots - or maybe that is just a sour stomach from being blackmailed. The h has a lot mopey moments about that.
Then the H and uncle meet each other out wandering around and the H is invited over for dinner. The h isn't too thrilled with having the foreign scalawag at the dinner table, but she pulls out all the stops and cooks a feast and then dresses to impress. We know she means business and that she is a serious person cause she pours on her favorite perfume - Chanel's Coco. (Considering vintage 80's Coco and how many times she sprayed it on, I am surprised that anyone could even taste the dinner - it is a spicy Oriental scent with a hint of rose and it usually announced itself well before the wearer got anywhere near. )
Needless to say the perfume and the slinky blue dress with her red hair knocks the H sideways, (or maybe it was just a lack of oxygen,) and the passionate kissing moments begin. The h and H actually manage some civility, until he kisses her and she sends him off to go seduce the other big village landowner's daughter - that woman is a bit wanton and probably more easily seduced than the h. Plus, the h still believes these big landowners stick together, and judging by how friendly and hospitable the old established family was to the H when first arrived, they will waste no time in conspiring to suppress the locals together.
The h is still assigned as the local news liaison for the H and his project, so they wind up going up the mountains and get stranded in a big snowstorm. An almost passionate lurve moment happens, but the H backs off and then ignores the h for a while. The h is angry and frustrated, but she is starting to change her mind about the new project - or maybe she is just falling in love. Either way it won't do her any good, the H is clearly making inroads on the daughter of the other big house, she and the H are making a bit of a public coupledom when the H is spied wining and dining her.
The h is having big mopey moments, as she has determined it is really love, tho she has come around to the leisure center idear too - the H's design for it won a really prestigious international award and a lot of the locals are getting good jobs and are happy that their kids have career opportunities now and so they won't leave for bigger areas.
Then a fire happens at the old landowner's estate and the man who evicted the h's uncle is claiming it was arson - the h is horrified, cause who wants an arsonist running around? But she is even more horrified when the landed OW claims that she and the H are getting along so well and there are threats against his new project too - there is even a local family who is all too easy to blame.
The H stops ignoring the h long enough to try and bribe her with pricey sherry and ask about the supposed saboteur local family. The h angrily denies that they would do anything like that and her opinion of the H takes a nosedive - so she smashes his pricey sherry and he reacts with a punishing kiss. They both part ways with the h shouting that the H should stick to his own kind and leave poor peasant reporter girls alone.
To the h's despair, even poor peasant girls are invited to the big landowner dance and she doesn't want to go. The H will be the guest of honor and since it is at the landed OW's house, she knows she is going to have to see the H and OW together. Nevertheless, she puts on her second best outfit, wards herself with several spritz's of Coco and off to the dance we go. She hides at the table most of the night, but the H asks her for a dance and she melts.
All is forgiven when the H touches her, she just can't help the limpid liquidity she feels in his arms. The feeling disappears when the H is summoned cause his estate is on fire. The h jumps into reporter mode and we all head out to the fire. The h is now really concerned, cause she saw one of the members of the supposed saboteur family riding his bike away from the H's place earlier.
The outbuildings burn and the h finds the H alone and sad and ready to give up. She convinces the H that he needs to rebuild and the H agrees because she wants it and he loves her. They have a magic glorious night of passion and the h is finally a woman now and her world is complete. Except when she wakes up, the H has gone off with the OW. The h goes home, blaming herself for sending the H to the OW originally and decides to pout in the bathtub.
She is in the suds and mopey when the H barges in and drags her out. Turns out the arsonist was the old landowner and the OW knew all about it. The old landowner was massively in debt and resented the H for usurping his traditional role. So he fired up an unused wing of his own house for the insurance and then sent his men to burn the H out - in real old skool Scottish Highland style. But the family he accused originally kept a sharp eye out and reported everything to the police. So the old landowner gets sent to prison, the OW flees the country and the H and h get married cause they are in love and the H destroyed the h's little video a long time ago.
