A Highland Family Affair
by Lisa Hobman
The Scottish Highland Series - Book 3
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Release Date: October 5, 2024
Reviewed by PJ
Can people ever really change or are family ties always set to unravel?After inheriting Drumblair Castle over her older brother Kerr, Lady Olivia MacBain has had to forge a new life for herself far away from New York and her dream career in fashion. She fears her brother’s bitterness has fractured their relationship to the point of no return and is still clearing away the devastation he left when he disappeared.
Kerr’s unexpected return and supposed change of heart raises eyebrows. He is now seeking forgiveness and to rebuild the bridges he previously wrecked, but can he be trusted, or is it all just smoke and mirrors?
While her friends are settling down, Olivia patiently waits for childhood sweetheart Brodie to propose and wonders if she will ever get her happy ever after.
Can Olivia find a happy future or are promises always made to be broken?
PJ's Thoughts:
Can people really change? That's the question Olivia MacBain faces when her estranged brother Kerr reappears in her life in this third book in Lisa Hobman's The Scottish Highland series.
I enjoyed the first two books in this series and have been looking forward to Olivia's HEA with Brodie, the childhood friend she reunited with in book one. What I did not expect when I began reading A Highland Family Affair was a possible reconciliation and redemption arc for Kerr. Of course, that part of the journey is filled with ups and downs, as I would expect after Kerr's actions earlier in the series. I really enjoyed the way Hobman laid out that part of the story. There were enough twists along the way to make things both realistic and relatable while also keeping me guessing how things would turn out right up until the end...with Olivia's relationships with both Kerr and Brodie.
Hobman excelled in bringing both her characters as well as the Scottish setting to life in this series. The descriptions of Olivia's family castle and estate are so vividly depicted that I could easily picture it...and want to visit. The characters are complex and fully developed with complicated back stories and relationships, both present and past. I love Olivia's friends - in both Scotland and the US - and the love and support they all give one another. Bestie Bella's Granny Isla is another favorite. She's back and as hilarious as ever in this book.
The romance between Brodie and Olivia has been a heartwarming, though by no means easy, journey and their hard-won happy ending is tearfully sigh worthy. I especially enjoyed the tie-in with some of the characters from Glentorrin from Hobman's The Skye Collection series, a special treat for fans of that series.
I'm going to strongly recommend reading the three books in Lisa Hobman's The Scottish Highland series in order. I think it's essential in order to fully understand the journey these characters have taken and be able to appreciate the evolution of the relationships, both familial and romantic.
Click the titles to read my reviews of books one and two in this series.
Coming Home to the Highlands
Chasing a Highland Dream
I had not heard of this author or series, but it sounds good! Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review. I am fond of all things Scottish, so this sounds like a book and series I would enjoy. A new to me author and a new series....good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI agree that reading a series in order is advisable in most cases. If nothing else, it gives the characters and stories background and more depth. It does make for a richer reading experience. In many cases, there is a plot arc that runs through the book with each book filling in a bit more of the arc which is completed in the final volume.
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