The third book in the Highland, Georgia romantic comedy series from Laura Trentham, A Highlander is Coming to Town, full of love, laughs…and highlanders! You better watch out. . . Holt Pierson is dreading Christmas. His parents absconded to Florida for the season and left him to handle the family farm which will be his one day–whether he wants it or not. Driven by duty, Holt has always … it or not. Driven by duty, Holt has always followed the path expected of him. But lately, he’s been questioning what he wants and where he belongs. Will assuming the responsibility of the Pierson farm make him happy or is there something–or someone–else out in the wider world calling to him?
To Claire Smythe, the Scottish lead singer of a touring band, Highland, Georgia, is the perfect place to hide . . .until a very handsome and deeply curious Holt begins to ask all the questions Claire doesn’t want to answer. As Holt draws Claire out from under and into the fabric of small-town life, can Claire put the past behind her and embrace the unexpected gifts of the season–including the new and lasting love?
“Laura Trentham creates a romance that is both extremely sensual and phenomenal.”
—Fresh Fiction
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Okay, it’s settled. I’m moving to Highland, Georgia. Now. I love that place. Good things happen. Of course, you might have to go through a little bit of trouble and turmoil and mystery, but you get a lot of sweet, hot, sweet, did I say hot, hugs and kisses, too. Or maybe I’ll just commission author Laura Trentham to write books exclusively for me.
A Highlander is Coming to Town is the third entry in the Highland, Georgia series and the excellence continues. We’ve already been treated to delightful adventures with Isabel and Alasdair (book #1) and Anna and Iain (book #2) and we know we are in for a treat when Claire and Holt move center stage. We were teased with their presence in previous books and now we will get to know them better.
Claire is secretive and bottled up, hiding from someone or something. She’s never fit in anywhere, never been enough, never wanted what she was expected to want, and she ran away. Highland isn’t a refuge but a hideout, and soon she’ll have to return to where she came from. But things have subtly changed without her even realizing it. Her job caring for elderly Ms. Meadows has moved from just-a-job-for-money to tenderness and concern for this old woman. She slips up and thinks of Highland as home sometimes. She’s unintentionally started to make friends, and Holt, well, he’s caught her eye and if his comments and behavior are any indication, the feeling is mutual.
In previous books, Holt was just kind of there. The good son, the nice guy, the one everyone in this unusual small town knows and likes. He’s always had friends and thinks he’s satisfied, has always felt he belonged on the farm and in Highland. But things have started to subtly change for him, too. He’s never had a problem forming relationships, but they’ve always ended. Amicably, but he’s beginning to feel like the odd man out. And now here’s Claire. Mysterious, grumpy Claire who acts as if accepting a ride in the snow makes her a charity case or somehow beholden. What to do about her? Holt has to do something because he can’t get her out of his mind.
The reader’s return to Highland is like going home: familiar characters, familiar festivals in this quirky little town that just loves everything Scottish. For the most part it’s a happy place full of happy people. So why doesn’t Claire want to stay, why is Holt on his own, why is Ms. Meadows in need of care and what is the rest of her story? Holt was raised to be a good Southern gentleman and that means if Claire needs a ride or help with shopping or anything else it’s his duty to provide it. And the “anything else” has him waggling his eyebrows in anticipation. Claire doesn’t want to be on the receiving end of help, but she’s not averse to the “anything else” part, so they think maybe they can just go with the flow until it’s time for her to leave, no commitments, no questions asked. Seeing how all that works out is so much fun.
I love this book, I love this series, I love everything I’ve read that this author has written. I feel as if I could take a “blind reading test,” whatever type of story, genre, or time period and know the author was Laura Trentham. Not because everything she writes is the same, because it definitely is not, and not because all the characters are alike, because they definitely are not, but because of the warm, fuzzy, gentle, contented, loved feeling I have after reading just a chapter or two. Whether it’s exciting, mysterious, witty, or sexy (and all her books have all of those elements), it’s always got a heart, a great big heart loaded with love and care and tenderness and romance. And a little bit of like reading The Notebook thrown in. For about the last quarter of A Highlander is Coming to Town I needed tissue after tissue, until I just gave up and got the box. Not because the story was unbearably sad but because it was unbearably wonderful. Stop to say, “Ooh,” wipe my eyes, stop to say, “Aah,” wipe my eyes, and keep smiling and sighing.
This is a book with a fast-moving, well-developed plot, full of characters that will charm and intrigue you, and some dialogue that will have you laughing out loud, like when Holt says Claire is treating him like he has cooties. The phrasing is perfect, the misunderstanding in language and action captivating and the conclusion heartwarming.
