A Highlander for Hannah

Mystic Falls #1

by Mary Warren

Hannah Glenn is ready for a change. After quitting her job and breaking up with her slacker boyfriend, she moves to her family’s farm. In her search for clarity, she let her best friend talk her into buying a love spell. Hannah doesn’t believe in magic but decides to perform the spell anyway. What harm could it do? The ancient, brutish, but also undeniably handsome Scotsman she finds in her barn the next morning might be the answer to the question.

Graham MacNeil fell asleep in his uncle’s stable in 1745. He awoke over two hundred years in the future across the Atlantic. He is in a world he knows nothing about with a woman who drives him mad… mad with lust and just plain mad.

The spell can only be reversed under the moon of the spring equinox. They are going to have to find a way to survive each other until then. It’s only a matter of months. I mean… what can happen in that time?

Will Hannah and Graham learn to live with each other? If they can, then maybe, just maybe they can find a love worth crossing space and time.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Time Travel, Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Plus Size, Adult

241 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2022

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Imagine a book where a woman casts a love spell she picked up from a "witch" at a RenFaire that brings a man from 1745 into the present, and apart from 2 reaction scenes, the main guy's adjustment to living in the present happens almost completely off-page with minimal hijinx, and the main gal has no curiosity about learning more about the magic she's just discovered is real or even in spending much time with the guy she unwittingly dragged across 2 centuries.

Instead you are treated to page after page of the woman complaining about the comparatively minimal upheaval in her life after she ditched her shitty job and shitty boyfriend (good for her) and insulted her father's entire career before moving onto his ag exemption farm and living rent-free off his money for an indefinite period of time so she can explore a career in the arts. While the guy from 1745 is just hanging out in the barn, being a paid servant to this lady, not knowing how cell phones work, all by himself for weeks at a time.

There are so many basic technical issues with the writing in this book, but the biggest issue is that the author engineered this massive, life-altering magical event only to make it clear by the next chapter it was a mere plot contrivance to give Hannah the perfect boyfriend she's always dreamed of. The boyfriend being nothing more than a Jamie Fraser cardboard cutout who was plopped down in 2020 to serve as a calf-eyed prop to validate Hannah's needs and desires is the entire point.

This book didn't feel like a romance to me. It was extremely one-sided, and while I love the concept of a fat girl being emotionally supported and sexually worshipped by a hot guy in a kilt, that concept falls flat when the main guy has no real thoughts, feelings, or experiences of his own. It's so much better when the dude wants her because of her and their shared experiences and growing bond, and not just because he conveniently showed up when the plot demanded it.

[Ashley M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Highlander for Hannah has a cute premise but misses the mark for execution.

Hannah Glenn has had it. She was stuck in a job that worked her to the bone without promotion and had a boyfriend who didn’t lift a finger in their relationship. After a disastrous meeting with her boss Hannah quits on the spot and drops her boyfriend like a hot rock. She leaves the city to go spend some time at the family farm, hoping to sort out her life. While attending a Ren Faire with her bestie, Poppy, she reluctantly purchases a love spell. Those things don’t work, right? WRONG. Hannah accidentally summons a Highlander from the 1700s, Graham MacNeil, and both are shocked at this turn of events. Graham can only return to his time in the night of the spring equinox, so he has to stay for the next 6 months. What could possibly happen in that time?

I requested an ARC after reading the synopsis and seeing the cover. The cover is lovely and the synopsis sounded like the perfect time travel romance read. This book does have good bones. I liked the idea of a Highlander being summoned into a modern era, I liked the plus size representation (and the fact that it was never sugar coated) and I liked the setting of it being at the family farm.

However, this book desperately needs at least another 1-2 rounds of editing. The pace of the plot jumps rapidly between chapters and sometimes even from paragraph to paragraph with no line breaks. There are numerous scenes where characters are preparing for specific events or dates, but the actual event or date is skimmed over or just not even touched upon. There is some repetitive dialogue and phrasing used as well. I think with another round of beta reading and editing this book could have been stellar.

There is definitely spice in the latter half of this book. More than I anticipated but not mad about it. The scenes seem relatively quick but that makes sense considering the pace of the rest of the book.

There is definitely tension right off the hop between Hannah and Graham and I was here for it. I loved their dynamic for the most part. I do think Hannah could have shown a bit more grace towards Graham, though. She had a tendency to snap at him a lot in the beginning, and while I understand why she is pissed, I also understand why he did what he did. However, he is the one who is in a new time and place and I just wish that she showed a bit more empathy. I also am not a fan of the decision Hannah makes at Christmas. I find her actions almost cruel, considering Graham’s situation.

