Dec
I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Among the Heather by Samantha Young Series: The Highlands #2
Published by Samantha Young
on December 5, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Pages: 344
Format: ARC
Source: the Author
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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.
After reading the Adair Family series by Samantha Young, I got hooked to these Scotland based Romance stories. So when The Highlands series was announced, after the last Adair Family book came out I was so excited. I read the first book in this series, Beyond the Thistles, in April, and absolutely loved that one as well. Samantha Young is one of my favorite authors, and she just can’t do wrong with her writing. So when I received the ARC of ‘Among The Heather’, I was super excited and started reading immediately.
In ‘Among The Heather’ we read the story of Aria and North. Aria Howard is the daughter of a famous Hollywood legend, and supermodel. She has left her life in the US behind, when yet another person she trusted broke her heart. Now she is the hospitality manager at Ardnoch Estate, and she loves the Scotland life. When Aria meets North, she is sure he is just like every actor. Arrogant, and out for her dad’s approval.
North has worked hard to be the famous actor he is now. But when someone shares a horrific event of his childhood with the media, he is forced to lay low. What better place to go then Arnoch Estate in Scotland?! North has seen the beautiful hospitality manager, Aria, before, but she has always seemed to dislike him. The two of them come head to head and soon North learns there is a lot more to Aria’s story. And both have a past that will come back to haunt them sooner or later.
Getting back to Ardnoch was such a feast. I love reading about these Highlands and these characters. And Aria and North story was another great addition. From the moment I started reading I found myself wanting to know what would happen next. Aria is this hardworking, determined woman. Although she never had to worry about money, she is determined to make people see this doesn’t mean she can’t and won’t work hard. But she has been broken and disappointed a lot as well. And reading about her past was kind of heartbreaking. North was determined to get closer to Aria and show her how beautiful and wonderful she was. I loved that he so easily fell for her and how he gave her all the time in the world to get to the same point as he.
Next to some fun romance, there was some suspense in the end as well. I loved that! Some part where a bit predictable perhaps, but I still loved it.
Throughout this book we get to read a little bit about North’s friend Theo. And when I saw he would be the main character in the next book of this series I got so excited. There’s just something about Theo I really love, and I can’t wait for his story.
‘Among The Heather’ was another great read. Although this book is part of a series, you can easily read it as a standalone.
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About Samantha Young
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.
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Maureen is a mom, wife, nurse, and Ravenclaw living in the Netherlands. She spends her days juggling mom-life, reading, blogging, planning date nights with her husband and working as a nurse. Maureen also is a big Anglophile, loves cooking, Gilmore Girls, Bridgerton and Harry Potter.. Always! Facebook | Instagram
