High Heels in the Highlands is Liz Hurley's third addition to her Hiverton Sister's series, and centers around Clementine, an act-before-you-think woman, on the brink of success in the fashion world as a designer. When something happens that gets in the way of her success, she retreats to Scotland, to check out a castle in the highlands that her family inherited. When she gets there, she is in for a culture shock, but she is also in for the adventure of a lifetime.

When I was browsing through available arcs to request, High Heels in the Highlands stood out. It has a cute cover, the title is intriguing, and it says romantic comedy right on the cover. A Scottish hottie + comedy? I needed it. Unfortunately, that is where my excitement faded. High Heels in the Highlands gets points for originality, but I found the plot of the story drawn out and boring. I went into this thinking I was getting a romance, and instead got a "chick-fic". 95% of this book is about Clementine making an ass of herself (and not in a funny way, but a brutish way), and her bonding with the caretaker of the castle. The other 5% was her arguing with the man she was apparently interested in. There was no romance (or any that made sense), and the only thing that made me smile (not laugh, mind you, which, again, is supposed to be a comedy) was a part with a sheep. The writing was in third person, present tense, which is rarely executed well, and often, I was confused on what character we were concentrating on, as it bounced around frequently. Specific POV's would have been better.

I wish I could say the characters made up for the story, but unfortunately, I wasn't a fan of them either. Clementine was just plain rude a lot of the time, and her reactions with other characters were exaggerated given the situation. The best part of the book was Rory's character - and for a love interest, he is barely in it. I was left wondering how they could have developed feelings for one another, as the rare moments they were on page together, they were arguing. We get way more of Otto, the housekeeper, and her relationship with Clementine.

High Heels in the Highlands could have been great if Liz picked an idea, and stuck with it. If she wanted a romantic comedy, she should have had way more interaction between Clem and Rory, and more than one comedic moment. Clem could have still found her purpose and direction in life. Many romances pull it off. If she wanted a story of Clem just finding herself, and learning more about herself through the interactions with Otto, she should have done that, under the header of Women's fiction. Because that is what this is. It's certainly not a rom-com.

If you enjoy women's fiction, stories about women taking a hold of their lives, and in the setting of the beautiful Scottish Highlands, you will probably enjoy this book. But if you are looking for an actual romantic comedy, this book isn't for you.

I was attracted to this book by the description and the cute romcom cover. But I just couldn't warm to the writing style. The heroine seems both hopelessly naive and unaccountably surly. This book is not for me. DNF.

This was a nice read, I loved the setting and I loved how the main characters (Clem and Otto) evolve around each. It was nice to follow them from almost hating each other to finding out to be very similar. I also liked a lot the relationships between the sisters.
Even if this is part of a series, can be read as a stand alone.. But it would probably make you want to read the other books of the series, and get to know more about the Hiverton sisters,so be mindful of that!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a nice book. I enjoyed reading about Clementine and Otto. I found them to be interesting characters.

I particularly enjoyed that they seemed to complement each other, showing a young and an old version of the same character. And in the case of Clem, a better version; one that doesn’t make the same mistakes as the older version.

I liked the setting of the story and how we get to meet a whole town through the book and get to see how Clem is adopted by this small town. This book had some memorable moments and I found it an easy read.

I would recommend this book if you like the genre and/or are interested in the story.

I gave this book 🌟🌟🌟/5️⃣

Pair with Scotch Coffee 🥃☕️

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great story. I hadn’t realised it was part of a series, yet that didn’t hinder my enjoyment.

In this instalment we follow the story of Clementine adjusting to life in Scotland and investigating the castle that she, and her sisters, have inherited. However, instead of the romantic visions she had in her head, the castle is in ruins and she discovers more than she bargained for in the attic.

Some may already be familiar with the characters in this book, as it is the third in a series. Clem is certainly not your typical romance novel character, and she quickly finds that high heels might not be the best choice of footwear in the highlands. Great characters, a beautiful setting and a lively storyline make for a great read!

Lady Clementine, an aspiring fashion designer moves from London to a Scottish castle, a castle inherited by her sister Ari. She was in charge of taking care of the castle and realize that the castle needs repair. She got on wrong foot with Ottoline "Otto" who is the caretaker of the castle. As Clem gets used to the life of countryside, she soon develops friendship with Otto and then stumble a secret she found in the attic.

