I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I hadn’t realized that this was a sequel to a previous novel. I enjoyed this one as a standalone but will go back to read the first in the series.
The story follows Roxanne who is heading to the highlands for her best friend’s birthday, it is there she runs into Alice, the one person she really didn’t want to see on this trip. The two women are warned that the attraction between them is a huge mistake and will only lead to heartbreak but as with all good romances, all good advice is promptly ignored.
I loved everything about this sweet story from the setting, to the characters, to the plot. If you want a gorgeous romance to whisk you away this is a definite choice. Personally I am a complete sucker for this sort of novel and loved the chemistry Larner creates- I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Loved this one. It was well written and I really liked the background of the story. Also like the characters very much. definetely would recommend.

Stunning sapphic story! Incredibly soft and sweet and I loved the setting more than anything. The characters were endearing and I was rooting for them the entire time!

I really enjoyed this book, even though I had to look several words! Never fear, it was worth the extra work!
The main characters, Roxanne and Alice had a very rocky beginning. Roxanne's best friend, Eve is with Alice's stepmother. Eve and her step mother were accidently outed by Roxanne and Alice was unaware. She was shocked to hear what she suspected. Alice and Roxanne cannot stand each other and do not see each other until years later. Eve is having a big birthday celebration and finally convinces Roxanne to visit. She is dreading seeing Alice again and is shocked when Eve tells her that she will be staying with Alice the first evening.
What begins as dread turns to surprise when Roxanne sees Alice after all this time and sees a different side of her. The time the women spend together turns out to be what the other needs. Sparks fly and a relationship blooms despite the fact that Roxanne does not live in Scotland.
There are many twists and turns throughout this book and it is a enjoyable read.
I would recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Cute…
Its soon to be Eve’s (From Highland Fling) birthday and Moira is throwing her a party. Of course her best friend will be coming up for the party and somehow Alice has been roped into hosting her for a night. That’s all well and fine, except the pair really don’t like each other…or do they?

I thought this was a sweet and fun story but there was little to get excited about. I felt like I missed a lot at the beginning by not remembering what happened in Highland Fling. I liked the big personality difference, Alice more reserved while Roxanne is brasher. They play to each other’s strengths and its not long before they can actually make progress helping to make the weekend a success by working together. I liked their chemistry and how smitten they become. This is an easy read and while it is a standalone, its would be more enjoyable to read it not long after Highland Fling.

Going to the Scottish Highlands will for sure be an adventure. Running into your enemy is even better. This book will have your face turning red and rooting for her!

This book looked fun and I have read books by this author before and I liked them. However, this one was not my favourite and it didn't keep me interested for long. It might have been me and maybe I wasn't in a mood to read this type of book but I will definitely give it another chance. Unfortunately, now I just didn't find it engaging enough and got bored too fast. Totally personal view.

I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this book and found myself reading it with a Scottish accent haha, lovely characters and a nice storyline, couldn't put it down and

This book has some of the most unfortunate cover art I've ever seen. The cover is in no way representative of the book: the two main characters aren't supposed to look that similar, only one of them is a highland dancer (and that only comes up once), and they're both blonde. The women on the love look like identical twins, not lesbians.

The book itself is fine, though! I enjoyed a lot of the character moments. I liked the found family and the discussions about care and aging and being near the people you love. Roxanne's friendship with Eve was lovely and occasionally tragic and felt very realistic.

There's relatively little miscommunication, but the characters are simply not on the same page for most of this book. They do work through it, though, and the romance ended up being pretty sweet, though also pretty unsexy.

This book relies a little bit more on the first book than most romances do. All of the relevant events get summarized, but reading Highland Fling first probably would have helped me understand what was going on more quickly. Unfortunately, I have very little interest in reading it.

Overall, if all you want is lesbians in Scotland, this book will definitely deliver that, but I didn't find the writing or plotting to be particularly strong. I would consider reading a future book by this author, though.

Content warnings: alcohol, dementia, outing of a queer character (past), stroke

Sadly enough I had to DNF this book. I think I started it at a difficult period in my life and just couldn't get myself to care about the characters. I couldn't finish the book in time. I did like the story though but I feel like Eve was not a great friend either. But that could be because I did not read the first book.
I will try reading the first book and get back to Highland Whirl.

3 stars. I thought this was pretty cute, but I didn’t love it. This is the first book I’ve read from Larner, and while this is the second book in a series, I don’t think reading the first is necessary to understand this one.

Roxanne Barns (~30) is visiting the Scottish Highlands for her best friend Eve’s birthday, and Highlander Alice Campbell (20s), the stepdaughter of Eve’s partner Moira, will also be joining the festivities. Roxanne and Alice got off on the wrong foot when first met a few yers ago, but when Alice is asked to provide rooming for Roxanne, the two women begin to form a connection. I liked the interactions between irreverent, outspoken Roxanne and the more reserved Alice: Roxanne loves to tease and Alice has some fun, witty comebacks.

I think this is just as much a story of friendship and community as it is a romance. Eve and Moira (who are from the first book in the series) are featured heavily in the book, as is the neighboring elderly couple, Angus and Elizabeth. The six-way friendship is heartwarming and I particularly enjoyed how Roxanne uses her nursing knowledge to communicate with Angus, who’s in the early stages of dementia. There’s also a running theme of love involving each of the three couples.