As I said, this book had a good idea and characters, but it just didn’t do it for me. I’m not sure if I’d read the authors next book, but if you like plus size representation, fiery main characters and time travel romance then maybe give this a shot.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[b.andherbooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

If not for my book club, I would have DNF'ed early on. I was hoping for some fun, fish-out-of-water hijinks and what little we had were mostly lost to story jumps where the 1740s highlander and the heroine were binging movies together off page.

Truly this completely lost me for the very obvious "this is James Fraser" but with a different name and then the really meta talking about Outlander the book series and Outlander the TV Show.

also, i almost gave an extra star for the grand gesture at the end (see spoiler) because it was so silly and i could appreciate the dark humor.

Should have been a novella.

**spoiler


our highlander creates a five year plan spread sheet // power point to show he's committed to staying in her time and not going back to be killed at Culloden 😭

[Bethany]

dnf @ 10%

You know, I’m mad at this book. It had such an exciting premise, and THIS is how you execute it? No thank you - honestly, I can’t emphasize enough how bad this was.

Really technically poor writing with a number of issues, the least of which is the fact that the magic is just a plot device, never really questioned, and doesn’t seem like it will be explored further? (Confirmed by the reviews I read to see if it was ever actually explored)

Honestly, Hannah reads as incredibly rude, entitled, and just not very nice, and she doesn’t seem to have any personality outside of being fat. The boyfriend she dumps and job she quits at the start of the novel are so ridiculously ‘evil’ that it just reads as poor writing, and the book insists on telling me things rather than actually letting me experience them as a reader.

10/10 not for me, would not recommend.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was super lucky to get and ARC (my first ever!!) for this book and I have to say this was such a cute, easy read!!

I really loved the fat rep and I found the storyline really enjoyable. The timeline, although not fully fleshed out, flowed fairly well and the plot made a lot of sense.

I will say that, much like many self published books, this could do with a good edit (not just spelling/typos but to check tone and language etc as I found this a bit inconsistent) and the dialogue was clunky at times but overall it was incredibly sweet and fun!

[Sammie Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, I’ve been getting lucky with the sweet MMCs lately! This was super cute and sweet, a retelling of Outlander. Hannah is on a roll, quitting her job working as a corporate lawyer for a jackass and dumping her deadbeat boyfriend in the same day. She goes to a renaissance fair with her bff and ends up buying a love spell. She doesn’t put much stock in it until a Highlander in a kilt with a fancy accent shows up in her horse barn claiming to be from 1700s and looking at her jeans and shirt like they’re made of flames and shame.

Hannah doesn’t know what to do with Graham, but they end up back at the fair and buying an even more expensive reversal spell…that can only be done on the next equinox…in six months. Hannah hires him to work the horses, and they go about their time teaching Graham all the ways of modern convenience, much to his fascination and confusion. They become closer and closer, and obviously get together because come on people, this is romance. But as his time comes to a close, he doesn’t know how to tell her he wants to stay. And she doesn’t know how to ask.

Everything about Jamie, I mean, Graham appeals to me. Much like Jamie Frasier, Graham is a gentleman, an earnest lover, and…a virgin. All make for a delicious cinnamon roll hero, and I loved him for Hannah, who is used to being with men that she has to take care of. She was a bit stubborn at times, but her complete heartbreak over thinking he wanted to go back to his time, and the way she handled it was so genuine. Their last chapter together and the epilogue made me cry, I loved it.

[Andrea ☾ [is inconsistently consistant] · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ If Outlander’s Jamie Fraser found himself travelling to the future.

That’s really the vibe from the first chapter, and the direct references in the book really just say it all. It almost felt too meta, but oh, well.

Hannah is done with her life as a lawyer in New York and decides to quit and move upstate to her family’s farmhouse for a while. She also breaks up with her deadbeat boyfriend right before moving, and cannot wrap her head around the fact that every man she’s had a relationship with before had been less than ideal. While on a visit to a Renaissance Fair with her best friend, Hannah asks a witch for a spell to bring her the perfect man… Only to find a confused highlander named Graham in her barn the next morning.