Thanks to author Laura Trentham and St. Martin’s for providing an advance copy of A Highlander is Coming to Town via NetGalley for my reading pleasure and honest review. All opinions are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it without hesitation.
Welcome back to highland Georgia. Holt Pierson has lived here his whole live. Things a changing. His friends are finding their significant others. Day in and day out. He is in a rut but doesn’t know how to change things. Claire was a singer in the band the Scudders. She decided to leave the band but was stuck in Highland. The Preacher had a job for her. Little did she know that taking care of Ms. Meadows was going to be life changing. The interactions between Holt, Claire and Ms. Meadows will have you laughing. The chemistry between Holt and Claire is just right. The epilogue is just perfect.
A wonderfully entertaining contemporary romance. I enjoyed Claire and Holt getting to know each other and building their romance. And meeting the other residents of Highland, GA was pure delight.
Highly recommend.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.
Have you ever thought you had things pretty well planned out, and then life just takes over? See how Claire handles these unexpected happenings. I loved the story and being with these good folks of Highland, Georgia. Small town living is the best. Pull up a chair and see how these folks do it right. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.
My first from this author and although it had a slow start for me, I found myself truly enjoying both the characters and the storyline. Claire and Holt make an unlikely couple but Trentham writes them with heart as they fall for one another despite all of Claire’s secrets. I like the idea of a Scot deciding to settle in a town called Highland, Georgia, a very clever little sweet spot to this story. And one that seems to be a recurring underlying theme to this series.
Holt is a true southern gentleman and his subtle courting of Claire is utterly delightful. Claire is skittish that she’ll be found by her parents before her 25th birthday, a day in which she’ll inherit a business she has no interest in. But both are quite lonely and together with the equally ‘lost’ Ms. Meadows, clearly the magic of Christmas casts a spell to create a very unique but heartwarming family dynamic.
There is a wonderful chemistry between Holt and Claire and I enjoyed their back and forth as they get to know each other better. Although they fall hard and fast, the author writes it perfectly with characters from prior books there to help guide them and be the support they need when Claire, in particular, is finding herself unable to fully commit to Holt despite her burgeoning love for him. And Holt is simply a good guy who can’t resist the fiery Claire and just wants to keep her in Highland for as long as possible.
Sure it’s not yet Christmas but this book got me in the mood for happier times when a tree and some sweet memories make everything better. In addition, the author does a great job in giving us a very satisfying ending, showing that even the coldest of hearts can find a way to melt just a bit.
I hope to grab the first two in the series since I am beyond curious as to the prior love stories that get a bit more play in this book. And I enjoyed the author’s writing and the endearing characters she has created.
4 solid stars!
A delightful story of Claire, a Scottish woman of secrets, who comes to Highland Georgia to hide from her past. She meets Holt, a rancher, and they decide to share their burdens and their happiness. I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my honest review.
Holt Pierson is living his life in limbo. Now with his parents semi-retired, Holt is running the family farm by himself. He knows one day it will be totally be his responsibility but he is ok with that. With Christmas fast approaching and missing his parents, Holt finds himself drawn to the mysterious Claire Smythe the young lady from Scotland. Turns out Claire is living at the elderly Ms. Meadow’s house helping her out. The more time Holt spends with Claire, the more he is drawn into her life and finds himself wanting to be involved deeper.
Claire is enjoying being around Holt. It’s the first time in her life that no one has wanted something from her because of who she is. As Claire’s 25th birthday is fast approaching she knows that she has a big decision to make in regards to what she wants out of her life. Claire really doesn’t have any type of relationship with her parents and that causes her to reflect back on a lot of her past. The new life she has been starting in Highland, GA is more exciting and comforting to her than life in Scotland.
Just when Holt and Claire’s relationship looks like it has found a happy medium, Claire’s past comes tumbling into Highland. It will take a lot of soul searching for Claire to realize what she truly needs to be happy in her life……Holt and her life in Highland.
I enjoyed this sweet story. Both Claire and Holt have always done the things that other people wanted them to do. For once they had both made the decision to grab life by the horns to find their true happiness. They both are sweet, caring people who really deserved their happy ending with each other.
I have read a few other books by this author and I liked them. This book however had such a slow pace which I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped. The background for both of the M.C.’s was set up pretty well as they were feeling their way around each other. However, I was beginning to despair of the story moving on more quickly any time soon. I also felt that several problems that Claire especially was facing was re-hashed so much that it also slowed the story.
Having said that I will also say that there were tender moments in the story, along with a small town charm and it’s people. Descriptions of the town and people was well done too.
