Book: The Innkeeper and the Fugitive
Author: Martha Keyes
My Rating: 3.5 Scottish Stars
Bookworms, y’all know I love a historical romance set in Scotland. And Martha Keyes is one of the best in the genre! This is the third book in the Tales From the Highlands series, and so far I’ve loved them all. I read this one in two days and probably could have done it in one if I wasn’t a responsible adult.
The first two were so incredibly angsty and dramatic, so I went into this one expecting the same. However, I felt like Hamish and Ava’s story was actually more lighthearted and funny. Don’t get me wrong, it still had its fair share of angst and drama, but it surprised me with some great banter and a humorous cast of supporting characters. Where the other books were heavily plot driven with near death experiences left and right, this one was definitely character driven. Almost the entire story takes place at the inn, and Hamish and Ava didn’t almost die even one time. Honestly, I was a little disappointed after all the high stakes drama of the first two books. All Hamish and Ava had to do was keep her identity a secret and do a teensy bit of illegal smuggling all while falling in love against their better judgement.
I did feel like parts of this one dragged a bit. Maybe because it was just Ava, Hamish, and Glenna keeping secrets and hiding out in the kitchen for like 90% of the book. The chemistry between Ava and Hamish did keep me turning pages though. There was a super dramatic and kind of tragically funny case of mistaken identity and miscommunication, which was cleared up so fast and with very little explanation. A bit anticlimactic for my taste, but not necessarily bad.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one, even though it was a little different than I expected. If you haven’t read the other two, I would recommend starting from the beginning just so you know the characters, however you could pick up this one and not be totally lost. And I’m excited to see that the next book is going to be Glenna’s story. She is an angel of a woman in all of these books and she deserves her happily ever after! If you’re a fan of clean historical romance, you should check this one out!
Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows. Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every other Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]
See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.