2015 Reading Challenge
8. A book your Mum loves: Highland Guard by Hannah Howell
Well, I have a confession to make. I sometimes like reading Mummy porn-esque books. They're my guilty pleasure, don't judge me. I wasn't initially going to write a review about this book but then I thought "I'm an adult and I shouldn't be embarrassed." I'm quite picky on what books of this kind I read because I still want a good story. (So I guess 50 Shades is out of the running...) If I wanted to read pure smut I would just go online and google it. If I'm honest, the main reason I read these books is they don't make me over think and the endings are always happy. When I was studying these were the the main kind of books I would read if any because I couldn't deal with anything really substantial. My Mum loves Hannah Howell's books and she has got me hooked as well. Howell has a couple of different series, the Murray/Highlander one, the Wherlocke one and the MacNachton Vampires one. I've read most of her books except for the vampire one because I really dislike vampires. This is the newest book out and I had to read it straight away. It was perfect timing because I really needed a silly book like this.
This book is set in historic highland Scotland, they don't give a specific date in this one but sometimes she does. The book is centred around Annys MacQueen and her difficulties in keeping her young son's lands safe from a cruel kinsman after her husband has died. This is quite a typical storyline for Howell to make. She requests help from Harcourt Murray to come and help her as her deceased husband once saved his life. They have a bit of a complicated history that gets unravelled during the course of the book. The book is full of intrigue, action and sexual tension. Howell's book always contain strong female characters which is pretty refreshing. Though there is always a level of submission involved but that's usually because of historic setting.
I really enjoyed this book because although there was an aspect of the storyline which was quite typical to Howell's other books, she managed to mix it up a bit. The romance aspect was quite different as for once the female protagonist wasn't a virgin. I know shock, horror but seriously some of the previous books where the female protagonist had been married, she still managed to be a virgin. These highland men love their virgins, I tell ya. But you don't expect much in that regard so its not that big of a deal and if I'm honest Annys is nearly a virgin in this book too. Another aspect Howell mixed things up with was the two main characters had this complicated past. I won't get into it because it may ruin the beginning of the book but it is quite intriguing and unique. But ultimately this book was full of cliches. However, the silver linings are that you read these books because you want cliches and Howell managed to make them difficult to see coming, at least to an extent. I also appreciated that she didn't over do the sex scenes. Sometimes in other books I'm thinking "Guys, can you stop with all the sex, there's a murderer on the loose! You need to focus!" but then I continue reading...
I'm really quite a fan of Howell's books even if I don't hold them in the highest regard. Her books have been great for me when I just want to read something with a happy ending, that won't make me think to hard and has a small sprinkling of smut... I recommend that you should try out these type of books if you are a bit stressed and like a sweet love story. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I do really enjoy them but they are still more of a guilty pleasure rather than my favourite books.
This book is set in historic highland Scotland, they don't give a specific date in this one but sometimes she does. The book is centred around Annys MacQueen and her difficulties in keeping her young son's lands safe from a cruel kinsman after her husband has died. This is quite a typical storyline for Howell to make. She requests help from Harcourt Murray to come and help her as her deceased husband once saved his life. They have a bit of a complicated history that gets unravelled during the course of the book. The book is full of intrigue, action and sexual tension. Howell's book always contain strong female characters which is pretty refreshing. Though there is always a level of submission involved but that's usually because of historic setting.
I really enjoyed this book because although there was an aspect of the storyline which was quite typical to Howell's other books, she managed to mix it up a bit. The romance aspect was quite different as for once the female protagonist wasn't a virgin. I know shock, horror but seriously some of the previous books where the female protagonist had been married, she still managed to be a virgin. These highland men love their virgins, I tell ya. But you don't expect much in that regard so its not that big of a deal and if I'm honest Annys is nearly a virgin in this book too. Another aspect Howell mixed things up with was the two main characters had this complicated past. I won't get into it because it may ruin the beginning of the book but it is quite intriguing and unique. But ultimately this book was full of cliches. However, the silver linings are that you read these books because you want cliches and Howell managed to make them difficult to see coming, at least to an extent. I also appreciated that she didn't over do the sex scenes. Sometimes in other books I'm thinking "Guys, can you stop with all the sex, there's a murderer on the loose! You need to focus!" but then I continue reading...
I'm really quite a fan of Howell's books even if I don't hold them in the highest regard. Her books have been great for me when I just want to read something with a happy ending, that won't make me think to hard and has a small sprinkling of smut... I recommend that you should try out these type of books if you are a bit stressed and like a sweet love story. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I do really enjoy them but they are still more of a guilty pleasure rather than my favourite books.
Thank you for reading!
Jenny
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