While I don’t think this book has any glaring flaws, nothing stood out to me and I found it pretty slow half the time. It also somehow manages to be simultaneously insta-love and slow burn: the characters take forever to get together (book length-wise), but most of the book is set within the span of five days. I think Roxanne's and Alice’s personalities had potential for a five-star book, I don’t think we got enough of their interactions within the span of the book for me to feel invested in their relationship.

In short, I thought this was good but not great. Since there are several five-star reviews of this book calling it the perfect rom-com, it’s probably the case that Larner’s writing style isn’t really for me. I would consider reading more from her in the future, though, because of this book’s warm, wholesome vibes.

content warnings: semi-graphic sex, alcohol (recreational), dementia, death of a parent (past), divorce (side characters, past), hospitalization, stroke (non-fatal)

I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was fine. It was really neither good, nor bad. I enjoyed the setting of the Scottish Highlands, but I wasn't crazy about either main character and their relationship seemed forced. It was already set up as an enemies-to-lovers trope, which is fine. But then there was some over-the-top forced proximity, which just kept going and was too much, in my opinion. The reasons for it just were too ridiculous. Maybe it's because I'm American but I was rolling my eyes that the MC's best friend insisted they needed to stay overnight in this small town because it was a whole 10 miles away from her apartment. 10 miles. Seriously? That is my commute to work- I assure you it is manageable.

I just felt like there was a lack of chemistry between the MCs, Roxanne and Alice. And they jumped from a far-fetched lust to an I-really-can't-see-it "love" way too fast. Overall, it was just meh. I can't see myself picking up another book in this series.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into the book. The writing wasn’t for me, I didn’t like the characters and the storyline wasn’t really what I expected. If this seem like something you would like maybe try to read an excerpt before buying it!

I truly enjoyed this book! The characters and the plot were very fun. I would recommend this book to others and I would read this author again.

4.5 Stars. This was truly a great surprise. I had so much fun with this book while I read it. This was one that I just could not put down. It has the typical straight forward setup about a enemies to lovers plot, with archetypal characters, but this is very nuanced and is able to get its characters developed in a relatively short book.

I honestly was prepared to not like this book, especially since the setup was from the previous book, Highland Fling. The leads in this book were side characters Roxanne Barnes and Alice Campbell. Both characters are at a bit of a crossroads in this story and dealing with the changes with their friendship to Eve and Moira, the main couple from 'Fling'. It touches on loneliness and how it manifests in different ways, along with the power of all different kinds of kindness and love. There's also this really subtle through line of how causal cruelty affects you. The characters aren't intending to be cruel, but the remarks hit the recipient hard and it hurts a lot. This is more common in Eve and Roxanne's relationship and it is a little sad to see.


This is a multilayered book that uses its simple plot to emphasize the complex characters that populate the story. These are messy characters that are still likeable and you really want to cheer them on. I had a great time with this novel, and look forward to reading more from her.

* I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this book very much. I found the characters and plot to be enjoyable. I would recommend this book to others and I would read this author again.

Beautiful!

Roxanne heads up to the Highlands in Scotland to celebrate her very best friend, Eve’s birthday but she is dreading running into Eve’s girlfriend’s step-daughter, Alice, again. When events mean that Alice and Rox will be spending more time together then she had hoped, they both get quite an unexpected surprise!

I loved this so much! It had everything, romance, comedy, drama, conflict, angst, cute moments, heartfelt ones too, just everything you could ever want for a perfect rom com! Roxanne is this super awesome character that I just knew I was going to adore the moment we first met her in the story. I was completely sold from that first page and once I started I just couldn’t put the book down.

It had all this wonder and magic with the setting of the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and just to show how talented Anna is, I really could picture myself there and could definitely hear the Scottish accents of the characters. Instantly there is this sense of tension for Rox and Alice and I loved that! Roxanne had set the wheels in motion but upon meeting Alice I was ready to give her character the benefit of the doubt.

They were just perfect for each other and I could tell, even if they were fighting it but that was such genius in the story. I loved the sentiments throughout, the homely feel, the family connections shared by all these kind caring people and how although Rox fought being a part of that, she couldn’t deny she fitted right in. Everything about the story was just so perfect and I know my review cannot do it the justice. Highland Whirl is one of those AMAZING stories that you just have to experience for yourself.

It made me feel so happy and I adored every moment, whether it be a more dramatic one, one shared between friends, or one shared between two people with so much chemistry their fate together was just destined. Such a great story and I hope we see more of Rox, Alice, Eve, and Moira in future stories.

I felt that this was a very average book. I liked the queerness to it, but unforunately the characters felt rather flat for me and its not one I would pick up again.

This is the sequel to Highland Fling, though you could read it as a stand-alone. I didn't though and went and read Fling first which made me appreciate the characters much more.
City girl Roxanne is a one-night stand, don't get attached kind of girl. She finally heads from the city to the Scottish Highlands to visit her dearest friend Eve. She has an uncomfortable reunion with Alice Campbell, both these characters met in the first book.

Roxanne isn't relationship material so don't go there Alice! Oh but she does and its an emotional roller coaster for both of them, luckily with a happy ever after!

I absolutely loved this book, it is so well-written and very engaging, with parts were I really did laugh out loud! as well as parts that made me stop reading so I could wipe my tears.

It was great to catch up with the other characters from the previous book and how well they blended into this story.