We get a nice little epilogue where the h runs the H's conglomerate monthly magazine, writing whatever she wants to about the H and they split their time between Scotland and Canada - they have a cute little son and plans for more made with love for the big HEA.
This one was okay, the H was a bit enigmatic and there was no real OW threat - the H never kissed her or anything. She imposed himself on his dining out experience and most of the threat was in the h's imagination. The whole arson mystery was pretty much telegraphed five chapters away from the reveal, but it added a bit of fillip and kept the pace moving. All in all this one is readable, and the HEA believable - making it a nice little jaunt in HPlandia if you come across it.
This curiosity is driven by the knowledge than an unknown Canadian has recently purchased the vast estate and plans on turning it into leisure center. The h has a big grudge against big local landowners who use and abuse the local population. In her experience anything that is sponsored by moneyed locals means that the only one to profit will be them.
This comes from personal experience. The h's mum died at 10 and her father even earlier, her kindly uncle took her in. They lived quite happily in his tied cottage to the local estate, he tended the sheep and was promised by the big landowner family that he would have the occupancy of the cottage for life. Then he retired after 50 years of service and they kicked him out, with no pension. If his sister hadn't left him some money and a cottage when she passed, her beloved uncle would be destitute. Since her uncle sacrificed a lot to pay her way through uni, the h has boundless love and gratitude for him and hates the big landy's who treated him so callously.
So when she sees the open window, she just can't resist poking around. The h is very afraid that the refurbishment of the castle and resulting holiday center is going to be some plasticine tourist trap , filled with foreign workers who take up all the jobs and grungy tourists who will disrupt the placidity of her little town. She climbs right in to have a look around, she isn't sure what exactly she is looking for, but a reporter's curiosity is never ending. Except someone comes in while she is having a bit of a poke about, and it appears to be a large male someone. The h panics and in her panic, she hits the unknown male with a lamp and runs away.
The h makes it home and thinks she has escaped. Unfortunately, she was caught on tape and she soon discovers (in 1989 no less!) that the world is watching everywhere. Or in this case one very angry Canadian leisure center builder. The h gets sent to do an interview and is greeted with the scintillating footage of herself crawling thru the window. Thankfully, the h only managed a glancing blow with the lamp, but the town's newest big landowner isn't very happy. Fortunately the h can write compelling stories in favor of the new enterprise, sorta like a tame pet news reporter, and the new owner will not show anyone the tape or press charges.
The h is now in a bit a conundrum, cause she has been circulating a petition to stop the reconstruction. But she also really loves her uncle, and the clear evidence of mischief will get her fired and completely shame the elderly man. She has to comply with the new owner's request. Of course this means she has to spend a lot of time with him, and things aren't getting better cause the sight of the very handsome Canadian in his casual leather jerkin is tying her stomach in knots - or maybe that is just a sour stomach from being blackmailed. The h has a lot mopey moments about that.
Then the H and uncle meet each other out wandering around and the H is invited over for dinner. The h isn't too thrilled with having the foreign scalawag at the dinner table, but she pulls out all the stops and cooks a feast and then dresses to impress. We know she means business and that she is a serious person cause she pours on her favorite perfume - Chanel's Coco. (Considering vintage 80's Coco and how many times she sprayed it on, I am surprised that anyone could even taste the dinner - it is a spicy Oriental scent with a hint of rose and it usually announced itself well before the wearer got anywhere near. )
Needless to say the perfume and the slinky blue dress with her red hair knocks the H sideways, (or maybe it was just a lack of oxygen,) and the passionate kissing moments begin. The h and H actually manage some civility, until he kisses her and she sends him off to go seduce the other big village landowner's daughter - that woman is a bit wanton and probably more easily seduced than the h. Plus, the h still believes these big landowners stick together, and judging by how friendly and hospitable the old established family was to the H when first arrived, they will waste no time in conspiring to suppress the locals together.
The h is still assigned as the local news liaison for the H and his project, so they wind up going up the mountains and get stranded in a big snowstorm. An almost passionate lurve moment happens, but the H backs off and then ignores the h for a while. The h is angry and frustrated, but she is starting to change her mind about the new project - or maybe she is just falling in love. Either way it won't do her any good, the H is clearly making inroads on the daughter of the other big house, she and the H are making a bit of a public coupledom when the H is spied wining and dining her.
