Among the Heather by Samantha Young is now live!

A dramatic and suspenseful celebrity romance that is full of emotion with a beautifully swoony love story, and it’s a gorgeous read.

 

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Blurb

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.

 

 

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Review

4 stars

The second book in Samantha Young’s The Highlands series, this is a dramatic and suspenseful celebrity romance that is full of emotion with a beautifully swoony love story, and it’s a gorgeous read.

This is the second book in the series, which itself is a spin-off from The Adairs series, but this book could be read as a standalone – just beware character crossover and some spoilers for earlier books in both series.

Aria Howard is the daughter of a famous director and a supermodel. Though raised in privilege, she didn’t have the easiest life, and she’s experienced heartbreaking betrayal that has left emotional scars. But she’s found her place in the Scottish Highlands, managing Ardnoch Estate, an exclusive members-only resort for the rich and famous.

North Hunter is an up-and-coming movie star whose career is in turmoil after a dark secret from his past hits the media. He flees to the privacy and security of Ardnoch, where he plans to hide from the world until it all blows over.

Aria and North don’t have the best of relationships. On their first meeting, she dismissed him as an arrogant playboy actor, so like the ones who hurt her in the past. That got his back up, and he played into the stereotype. Things haven’t gone well since then, and they continue to go downhill as he wallows in his misery.

One drunken night of foxed proximity changes everything for them when they open up about their pasts and actually get to know each other. Chemistry zings and when North offers to help Aria overcome her deep-seated insecurity about her desirability, they agree to spend one night together. Until that one night rocks both of their worlds.

Holy. Shit.
Holy fucking shit.
I’d just had the best sex of my goddamn life.
…. Then North Hunter ruined it by lifting his head. He stared deep into my eyes and declared, “If you think for one second we’re a one-night-only deal, you’re very, very wrong, Ms. Howard. Because I plan to do that to you many, many fucking times.”

It’s hot and so damn steamy, and both of them realise that they share a rare connection, but while North is instantly smitten, Aria is buried behind the walls she has erected to protect herself from being hurt again. He has his work cut out for him to convince Aria to give him a shot for real.

When I wanted something as much as I wanted Aria, I never stopped under what I wanted was mine.

It’s dramatic with a bit of back and forth as Aria tries to work through her issues. Apart from having had a rough time with relationships, she has insecurities about her body and her sexuality that a lot of women will be able to relate to. Her continuous negativity does get frustrating, but North is a dream as he guides her through her fears, working to build her up and convince her of the strength of his feelings, and God, I loved him! He falls so fast and so helplessly, and he follows his heart, holding nothing back from Aria and working to help her deal with her past and open herself up to a future with him. He’s patient and understanding, and refuses to let her get inside of her head to much, and it’s so gorgeous to watch.

She hadn’t quite realized we were acting like a couple in a relationship, and I didn’t intend to enlighten her until she was already too deep in.

While they’re figuring it all out, they’re also both dealing with threats from their past resurfacing. There is some mystery and suspense – some of a little OTT perhaps? – and though I didn’t think those parts of the story were necessary, they’re resolved well and give North and Aria the chance to be all protective and fight for each other, which is what we like to see.

This is a really sweet read. The love story is passionate and swoony, North and Aria are open and honest with each other, and North absolutely stole my heart as the man determined to win the girl he’s so wildly in love with.

“This will never be over for me, princess,” he whispered hoarsely in my ear. “Never. You’re in my blood … You always will be.”

We get to catch up with Walker and Sloane from the last book in the series, and we see all of the Adair clan and get a glimpse into their HEAs. We also spend some time with Theo, who will get the next book, and I cannot wait to see him fall.

I love this world that Samantha Young has created, and am looking forward to more from the series.

4 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

Highlands Series

 

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Meet Samantha

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She’s been nominated for several Goodreads Choice Awards. Samantha writes adult contemporary and paranormal romance, YA urban fantasy and YA contemporary fiction and is currently published in 31 countries.

She resides in Scotland.

 

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