This was a fun read, but the writing style was really not my favourite. It was a mid-length book, and although it felt complete, I think there was a lot of disconnect and time jumps where there could have been a bit more narration or at least explanation as to what happened between the cuts. Still, Graham was absolutely everything that I wanted, and if I would’ve found this book in the high of my Outlander phase I would have most definitely lost my sh*t!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5
🌶️/ 5

[anotherbritinthewall · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a cute story and we love fat representation but, as it sometimes happens with self-published work, it could have used some proper editing; between quite a few mistakes and the Outlander-esque plot it read a bit like a fanfiction (not that there's something wrong with that, really, it's just a little unpolished and not something I'd expected)

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this grumpy/sunshine, reverse Outlander romance that features Hannah, a big city lawyer with a crappy boyfriend who quits her job and takes time for herself by moving back to her family farm in the country.

A random trip to the local Ren Faire with her friend Poppy, sees Hannah getting a love spell from a 'witch' that ends up bring a grumpy Highlander from 1745 Scotland. Stuck in the present for the next six months, Hannah and Graham have to learn how to get along and figure out what kind of future they might be able to create together.

Full of steam, great fat rep, and complicated family dynamics. I truly loved seeing Hannah figure out what would make her happy career and love life wise despite pressures from her father and a seemingly impossible situation with Graham. Highly recommended, especially if you enjoy a little magical realism with your romance and relatable three-dimensional characters!

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this, and I am so glad that I did!! Once I picked it up, I did not want to put it down. It is a quick and fast paced book, and is like a modern day “Outlander”.

As a plus sized women it was so easy to picture myself as Hannah, and I was so glad to have representation in fictional romance novels. I cannot wait to read more from Mary, looking forward to Poppy’s story next!

[murrrmika · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Thank you so much, Mary, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

review in Ukrainian translation below

What do we have:
Hannah Glenn starts life on a new page: she quits her job, dumps a shitty boyfriend and moves to the family farm to rest and think about her next move. In the middle of one of the walks through the fair, she is offered to buy a love potion, so to have at least a little fun, Hanna performs it.

What she does not expect is to see the Scottish Highlander Graham MacNeil in her stable the next morning, who fell asleep in 1745 and miraculously woke up on the other side of the Atlantic among horses in the future.

Until the next equinox, which can send him back, is another six months, and this time will be difficult for both of them.

The plot:
Hannah is a great heroine, she is hot-tempered and knows how to stand up for herself. I loved the representation of plus size women in this novel, how different they are and how they face unfair treatment for being fat, struggle with it, and experience it in different ways.

She knew her worth. But knowing your worth and demanding it from others are not the same thing.

The way Hannah was treated at work, the way her own family treated her, and especially her mother, made me want to punch them all in their faces. Ultimately, by the end of the book, most of these conflicts were resolved, but I couldn't help but feel that because of the fast pace of the book, we were jumping from one to another.

It's hard to explain, but I felt like something was missing. Most of the events were told from Hannah's point of view, although we did have a few chapters where Graham told his version of events. The same problem applies to him: he got into a future that he does not understand, but we were shown too little of his process of adapting to it. I constantly caught myself thinking that some scene could have been extended, somewhere a funny moment could have been added, and so on.

It is clear that the main focus was on building the relationship between Hannah and Graham, but for the first half of the book I found myself thinking that somehow they are too far apart and I don't understand how the author wants to bring them together.

Characters:
It's strange, but it seems to me that despite the fact that we are mainly experiencing events through the Hannah POV, I still did not get to know her well enough as a character. Perhaps it happened because the events rapidly changed each other. Nevertheless, I liked her pretty much.

As for Graham, he was a cinnamon roll from the start, and even his outbursts of anger couldn't spoil my impression of him. However, considering precisely those times from which he comes, I could not fully believe in his such a quick change of his views. Get me right, yes, he says a woman should obey her husband, Hannah tells him no, she shouldn't, he's like "yes, my love, I was wrong" and that's it. Somehow, it still comes out a little artificial.

However, I'd be lying if I said the way he thinks firstly about her comfort and not his, asks her opinion, worries about her wasn't enjoyable to read and experience.

“Can I ask ye a question?”
“Anything.”
“I am still trying to figure out the proper ways of courting in your time. I very much liked the kiss in the hotel, and I would very much like to kiss you like that again, but I worry about being improper.”

His humorous nature of a sweet seducer is a ray of sunshine in this book.

“The work of watching me chop wood? I saw the way ye looked at me.” He raised one eyebrow, waiting to see the fallout of that comment.
“Excuse me! I do not know what you are talking about—”
“It’s all right, lass, I will take care of the horses, although I am certain ye are capable of such. Now, I’m going to go back to chopping wood. You can keep watching, but ye might want to close yer mouth before a wee bug flies in.”

What did I pay attention to:
The pace of the story is too fast, in my opinion, because we did not have time to get to know the characters properly, but we already have to experience some kind of emotion in response to what is happening to them.

