Series: Kinloch, #2
Traits & Tropes: alpha hero; former soldier; humor
Publication Date: 04.04.22
Genre/Setting: Contemporary; Scottish Highlands
Heat Level: 5.5
Rating: 4/5
Rory is certain he’s found the love of his life, but his insecurities still creep in where Zoe is concerned, and he has a hard time feeling secure of her. After all, he has virtually no money, a ton of debt, and his mother actively loathes her. When Hollywood A-lister Brad Bauer shows up out of the blue, determined to film Braveheart 2 at Kinloch, it could be the answer to all their financial woes, but Rory’s not so sure it’s worth it.
Brad was Zoe’s first crush as a teen and with him in Kinloch, convinced she was his soulmate in a previous life, Rory is understandably on edge. With all the personnel involved in the film overrunning Kinloch, everyone in the village is soon feeling the strain. With a self-proclaimed mystical holy man, a diva actress, and an egomaniac superstar overrunning the castle, Rory and Zoe are pushed to their limits and Rory has to keep the end game in mind or risk losing the woman who’s made his life worth living.
First off, I’m still not really a fan of our hero and heroine not getting their [permanent] HEA in a book and having their story carried on, but the first book didn’t end in a cliffhanger, and it definitely did feel like Zoe and Rory had more to say, plus they were both very endearing, so I didn’t really mind them getting a second book. In fact, even having this second book featuring them as hero and heroine, I still am left wanting more Zoe and Rory, partially because I liked both characters so much, but also because I wish they’d had more time together on page in this one. Rory charmed me with his passionate, romantic declarations to Zoe in the first book and with everything else that was going on in their lives without outside forces creeping in, we really didn’t get much of that here. Ditto for their steamy scenes. Though of course there were plenty, some of them felt rushed, or were interrupted and just were not as romantically connected as those of the first book. I see now that that first book spoiled me a bit as far as their relationship was concerned and it was just hard for this continuation to wholly live up. With so many outsiders leeching in and trying to come between Zoe and Rory, she did a lot of managing, both of him and of their situations and I wasn’t the biggest fan of that. Even if she did try to protect him for what she thought was his own good, I was left wanting more of the openness and raw honesty of the first book and it was hard not to keep making that comparison. Sometimes this one leaned a bit too hard into the comedic elements and forgot the romance just a bit. That said, I still enjoyed the story for the most part and I really am intrigued by the side characters that were introduced and hopefully getting their own books, especially Charlie and Jamie. I adore Rory as a hero, I want to spend my Sundays at Morag’s house, and I really did love the fact that through all the annoyance and upheaval they faced in this book, Zoe and Rory stood rock solid by each other. I look forward to stories for those side characters I mentioned and will read more from this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3629282095
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4604326655
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