Highland Legacy: Fresh Highland Heir/Finding Audrey/Tea and Bagpipes/Fayre Rose (Heartsong Novella Collection) [Paperback]

Jill Stengl (Author), Tracey V. Bateman (Author), Pamela Griffin (Author), Tamela Hancock Murray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

A CBA Bestseller

Raised in the U.S. foster care system, Audrey MacMurray is driven to learn the truth of who she is and where she came from. Her search leads to her ancestral home, the romantic Kennerith Castle in Scotland, and the stories of women - her ancestors - who defied the conventions of the day. These four unique "novels within a novel" provide a rich, multi-generational story of God's love.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Raised in the foster care system, Audrey MacMurray embarks on a journey to find her Scottish roots. Her explorations lead her to the brave and romantic lives of women in her family who lived in Kennerith Castle during the mid 1300s, mid 1700s, and early 1800s. She learns the stories of a poor highlander who dares to marry an English nobleman. . .a lady who tries to save her bodyguard from death ... and a serf who saves her laird's life and defies political boundaries. In her search, will Audrey find the same commitment to God and passion to live and love? When Audrey MacMurray seeks her Scottish roots, she uncovers the lives of brave, romantic women of the fourteenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 347 pages
• Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Incorporated (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593100825
• ISBN-13: 978-1593100827
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #827,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Legacy of Jesus Christ, February 13, 2005

By 

cmc "cmc" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Highland Legacy: Fresh Highland Heir/Finding Audrey/Tea and Bagpipes/Fayre Rose (Heartsong Novella Collection) (Paperback)

The Highland Legacy: Four Generations of Love Are Rooted in Scotland by Tracey V. Bateman, Pamela Griffin, Tamela Hancock Murray, and Jill Stengl is a heart wrenching Christian romance novel. The story is beautifully woven together in a modernist writing style that is usual for a novel that is written in the twenty-first century. All four authors are Christians, and they use at least one character that portrays what a true Christian should be in character. In any good novel there is an antagonist of some sort that rebels against society and a protagonist that knows the answers and has the knowledge of life. The authors have not forgotten to add, in their novel, real life issues that question Christianity. The protagonists use the Christian values and beliefs that they know are the truth to combat the antagonists in the novel.

The first story in the novel, which is named, Finding Audrey, the reader is introduced to the main character, Audrey MacMurray. Audrey becomes the antagonist in that she refuses to believe in God. She has a lot of pain in her past that has made her bitter towards God. Audrey like many real life people echo that familiar statement, "God does not love me because look at what he has put me through". On the way to finding her identity through her family history or genealogy, Audrey meets Brett Canfield. Brett Canfield is protagonist who believes in Christ. He is the teacher of her genealogy class, and he is a youth pastor at his church. Brett Canfield helps Audrey discover her ancestral lineage along the way. The two become really close friends, but their different religious beliefs keep them from dating. Brett and Audrey's story is told amongst three other stories that contain the life of Audrey's ancestors. This form by the authors is unique in the fact that the reader is given pieces of a mystery little at a time but in reverse order.

In the first story, the reader along with Audrey discovers that Audrey's ancestors were from Kennerith Castle in Scotland. The setting is placed back in 1822. Fiona Galbraith who lives at Kennerith Castle meets an Englishman named Alex Spencer. On their journey to stop the forbidden wedding of their siblings they fall in love. Throughout the journey Fiona realizes that Alex, who is a Christian, has the compassion and kindness that Jesus Christ showed to people while he was on Earth. Fiona learns to put all her trust in the Lord and not to rely so much on herself for strength.

In the second story, the setting is placed in 1748 back at the Kennerith Castle. The characters in this story are Lady Celeste Galbraith and Allan Croft. These two end up falling in love with each other. Allan reads to Celeste scripture from the Bible. He tells her who Jesus Christ is. Celeste ends up accepting Jesus Christ into her life. Allan discovers his hidden past, and he protects Celeste from getting murdered by an evil plot that is against her. For mystery loving readers this story is a page-turner.

In the third story, the setting is placed in 1348 back at the Kennerith Castle. The two main characters are Laird Kenneth and Fayre Shepherd. Laird Kenneth is the lord over the castle, and Fayre Shepherd is a serf in Laird's kingdom. Fayre and her father are unable to pay the tax that is owed to the lord. In exchange Laird takes Fayre with him back to the castle. At the castle she must plant beautiful bushes of roses like the ones at her home. Fayre makes the best of her situation, and she continues to pray to God earnestly. She not witnesses to the people at the castle around her, but she also witnesses to the Laird himself. Laird ends up catching the Black Plague and Fayre is the only who takes care of him and stays by his side through it all. They end up falling in love just like the others characters. This story is more of a romantic fairy tale like the Disney movie, "Beauty and the Beast".

The novel ends with Audrey realizing that she does identify with her ancestors. She owns a flower shop and her favorite flower is roses just like her ancestors. I enjoyed the novel, and I would love to tell you as the potential reader what happens to Brett and Audrey's relationship, but I encourage you to read it and find out for yourself. I will tell you though that Audrey ends up back at the Kennerith Castle amongst the beautiful roses in the garden. She returns to her ancestral home in Scotland. The Highland Legacy: Four Generations of Love Are Rooted in Scotland is a wonderful novel that mixes just the right amount of irony filled with Christianity, romance, drama, and mystery.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highland Legacy, November 29, 2006

By 

Peggy J. Hobbs "meme jewel" (Fritch, TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Highland Legacy: Fresh Highland Heir/Finding Audrey/Tea and Bagpipes/Fayre Rose (Heartsong Novella Collection) (Paperback)

I'm not a real critic like some others. I just know what I enjoy and don't enjoy. I enjoyed this book very much. I read it to my husband at night in bed. We both enjoyed the book.

I have read several books with four stories in one book, and really enjoy them. I believe when four people write an ongoing, connecting story it must be hard to keep things together. I like the connecting story of Audrey in this book.

Reading out loud to my husband, I found myself reading with different voices for the different individuals. I guess I really got into the stories.

I love Christian fiction. I find other Christian people facing trials much as we do today. I find great encouragement and comfort in their relationship with Christ.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Falling in Love in the Highlands!, March 23, 2004

By 

"bwolojan" (Winnipeg, MB Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Highland Legacy: Fresh Highland Heir/Finding Audrey/Tea and Bagpipes/Fayre Rose (Heartsong Novella Collection) (Paperback)

With no family to call her own, Audrey MacMurray searches for her roots in the past. Though not interested in God, Audrey accepts the friendship of a pastor who offers his help in researching her past.

She first comes upon information regarding her ancestors in the 1800's with Fiona, a strong-willed highlander. In ENGLISH TEA AND BAGPIPES by Pamela Griffin, this highland lass sets out to prevent her sister from marrying an Englishman but ends up finding love herself.

Searching in the mid-1700's, Audrey discovers Celeste, a young lady who journeys to Kennerith Castle. In FRESH HIGHLAND HEIR by Jill Stengl, Celeste finds herself in need of protection but ends up saving the life of her bodyguard.

And in the 1300's Audrey comes across Fayre, a serf who goes in her father's stead to pay a debt. FAYRE ROSE by Tamela Hancock Murray tells of how the beauty of Fayre's roses drew the laird's attention, but it was the beauty of her spirit that captured his heart.

FINDING AUDREY by Tracey V. Bateman weaves its tale among the other three stories. As Audrey learns of each of these women and their strength and trust in God, she finds herself drawn more and more to a man she just can't have and a God she doesn't want anything to do with.

I enjoyed the set up of this novella collection with Audrey's story interspersed between the other three. Her story began and ended this collection and wrapped up the storylines so beautifully.

All four novellas are filled with engaging characters and heartwarming stories. These multi-published authors have shown their talents by creating stories with depth in spite of the shorter format. I highly recommend HIGHLAND LEGACY!