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Highland Fling
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 resources, patience, and compassion to the outer limits.
As she gets to know the colorful Dalmain clan, Jenny just can't say no when asked to help run a mobile food stand, save the family business, put an overbearing matriarch in her place, rekindle an old romance, or throw a dinner party for sixteen on short notice. Then there's the problem of being attracted to the dashing yet abrasive Ross Grant, who has a way of showing up just when things seem almost sane and manageable.
The majestic Scottish highlands, covered in purple heather and dotted with sheep and llamas, provide a dramatic backdrop while Jenny tries to pull everything together in time to save the mill and figure out her increasingly complicated personal life, in this delightful romantic romp.
As she gets to know the colorful Dalmain clan, Jenny just can't say no when asked to help run a mobile food stand, save the family business, put an overbearing matriarch in her place, rekindle an old romance, or throw a dinner party for sixteen on short notice. Then there's the problem of being attracted to the dashing yet abrasive Ross Grant, who has a way of showing up just when things seem almost sane and manageable.
The majestic Scottish highlands, covered in purple heather and dotted with sheep and llamas, provide a dramatic backdrop while Jenny tries to pull everything together in time to save the mill and figure out her increasingly complicated personal life, in this delightful romantic romp.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2002
217 people are currently reading
1894 people want to read
About the author
Katie Fforde
100 books2,345 followersCatherine 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 Desmond Fforde, cousin of the also writer Jasper Fforde. She has three children: Guy, Francis and Briony and didn't start writing until after the birth of her third child. She has previously worked both as a cleaning lady and in a health food cafe.
Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England. She is the founder of the "Katie Fforde Bursary" for writers who have yet to secure a publishing contract. Katie was elected the twenty-fifteenth Chairman (2009-2011) of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is delighted to have been chosen as Chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association and says, "Catherine Jones was a wonderful chair and she's a very tough act to follow. However, I've been a member of the RNA for more years than I can actually remember and will have its very best interests at the core of everything I do."
Katie lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England with her husband, some of her three children and many pets. Recently her old hobbies of ironing and housework have given way to singing, Flamenco dancing and husky racing. She claims this keeps her fit. The writers she likes herself is also in the romantic genre, like Kate Saunders.
Published since 1995, her romance novels are set in modern-day England. She is the founder of the "Katie Fforde Bursary" for writers who have yet to secure a publishing contract. Katie was elected the twenty-fifteenth Chairman (2009-2011) of the Romantic Novelists' Association. She is delighted to have been chosen as Chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association and says, "Catherine Jones was a wonderful chair and she's a very tough act to follow. However, I've been a member of the RNA for more years than I can actually remember and will have its very best interests at the core of everything I do."
Katie lives in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England with her husband, some of her three children and many pets. Recently her old hobbies of ironing and housework have given way to singing, Flamenco dancing and husky racing. She claims this keeps her fit. The writers she likes herself is also in the romantic genre, like Kate Saunders.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 307 reviews
December 4, 2009
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 excuses as possible in order to believe that the guy actually hates her instead of loves her. This just gets annoying.
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 excuses as possible in order to believe that the guy actually hates her instead of loves her. This just gets annoying.
March 19, 2023
Fine, just fine.
A decent enough sunbed read which I'm sure will prove to be unmemorable but it was a nice zero concentration required easy read.
A decent enough sunbed read which I'm sure will prove to be unmemorable but it was a nice zero concentration required easy read.
February 27, 2010
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.
August 3, 2016
The thing with Katie Fforde is you know what you are getting - girl meet boy, girl hates boy but discovers they are somewhat disarming, girl realize she loves boy, boy feels the same.
Ok so it wasn't as well written as some of her others and a trite annoying at times…… but umm I generally pick up her books because for what ever reason my brain is fried and it needs light relief. I got exactly what I needed some whimsical fluff! Bless.
Ok so it wasn't as well written as some of her others and a trite annoying at times…… but umm I generally pick up her books because for what ever reason my brain is fried and it needs light relief. I got exactly what I needed some whimsical fluff! Bless.
August 7, 2019
A perfect lazy Sunday read.
April 27, 2021
Naar boven afgeronde 2.5. Heb betere boeken van haar gelezen.
December 6, 2012
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 she became whenever Ross was around, he really brought out the worst in her but they definitely had an exciting spark. Ross was one of those powerful male characters who didn’t say much, but didn’t need to because he was so confident and sexy. He had a mysterious side and I got the feeling that he was keeping something from Jenny.
I actually felt nervous when Jenny was meeting Lady Dalmain for the first time, her daughter-in-law called her ‘the matriarch’ so I envisioned a scary woman who took no prisoners. I was, in fact, fascinated by her traditional values and old-fashioned ways.
As the book progressed there were many hurdles to cross and it was all systems go, Jenny worked very hard but often found herself distracted by her love life and it was at those times she seemed to struggle to hold it all together. Personally I was hoping that the inevitable would happen and she would succumb to her feelings.
There were a few moments that were particularly enjoyable for me – Jenny’s first meeting with her virtual boss, a hectic dinner party, a tense business meeting and a snowy walk that ended up hotter than it should have been!
This was a cosy read with a lovely ending, a perfect snuggle on the sofa book.
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 she became whenever Ross was around, he really brought out the worst in her but they definitely had an exciting spark. Ross was one of those powerful male characters who didn’t say much, but didn’t need to because he was so confident and sexy. He had a mysterious side and I got the feeling that he was keeping something from Jenny.
I actually felt nervous when Jenny was meeting Lady Dalmain for the first time, her daughter-in-law called her ‘the matriarch’ so I envisioned a scary woman who took no prisoners. I was, in fact, fascinated by her traditional values and old-fashioned ways.
As the book progressed there were many hurdles to cross and it was all systems go, Jenny worked very hard but often found herself distracted by her love life and it was at those times she seemed to struggle to hold it all together. Personally I was hoping that the inevitable would happen and she would succumb to her feelings.
There were a few moments that were particularly enjoyable for me – Jenny’s first meeting with her virtual boss, a hectic dinner party, a tense business meeting and a snowy walk that ended up hotter than it should have been!
This was a cosy read with a lovely ending, a perfect snuggle on the sofa book.
April 9, 2010
Meh.... It was okay. I think I'm over the Fforde cousins (Katie and Jasper).
This book was just... blegh to me. I dunno. It was like that movie New in Town... Shockingly similar, actually... Except that this book took place in Scotland and wasn't as emotionally gripping... at all. And without most of the sexual tension.
I dunno—I just didn't believe that the main guy and girl would really go for each other. They were fighting the whole time, except they both found each other very attractive (because that's a solid base for a long-term, fulfilling relationship), and then all of a sudden they're in love and getting married? Say what? They went out like ONE TIME, and she was half asleep! What the dodgy?
It was mostly just silly. And you couldn't even SEE the kilts. :(
This book was just... blegh to me. I dunno. It was like that movie New in Town... Shockingly similar, actually... Except that this book took place in Scotland and wasn't as emotionally gripping... at all. And without most of the sexual tension.
I dunno—I just didn't believe that the main guy and girl would really go for each other. They were fighting the whole time, except they both found each other very attractive (because that's a solid base for a long-term, fulfilling relationship), and then all of a sudden they're in love and getting married? Say what? They went out like ONE TIME, and she was half asleep! What the dodgy?
It was mostly just silly. And you couldn't even SEE the kilts. :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2019
Jenny Porter is a virtual assistant. One of her clients sends her to Scotland to assess a textile mill which owes him a lot of money. Along the way Jenny meets cranky, entitled Scottish nobility, bad-tempered holiday-makers, troubled family members and the coldest house you can imagine.
This is classic Katie Fforde, sweet, slightly put-upon heroines, condescending boyfriends who are most definitely NOT the one, enigmatic heroes and a host of side characters each with their own story to tell. If I think about the plot carefully there are huge holes in it, way too many coincidences and a romance in which the protagonists fall in love with no provocation but I don't care, Katie Fforde novels to me are a form of escapism and I enjoy them. At least this time the hero's feelings for Jenny seemed clear to the reader, even if he did have a bad case of insta-lurve!
If you always dreamed of spending Christmas in a big old scottish house stuffed full of antiques with highland reels, kilts and more shortbread than you can shake a stick at then I'm sure you'll love it too.
This is classic Katie Fforde, sweet, slightly put-upon heroines, condescending boyfriends who are most definitely NOT the one, enigmatic heroes and a host of side characters each with their own story to tell. If I think about the plot carefully there are huge holes in it, way too many coincidences and a romance in which the protagonists fall in love with no provocation but I don't care, Katie Fforde novels to me are a form of escapism and I enjoy them. At least this time the hero's feelings for Jenny seemed clear to the reader, even if he did have a bad case of insta-lurve!
If you always dreamed of spending Christmas in a big old scottish house stuffed full of antiques with highland reels, kilts and more shortbread than you can shake a stick at then I'm sure you'll love it too.
September 21, 2009
A very, very simple book. It's like when you decide to watch a romantic comedy: you already know in the beginning how the story will end but still you are watching the movie cause it's just simple and feelgood. Nice when you are tired and don't want to think so much while reading. It is just an ordinary chick-flick.
