adult

'Surrender to the Highlander' by Lynsay Sands | Book review

By Julita Stefaniak - October 16, 2019

Rating: 4/5

Even though I have read a fair share of adult romances in my past (Nicholas Sparks, I'm looking at you), my first choice is always YA. It's usually just fluffier and easier to read in one sitting. Recently I realised my taste in books is shifting a little bit, so when I was in the public library for the first time this semester and had only room for one novel in my small backpack, I opted for Surrender to the Highlander by Lynsay Sands. You can blame it on the handsome lad with a sixpack on the cover or on the fact I have been studying Scottish literature and wanted to remain in that environment in my spare time as well. We'll never know.



Set in the Highlands, this book uncovers the love story of Edith and Niels followed by the mysterious murders around the castle.
(I've been trying to write the synopsis of this novel for a while and just nothing sounds good enough. So I'm gonna leave it secretive, let's pretend that's on purpose.)

***

The first few chapters of Surrender to the Highlander really captivated me. The writing style was flawless and allowed me to fly through the beginning of the book. Unfortunately, my interests quickly burned out and I struggled to get through the next hundred pages. There was barely any action and a few sexy moments between Niels and Edith were not enough to make me want to continue reading. I even considered dnf-ing the book altogether. The only thing keeping me going was the amazing writing style and my genuine interest in who the killer is. Thankfully!

The last hundred and fifty pages or so were so captivating I was unable to put the book down. The plot twists, secrecy, the action unravelling before my eyes were written amazingly! I never expected the ending and yet it all made perfect sense. Much, much love! I think Sands should consider writing crime fiction because she created something astonishing. 

As I mentioned at the beginning, one of my courses at uni is devoted to 19th century Scottish literature, so over the last few weeks I've gotten to know the language quite well. Sands is an American writer, but she managed to replicate Gaelic really well. It probably has to do with her slight obsession with Scotland, as I later found out Surrender... is a part of a whole series with books set in the Highlands. If I ever stumble on any of them I think I will give them a go. 

Not only the plot was constructed extremely well, so were the characters. Niels was a typical man when it comes to understanding the feelings of a woman, but he had that romantic twist that just made my heart melt. At the beginning I expected Edith to be a stupid young woman unable to do anything herself. She proved me wrong as in many situations she was courageous, strong and always wanted to remain independent. It's a pleasure to read about those types of characters in historical fiction romance novels, where it seems to be socially acceptable to create very submissive and boring women. 

The development of the relationship between Neils and Edith was just right. It was slow and natural; the chemistry between them was oozing from the pages of the book. Their characters complemented each other perfectly and reading about them made me all warm and fuzzy inside. 

However, I do wish that the centre of the attention were the crimes going on in the novel. Even though I still think it was executed brilliantly, I wish Sands focused on it a bit more and a bit less on the sex scenes. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind spicy erotic descriptions every now and then, but Surrender to the Highlander delivered way too many of them. I wish at times my imagination was left with something to work on, rather than having everything right there in front of me. 

That being said, I'm really happy that I stumbled upon this book. I haven't heard about this writer anywhere in the bookish part of the internet, which is a shame cause she really deserves more recognition. 

Have you ever read anything by Lynsay Sands before? Let me know in the comments as I would love to read your recommendations! 

  • Share:

You Might Also Like

1 Comments

  1. Jasiek16 October 2019 at 16:38

    I really like your review! It's really comprehensive and gives the reader enough information to feel interested, but not overwhelmed! It's facinating gow your interest in the plot and the book changed during reading it - I guess it should have less of this boring bit in the middle.
    Coming to the sex scenes, I also believe it is good to leave somtething to the imagination, as it is somethibg personal for me.
    I am glad that you liked it and the cover and the story bought you, that is really great to discover an awesome writer, because you can recommend it to someone and if he or she likes it is so pleasurable! Can't wait for your next reviews! ❤❤❤

    ReplyDelete