Graham got too little screen time wearing kilt, however, that was greatly compensated by the frequency with which he used mo ghrádh when addressing Hannah.

“What does that mean? Mo-ghry, you always say that, and I don’t know what it means.” “It is a term of endearment, which translates to ‘my love.’"

The cover is stunning btw!!!

Spicy scenes:
“Wow . . .” was all Hannah could say again.
“Making ye make those noises is something I could do for the rest of my life,” Graham said.

Conclusion:
The book made me to go watch "Outlander" and once again give my heart to men in kilts and big strong women.

--------
3,5/5 зірочок

Що ми маємо:
Ханна Ґленн починає життя з нової сторінки: звільняється з роботи, кидає гівняного хлопця і переїжджає на сімейну ферму, щоб відпочити і обміркувати свій наступний крок. Посеред однієї з прогулянок ярмарком їй пропонують купити любовне зілля, тож, щоб бодай трошки розважитись Ханна виконує усе необхідне.

Чого вона не очікує, так це побачити наступного ранку у своїй стайні горця-шотландця Ґрехема Макніла, який заснув у 1745, і дивом прокинувся на іншому кінці Атлантики посеред коней у майбутньому.

До наступного рівнодення, котре зможе відправити його назад, ще півроку, і цей час видасться тяжким для них обох.

Сюжет:
Ханна - крута головна героїня, вона запальна та вміє постояти за себе. Мені сподобалась репрезентація плас сайз жінок у цьому романі, те, які вони різні та як зіштовхуючись з несправедливим ставленням через те, що є товстими, боряться та по-різному проживають це.

She knew her worth. But knowing your worth and demanding it from others are not the same thing.

Ставлення до Ханни на роботі, ставлення до неї її ж власної сім'ї, а особливо матері, змушувало мені хотіти вдарити їм всім по їх пиках. Зрештою до кінця книги більшість цих конфліктів було вирішено, але мене не покидало відчуття, що через стрімкий розвиток подій книги ми галопом скакали від одного до другого.

Важко пояснити, але мені наче не вистачало чогось, що б відбувалося протягом книги. В основному події розповідалися з точки зору Ханни, хоча в нас і було кілька розділів, де Ґрехем розповідав свою версію подій. Та сама проблема спіткала і його: він потрапив у майбутнє, котре йому не зрозуміле, однак нам занадто мало показали його процес адаптації до цього. Я постійно ловила себе на думці, що якусь сцену можна було продовжити, десь створити смішний момент, і так далі.

Зрозуміло, що основний фокус полягав у вибудовуванні стосунків між Ханною та Ґрехемом, але першу половину книги я помічала, що якось вони аж занадто далеко один від одного і я не розумію, яким чином авторка хоче звести їх разом.

Персонажі:
Дивно, але мені наче здається, що попри те, що ми в основному проживаємо історію крізь точку зору Ханни, я все одно недостатньо добре пізнала її як героїню. Можливо, так сталось через те, що події різко змінювали одна одну. Тим не менш вона мені надзвичайно сподобалася.

Що стосується Ґрехема, з самого початку той був булочкою з корицею, і навіть різкі спалахи його бурхливого характеру не могли зіпсувати моє про нього враження. Однак зважаючи якраз на ті часи, звідки він походить, я не до кінця могла повірити в його таку швидку зміну своїх поглядів. Зрозумійте мене правильно, так, він каже, що жінка повинна слухатись чоловіка, Ханна йому каже, що ні, не повинна, він такий "так, кохання моє, я був неправий" і все. Якось воно трошки штучно виходить, все таки.

Однак я б збрехала, якби сказала, що те, як він турбується про її комфорт, запитує її думку, піклується про неї не було приємно читати і проживати.

“Can I ask ye a question?”
“Anything.”
“I am still trying to figure out the proper ways of courting in your time. I very much liked the kiss in the hotel, and I would very much like to kiss you like that again, but I worry about being improper.”

Його гуморна натура милого звабника - промінчик сонця в цій книзі.

“The work of watching me chop wood? I saw the way ye looked at me.” He raised one eyebrow, waiting to see the fallout of that comment.
“Excuse me! I do not know what you are talking about—”
“It’s all right, lass, I will take care of the horses, although I am certain ye are capable of such. Now, I’m going to go back to chopping wood. You can keep watching, but ye might want to close yer mouth before a wee bug flies in.”

На що звернула увагу:
Занадто швидкий розвиток подій, як на мене, бо ми не встигли як слід пізнати героїв, а вже мусимо видавати якусь емоцію у відповідь на те, що з ними відбувається.

