TL;DR: This book doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously and neither did I, so therefore, neither should you! It’s simply a good, silly, fun and sexy time. If you go into this expecting the plot to be serious and the characters to be anything more than one-dimensional, you’re bound to be disappointed and you might as well skip it. BUT if you want a quick and mostly painless (though not for the characters) romance to pass the time and aren’t averse to general ridiculousness, multiple concussions and orgasms, then why not give it a go?

This is set in the Scottish Highlands although the author doesn’t put much attention to detailing the time period or location. For me personally, I wasn’t bothered by the lack of setting and context because it doesn’t necessarily play a big role in the story itself. Despite the frequent concussions suffered by both our MCs, this is a pretty low-key and low-angst romance. That said, the plot does get fairly outrageous and Annabel does make some stupid decisions, but save for one sad victim, no one dies or gets fatally injured. Annabel and Ross are easy characters to like. Annabel does read quite young at times and I think that stems from her naiveté as a result of being raised in a nunnery. She has a curious personality and views most things with a child-like awe, but she’s kind-hearted and unlike the rest of her family, doesn’t treat people like trash. Despite her fears and self-doubts, she grows into the role of lady of the castle quite well—even when she spends 90% of the book mending a trunk full of dresses that never get used despite being short on clothing that can contain her bosom all that time. Oh, and she has a tendency to flounce out of rooms semi-naked, if not completely nude, as well. 😂 Ross was immediately smitten with Annabel and although there were definitely some questionable moments about his rationale when it came to bedding her, especially at the beginning, the man doesn’t really do much in the story aside from give out those orgasms, ride in to save the day but also to get bashed over the head with blunt objects. As b.andherbooks aptly summarises: the ratio of concussions to orgasms are equal and chances of both happening are high throughout (lol). 😂

Overall, a wild and entertaining book that’s perfect for passing the time with a mindless and easy read, either as a palate cleanser or simply to fill out your read list!

TL;DR: I gotta say, I was already not taking these books too seriously but even the wildness of this second book in the Highland Brides series is a bit too much for me. Although I liked the way the story started with a bit of ‘hidden/mistaken identity’, I didn’t find Joan and Cam’s journey as entertaining nor their connection as strong as the couple in the first book. I also wasn’t a big fan of how certain events and topics were handled in this book. As a content warning: this does prominently feature discussions and graphic descriptions of traumatic childbirth, including the loss of the MMC’s wife and child during childbirth. Overall, I wasn’t too keen on this one!

Joan and Cam have an interesting and unconventional start as they meet when Cam rescues Joan, who’s dressed as a young lad, from brigands on the side of the road. I liked their not-so-meet-cute but I wasn’t a big fan of how it was revealed that Cam knew Joan was a woman this whole time, especially since (minor spoiler) it happened when they were about to have sex for the first time… The intsa-lust and Cam’s thoughts about getting her naked got a little old after a while, Following that scene, a big chunk of the first half of the story was taken up by our MCs having sex everywhere—open spaces, behind waterfalls, in the wilderness—as they (slowly) made their way to Scotland where Joan planned to fulfil her mother’s dying wish. While I didn’t think they were bad characters, I didn’t entirely feel their chemistry. I liked that Joan was a healer and how she’s smart and courageous and Cam was pretty much your typical brawny highland lord. I did like how Joan and Cam both didn’t want children and that tied them together, as Cam lost his wife to childbirth and as a midwife, Joan knows the pain and trauma of childbirth and doesn’t want to experience it herself.

The characters from book one make a reappearance halfway through the book and play a surprising role in Joan and Cam’s story. I have to admit that I didn’t immediately connect the characters to the ones in the first book because this takes place 20+ years after those events, but I enjoyed the unexpected reveal. That said, the second half of the book felt very disconnected from the first half and it could’ve honestly been two different books. I’m personally not a fan of pitting women against each other, especially to “win a man” but the mystery aspect also was pretty obvious to me. I did like some of the friendships that resulted from the chaos though and I’m admittedly torn between wanting to read the next book and being over the silliness of this series because I like the FMC of the next book. She’s sassy, foul-mouthed and feisty!

Overall, while I didn’t take these books too seriously from the beginning, I’m still kind of disappointed that I didn’t have fun with this one!

Have you read the Highland Brides books or are they on your TBR? Would you continue the series if you were me?

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