THROUGH THE GLEN
Series: The Highlands Series #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young 
Release Date: February 1, 2024

He’s a cynical, world-weary Londoner. She’s a shy Scot. They might seem like opposites, but a few weeks in the Highlands will bring them together in ways they can’t imagine…

Theo Cavendish is the second son of a British viscount, and he’s spent years running from the aristocratic world he grew up in. Betrayal and loss taught him lessons he’s not quick to forget. As an award-winning screenwriter and creator, Theo prefers to throw himself into the world of film and television. He moves from one project to another, never really letting anyone truly know him.

As a housekeeper at the exclusive Ardnoch Estate, shy Sarah McCulloch feels invisible most days. No one really knows her, and they definitely don’t know she’s a bestselling crime writer. She dreams of seeing her series on screen and believes only one person can develop it for television. On the day she quits the estate for good, she shares her secret with club member, Theo, and asks him to consider her books.

Sarah never expected him to say yes or to show up on her doorstep ready to write with her. Or that weeks spent locked up in her cottage would lead them to form an intense but undeniable connection. A bond that Theo is not sure he’s ready to accept, even though he can’t bear to be without her.

However, when they finally venture out of their bubble, Theo finds he’ll have to battle more than his own demons to protect Sarah from hurt. For he has another fan, one intent on bringing the darkest elements of his most famous script to life. And unless he can figure out this real-life antagonist’s next move, Theo could be in danger of losing Sarah forever.

AMAZON

Someone woke up on the fiery side of the bed this morning.”
I grimaced. “Don’t be patronizing. This is my cottage. And in my cottage exists a gynarchy.”
He grinned and it was much too attractive. “It’s pronounced gai-nah-ki and your use of it is a little clumsy, darling.”
Of course, his vocabulary was better than the average person’s. “Are you mansplaining a word that literally means a government ruled by a woman?”
“I wouldn’t say mansplaining. I am curious as to where you came about such a colorful vocabulary?”

I have been eagerly anticipating Theo’s book ever since we got a taste of him as Noah’s irreverent friend in Among the Heather. There is nothing I love more than seeing a playboy who doesn’t believe in love fall and fall hard. And what’s even more satisfying than this? When the playboy is also the son of a viscount turned reformed playboy director and a die hard cynic when it comes to love and relationships.

Sarah is a shy, keep to herself housekeeper at the exclusive Ardnoch Estate. But what the world doesn’t know about shy and quiet Sarah, is she’s a immensely successful author writing under a secret pen name. Now, I’m not usually a fan of the shy and mousy heroines. But while Sarah is shy, she’s certainly not mousy. This is a woman of quiet strength and isn’t one to let a British playboy walk all over her. When I tell you that I loved the dynamic between these two, I mean I fell head over heels for them. Sarah surprised me with her hidden strength almost as much as she surprised Theo.

When the shy little housekeeper first approached Theo for writing the manuscript for her book, he laughs her off. There’s no way the shy, unassuming housekeeper is worth his time. He thinks he knows her, but he barely grazes the surface. When he reads her books, he doesn’t take long to chase her down to her cottage. And fans of forced proximity, you will fall hard. Because the more time Theo spends with Sarah, the more he realizes just how wrong he was about her and just how much more there is to Sarah than first meets the eye. And this is a woman who doesn’t let get away with things more than once. She’s not shy when it comes down to standing her own and standing up for herself and I absolutely loved that about her.

Because as mortifyingly scary as giving myself to her was … it was nothing like this terror that swept over me at the thought that I might have lost her forever.

I loved watching Theo fall fast and hard for Sarah. I loved watching him fight his feelings and Sarah putting him in his place when he pushes too hard. I loved the chemistry between them. I simply loved everything about this book. Everything. The parallel suspense story arc only added to the already page turning appeal of this story and I binge read it in one glorious sitting.

For fans of swoony, steamy, and heartfelt romance, you need this book. I love this world so much and with Jared finally getting his book next, already counting down the minutes for my next Highlands fix.

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She’s been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. Samantha writes adult contemporary and paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy and YA contemporary fiction and is currently published in 31 countries.

She resides in Scotland.

Connect with Samantha

Website: http://authorsamanthayoung.com

Goodreads:  http://bit.ly/2FWgYdn

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2H47kEP

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSamanthaYoung/

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AMONG THE HEATHER
Series: The Highlands Series #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Author: Samantha Young 
Release Date: December 5, 2023

He’s a disgraced actor. She’s the daughter of Hollywood royalty. Both are hiding in the Scottish Highlands, but despite their antagonistic attraction, they can’t seem to hide from each other…

North Hunter has worked hard to step out of the shadows of his orphaned upbringing into the limelight of Hollywood. He never imagined a dark moment from his childhood returning to destroy everything he’d built. Devastated, he finds comfort in the isolation of an exclusive members-only club in the Scottish Highlands, even if the club comes with a prickly estate manager who sets his blood on fire.

As the eldest daughter of a Hollywood legend, Aria Howard has learned the hard way that people will use her to get to her father. When her last relationship ended badly, Aria fled to Scotland. Running Ardnoch Estate provides distance from a life that has never fit comfortably. But when defamed Scottish actor North Hunter disrupts her sanctuary, Aria is on the defense. The cocky actor is the last thing she needs, and despite their searing attraction, Aria is determined to dislike him.

