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Grianan
Tragedy strikes the life of a young woman when her fiance breaks off their engagement and one of her beloved aunts suddenly dies. Heartbroken, she returns to her home in Scotland, where she was raised in a bed and breakfast by another aunt. En route, she encounters a men who renews her faith in love, only to discover that he's a married man and devoted father.
280 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 27, 2020
I discovered writer Alexandra Raife after finishing her novel Wild Highland Home just over one week ago, and soon used up another precious Paperbackswap.com book credit to get this offering. For a good chunk of the book, I was sorely disappointed and disgusted in the characters and the story, as I do not think affairs are in any way romantic or bittersweet (I hated The English Patient and The Bridges of Madison County for this very reason). I'll never condone it, and this book is no exception.
However, I ended up giving this book 4 stars, simply because Raife's story and her writing really touched me in unexpected (as well as uncomfortable) ways. I can't remember ever reading a simple romance book that touched on the topics that Raife addressed in this one, and I thought she did it beautifully. To say more would be to spoil the twists in this book for others. Suffice it to say, if you start this book and have some of the same problems and conflicts with it that I did, just stick with it to the end. I can't promise that the end results will be the same for you as for me, but I can say that it's a little more complex then your typical romance novel.
Now off to use another precious Paperbackswap book credit on another Raife book...
However, I ended up giving this book 4 stars, simply because Raife's story and her writing really touched me in unexpected (as well as uncomfortable) ways. I can't remember ever reading a simple romance book that touched on the topics that Raife addressed in this one, and I thought she did it beautifully. To say more would be to spoil the twists in this book for others. Suffice it to say, if you start this book and have some of the same problems and conflicts with it that I did, just stick with it to the end. I can't promise that the end results will be the same for you as for me, but I can say that it's a little more complex then your typical romance novel.
Now off to use another precious Paperbackswap book credit on another Raife book...
October 18, 2016
Sally escapes from her well-ordered life after the break-up of a relationship, to help run her aunt's country hotel for the summer.
The author creates realistic characters, even if they are a bit over-inclined to leap into bed with each other after a very brief acquaintance. The plot takes awhile to get going, and is character-based primarily. Sally has to confront some insecurities and decide what she wants from life. I found the latter half of the book immensely moving.
Unashamedly women’s fiction, this would probably appeal to people who enjoy books such as those by Rosamunde Pilcher or Maeve Binchy.
The author creates realistic characters, even if they are a bit over-inclined to leap into bed with each other after a very brief acquaintance. The plot takes awhile to get going, and is character-based primarily. Sally has to confront some insecurities and decide what she wants from life. I found the latter half of the book immensely moving.
Unashamedly women’s fiction, this would probably appeal to people who enjoy books such as those by Rosamunde Pilcher or Maeve Binchy.
March 19, 2024
Couldn't decide if it deserved one or two stars, so I erred on the side of generosity. I have read several other Raife books that I enjoyed. They reminded me a bit of Pilcher or Binchey but on estates in Scotland and this one got that way towards the end, but was a bit of a slog to get there. Broken hearted Sally Buchanan heads to her Aunt's cottage to recover after being jilted so her ex could go back to his wife. Pottering around the cottage, she meets a man, who is married and this is where I lost a bit of interest......
March 12, 2021
Just could not get into this book. I didn’t finish reading it.
January 5, 2010
It had been a long time since I had picked up one of my Alexandra Raife books. They have been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for several years, but yesterday I picked up this book and started to reread. As I started to cry I remembered by I had purchased all of the Alex Raife books I could find. It was because she wrote about normal women living every day lives.
In Mountain Heather, Sally is getting away from her corporate urban existance, and a fiancee who no longer fits and head to her Aunt's home in the mountains. Covering more then three years of Sally's life, Alex Raife gives an intimate and heart rending view into the life and relationships of an average, normal(if there is such a thing) woman.
If you are looking for a fast paced whirl wind of a romance novel this isn't the book for you. Within its pages you aren't going to find numerous explicit sex scenes, or a knight in shining armor who swepts up the fair maiden and takes her off to the perfect home and lived happily ever-after.
This is not a happily ever-after book. It's sad, depressing, and will probably make you cry more then once. But by the time you finish it you are left if a a feeling of contentment and hope...and homecoming.
In Mountain Heather, Sally is getting away from her corporate urban existance, and a fiancee who no longer fits and head to her Aunt's home in the mountains. Covering more then three years of Sally's life, Alex Raife gives an intimate and heart rending view into the life and relationships of an average, normal(if there is such a thing) woman.
If you are looking for a fast paced whirl wind of a romance novel this isn't the book for you. Within its pages you aren't going to find numerous explicit sex scenes, or a knight in shining armor who swepts up the fair maiden and takes her off to the perfect home and lived happily ever-after.
This is not a happily ever-after book. It's sad, depressing, and will probably make you cry more then once. But by the time you finish it you are left if a a feeling of contentment and hope...and homecoming.
March 5, 2016
Great book set in Scotland, about a woman who loves not wisely, but well. Her lover is brain-damaged after a stroke, she refuses to give up on him and all's well that ends well.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews