Some Like It Scot

 

An American travel writer who has never found a place to belong and a reclusive Scot with a surprising secret find a shocking connection when she enters a Highlands manor house that has been turned into a three-week long Edwardian experience.

Katie Campbell has traveled her entire life. As the daughter of an army chaplain, changing homes--or even countries--was commonplace, so when her wild childhood storytelling turned into a lucrative career as a travel writer, she thought she'd found her perfect match. But as she's nearly thirty with no real place to settle down, she's starting to wonder where "home" actually is. Her own family hadn't felt like home since her sister's death left them all limping through life.

When a lengthy project in Scotland promises to not only give her travel fodder for months but also a shot at a coveted editing position, she accepts and is sent to spend three weeks in the newly created Craighill House, a Scottish home redesigned to offer guests an Edwardian experience. But her entrance to Craighill introduces her to a quirky group of characters and a surly Scot who is helping refurbish the magnificent woodwork of the estate house.

As Katie attempts to live "Edwardian," she learns that all that glitters does not a comfortable lifestyle make . . . and surly Scots may turn out to be dashing and creative uncles raising their orphaned nephews. When a few escapades from the Downton era lead Katie on hunts for mermaids and dragons or to a fireside chat with a family who has grown stronger through tragedy, Katie begins to wonder if "home" looks a whole lot like rolling green hills, magnificent braighs, and a few extra "ayes" thrown in for good measure. But can her world-traveling lifestyle fit in with a Scot whose heart is double-knotted to home?

My Review:

You’re sure to enjoy this opposites attract story as writer/ social influencer Katie Campbell is on assignment in beautiful Scotland. Katie likes traveling around the world, but could her adventures be avoiding some painful things in her life? Graeme loves his homeland and is invested in restoring his family’s ancestral abode. Could he also be avoiding his past by holding onto things that are familiar?

I loved Graeme and his gruff exterior that protected his loving and sensitive heart. Katie was in need of rescuing several times and earned the name Miss Adventure quite easily. You are sure to laugh at the scrapes she finds herself in throughout the book. Graeme had a full time job just making sure she was safe!

Things to love:
meet cute
humor and puns
kilts
funny monikers
Graeme’s family
Book club grannies
Highland games

Favorite quotes:
“Love lingers long.”

“No matter where you run or how fast or far, you’ll never outrun your own heart.”

I highly recommend reading this book. I received a copy of the book from the publisher and NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own with no obligation to write a positive review.

Novel Threat

In a world of covert codes, two CIA operatives must infiltrate a New York publishing house, where every word on the page could be a weapon.

Brandon Hale, a seasoned CIA case officer, contemplates walking away from the covert world of espionage behind to embark on a quieter path in publishing. But his plan takes an abrupt turn when a critical source within the Labyrinth terrorist organization is assassinated, leaving behind a cryptic message about a New York publishing house. Rather than submitting his resignation, Brandon finds himself going undercover at Monroe Publishing to stop the next terrorist strike against the US.

Kimber Seidel, a CIA finance officer with secret aspirations of becoming a novelist, enjoys a serendipitous encounter with a handsome book lover like herself on her way home from London. Though she cannot reveal her true employment to her new friend, Brandon Hale, she can’t deny the instant spark that ignites between them. When Kimber’s manuscript is unexpectedly shopped to Monroe Publishing as a pawn in the CIA’s counterterrorism plot, Kimber must navigate the intersection of her literary dreams and her covert life as well as her deepening connection with Brandon.

Though each decoded message is leading Brandon and Kimber closer to the truth, it is also leading them into the line of fire, where the stakes are higher than anyone ever imagined.

My Review: 

With a clever title and its description, I was excited to read this story. As an avid reader, entering into the world of publishing with CIA operatives was fascinating and a lot of fun. I could see myself right there on book signing tours and going to parties with famous people. Kimber Seidel has secretly always wanted to be a published author, and she gets the opportunity to do just that in order to investigate what involvement the executives have with the terrorist organization, Labyrinth. Working alongside of her is Brandon Hale who is posing as an administrative assistant for one very demanding boss. Together, they make a great team of bringing down the people who mean to kill a great number of people.

