Review: A Highlander in a Pickup (Highland, Georgia #2)

A Highlander in a Pickup (Highland, Georgia #2)

by Laura Trentham 

Blurb:

When a gorgeous new man—in a kilt—comes to town, life in Highland, Georgia will never be the same…

Iain Connors is the poster boy for the strong and silent type. Growing up a loner at Cairndow Castle in

Scotland with only the cliffs and moors for company, it’s understood Iain will assume the mantle of Cairndow groundskeeper when his father is ready to relinquish it. But his stint in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces has opened up a whole new world—and now, rather than settle down, he accepts an invitation to travel to the States to take charge of the Highland Games. After all, he’s led men into battle, how hard can planning a party be?

Anna Maitland is ready to step up for her best friend Isabel Blackmoor, who can’t run the Games in their hometown this year. Surely Anna, a dance instructor with boundless energy, spirit, and charm, is up for the challenge? What she doesn’t anticipate is a man in a kilt who turns up claiming he’s the one in charge. What’s worse about this Iain? He’s so infuriatingly handsome that she can’t help but fantasize about him whispering sweet-nothings in her ear in his rumbly, sexy brogue. . .

Themes:  Contemporary

Rating: 3.75 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

So the small town with a big Scottish heart gets another dose of Scottish greatness in a new adventure.  Highland Georgia is not the typical southern town, a small town that has embraced its somewhat odd Scottish history and found a niche in marketing its town for tourists with a huge Scottish festival.  I enjoyed the first book in this series and the second was pretty good too, but I am still having a bit of trouble connecting with the characters and their romance, the emotions just seem a bit to superficial but I continue to hope they deepen as the series continues.  This story picks up where the first ended with the next year’s festival in need of a new leader in the form of Anna, seeing as the primaries are all currently in the true highlands for the birth of the next generation.  Anna is determined to make this year’s festival amazing, because she needs prove she can be a good mayor, but she is truly overwhelmed with all the is needed to make the festival run smoothly.  When Iain is sent by their friends to make things easier on her, she initially refuses his help, determined to prove she’s got this but he refuses to just sit around twiddling his thumbs and soon they are true partners.  Iain is attracted to the sexy dance teacher but she frustrates him how she refuses to let him assist and is working herself to the bone.  When worlds finally do collide, they both know their fling comes with an end date, but the newer of them truly want it to end even though they can’t see a way to get everything they want.  So I just have to say, Anna annoyed the hell out of me through most of this story.  While I fully understand her need to prove herself, anyone that refuses the hand outstretched to them when they are drowning is just an idiot, sorry. Once she finally embraced the greatness that was Iain and saw how well they could work together I began to like her a lot more, because to me the truth is not that a woman needs a man in front of or behind her, but having anyone (male or female) to walk beside them and help them in life is the greatest blessing a person can have and nothing to be turning your nose up at. Iain has a few issues with his fears about giving up what he considers his duty to his family in order to go after what he wants, but it doesn’t stop him from giving his all to his assignment helping Anna, even when she turns him away, and to being the man that Anna needs.  I loved Iain and would love to have a strong, smart, and sweet man like him willing to work his butt off beside me any day of the week.  There was enough passion between them with their attraction to keep things fun and interesting, but Anna was so self-wrapped and selfish that I wonder if love is something she truly understands so I found the HEA harder to handle than others I have read, tough I don’t doubt Iain for a moment.  The only thing that really brought this story up was the strength and sweetness of Iain’s characters and the laughs that I got out of the antics these two got up to in the story.  I am holding out hope that the next story has a deeper emotional connection between the H/h and I can truly say I love it, but until then I hold my opinion of this author. 

*ebook provided by publisher (via NetGalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.