My rating: 4/5 stars
I really don’t have to repeat myself, but I think it’s imperative for you to know that nobody writes a story about family as Samantha does. She managed to transpire so many feelings through her stories, that you feel part of a group, you belong to somebody who embraces your emotions and accepts you for who you are. This is the Samantha effect and you cannot convince me otherwise.
This is the 5th book from the “The Highlands” series, a romantic series based in Scotland, where you get to live all these beautiful stories which will make your heart full again. As I’ve told you before, this is a spin-off from the original series “The Adair Family”. I am always amazed about the speed of writing that Samantha has because she is releasing up to 3 books per year and nails them every time.
This is the story of Lewis Adair and Callie Ironside, 2 best friends from childhood, who fell in love from a tender age and never stopped doing so. This is not a surprise for us, because their story was in development a long time ago, but Samantha prepared us for what is about to happen. Well, she prepared us for the love story, but for everything.
Callie is back from her 3-year culinary school in Paris and she wants to be involved professionally in her mother’s bakery. She is not with Lewis anymore because they had a fight at 18 year old and Lewis left for London. Since then, the vibe has been very strange between them, but the love was still showing. The wounds are deep, they blame each other for decisions taken as kids and therefore, a lot of pent-up frustrations are in the middle of their romance. Reunited at a party, Lewis and Callie get closer and everything in combination with alcohol is much more intense, therefore things happen. But some actions have consequences and you will find them in the story because I don’t want to spoil them. Just prepare for them to be life-altering.
Why 4 stars? Because I hate unhappy people who stay that way due to communication issues. I think this is what happened to Lewis and Callie and their communication skills were their enemy. They lost so many years because they didn’t have the courage to settle things and besides that, were not mature enough to rekindle a connection that was visibly there. As the plot progressed, I found in them the maturity I needed, even if it came along a little forced by the circumstances. I know that everything happens for a reason and if you believe you are destined to be with someone it will happen, but in their case, I would prefer to shorten up the distance, because they lost many years they could have spend in love.
I liked Lewis more than I liked Callie, because he seemed more mature and more aware of the reality between them, more eager to fight, being in the same time a gentleman but also a lover. This combination was very “Adair-like” and I think Samantha has a type for these men because she keeps on introducing them into the books, ruining us readers of other heroes to come. You end up saying when did Lewis grew up so fast and it’s melancholic, because you practically know him since he was a little boy. It’s a strange feeling to take in.
Also, the story introduced a very interesting secondary character by the name of Fyfe, Lewis’s best friend, and Samantha is tormenting us, because he will get his own book, out December 5, 2024. Is it Winter yet? Unfortunately, this will be the last book from the series, but I am telling you, it’s a must-read!!!!
Ramonisme 