Review: The Highland Fling

Grab your kilts, it's time for some armchair traveling to the Scottish Highlands. I recently read Meghan Quinn's The Highland Fling and enjoyed it so very much! I loved the setting and the flawed yet relatable characters Quinn created. This is a rom com with a lot of heart that many readers would enjoy.

Here's the book's description:

Freshly fired from her third job in a row, Bonnie St. James has lost her way. So when she and her best friend stumble upon a “help wanted” post to run a coffee shop in the Scottish Highlands, they apply on a whim. Who knows? Maybe traveling to a new place is just what she needs to figure out her next move.
When the friends arrive in the tiny idyllic town of Corsekelly, they instantly fall for the gorgeous Highland landscape and friendly townspeople. But Bonnie finds a less-than-warm welcome in Rowan MacGregor, the rugged local handyman. Busy wrestling his own demons, Rowan’s in no mood to deal with the quirky American—even if she is a bonny lass.
As Bonnie and Rowan’s paths inevitably cross, insults—and sparks—fly. Can the pair build on their similarities to help each other find purpose and direction…and maybe romance too? Or will their passionate tempers fling them apart?

This isn't going to be a rom com for everyone. First of all, a lot of people hate when there's some serious issues in their rom coms (not me...I don't understand why there's so much anger about it but that's a topic for another day). The heavy storylines don't take over the plot but they're important and they're trigger warnings. The three I noted are: cancer, death of a parent, and toxic relationships. Second of all, Quinn's humour, which comes through the most with Bonnie, is clever but also on the dirty side. If you know that's not the kind of humour for you, do not attempt to read this book. If you like your penis jokes with a side of "what's under the kilt?" comments, read on, Macduff. 

I absolutely loved spending some time in the Highlands while reading this novel. It turns out Quinn has not been to Scotland herself and I really hope she has the chance to someday. I've only been to Edinburgh myself and I can't wait until I can get back and explore the Highlands. The teeny town the women land in, Corsekelly, doesn't really exist but there is Corsekelly Place in Fraserburg that is kind of where I imagined the town might be. There are times you'll cringe at how clueless Bonnie and Dakota are but you'll also appreciate how open the townspeople were (apart from Rowan) and how they welcomed the women into their town with no judgment. 

This is a Grump and Sunshine kind of romance as Rowan (referred to by Bonnie as Kilty McGrumpyshire) is not at all amused by Bonnie and her chatterbox nature. I didn't blame him, at some points. She's ridiculously self-absorbed but I could kind of understand that. She's still fairly young and is so wrapped up in trying to find The Thing that she's good at. She doesn't feel like she has any worth and it's hard to worry about anyone else when you don't know who you are. Since it's such a small town and the women are running Rowan's parents' coffee shop, they're thrown together often so it's not long before you realize the bickering is hiding major attraction. They balanced each other so well and I was worried about the bumps the couple would deal with before they got their Happily Ever After.

I pretty much felt all of the feelings while reading this novel. I laughed at Bonnie's antics and Rowan's quieter sense of humour. My heart broke numerous times for various reasons - Rowan is suspicious of his parents' sudden vacation and Dakota is still recovering from a toxic relationship (which also happened to be her first relationship with a woman so it messed her up in all kinds of ways). I felt for Bonnie as she floundered and felt like she wasn't worthy enough for anything. And I swooned over the romances that occur during the course of the novel (get ready for some steamy open door scenes with Rowan and Bonnie). I love when romances and rom coms give me a wide range of feelings and Quinn did it really well.

I'd definitely recommend reading The Highland Fling if you love laugh out loud romances that will also make you swoon and maybe even tear up. This was my first Meghan Quinn novel and I don't think it's going to be my last!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Thomas Allen and Son, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*