You’re sure to love this book for its action, suspense, the clues that are uncovered, and the romantic element between Brandon and Kimber. This is the first book in the Pen and Dagger series and one I am eagerly waiting to read the next book. 

I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own, and a positive review was not required.

The Spinster's Resolve

It is a truth universally acknowledged that spinsters make the best sleuths.

Who else has perfected the fine art of sitting quietly in the corner, sipping tea, and overhearing everything?Step into the world of Miss Grace Skye, where a fiery letter, a missing cook, and a dangerous conspiracy threaten to upend the quiet existence of an unassuming spinster—whether she’s ready for it or not.

After being thoroughly snubbed in the marriage mart for her pert opinions and mixed heritage (too English for India, too Indian for England—utterly exhausting), Grace has made peace with spinsterhood. Who needs a husband when you have books, tea, and the satisfaction of minding your own business?

Except—plot twist—her ancestral home is suddenly snatched away by a frail but wily old Duke (who probably has one foot in the grave and the other on a dance floor). Worse still, his delightfully evil steward storms in, hiking up rents, threatening tenants, and spreading fear.
But when young women start vanishing, it’s clear something far darker is at play.
Grace is done.Like any self-respecting spinster with a bone to pick, she pens a furious, blistering, no-holds-barred letter to the elusive Duke, demanding justice.

What could possibly go wrong? ( Everything.)

Instead of resolving matters, her letter ignites a chain of treachery, peril, and wildly unforeseen consequences. Days later, her beloved cook, Melissa, disappears without a trace—and Grace can’t shake the sickening suspicion that her strongly worded correspondence invited danger straight to their door.

Determined to set things right (and possibly prevent more kidnappings through sheer stubbornness), she embarks on a reckless quest for the truth. The only logical solution? Disguise herself as a no-nonsense old maid and do a little sleuthing.
Except… there’s one tiny problem. Before she can even begin, she crosses paths with the man of business, Gabriel Stone—maddeningly handsome, dangerously charming, and entirely too mysterious for his own good.

Friend or foe? She hasn’t the faintest clue.

👀 Unfortunately, the spinster who notices everything… has just been noticed by Gabriel Stone himself. Between dodging unwanted suitors, managing an estate she no longer owns, and keeping her younger sister from running off with the first charming rogue with a well-tied cravat, Grace barely has time for murder. But when danger comes knocking, time is running out.
Will she unravel the mystery before she’s the next to disappear?

Or will she lose her home—and her heart—to the one man she cannot trust?

My Review: 

I really enjoyed this Regency cozy mystery. This checked all the boxes for me. Not only did it have villains and plot twists, but it also had clean romance and humor. I loved all of the characters, beginning with Grace and her sister, to Gabriel Stone, to the endearing staff at the Skye ancestral home. The red herrings were placed at just the right points in the story and kept me interested in seeing if I was right about who was the nefarious villain. I especially liked the exciting conclusion of the case and recommend reading this book. I hope there will be more books to follow by the author.

Mild swear words, kidnapping

I received a complimentary copy of the book through BookSirens. All opinions are my own. A positive review was not required.

Watch Your Back

 

About the Book

Book: Watch Your Back (Crossroads Suspense Book Three. It can be read as a standalone).

Author: Kristen Hogrefe Parnell

Genre: Christian Romantic Suspense

Release date: March 5, 2025

You can’t watch your own back.

Private Investigator Avery Reynolds leads the charge to expose Tampa’s supposedly “extinct” mob. The crime boss responsible for her foster brother’s death is within her grasp—until she hits a wall in the form of Ethan Bridger, a Coast Guard veteran who unknowingly derails her sting operation. When the elusive “Big Eddie” comes out of hiding, he targets their mutual friends about to tie the knot.

Avery sets aside her angst toward Ethan to focus on ending the crime boss’s reign of terror. But working together exposes her trust issues and his PTSD stemming from a comrade’s tragedy. When Avery goes solo into a prisoner exchange operation, she discovers her vulnerability too late—and must lean on Ethan and the God she thought had abandoned her. But will that help reach her in time?

