Review: Highlander for the Holidays by Janet Chapman

Highlander for the Holidays
Book 8 in the Highlander series
Author: Janet Chapman
Publisher: Jove
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9780515150087
Release date: 10/25/11
Author's website:  Janet Chapman

After a brutal attack, Jessie Pringle moved to the small mountain town of Pine Creek, Maine, to start over. But she never expected to meet Ian MacKeage, who had seemingly stepped right out of the Scottish Highlands. As drawn to Ian as he is to her, Jessie finds it more and more difficult to deny her own desires...

Then, on one of her long walks through the wilderness, she meets a kindly hermit who sells her a walking stick-one imbued with a magic that may allow Jessie to finally be rid of the pain of her past, and build a future with Ian.

Sometimes a change of scenery can make a big difference in a persons life, and that is just what happened for Jessie Pringle in this book when she makes the move from Atlanta to Maine.  She survives an attack that changes her life and feels that Pine Creek, Maine is will help in her recovery.  Along with her trustful service dog Toby, they get settled into their new town with the help of a kind stranger that seems to be good to be true. Ian MacKeage and his family have lived in Pine Creek for most of the lives and are a huge part of it.  Ian meets Jessie on the day that she arrives and is instantly attracted to her.  He comes to her aid throughout the book and it seems as if fate wants to bring these two together.  They are good for one another and are able to confide in each other which strengthens their relationship.  It doesn't take long for these two to fall in love and realize that they were made for each other. With a little help from a distant relative of Ian's and believing in magic that is throughout the town of Pine Creek, Jessie is finally able to triumph over the horror from her past that has made her into the woman that she has become.  Change can be a good thing and that is exactly what Jessie needs in order to move on with her life.  Ian helps her with this but he has his own issues to deal with.  He is expected to take over the family business and while he understands this, he feels as if something is missing in his life.  With Jessie in his life he is finally able to realize what his destiny is and finally begins to feel whole. 

I'm giving Highlander for the Holidays a rating of:

Highlander for the Holidays is a sweet love story that centers around believing in something even though you don't know what it is.  Magic is the central theme in this story and it's all around the characters even if they don't believe it at first.  Overall, the story didn't knock my socks off, but I still enjoyed the characters and felt that it was very well written.  I enjoy Janet Chapman's books and feel that they always have the right amount of humor and entertains the readers with great characters falling in love.