August 28, 2007
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.
January 5, 2024
easy read romance but come onnn who proposes after knowing eachother for a few weeks !! also the main character was insufferable
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2018
Hoewel ik genoten heb van dit boek, vind ik het verhaal niet speciaal genoeg om het vier sterren te geven. Daarnaast had ik bij dit boek niet dat ik echt gegrepen werd door het verhaal, zodat ik wilde blijven lezen. Alleen op het eind moest het uit. Dat maakt dat dit een goed boek is voor doordeweeks, wanneer ik niet altijd veel tijd heb om te lezen. Nu kon ik gemakkelijk een of twee hoofdstukken lezen en het daarna weer wegleggen. Soms vond ik Jenny wat naïef overkomen, maar verder is het een leuk personage. Toen ik aan dit boek begon wist ik niet dat het deels rond kerst zou afspelen. Dat was leuk, want ik kwam er al een beetje door in de kerstsfeer. Ook is het nu buiten koud, dus ook in dat opzicht past het boek bij de tijd van het jaar.
April 26, 2020
Always loved Katie's books and this one didn't disappoint at all. Full of moving forward and going to beautiful Scotland and romance and new friendships.
Jenny isn't getting anywhere in life but gets offered a job to move to Scotland and save a failing textile mill. While she's there she comes across Ross and although he's abrasive she finds him attractive but then as they get friendly and get to know each other what will happen when henry arrives in Scotland hes her ex. Will she be sensible and gp back with him or stay which will be best.
Jenny isn't getting anywhere in life but gets offered a job to move to Scotland and save a failing textile mill. While she's there she comes across Ross and although he's abrasive she finds him attractive but then as they get friendly and get to know each other what will happen when henry arrives in Scotland hes her ex. Will she be sensible and gp back with him or stay which will be best.
September 20, 2020
Tre e 60
January 3, 2021
It had a good romance story, well conceived and developed and an interesting subplot.
January 5, 2026
Ik had Henry echt iets aangedaan. Wat een kwal.
December 27, 2022
I enjoyed this! I really sunk into the world.
December 28, 2024
A wholesome festive read 🎄
January 11, 2024
Jenny moet wel letterlijk een engel of ander bovenaards wezen zijn. Ze is vreselijk slecht in haar werk, onprofessioneel, heeft nul controle over haar emoties, scheldt klanten uit in allebei haar banen én gaat vreemd. Maar toch wil iedereen haar beste vriendin zijn of wordt verliefd op haar.
Het hele verhaal draait om het redden van de fabriek, wat lukt, maar hoe dat lukt is een mega plothole.
Het verhaal leest wél snel en de karakters zijn naast onrealistisch wel heel knus en gezellig.
Voor een paar hersenloze uren kan je best door de rest heenkijken.
En jazeker, zoals altijd bij Katie Fforde, ze trouwen aan het eind. Want waarom zou je elkaar uberhaupt eerst leren kennen?
Het hele verhaal draait om het redden van de fabriek, wat lukt, maar hoe dat lukt is een mega plothole.
Het verhaal leest wél snel en de karakters zijn naast onrealistisch wel heel knus en gezellig.
Voor een paar hersenloze uren kan je best door de rest heenkijken.
En jazeker, zoals altijd bij Katie Fforde, ze trouwen aan het eind. Want waarom zou je elkaar uberhaupt eerst leren kennen?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2021
I used to love KF’s books but I think her last few have been very lazy.
This one was awful. The story was poorly developed, the characters were one dimensional and for the first time I was bored. Most of the characters were simply unpleasant. Henry was such a caricature, it was impossible to believe Jenny would ever have gone out with him. Jenny herself was an idiot and simply unbelievable. Her behaviour towards Ross was so childish and aggressive - this is not how an employee would behave towards her boss. There were so many times I simply rolled my eyes and thought ‘really?’ She was unbelievably unpleasant towards Ross all the time. How anyone was supposed to believe they were in love was just impossible. Sorry but I can’t get over how unpleasant/unengaging/unsympathetic- most of the characters were.
I think the book was meant to be humorous but I didn’t find it remotely funny. Odd because KF is normally very good at that. Other reviewers have identified all the flaws and I concur with tie judgement. Such a disappointment.
This one was awful. The story was poorly developed, the characters were one dimensional and for the first time I was bored. Most of the characters were simply unpleasant. Henry was such a caricature, it was impossible to believe Jenny would ever have gone out with him. Jenny herself was an idiot and simply unbelievable. Her behaviour towards Ross was so childish and aggressive - this is not how an employee would behave towards her boss. There were so many times I simply rolled my eyes and thought ‘really?’ She was unbelievably unpleasant towards Ross all the time. How anyone was supposed to believe they were in love was just impossible. Sorry but I can’t get over how unpleasant/unengaging/unsympathetic- most of the characters were.