 My Review: 

Avery Reynolds is out to bring down the crime boss, Big Eddie. But every time she gets close, something happens to prevent her from doing so. One of those things being Ethan Bridger. He mistakenly rescued her during one of her sting operations. This was an awkward situation and one that I bet both hoped to never see one another again. But, little did they realize how important that meeting would be in their relationships, both professionally and personally. 

I always enjoy a story where the villain is brought to justice and the crime organization is affected. With Avery and Ethan and their colleagues, Big Eddie didn’t stand a chance of succeeding. There was plenty of action and a nail-biting scene that I really enjoyed. This is a Christian book, and the faith of the characters is throughout the story. This is the third book in the Crossroads Suspense series, but it can be read as a standalone. I hadn’t read the other books and didn’t think it affected the plot in any way. 

* kidnapping, human trafficking (no details), murder

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own. A positive review was not required.

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

Kristen Hogrefe Parnell writes suspenseful fiction from a faith perspective. Her books have won the Selah Award and the Grace Award, among others. She lives in the Tampa, Florida area with her husband and son.

 

 

 

 

More from Kristen

Finding God in Our Fears and Failures

Whenever I write a heroine’s character, I generally see a small piece of myself in her. Although I relate to some characters more than others, I can usually spot some shared quality that helps me empathize with her early on in my writing.

Writing private investigator Avery Reynolds in Watch Your Back was different. I liked her, despite all her sharp edges, but I didn’t see myself in her at first. As time went on, I found our shared similarity: a fear of failure.

While our situations are wildly different, this fear is not. She fears failing to take down Tampa’s elusive mob boss and letting down the few people close to her that she cares about. The stakes are so high at the end of the story that failure is worse than death to her.

While I was writing her story, I was raising a one-year-old, working online, trying to keep up with my home, and barely holding my head above water. Fears of missing my deadline—or worse, fears of letting down my family—ate away at my confidence. I couldn’t do it all. I wasn’t cut out for it.

That revelation was in fact the most freeing discovery I could make. I couldn’t do it all on my own, because I was never meant to. God provided a supportive husband, grace for each day, and the inspiration I needed to finish this story. Most importantly, He provided His never-failing presence. “For not, for I am with you,” the prophet Isaiah writes (Isaiah 41:10a NKJV). Ultimately, the reason we should not fear is Immanuel, “God with us.” (See Matthew 1:23.) He will never leave or forsake His children (Hebrews 13:5).

I don’t want to give away any spoilers in Avery’s story, but I will say she has her own moment of self-revelation as well. But will she recognize God’s hand reaching out to her in time?

When was the last time you found yourself in a situation you couldn’t handle on your own? How did God show up in your story?

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, March 11

A Reader’s Brain , March 12 (Author Interview)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, March 12

Texas Book-aholic, March 13

Betti Mace, March 14

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 15

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 16

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, March 17

For Him and My Family, March 18

Holly’s Book Corner, March 19

Book Looks by Lisa, March 20

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 21

Stories By Gina, March 22 (Author Interview)

Mary Hake, March 22

Books Less Travelled, March 23

Artistic Nobody, March 24

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Kristen is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/00adcf54170

Traitor in the Scottish Isles by Paige Edwards

My Review:

Cairstie Henderson is given the perfect opportunity to escape a scandal that she has found herself in by living in a remote part of the Western Isles of Scotland. Little did she realize that Sheridan, the very man who exposed information that brought about the scandal, would also end up in that sparsely part of the world.

I just love Ms. Edwards’s books. She has the best mix of action, suspense, danger, and clean romance. If these are elements that you look for in books, then you’ll want to read this book. This is the first book in the Roxburgh Scions, and I can’t wait to read more!

Things to look forward to:
island setting
Scottish brogue
enemies to more
espionage
top secret plans
nine iron weapon
jujitsu
hidden tunnels
dyslexia
fiddle playing

I received a complimentary copy of the book. All opinions are my own. A positive review was not required.