The h is having big mopey moments, as she has determined it is really love, tho she has come around to the leisure center idear too - the H's design for it won a really prestigious international award and a lot of the locals are getting good jobs and are happy that their kids have career opportunities now and so they won't leave for bigger areas.
Then a fire happens at the old landowner's estate and the man who evicted the h's uncle is claiming it was arson - the h is horrified, cause who wants an arsonist running around? But she is even more horrified when the landed OW claims that she and the H are getting along so well and there are threats against his new project too - there is even a local family who is all too easy to blame.
The H stops ignoring the h long enough to try and bribe her with pricey sherry and ask about the supposed saboteur local family. The h angrily denies that they would do anything like that and her opinion of the H takes a nosedive - so she smashes his pricey sherry and he reacts with a punishing kiss. They both part ways with the h shouting that the H should stick to his own kind and leave poor peasant reporter girls alone.
To the h's despair, even poor peasant girls are invited to the big landowner dance and she doesn't want to go. The H will be the guest of honor and since it is at the landed OW's house, she knows she is going to have to see the H and OW together. Nevertheless, she puts on her second best outfit, wards herself with several spritz's of Coco and off to the dance we go. She hides at the table most of the night, but the H asks her for a dance and she melts.
All is forgiven when the H touches her, she just can't help the limpid liquidity she feels in his arms. The feeling disappears when the H is summoned cause his estate is on fire. The h jumps into reporter mode and we all head out to the fire. The h is now really concerned, cause she saw one of the members of the supposed saboteur family riding his bike away from the H's place earlier.
The outbuildings burn and the h finds the H alone and sad and ready to give up. She convinces the H that he needs to rebuild and the H agrees because she wants it and he loves her. They have a magic glorious night of passion and the h is finally a woman now and her world is complete. Except when she wakes up, the H has gone off with the OW. The h goes home, blaming herself for sending the H to the OW originally and decides to pout in the bathtub.
She is in the suds and mopey when the H barges in and drags her out. Turns out the arsonist was the old landowner and the OW knew all about it. The old landowner was massively in debt and resented the H for usurping his traditional role. So he fired up an unused wing of his own house for the insurance and then sent his men to burn the H out - in real old skool Scottish Highland style. But the family he accused originally kept a sharp eye out and reported everything to the police. So the old landowner gets sent to prison, the OW flees the country and the H and h get married cause they are in love and the H destroyed the h's little video a long time ago.
We get a nice little epilogue where the h runs the H's conglomerate monthly magazine, writing whatever she wants to about the H and they split their time between Scotland and Canada - they have a cute little son and plans for more made with love for the big HEA.
This one was okay, the H was a bit enigmatic and there was no real OW threat - the H never kissed her or anything. She imposed himself on his dining out experience and most of the threat was in the h's imagination. The whole arson mystery was pretty much telegraphed five chapters away from the reveal, but it added a bit of fillip and kept the pace moving. All in all this one is readable, and the HEA believable - making it a nice little jaunt in HPlandia if you come across it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2020
She'd made an enemy of the wrong man!
Sarah was caught snooping on Brett McCabe's property. The powerful Canadian developer had purchased historic Strathbiggin Castle and had plans for the area that would change the face of her beloved Highland home forever.
He wasn't going to let her off scot-free. He demanded that Sarah, as a reporter for the local paper, give him good press, and despite her loathing for him, she had little choice.
But it wasn't long before her loathing began to turn to something quite different -- and equally intense
Sarah was caught snooping on Brett McCabe's property. The powerful Canadian developer had purchased historic Strathbiggin Castle and had plans for the area that would change the face of her beloved Highland home forever.
He wasn't going to let her off scot-free. He demanded that Sarah, as a reporter for the local paper, give him good press, and despite her loathing for him, she had little choice.
But it wasn't long before her loathing began to turn to something quite different -- and equally intense
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews