Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

I enjoyed every second of reading this book.
It is so refreshing not to have to skip through pages of
endless smut that does not do anything for the story.
This was a wonderful blessing to read ! As a
family genealogist , it really made the stories
even more enjoyable to read.
Hope to see books like this to buy.
God bless and enjoy reading !

I thought this was a wonderful book! I read it in one day. I have never read a book like this before and wondered if I would like the fact that there are four stories in one book. However, I will be reading more books like this one. The characters were wonderful and the message was too! I highly recommend this book!

I love a good quick novel, rich with history. While not the quickest, it is moderately quick and this one continues to draw you into it with the suspense and mystery. For the most part the story is light while heart-warming and inspiring. It has just the right amount of Romance and relational drama. I would highly recommend this novel for an enjoyable and entertaining read! I found myself so involved that I couldn't resist pulling out a pencil and paper to map out and decipher the heritage myself! Great fun!

Highland Legacy begins with Audrey, a woman who is searching for family roots. She has been raised by foster parents most of her life, and only discovers a long lost Aunt in her sophomore year at Northwestern.

The Aunt, an amateur genealogist gets her started on her search, but Brett Canfield, a genealogy teacher and youth pastor, helps her finish the journey.

With Brett's help, Audrey discovers three beautiful love stories from her family history. The reader discovers the details when she does, so we are traveling too. We journey from the present day, through the 1800's, 1700's, and 1300's.

Heroines named Fiona, Celeste, and Fayre all make their own journeys to love. Kennerith Castle in Scotland is the beautiful setting for all three.

And in the end? Audrey finds the Giver of Love, as well as a love of her own.

Audrey and Kennerith Castle keep each story connected to one another, making for a tight satisfying read. There is a horse named Dunderhead, a 'diamonds in the sewer' theory, a heroine who is forever losing her glasses, a hero who snores, and haggis-a recipe for warriors! (It's a cooked sheep's stomach filled with oats, suet, and ... read the book for more juicy details. :)

Highland Legacy

This set of four novellas is as tightly woven as
tartan plaid, and reads like a full-length novel.
Follow Audrey McMurray's path to her family and to God
through Tracey Bateman's FINDING AUDREY. Audrey's new
friend, the Reverend Brett Canfield, helps her in
genealogical research. Audrey learns of the plucky
Fiona in Pamela Griffin's novella ENGLISH TEA AND
BAGPIPES. Fiona tries to stop her sister from wedding
an Englishman! Still farther back in history, Audrey
finds the story of Lady Celeste Galbraith (who cannot abide
her new bodyguard) in FRESH HIGHLAND HEIR (by Jill Stengl),
and she travels even farther back in time to the noble serf
FAYRE who tended some special roses tended the highland Laird
Kenneth (in the novella FAYRE ROSE by Tamela Hancock
Murray). All of these authors kept me turning the
pages meeting the strong women of Audrey's heritage. I
enjoyed Audrey's journey learning about her ancestors
and grappling with issues of faith and learning what
family truly is. The book ends, very fittingly, at the
modern day Kennerith Castle where Audrey has come full
circle. Buy this book, and buy some for friends! You
won't be disappointed!

Although not one of my favorite historical fiction books, this was still a breezy and enjoyable read. Although it's a little disorienting to read history that keeps going back in time, contrary to most historical fiction, the historical stories are all enjoyable reads. From Fiona and her quest to stop her sister's wedding, to Celeste and her facing threats of death, to Fayre brining light and life to a castle she's been taken to as payment of debt, along with the men each woman comes to love, this book is quite a ride. I enjoyed all the past stories to the present-day story, with the not-so-likeable protagonist Audrey and the prudish but friendly preacher Brett. Apart from that, though, I would recommend this story to anyone interested in historical Christian fiction.

This was my first Christian fiction book to read. I was working at a used bookstore and had the Historical Romance & Christian fiction sections to keep in order & saw this book and had to buy it. I love anything Scottish so was looking forward to this book to read. Was not disappointed as my husband and I do genealogy also, so this fit right in with our interests. When purchasing this book, I didn't realize it was four stories that were tied together by a genealogy search by the one person that had been raised in the foster care system, looking for her ancestors. It was very interesting how the stories were all tied to Kennerith Castle. My husband and I have been to Scotland too.