This was actually an OK romantic book to me. First of all, I really liked the cover--the book cover is so cute and pretty that whoever designed the book did a good job attracting the reader. However, I wasn't that much into the story. There were some funny parts but then I felt it was a bit boring to me. However, I did like the ending a bit, how Clem and Otto develop their friendship with each other and a developing romance between Clem and Rory. The writing was OK.

Overall this book worth three stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Hera publishers for granting an ARC. This review is based on my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley, Liz Hurley and Hera Books for the ARC of High Heels in the Highlands. This is my personal review.
I started this book with the hopes of spending some time in a castle in Scotland. I wanted the uplifting , heartwarming romantic comedy as promised on the cover with each page I read. Unfortunately, it never hit this mark for me. The book was a tiny escape for a few hours for me.

Having spent a few months in Scotland, I loved loved loved the author's description of the highlands, the lovely community that Clem got to know, and the ceilidh she attended. Gives me all the feels.

Aside from that, I enjoyed reading Clem's story at Ruacoddy, the friendship between her and the housekeeper Otto, and her relationship with Rory. I haven't read the other books about the Hiverton sisters, but it didn't feel necessary to understand and enjoy the book. However, I do think that the way the author shifts the perspectives among different characters was a bit confusing at times, and I feel like there were a little too many subplots in the story that were a tad distracting.

I received a copy from NetGalley, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

This book is simply delightful!! Every page was magical and very well written. This was the perfect book for an uplifting read in one sitting. It makes the reader want to book a trip immediately to the Scottish Highlands.

Clem, a fashion designer, recently was betrayed by her lover and mentor (who stole her collection and fired her.) Meanwhile, her eldest sister inherits a title and a fortune, Clem volunteers to travel to Scotland to inspect a property that is part of the inheritance and determine if it can be sold. Although she is sceptical at first, Clem almost immediately falls in love with the castle and the Highlands, but she clashes with the strong-willed housekeeper, Otto. As she works hard to find a way to save the property from being sold, save the jobs of the staff working there, and reclaim her inspiration, Clem and Otto learn to work together and even respect each other.

Clem is the sort of protagonist that can get on your nerves at times but she has her lovely moments too. While Clem does share a romantic feeling towards a farmer, it is the relationship between Clem and Otto that is the beating heart of this book. Female bromance <3

If I had to have any reservations about this, it'd be about the fact that the ending seems rushed. Everything work,s out in the very end, like the very very end.

I didn’t know as I read that this book is part of the series, so now I'm off to read the other books in the series!

Not bad, but not good either. I just felt that there was noting original here, that I had read this same story before. It would make a good beach read but don't go into it looking for something different.

I really enjoyed this book although would have preferred that the story didn’t end so abruptly as it would have been lovely to see the outcome for the main character. The plot was well written and it was easy to become invested in all of the characters. I will be looking to read the others in this set of books now as I would love to know more about the other sisters.

I liked this book. The story line was good but I did not like the main character. She got better by the end but for most of the book I just did not like her.

I wasn’t super excited this one because I didn’t love the first one in the series (skipped the second one). I liked this one so much better than the first. There are several random story lines that come out of nowhere but the writing is much smoother and more enjoyable. Some storylines provide a layer of drama and mystery. There are a lot of characters in this book and it’s hard to keep them all straight. I think less would have been more. While this is a romance novel that’s not really the majority of the book. It becomes more of the focus towards the end. I think the book was better the farther along I got and I loved the ending. Overall I’d say a solid 3.5 ⭐️.

I really enjoyed this story.

Obviously for me, the Scottish castle part was a go-go from the very beginning, but Clem is so refreshing ! She's not another romance main character, and probably does she remember me a bit of myself (unfortunately not the sewing bee part :'( )

Even if the whole "painting" subplot could have been cut, and a little more romance added (Rory is so nice but I am not even sure to know exactly what he looks like!), I wish I could stay with her in that castle a little longer.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eArc in exchange of an honest review.

