Highland Storms - Christina Courtenay

Brice Kinross returns to the Scottish Highlands from Sweden in 1754 looking for a fresh start away from his troubles, after suffering disappointment and what he considers to be betrayal at the hands of his sweetheart and his brother. He arrives to take up his inheritance, the family estate at Rosyth. He firstly wants to find out about the true state of things there, as his father Killian believes the estate should have been doing much better financially than it has, and he hasn’t heard from his relatives there for some time. The factor or caretaker there who has been in charge, Colin Seton, is suspected of not pulling his weight, or worse, and Brice must establish what has been happening through his own investigations into the place. He attempts to reconnect with the people there who remember him as a youngster, and to make a good impression on those who don't yet know their newly arrived laird.  

I loved this novel. Brice makes for a dashing, kind, fair, chivalrous, strong and impressive hero.  The story builds nicely from the new chief arriving, trying to make his mark and demonstrate his commitment to turning Rosyth into a success again and making it a good place for them all to live, and the attraction and potential of romance between Brice and pretty, intelligent housekeeper Marsaili is a joy to read as the story unfolds.  There is much adventure and drama as the story progresses, making for an exciting conclusion. The historical perspective is weaved into the tale, with only a few years having passed since the Jacobite rebellion.

The novel has a gorgeous cover design too, a beautiful colour which to me evokes the purple heather mentioned in the landscape in the book. A lovely book to sit back, curl up and relax with and be transported back to the mid 18th century Highlands. This was a bit of different kind of read for me, and I got drawn into the story and the period, with some marvellous characters, my favourites being Brice, Marsaili and Liath the dog! I will definitely read more by this author.

This book follows on from the earlier novel 'Trade Winds', but 'Highland Storms' can definitely be read as a very enjoyable stand alone novel too. 


5/5

Thank you to Shaz at Jera's Jamboree for highlighting this book during the blog tour, and for the book giveaway from the author via that site, which I was lucky enough to win.

Find out more about the author on her website: Christina Courtenay

And more about ChocLit novels: Choc Lit