Ґрехем отримав занадто мало екранного часу в кілті, однак це з лихвою компенсується частотою вживання ним вислову mo ghrádh, звертаючись до Ханни.

“What does that mean? Mo-ghry, you always say that, and I don’t know what it means.”
“It is a term of endearment, which translates to ‘my love.’”

А ще обкладинка така крутезна, боже-е-е!

Гарячі сцени:
“Wow . . .” was all Hannah could say again.
“Making ye make those noises is something I could do for the rest of my life,” Graham said.

Підсумок:
Книга змусила мене піти дивитися "Чужоземку", а ще вкотре віддати серце чоловікам в кілтах та великим сильним жінкам.

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.25/5 ⭐️
🌶

I just want to start off by saying the plus size representation in this book is simply unmatched. Our female main character Hannah is fat and she's perfectly happy with herself and doesn't feel like she has to change to fit in to society's standards. Though she does believe that her figure holds her back in her career, she's constantly looked over when it comes to promotions and career advancement opportunities. One day, being absolutely fed up with her boss and his internalised fat phobia, she quits because this queen knows her worth. When she returns to her apartment, she finds her boyfriend slobbing about, playing games and skipping work. Realising she also deserves more in her romantic life, she dumps him. She packs up a few things and goes to spend some time at her family's farm house retreat. A little bit of time away from reality and the big city will help get her head in the right place and decide what she wants to do with her life.

Meeting up with her friend Poppy, the pair get dressed up and head to the towns Renaissance fair. Hannah fills Poppy in on all of her career and romantic drama. Hannah confesses that she wants a man that actually cares about what she wants, that will take her out to dinner and actually cover the bill, she wants a man that doesn't want to change her or her body. Poppy convinces Hannah to pick up a "love spell" from one of the merchants at the fair. Sceptical, Hannah takes the love potion and uses it under the instruction that it will work best if used on the equinox. That night, Hannah performs the spell. Though I think the last thing she expected to find, was Graham MacNeil, a Scottish Highlander from the 1700s, hiding out in the horses stables the next morning. Surely he's not a consequence of that silly little love spell? Completely freaked out about the situation, Hannah returns to the fair with her highlander in tow, to speak with the merchant and have him returned to his time. Only he cannot be returned until the next equinox ... in 6 months time.

I just loved this little story so much. It's basically reverse Outlander. I went into this thinking it was a slow burn and while it wasn't at all insta-love, Warren didn't make us wait too long for the romance to get going. The book has very quick pacing (admittedly sometimes a little jumpy in places) but I loved reading their relationship develop over the 6 months they had together. The timeline spans over Thanksgiving and Christmas so this is the perfect cosy read for the holidays.

The characters were the absolute cutest. I think its clear that Graham was inspired by none other than Jamie Fraser and honestly he's just as swoon-worthy, if not more so. I adored the double POV and really looked forward to Graham's chapters as he navigated the modern world, it was hilarious at times. I guess we really do take for granted all the modern gadgets and gizmos. My favourite parts were definitely whenever he was thinking about Hannah; about her fiery personality, he simply adored this women and her curves. Lord I loved it when he spoke about her arse. We love a man that appreciates bigger women.

The ending was simply perfection and made my heart want to burst. These characters deserved the absolute world. I hope we get to see them again in Poppy's book!

Thank you so much, Mary, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[•.~*Izzy*~.• · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ i think this book has such an interesting aspect to it that i normally wouldn’t care much to read, but managed to make me really interested, fairly quickly. while yes my curiosity was piqued, but that’s not enough to make this a truly good book. i loved book four in the series (and the only one i’ve read prior to this) so it was a little disappointing seeing how much this one lacked for me.

i think it missed the mark when it came to really getting to the bottom of how exactly this magic spell idea that launched a guy 250 ish years in the future. and then really missed the opportunity to show some of graham’s real struggles, most of it wasn’t really mentioned or glossed over in one sentence, as well as giving him more of a personality.

other than that i did like it decently well, and im still giving the second and third books a chance.

[Sarah Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so very grateful to have received an ARC copy of this book! Thank you Mary!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
I really enjoyed this book. The story was captivating. I’m a huge Outlander fan and being able to imagine a big, strong beautiful Highlander completely obsessed with a gorgeous and fiery fat babe was incredible. The fat representation in this book was perfect. Hannah is exactly the kind of woman I aspire to be.
She’s confident and despite the issues she faced in the first few pages and again later on she didn’t allow that to diminish her self worth. There is some very minor comments and behaviours from Hannah’s mom’s internalized fatphobia but Hannah deals with it perfectly.