View all my reviews

Kate Landry Has a Plan

About the Book: 

I turned to him, and he winked at me. Winked! We needed clear lines in place between us. We would not be flirty friends. We’d be friends, period. The sooner I made that distinction, the better.Forty-year-old Kate Landry’s carefully planned life has become as messy as the powdered sugar on her famous beignets. Juggling the responsibilities of running her café, raising her teenage niece, and the emotional baggage from her breakup, Kate finds her world once again turned upside down when her first-ever crush, Micah Guidry, returns to town as the hunky local librarian. As Kate struggles to implement her plans to expand her café amid the New Orleans Mardi Gras madness and the meddling of her conniving ex-fiancé, Micah becomes the unwitting hero of her misadventures, stirring up feelings she thought she’d long buried. How can falling in love in the Big Easy be this hard?

My Review: 

Kate Landry is one determined lady to keep things neatly arranged in her life. That way, she has some control and normalcy after she has suffered some devastating losses.I loved that Kate was a woman in her forties; I felt that added depth to her character. She has experienced a lot in her life, with the death of her beloved sister, a broken engagement, and running a successful restaurant. But, life is rarely kept in a neat box and events checked off on a spreadsheet, unexpected things happen. I love that Kate had to rethink those ideas and decide to take some chances on new beginnings. 

Kate was so cute when she learns that she was to be her niece’s legal guardian. She created spread sheets on parenting, vitamin percentage charts, etc. When Hayley enters teen hood, the spreadsheets aren’t working as well as they had when she was young. She’s a great character, and I I thought it was funny how she petitioned (frequently) for a dog. Kate has a very trusting nature and when things are revealed about Ryan, her ex- fiancé, I wanted give him a piece of my mind; he was really rather deplorable.

I loved Micah because he never gave up and chose to see the positive things in life. Being a librarian; helping Kate; returning home for family reasons, and planning fun library events made him such an endearing character. I was glad he looked past Kate’s reluctance to see there could be more for them.

Things to love:

New Orleans

childhood crush

funny sayings

Hawaiian shirts

humor

water guns

pro/con spreadsheet

Operation Friends Only

faith aspect of the characters

This is the second book in the Beignets for Two series, but it can be read as a standalone. I look forward to reading more of this author’s books. I highly recommend this book; it will make you smile and looking forward to reading more of the series.

death of parents

infertilty

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher and AustenProse. All opinions are my own. A positive review was not required.

Rescued Duty

About the Book:

After growing up in foster care, investigative reporter Naya Michél has learned there’s usually more to a situation than meets the eye. When she’s assigned a story about the current water contamination crisis in town, Naya is ready to show her boss she has what it takes to secure a promotion—especially since the events surrounding the story have personal ties to her childhood. When her investigation makes her the target of someone who wants the truth kept quiet, how far will Naya’s determination take her before the cost becomes too much?

Rescue Squad firefighter and former foster kid Zack Stephens is ready to step up his game at work when his boss hands him a cold case for hazmat training. As Zack delves into the case, he uncovers a shocking revelation—his parents’ deaths weren’t accidental. Determined to find their murderer, Zack throws himself into the investigation. But he doesn’t expect his search to collide with Naya, the girl he promised to protect when they lived in foster care together.

As threats mount and Naya is caught in the crosshairs, can Zack reconcile the mistakes of his past and find a killer before someone deals a lethal blow? And can the two of them learn to trust—and love—each other again despite the pain of their past?

My Review: 

A terrible event brings Naya and Zach together to figure out what is happening. The more involved they become, the more they are being targeted. The interesting thing is that they had known each other as children and never had closure from past events. I liked seeing their relationship heal and move forward. Things to look forward to in the story:

 

second chances

strong female character

mystery

rivals

action

danger

found family

faith element

fire rescue team

Favorite quote: 

“The truth is beautiful because it sheds light on the darkness and exposes it.” 

This is the fifth book in the Last Chance Fire and Rescue, but can be read as a standalone. I enjoyed reading it and you will too if you like to read books by similar authors such as Susan May Warren or Elizabeth Goddard. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.