Ms. Meadows was the lady that Claire was working for and staying with. She was one crusty character. She’d lived by herself for many years and she was really good at not letting people into her space or home. But after a fall, she needed help and couldn’t put it off any longer. But she had her fiercely guarded boundaries. But that suits Claire right down to the ground because she’s got some secrets of her own. And she’s not ready to face up to them quite yet.
Laid of the Game, Holt Pierson was truly the hero in this story. A yummy man with a tender heart who began to realize how lonely he really was. His ability to let Claire’s snark roll off of him was excellent. He did a good job of dealing with it. She was complicated and she fascinated him. He also saw what few did. That she was strong and yet fragile too.
I kept wondering how everything thing would be concluded and it does well. Including the H.E.A. that we had hoped for.
“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
ARC for honest review with no compensation received from NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press
A Highlander is Coming to Town is book 3 in the Highland, Georgia series by Laura Trentham. What a wonderful series!
Up next is Holt Pierson, Highland Georgia resident and Clair Smythe, lead singer of the Scottish touring band looking for a place to hide…
Stand alone, sweet, hiding out, secrets, romantic comedy, characters from prior books and life in a small town…
Claire is trying to figure out her future and find herself. She’s been avoiding her family and ends up spending time in Highland. Holt is a hometown guy who knows the path he is on and is generally a great guy. The two are not a likely match, but they work. I enjoyed the story a lot. It’s a fast paced read set in a quirky small town. It’s just a good fun holiday story. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed A Highlander is Coming to Town. This was a fun, light hearted, sweet romance between Claire and Holt. Both have family issues to overcome, but they are drawn to each other. This well written story just flowed for me. I love the quirky, small town characters where gossip and misunderstandings are the norm. I was drawn into the story and read straight through.
This was a well-written, entertaining book. Claire has settled in the small town of Highland, Georgia, seeing it as a safe place to hide. Holt is in charge of the family farm while his parents are away for the Christmas season. They keep running into each other, and little by little they start to question some of their assumptions and envision new possibilities. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.
Holt Pierson is dreading Christmas. His parents absconded to Florida for the season and left him to handle the family farm which will be his one day. Driven by duty, Holt has always followed the path expected of him. But lately, he’s been questioning what he wants and where he belongs. To Claire Smythe, the Scottish lead singer of a touring band, Highland, Georgia, is the perfect place to hideuntil a very handsome and deeply curious Holt helps her with a flat tyre.
This is the third book in the series & is easily read on its own even though there are cameo appearances from the previous books, which personally I love. I really liked Holt who is so caring. I didn’t warm to Claire & wondered what Holt saw in her. The chemistry between the pair wasn’t there. However I found this a well written romance which was entertaining & it did keep my interest all the way but not my favourite of the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
Claire is searching for home and a purpose. She has grown up in a household of indifference with a legacy that she is expected to embrace but deep down, this isn’t what she really wants in life. She rebelled and set out to pursue music as she traveled with a band playing festivals. But as her 25th birthday approached, she knew this wasn’t what she wanted either so she stayed in Highland, Georgia, taking a job to assist Ms. Meadows. What she never expects to find is home. Holt is now responsible for the family farm and running into Claire in town, he feels a spark that is unexpected. He loves the farm but something is missing. Wanting to spend more time with Claire, Holt has to find ways past her walls. Claire is afraid but Holt and Ms. Meadows have a way to allow her to just be herself. The real challenge, will she let herself embrace what her heart wants, or will family obligation win? I had fun with this romance. These characters allowed me to escape and be part of Highland, Georgia and appreciate neighbors taking care of neighbors as love is found along the way. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.
How could you not fall in love with Holt. Claire has been hiding out for months. Her birthday is coming up and she needs to make a decision. So, she is in Highland, GA trying to work up the courage to go back home. She has been estranged from her family for a while and isn’t sure she wants to go back. One day Holt sees Claire in town and tries to help her. She isn’t accepting help from anyone for anything. But, Holt worms his way into her life and her heart. She doesn’t want to care about him or the woman she works for, but she is starting to care. She is also making some friends. Holt always knew he wanted to stay and work on the farm. He hasn’t gone anywhere and that is okay with him. The more he is around Claire, the more he knows she is the one for him. Will she stay in Highland or will she go back to Scotland?
3.5 stars
Since his parents left to travel the country, Holt Pierson has been left to manage the family farm, his eventual inheritance, on his own. He’s always been content with following the expected path, but lately he’s been inescapably lonely with no one to share his life with.