Graham was delightful. Definitely has some JAMMF qualities which I adore. He obviously struggles with adapting to modern life but he takes it in strides while also making sure Hannah is well and truly looked after… in more than one way 😘
The spicy scenes are great. Spicy but not too spicy,

Overall this book was a delight. There were some minor spelling errors and sometimes the flow of the book wasn’t perfect but otherwise I really enjoyed this book and I’m very much looking forward to reading Poppy’s story!

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost I have to say that this book has some of the best fat representation I’ve ever read. Hannah is so comfortable in her body and that is something really important to me. Hannah’s mother has a little bit of internalized fatphobia, which reminded me a lot of my own mother but even that was handled really well.

I loved every second of reading this book. Somewhere between Hannah’s road to following her dreams and Graham’s attempts to adjust to the modern world (don’t worry, I’m not a fan of elevators either) I fell in love. Graham is this super sweet, cinnamon roll of a human who is willing to do anything to make Hannah happy and show her that he cares about her. Heck if I wasn’t already married I’d probably try a love spell from a ren faire too.

Overall I think this book is really well done and I am so grateful to Mary Warren for providing me an arc of this book.

[Dora · Rating 2 out of 5]

dnf at 22%

I tried, I really did but... Hannah is just so damn annoying. She is entitled in a specifically american kind of way that I don't have the energy to suffer through atm. And the writing feels awkward and stilted as well.
I really don't have any luck whatsoever when it comes to contemporary romance 😅

[Sonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il libro si apre con Hannah che, piena della vita di merda che sta vivendo, decide di licenziarsi, lasciare il moroso parassita e andare a stare nella tenuta di famiglia in campagna (chi come lei). Praticamente incontra sta strega e le dice che vuole trovare l'amore della sua vita e compra un incantesimo che le fa arrivare un figaccione scozzese direttamente dal 1745. Ovviamente i due si innamorano, carinissimi e pucciosi però non mi ha entusiasmato così tanto leggere questa storia perché sembra che si sviluppi quasi tutta fuori dalla narrazione. Non viene trattato molto come Graham si trovi a vivere nel 2020 e Hannah molte volte è una stronzetta egoista che non pensa che per Graham possa essere uno shock passare dal diciottesimo secolo al ventunesimo e lo tratta MOLTO con sufficienza e facendo la sborona.
Una roba che proprio non ho approvato è che verso la fine lei si rende conto di volere che lui rimanga nel suo tempo e per convincerlo butta tutto sul piano sessuale, riducendo il personaggio di lui, già non profondissimo purtroppo, a un minchione soggiogabile col potere delle zizze (cosa che comunque lui NON è perché per tutto il libro lui si prende cura di lei e chiarisce più volte che la ama e la apprezza prima di tutto mentalmente).


!!!SPOILER!!!



La mia parte preferita la fine perché il gran gesto di Graham di creare un raccoglitore con le 10 ragioni per cui lui dovrebbe restare nel 2020 (la prima fra tutte è perché la ama 😭😭😭) accompagnate da un piano quinquennale per il futuro E poi lei che gli chiede in Gaelico di rimanere >>> sono il motivo per cui ho dato due stelle. Graham preziosissimo, un patatino 😭😭😭 smash per i termini in gaelico e per la sua parlata scozzese

[Samantha Huckabay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something about the writing and I aren't vibing. It feels stilted, and Hannah doesn't feel...real. On paper (heh, get it), she should be extremely relatable for me. She's plus sized, she wants to change to a slower life from her fast-paced, over achieving life in a job that doesn't appreciate her with a loser of a boyfriend. But her thoughts come across as whiny instead of observant and I just...have no desire to finish this one.

The premise has all the right bullets: Ren Faire, love spell/magic, hot Scot with a husky brogue, fat FMC who deserves validation for being a sexy goddess, quirky bestie, big city girl leaves for small town love, etc. But all of it gets lost in translation. And I mean ALL of it. It feels like...Outlander and Brave had a mashup with that Vanessa Hudgens Christmas movie about the knight.

2 stars for premise and the FMC character illustration looking like me if I had hips.

[Danielle]

I think this book has a lot of potential and a lot of people will enjoy it. A plus size MC who is try to find herself and fight for what she deserves is always a premise i can support. and while this book didn’t completely work for me, i did find Graham sweet. While i did feel like they fell for each other pretty quickly there was a good amount of tension, so when they did get together it was satisfying.

