Sandy M’s review of Among the Heather (Highlands, Book 2) by Samantha Young
Contemporary Romance published by Samantha Young 5 Dec 23
Samantha Young never fails to draw me into her stories with characters and storylines that are always intriguing and pull at my heartstrings. North and Aria both have their self-confidence issues, being products of Hollywood in one form or another. When they meet at Ardnoch Caste in the Scottish Highlands, where the wealthy elite come to hide or get away from it all, things don’t go well. We get to go along for the slow-burn ride before that happily ever after finally concedes.
Aria is the daughter of a Hollywood director and North is a famous actor, and both are hiding at Ardnoch to let life get back on an even keel. Their pasts are just as concerning to them as their present lives. While they try to keep their distance, they also stand up for the other when things go awry. It’s North who steals the heart when we defends Aria and the fat shaming she goes through, even from those closest to her. She has a lifetime of that, along with false friends, to get through, and North doesn’t let you or her down when it comes to making her believe how beautiful she is. You do have to stick with her on this, because it takes nearly the entire book for her belief to change.
Thus, it’s North who falls first, which I love to see in romance. He’s leading a disheartening charge, however, because he and his life are too similar to others Aria has dealt with. But he doesn’t give up, knowing Aria is worth every minute he spends with her, every word he utters to build her up. Then there’s the mystery that rears its ugly head, keeping the story moving along at a nice pace. The romance takes you on a meandering flow with plenty of spice as you turn those pages. You can’t help but get as caught up in these two as they eventually become caught up in each other.
Everything is the usual Samantha Young wonderfulness from characters to mystery to storyline, everything her fans look for to keep them coming back book after book.
Grade: A
Summary:
He’s a disgraced actor. She’s the daughter of Hollywood royalty. Both are hiding in the Scottish Highlands, but despite their antagonistic attraction, they can’t seem to hide from each other…
North Hunter has worked hard to step out of the shadows of his orphaned upbringing into the limelight of Hollywood. He never imagined a dark moment from his childhood returning to destroy everything he’d built. Devastated, he finds comfort in the isolation of an exclusive members-only club in the Scottish Highlands, even if the club comes with a prickly estate manager who sets his blood on fire.
As the eldest daughter of a Hollywood legend, Aria Howard has learned the hard way that people will use her to get to her father. When her last relationship ended badly, Aria fled to Scotland. Running Ardnoch Estate provides distance from a life that has never fit comfortably. But when defamed Scottish actor North Hunter disrupts her sanctuary, Aria is on the defense. The cocky actor is the last thing she needs, and despite their searing attraction, Aria is determined to dislike him.
But one night of drunken forced proximity with North leads Aria to share insecurities seeded by her horrible ex. When North offers to prove her ex wrong by taking Aria to his bed for a no-strings distraction, they begin an affair neither expected. However, their fiery liaison leads to a deep emotional connection that unsettles them both, and North will have to break down more than Aria’s trust issues if they’re ever to have a future together. He’ll need to protect her from a past that just doesn’t want to stay buried… or lose something far more essential to his existence than his career.
No excerpt available.