But one night of drunken forced proximity with North leads Aria to share insecurities seeded by her horrible ex. When North offers to prove her ex wrong by taking Aria to his bed for a no-strings distraction, they begin an affair neither expected. However, their fiery liaison leads to a deep emotional connection that unsettles them both, and North will have to break down more than Aria’s trust issues if they’re ever to have a future together. He’ll need to protect her from a past that just doesn’t want to stay buried… or lose something far more essential to his existence than his career.

AMAZON

As much as I’d love to explore something real with Aria, she couldn’t handle that. So I’d give her whatever little piece of me she would take. Now I just had to convince her that an unforgettable night in my bed was exactly what she needed.

What is it about Sam’s writing that just hits each and every single time. She’s such a comfort read for me and there’s just something about her Adair Family and now spinoff, The Highlands that just feels like home.

I needed another hit of whatever drug North Hunter was, and until I got it, I knew I wouldn’t be able to think of anything else.

Among The Heather is book two in The Highlands series but you can easily enjoy it as a standalone. Although I highly recommend the series and you’d enjoy it even more reading in order.

Aria is the estate manager of Ardnoch Estate who escaped to Scotland to be something other than the daughter of Hollywood royalty, her famous director father. She’s spent her entire career proving that she’s not a nepotism baby and her success with Ardnoch is testament of it. She’s also a woman who spent her entire life being used for her father’s connection and that led to some deep rooted scars of insecurity, especially with men. So when the incredibly handsome Hollywood star, North, arrives at the estate, she’s determined to avoid his hot looks.

But North is so much more than Aria thinks and he’s determined to prove it to her. First of all, I love that North wasn’t a stereotypical Hollywood playboy. This man is a serial monogamist who wants a relationship. Aria doesn’t trust that he may want her not only because of her experience but also because of the deep rooted insecurities that they planted about her body.

I loved the way they went from antagonism to friendship to something so much more. And I also loved the way that North fought for her and fought to show her how incredible she really is. Aria was a wonderful heroine and it was easy to connect with her, even while I did find her insecurities to be a touch much at times. The added layer of suspense made this into an absolute page turner. And the romance was sizzling.

I love this series so much. Now after the sneak peek we get into Theo, I’m practically salivating for the next book.

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She’s been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. Samantha writes adult contemporary and paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy and YA contemporary fiction and is currently published in 31 countries.

She resides in Scotland.

Connect with Samantha

Website: http://authorsamanthayoung.com

Goodreads:  http://bit.ly/2FWgYdn

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2H47kEP

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorSamanthaYoung/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1520019958258238/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsamanthayoung/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorSamYoung

Bookbub: http://bit.ly/2D241eO

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/samyoungauthor/

Verve: https://www.ververomance.com/app/authorsamanthayoung

The Truest Thing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Hart’s Boardwalk #4
Author: Samantha Young
Release Date: August 18, 2020

Nine years ago, Emery Saunders moved to Hartwell to start her life over as a bookstore owner. Her inability to trust people made it hard for her to find a place in the small community until Jessica Lawson moved to town and befriended the shy beauty.
But there was one person in Hartwell who tried to befriend Emery long before Jessica arrived…

Jack Devlin has his secrets. One of them is that he fell hard for Emery the moment she appeared in Hartwell. Another is that his father blackmailed him into covering up a dark family tragedy. It forced Jack to sever his relationships to protect the people he cared about. Yet, staying away from Emery has not been easy throughout the years and he hasn’t always succeeded. When Jack’s mixed signals hurt Emery once again, she puts him out of her heart for good.
Until the Devlin family secret is finally revealed, freeing Jack from his father’s machinations. What Jack wants more than anything is to repair his relationships, starting with Emery.

However, Emery isn’t ready to forgive and Jack’s not ready to give up.
And when the town’s latest scandal ties Jack and Emery together, Jack is not above using their new reality to prove to Emery once and for all that their love is worthy of the legend of Hart’s Boardwalk.

 AMAZON 

She was pure temptation. He couldn’t have her. But, fuck, did he want her.

I adore all things Samantha Young and I’ve absolutely adored her Hart’s Boardwalk series. But while I did ultimately enjoy this one, it certainly wasn’t my favorite in the series.

Jack and Emery’s story is not an easy one. It spans years and is riddled with dark secrets, betrayal, and pain. Emery was a character I wasn’t sure that I’d love at first. She’s painfully shy, timid, and blushes with a stiff wind. But there’s just something about her that you can’t help but click with. She’s a very complex character with so many layers that get peeled back with each new chapter.

The second she sets foot in the small town and locks eyes with Jack, they have an indescribable connection. She’s a young girl with plenty of secrets who struggles to make connections but with more years that she spends in the charming small town, the more that changes. She makes friends. She forms strong connection with the town and the people. But her connection with Jack only gets more and more complicated.

Jack is a tortured characters with some dark secrets in his past and some debilitating demons in his present. And while I liked him at first, that connection began to wane as the story progressed. While I understood (somewhat) the reasons for some of the decisions he made, I also hated them. I hated them so much that I had a hard time moving past them and struggled with how Emery could. Even though Emery does make him work for it in the end, some of these betrayals were almost too much for me. Their constant back and forth, I want her but I can’t have her also became too much. It wore me out. There’s just so much drama on top of drama happening here, that the relationship issues with these two became too much for me.

I feel conflicted because while I did have issues, I also enjoyed it. I loved Emery, and even though Jack wasn’t perfect, he did have his incredible moments too. His feelings for Emery were so deep and there was so much emotion packed into this. I just could have done without some of the decisions with women he made. Le sigh.

While it wasn’t my favorite in the series, it was still an enjoyable read. I do adore this series and look forward to more.