#BookReview – “The Highlander’s Hope” by Cali MacKay

Blurb

When Dr. Catriona Ross discovers clues to a long lost highland treasure, her only hope of finding the jewels is to obtain the help of Scotland's most eligible bachelor and playboy, Iain MacCraigh.
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Iain can't believe his luck when he finds out the jewels are hidden away somewhere on his land-- and it doesn't hurt that the historian looking for them has curves to go with her smarts. With his brother betting the family fortune, this is the life line he desperately needs.
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The odds are against them, and with word getting out about the jewels, they're not the only ones on the hunt. Time's running out, but can they learn to trust each other, or will they lose the jewels and true love in the process?

Review

Dr. Cat Ross is in Scotland to research the whereabouts of the Highland Hope, a priceless bejeweled necklace with significant historical value. She needs help from the MacCraigh clan since she suspects the necklace is hidden somewhere on their property. She just didn’t expect to have a flat tire as she’s driving up to meet the family, nor did she think a gorgeous man in the Jag would nearly run her over.

Iain MacCraigh is the laird of the clan, he’s some type of businessman (real estate, I think), and he’s in charge of taking care of his immediate family even though his father is still alive and well. He has a lot of responsibility and only dates models. After he leaves an angry woman on the road to deal with a flat tire herself, he didn’t expect to later find her in his castle talking with his dad.

Iain and Cat have great chemistry and the sexual tension was off the charts, but they argued a lot. They’re both stubborn and their tempers often clashed, which sometimes made them unlikable. Iain is dealing with family issues—his unrepentant brother owes a million plus dollars to some criminals—and Cat can’t escape the clutches of her ex-boyfriend, a fellow colleague who is determined to claim the discovery of the necklace for himself.

I enjoyed the mystery of the necklace, and Iain and Cat’s search for it, but there were a lot of starts and stops to finding it. I mean, they would discover a clue and then suddenly have to stop searching because something would distract them. Again and again. This made the story drag a little.

I liked the way the author weaved the historical information about the Jacobites into the story without coming across as lecturing in big info dumps. I find this time-period in Scottish history very interesting, so I loved all the references and facts thrown in.

Even though everything is wrapped up at the end, I don’t like how Iain’s brother doesn’t get in trouble for his mistakes. It’s obvious he’ll cause more problems in the future and that makes for a loose end when it comes to Iain and Cat’s HEA, in my opinion. 

Overall, I enjoyed the romance and especially the mystery. I like the writing style, I didn’t find any typos, and would like to read more from the author.

3 Stars