I think where the book lost me is the pacing. It felt off, i know it’s are supposed to pan a long time, but it was kinda confusing. Also, at times Hannah seemed unnecessarily mean to Graham, which i didn’t understand why.

If you like plus-size MC, a sweet hero and time travel pick up this book and see if it works for you. The cover art is adorable.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[ReadToBreathe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars
I first found out about this book when I saw the cover on Instagram. I immediately put it on my TBR. Just look at how beautiful it is.

This book had many of the trope that I like; a highlander hero, time travel and plus size representation. I enjoyed the story and liked both characters. I like that Hannah is out there working and standing for herself when she is not being treated right. As a chubby person myself, I always feel that I'm being judged for how I look when I go out.

My only complaint is that the book needs more editing. I struggled with the writing and sometimes I needed to read a scene more than one time. But I pushed through bc I love Graham. I also think Hannah should have been more understanding towards Graham. The poor man lost his home and traveled 250 years to the future.

[Gawelleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai beaucoup aimé ! Ce fut une lecture un peu farfelue, mais très moderne avec une héroïne forte (dans tous les sens du terme) mais sans être une chieuse. Hannah sait ce qu’elle veut, le dit et le fait. Bien sûr pour les besoins de l’histoire, ses certitudes vont être ébranlées. Graham, le highlander hors de son temps, est l’archétype de l’homme parfait. Et cerise sur le gâteau, il est pour le dialogue !
Au final, ce fut une jolie romance, intelligente mais il m’a manqué la pointe d’émotion.

[Kärt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what I needed to get out of my reading slump!!

Hannah and Graham’s story was predictable, yes, but everything I need from a fun romance novel.

Sexy hunk of a man? ✅
Plus size main character? ✅
Funny banter? ✅
Hotter than hell raunchy scenes? ✅ ✅ ✅

Only taking away one star because the Scottish hunk had one too many (very specific) similarities to Jamie from Outlander 😅

But all in all, such a fun read!! And what a fresh breath of air to be able to actually imagine myself as a main character in a book. There’s never enough plus size rep 👏🏻

[Caitlin Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

when the outlander fan fiction romance novel is not so good 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😔 I’m giving this two stars because I found the stilted writing and insane premise generally amusing, but it’s just that I’ve read better romance on Wattpad when I was 14 to be frank. Here are a few complaints of mine:
1.) this girl has a hot red headed highlander man from 1745 time travel into her house after a ren faire witch does a love spell for her, and she doesn’t make an “Outlander” connection until page 163.
2.) speaking of, my favorite aspect of the fish-out-of-water time travel tropes is when we get to see the historical figure react to modern day conditions (re: the delightful first third of “the ministry of time.”). This book skips all that for some reason
3.) she never tells him about what happens at the battle of Culloden, despite him wanting to go back and fight in it??? He has to watch “outlander” on his own and find out what happens??? Psychotic of Hannah
4.) generally I just felt she really fumbled the bag re: handling a time traveling hottie. Personally I would’ve been nicer to him and generally done a better job I feel
5.) for example, she’s always calling him “brutish,” which feels rude. One time she calls him a brute just because he asks very politely if gay marriage is legal yet (ally), and she gets so mad at him because he asked. Like queen he doesn’t know what drag race is let him ask basic questions
6.) the writing is just so stilted, non descriptive, vague hand-gesturey kind of bad in a way I have not encountered in SUCH a long time
Butttt there was one thing I liked:
1.) actually the fat girl rep was pretty okay, if a little too bluntly put most of the time!
Generally Hannah did not really deserve this Highlander!

[Melmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un premier roman qui tient toutes les promesses de sa couverture. Il mériterait d'être encore un peu retravaillé /édité. Mais ça reste très chou. Pas beaucoup d'enjeux juste une ambiance bien cosy /sexy comme on les aime. Un roman facile, avec tous les tropes qu'on aime.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hannah Glenn has just quit her job, left her boyfriend, and moved to her family's farm from her city apartment--all in one day. One day while visiting the Ren Fair, Hannah's best friend convinces her to buy a love potion. They perform the spell that night and to her surprise, it worked.

Or something like that.

Graham MacNeil fell asleep in 1745 and woke up in a strange horse barn almost three hundred years in the future. He is completely lost in this new world and there is a strangely-dressed woman currently yelling at him.

After agreeing to reverse the spell once the spring equinox arrives, Hannah allows Graham to stay on the farm under the guise that he is a visitor and needed work. With a long wait ahead of them, surely they can learn to be civil to one another. Or maybe even more.