Having just left her band, Claire Smythe has decided Highland, Georgia, is the perfect place to disappear. She needs time to figure things out and between the small town and her assumed name, she should be safe from her family finding her. But when Claire meets Holt, she finds herself wanting to answer his curious questions honestly. As Holt brings Claire out of her shell, she begins to find a place in the small town, but she has a duty of her own to see to and can’t stay in Highland forever, no matter how strong her feelings for Holt have become.
I have enjoyed Holt as a side character in the previous two books in this series and was greatly looking forward to his story. The problem is that this is definitely more Claire’s story than Holt’s. Claire’s poor little rich girl angle and ridiculous hiding and flightiness just got old for me very quickly and made her extremely unlikable for me. I wanted to shake some sense into her, and she didn’t start to grow on me until about the last 10% of the book. Also, the intimate scenes here were very vague and glossed over, and since that physical connection was such a key element in the development of the relationship between Claire and Holt, I feel like that short-changed them a bit and took away some of their believability as a couple. Given how closed off Claire was, this seems like a missed opportunity to show them opening up to each other. Claire’s situation would’ve been easily solved with some communication, but she spent nearly the entire book running. I thought Holt deserved better and even though Claire shaped up for him in the end, it still felt a little too much like a happily for now ending. Perhaps that means this series isn’t quite finished but who knows. I did enjoy this one overall and found it cute, but Holt and the general Christmas atmosphere definitely carried it for me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advanced review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I just adore the world of Highland, Georgia, and this installment was no different. We met Claire in past books as the lead singer for a band, but she takes a step back from that life and uses Highland as a soft place to land. She’s not very forgiving of herself, but slowly, Holt coaxes that out of her. They have such a fun, sexy romance that springs out of nowhere, catching them both off guard. We also get to see other main characters from past books, which is just lovely. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and was under no obligation to write a review.
I loved this holiday themed story. There was just the right amount of Christmas in it, but not so much that it made reading an early copy feel strange. This was a fun lighthearted, flirty and humorous story and a great addition to the series.
I loved Claire and Holt. It seemed like Claire was always in a pickle and she was always wanting to refuse help. She’s really trying to stay away from people because she is hiding something. The people of the little town don’t cooperate in helping her keep her distance. They are warm and welcoming and Claire actually has friends before she knows it–and one friend with benefits!
Holt was a great hero. I want him in my life. I want his abs in my life. I want his kilt in my life…
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.
A Highlander is Coming to Town is the third book in the Highland, Georgia series, but you certainly don’t have to read the first two to enjoy this one.
Claire has come to Highland after quitting her gig as the lead singer in a Scottish rock band. She wants to simplify her life and so she takes a job as a caretaker for an elderly woman. She rides back and forth to town on her bike when she needs to do errands and when she runs into an issue with a flat tire, it’s a good looking farmer that comes to her rescue.
Holt is a farmer who has lived in Highland his whole life. He’s a caring, considerate and helpful guy. When he comes upon Claire, all he wants to do is help and she immediately thinks he likely has an agenda. He is the type of guy who is always wanting to help, so that’s exactly what he tells her!
Claire and Holt form a tentative friendship and then things begin to take a romantic turn between them. With the things that Claire holds close to the vest, is she setting herself up for disaster where this relationship with Holt is concerned or will she finally see that he really wants what is best for her for no other reason than he wants her happy?
This was a light-hearted, contemporary romance that moved well. There were a few times I would have liked to have shaken some sense into Claire, but I know she was dealing with the weight of her troubles. I enjoyed Holt a lot and felt like he was the exact balance that Claire needed.
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
Having read the previous books in this series, I loved this heart-warming, witty, and romantic Highland, GA story. Holt is longing for his someone special, especially since he has been left on his own for Christmas. Seeing Claire struggling with her antiquated bicycle, he steps in to help but gets a frosty reception. All Holt’s senses go on alert as Claire alternates between cowering from him and avoiding him. With patience, a sense of humour, and good old Southern common sense, he slowly wins Claire over. Claire is hiding from her responsibilities and the expectations that are being placed on her. For the first time in her life, she feels as though she belongs. Her employer, Ms Meadows, is a crusty old lady, but she has graduated to giving Claire slim praise and is slowly thawing towards her. Claire finds in the old lady a sense of belonging that is missing when with her own family. Characters from previous books in this series appear in this one too, bringing a smile to one’s face and making the reader feel part of the small town, nevertheless, it is a standalone and comes to a happy conclusion. This novel has all the drama one would expect from Ms Trentham, together with humour and a warm-hearted romance. The book is well written and emotive and made me laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time. I received a copy of this delightful book as a gift from NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.