I think the book was meant to be humorous but I didn’t find it remotely funny. Odd because KF is normally very good at that. Other reviewers have identified all the flaws and I concur with tie judgement. Such a disappointment.
December 11, 2009
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 interesting characters and a satisfying plot. Jenny Porter is a virtual assistant who is sent to Scotland to check out the viability of a failing woollen mill by her employer, whom she has never met. Jenny becomes determined to save the mill and the jobs of all the people employed there and finds herself becoming attached to both the people and the place. She also finds herself becoming attached to the rugged Ross Grant and detached from her long time boyfriend Henry.
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 interesting characters and a satisfying plot. Jenny Porter is a virtual assistant who is sent to Scotland to check out the viability of a failing woollen mill by her employer, whom she has never met. Jenny becomes determined to save the mill and the jobs of all the people employed there and finds herself becoming attached to both the people and the place. She also finds herself becoming attached to the rugged Ross Grant and detached from her long time boyfriend Henry.
June 30, 2014
I did quite enjoy this Scottish tale of Katie Fforde. It was slightly spoilt for me in that I had already heard the story read on audio and so knew roughly what was going to happen. However, good, readable tale about a young girl, Jenny or Genevieve, helping to save a failing woollen mill from her virtual boss, Ross Grant-Dempsey, closing it down. Naturally being a Katie Fforde romance, in the course of helping the upper class Scottish family and their mill she falls in love with her virtual boss. They start off on opposing sides and through a series of spats and disagreements both with the mill and with the alternate love interest of Jenny's English boyfriend, Henry, who follows her to Scotland, finally achieve romantic bliss. Interesting take too on a landed Scottish gentry family, the Dalmains.
January 17, 2016
Great read with really interesting characters. You learn to love each character for their absolute uniqueness and interesting personalities. The main plot takes you for a ride while the subplots wind throughout the story making this a well rounded book. Fforde does a fabulous job creating believable characters that have flaws and flings. Throughout the book you find yourself rooting for the heroine as she works her fingers to the bone trying to save the mill that she is sent to basically close down for her boss. Little does she know but her sexy boss has followed her north to Scotland and is basically haunting her as she tries to trudge through life with truly hard to deal with people. As the romance/hate parade continues you begin to root for the attraction that is building between the heroine and the boss. This is a great fun read with lots of humor and sarcasm!
September 23, 2007
I just couldn't like this book. The character development was non existent and there were just too many things the reader had to swallow with no explanation. To compound the problem the heroine of the story seemed flighty and spent too much time worry about everything and when she wasn't worrying she was furious at the hero of the story. All in all it wasn't a fun book to read. Too much work to read through the mess to get to the last 3 pages so you can get to the "slap a happy ending on this story".
December 21, 2018
opnieuw een toppertje van katie fforde.
alhoewel al haar boeken op dezelfde manier zijn opgebouwd, is elk boek ook weer helemaal anders. ik hou er van :)
dit boek heb ik na 2 jaar nog eens herlezen. Een aantal dingen waren blijven hangen, maar een antal dingen waren helemaal weg. katie fforde is en blijft een toppertje, maar dit boek is 1 van haar mindere boeken vind ik.
vooral het einde lijkt wat snel afgewerkt te zijn
alhoewel al haar boeken op dezelfde manier zijn opgebouwd, is elk boek ook weer helemaal anders. ik hou er van :)
dit boek heb ik na 2 jaar nog eens herlezen. Een aantal dingen waren blijven hangen, maar een antal dingen waren helemaal weg. katie fforde is en blijft een toppertje, maar dit boek is 1 van haar mindere boeken vind ik.
vooral het einde lijkt wat snel afgewerkt te zijn
May 29, 2011
Katie Fforde is my most-loved writer among chick-lit writers and this book remains my favourite read of hers. Apart from amazing writing, bonus points for beautiful Scottish setting, memorable scenes and dialogues and an unforgettable hero (which you can day-dream and envy!)
If you have not read it yet, pick it up for Valentine's day! :)
If you have not read it yet, pick it up for Valentine's day! :)
March 6, 2009
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.
April 24, 2009
This was one of the first Katie Fforde books that I read. I found her by reading a thread about other authors I enjoy.
July 20, 2013
Apparently 5 arguments in a parking lot + 3 tiny sexual assaults = true love. Of course they get engaged after that. Ridiculous.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 307 reviews