I could cry with happiness 😭 This book is completely amazing. Fantastic fat rep, spicy, and just overall perfect. One of my top books of 2022!

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of A Highlander for Hannah in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited about this book after reading the synopsis. I’ve been reading more plus sized FMC books and this seemed like an excellent choice.

Ultimately, this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t feel like Hannah and Graham had chemistry. Hannah spent so much time being upset when she could have been understanding. I also didn’t get a sense of who Graham was, other than him being submissive to Hannah whenever she was upset. She showed Graham so little empathy after what he’d been through. The use of token Scottish words brought me out of the story too.

The double dose of jealousy in the karaoke chapters was not fun to read and made their entire relationship seem focused on the superficial. This became a theme throughout the book.

The big element that was missing for me was the Fat Joy. I never found it in this book and honestly that’s what makes plus sized romance appealing to me. I want to read about big, badass babes who love their bodies and celebrate themselves. I’m hoping there will be more fat joy in the next installment in the series!

[Alexis C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute and had amazing fat representation! I loved that Hannah had such a strong mind of her own, even when facing such major life changes. The romance between her and Graham was so sweet. It was fun to see their relationship unfold with as they got to know each other better and the ending was just ✨.

If you love Olivia Dade I think this will definitely be up your alley!

Note: there were a couple of instances where the mom’s relationship with diet culture was mentioned but it was not lingered on and it was refreshing to see it acknowledged and Hannah being very aware of how she didn’t allow that in her own life.

[Cecelia🐈‍⬛ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obsessed with Hannah and her fire. The banter between her and Graham is such so great. I cried like 3 times cause this book was so cute and those few heart wrenching moments really got me 😅

[Trang Dong · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5/5

everybody’s so creative !

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what? This is a pretty solid first attempt for an author, and while it's definitely rough in some aspects, I had a pretty good time reading it.

Meant to be sort of inspired as a reverse-Outlander (horkhorkhork), Hannah has decided she is done with both her job as an unappreciated lawyer in a firm and the men-children she keeps attracting into her orbit. She runs back home to the "farm" COUGHverybougeerichpeoplecountryestateCOUGH and goes to a ren faire with her best friend for fun. There, they meet a "witch" and for laughs—and assumed mental clarity—she buys and performs a love spell, because what could possibly happen besides looking silly? It might help her figure out what she wants in life and how to get there.

In the morning, she wakes up to a 1740s' Scottish highlander in her horse barn. And he's just as confused and put out about it as she is.

Graham went to sleep in one stable and woke up in another... across the ocean and hundreds of years in the future. And some woman in incomprehensible dress and unattended is yelling at him as his brain tries to process what on earth happened.

Aaaaaand....a romance happens.

So.

Elephant in the room.

Hannah is a hard to like character as she's introduced, because she's not a soft type that is considered proper in our romances. She's ambitious and driven, which will read as aggressive. She doesn't have a lot of patience for nonsense in some aspects of her life. And no, she isn't the most understanding at times, and really is a dick to Graham in the first month or so he's in her world.

And it's like 80% defense mechanisms to cover her soft spots and a raging case of First Child Syndrome.

She does get a character growth arc and a chance to fill in some of those gaps.

Graham is pretty likable from the get go, and he honestly doesn't have so many personality traits to work through as he does the challenges of living in our world after coming from one with horse transportation, zero conveniences, and a war with the British. His temperament is why he's able to adapt and even thrive in the environment he's in. And I could argue that maybe he is a little too quick to change his mind on some things that would have been very firmly ingrained in him.

But this isn't a very long book. And it covers half of a year. So it doesn't exactly have time to really dig into everything.

It would have been nice to have a little more story to help develop these two and not have to skip over so much time in a go to keep moving.

Overall, I like Warren's voice and prose. It's very straight-forward, which was an asset until the intimate scenes. The first, especially, was rather choppy and rough. Future ones did improve a bit and read more smoothly. This is something that with time and continued writing I'm sure will only improve—and even as it was, it was fine. Okay, so Graham also gets to develop as a more dominant and hot sexual partner as he gets practice instead of being magic right out the gate.

So, yeah. I liked this one. Could have used a bit more polish and a sharper-eyed editor for a lot of silly mistakes in the text that should have been caught, but a strong beta reader or three could also clean those up. There was a lot to like in here—a respectful male main who finds his grooves, an uptight female lead who learns to let go and her fatness is handled in a nuanced and sympathetic way (good rep especially with handling fatphobic family, was happy with it), a relationship that takes some time to brew—and I will be looking for more of this author's work in the future.

And.

That's cover, y'all. Gorgeous.