This book had a lot of potential. I loved the cover and the concept. In it, Clementine Byrne goes to visit the castle she and her sisters recently inherited to determine if it’s worth saving or selling. When she arrives she butts heads with the elderly woman, Otto, who cares for the castle, but the two have more in common than they originally think as they work together to save the castle. This book has a hint of rags to riches as well as an elderly mentor, both of which are tropes I enjoy. I loved the setting of this book and the roll fashion played in the story was fun. However, I had a hard time getting into the story. I felt like certain key details were missing, especially when it came to Otto’s background, and while I can appreciate a character with a temper, Clem’s ability to go from totally fine to murderously angry with no warning gave me a bit of whiplash. I did enjoy Clem’s interactions with the village locals as well as some of her misadventures. I found Otto’s character fascinating and wish I could have learned more about her.

This was such a lovely, humorous, light hearted and heartwarming read. The scenic setting was inspired and the descriptive writing brings the Scottish Highlands to life in glorious colour.
I literally read it in one sitting, not wanting to put it down once started.
This book had everything , romance, family drama, a mystery to uncover and beautiful.fashions .
I absolutely loved this book and will definitely read the others in the series. This is easily read as a standalone as the author fills in all the backstory relevant for you. I thoroughly recommend this.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I’ve read and enjoyed the previous books in this series. I was not disappointed with this.

I was hooked from the beginning.

Yes, there’s romance in the story, but most of the book is about Clem, whose the main protagonist and Otto, her housekeeper.

I loved how there relationship, a rocky start begins to turn into a beautiful female friendship.

The story is revolves around Clem and she’s adjusting to life in Scotland, the way she finds her mojo and ways to stop her family from selling the castle, even though it’s a money pit.

A book with a feel good plot about a heroine, whose not perfect, but can prove herself, despite her mistakes.

Can’t wait for the next book.

Recommend the series.

This was certainly the dose of cozy we all need right now! I went into this book thinking I knew pretty much what would happen but I have to say I wasn't expecting where this plot would go. It was original in a field of similarly-marketed books and kept me hooked. The only thing I didn't love was that for the majority of the book the heroine felt grumpy in a mildly one-dimensional way.

The five Hiverton sisters discover an unexpected inheritance, which has given them the titles of ‘Lady’, a huge fortune, and Ruadoccy Castle in Scotland. This is a massive contrast to their humble beginnings in poverty. The girls accept this change and while oldest sister Ari gets established in Norfolk, Clementine decides to visit their Scottish Castle. Only to discover it isn’t quite what they were expecting.

High Heels in the Highlands provides wonderful escapism with Clem and her quest. The description is so vibrant. By inheriting a castle these characters have experienced a dream come true. Clearly, anything can happen and this has left me hoping that there is something in my ancestry that will mean I may inherit a castle. This is wishful thinking of course. But the village life described in Scotland was so humbling and added to the beautiful atmosphere. The description of the castle, along with scenery relates a lot to many castles I have visited, providing an authentic read. I haven’t been to Scotland myself and I would love to, especially if the highlands are like how Hurley so vividly writes. I like being transported to place and feel like I have been there even if I haven’t, and this book is no exception. I especially loved the snowy encounter of Clem and Rory.

The female characters in this novel are great but there could be room for more development – of all the characters. I enjoyed reading the protagonist but it did take me a while to realise that the chapters abruptly changed perspectives at times. The narration caused for some slight confusion. It is third person but I can’t help but wonder if it would be better in first. It appears to be the case that the narration tried to explain a lot to the reader and pile more into the story than what was necessary. However, it did allow for some characterisation elements, which were welcomed and you will especially see with Clem as you read it. You opinion of her will certainly fluctuate as you read on. I also enjoyed reading the dynamic between Clem and Otto. The mutual dislike to friends trope avoided clichés and paved for a well developed friendship. This was explored more than the romance in my opinion and I preferred it. In fact, the romance could have been entirely avoided and still allow for the same impact. The speech between characters allowed for a humorous element and read true to the characters.

It wasn’t until I finished the novel that I realised this book was part of a series. I am curious to read more but High Heels in the Highlands could easily be read as a standalone. I didn’t feel limited in knowledge of the sisters, but I would like to learn more of them now to engage with their story more! Hurley writes in the back matter that the books in this series can be read in any order, which is a very complex technique to pull off.

Overall, I did struggle with the plot in this book. I felt like the plot hindered some characters, while it progressed others. I rate this book 3 stars. I absolutely loved getting transported into the Highlands but there were elements that could have used some revision to ensure a clear novel.