HAVING A FLING IN THE HIGHLANDS...! (Highland Fling - Katie Fforde)

Member Name: katestuartuk

Product:	Highland Fling - Katie Fforde
Date:	17/07/06 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: GREAT STORY, GOOD CHARACTERS, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!

Disadvantages: NONE

Katie Fforde
Highland Fling

Published by Arrow Books

I can actually claim to have every book Katie Fforde has ever had published. Which is quite a feat for me! I like her style, I like her humour, and I like her characters, which means in turn that I like every book she publishes, and what is more, I know I’m going to like it before I even buy it! Her stories aren’t deeply philosophical, her characters are no more or less complicated than you or I, but there’s just something about they way they pull you in, with the ease of reading and the simplicity and everyday-lifeness of them that means you pick them up and can’t put them down again!

Highland Fling was the first Katie Fforde novel I read, though it is actually the 8th novel in a growing list of about 12, and I have to say it totally captivated me. It’s very fanciful, but still real, if that makes sense, and so well researched that you don’t even question the characters and what they are doing, you just believe. I think that’s probably what I applaud most in Katie Fforde books, is that she so cleverly researches every main character so well, that they come across as real people, and you believe in them. Every book covers a different subject, from running a full blown Scottish cloth mill in Highland Fling, to growing plants and exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show in Wild Designs, and in every single paragraph, the attention to detail and the research shines through, though not in a way which distracts you from the story.

The Story

Highland Fling is a story about Jenny Porter, who is a “virtual assistant” and is in charge of trying to save a failing Scottish mill. She is impulsive, strong in character, and has bucket loads of sheer determination. She also has a boyfriend back home who thinks she’s too impulsive and too warm-hearted, and doesn’t appear to be happy about this. There is a love interest, the charming and dashing Ross Grant, and a lot of Scottish references! Set in the highlands (obviously!) and during the cold winter months, the scene is set for romance by the fireside (or half way up a mountain!) and the only question is – who will Jenny end up with? Her boyfriend, who turns up to woo her back, or the handsome Ross Grant…?

I love Katie Fforde books. She writes with an easy, funny, gentle style, and her characters are always well informed, strong women who journey through the book making all the mistakes we all make, but learning from them and falling in love along the way. Highland fling is no exception, and I think this is probably my favourite Katie Fforde book of all time. The modern-day Scottish location helps, and the setting of a failing Scottish textile mill adds the charm element. Its a great story, a fabulous setting, and well worth a read.
This is a perfect book for a winter Sunday afternoon, and I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone who wants a bit of love, a bit of humour, and a bit of Scottish hillside to read about!

RRP: £6.99
ISBN: 0099415550

www.randomhouse.co.uk
www.katiefforde.com


Thank you for reading, Kate x

Summary: A LOVELY STORY WITH A BEAUTIFUL BACKDROP AND BELIEVABLE CHARACTERS