Swept off Her Feet
A**R
Ready For a Scottish Reel?
This story will have you dancing to the Scottish moors, inside a wonderful house filled to the brim with antiques. Our heroine, Evie, loves the past and all the bric-a-brac. She lives and breathes a fantasy life. But she has to figure out how to live her own life for reel (pun intended).I enjoyed this story because of the atmosphere. I wished Iβd understood why the love interest was falling for her better. Overall, a satisfying sweet romance.
C**.
I LOVED it!!!
I have a thing for Scotland... the landscape, the castles, the history, the accent, and of course the strapping men. ;-) Lynn Kurland's lovely Scottish romances have only heightened that love, with her penchant for creating swoonworthy highlander heroes. Ms. Browne has created a few of her own here... wink wink nudge nudge ;-) In case you need another enticement...So despite not having been impressed with the last two of Ms. Browne's books, I grabbed this one anyways.And I am SO glad I did; Swept Off Her Feet was a thoroughly delightful read! I gobbled it right up! I was pleasantly surprised to find a sweet, contemporary romantic tale that wasn't riddled with the unnecessary profanity or smut that is usually found in modern romances. Hooray on that note alone!!I found Evie to be a very relatable, and enjoyable heroine. She works in antiques, having an intense passion and zeal for all things with a history... which usually means the items that she is drawn to no one would pay for... old photos and picture frames, natty old teddy bears, and a mounted stag's head. Needless to say, her boss isn't that thrilled with her purchases and is threatening to give her the boot. In swoops her sister, Alice, with a timely and exciting proposition, for Evie to travel to Kettlesheer in Scotland and find some treasure that could be sold to help finance the castle's expenses. Talk about a dream come true for Evie.My only complaint is that the plot is pretty thin- there really isn't that much suspense or mystery, the story is fairly predictable.BUT, it doesn't detract at all from your enjoyment of the story. Which is a feat in of itself... It was a light and fluffy read to be sure but it was so achingly sweet and charming that you can't help but read it through with a smile on your face. And I enjoyed it so much that I will be re-reading it in the not so distant future, which is the mark of a keeper for me!Enjoy this winner of a story and be swept away with Evie to the magic of Scotland and its, erm, other charms... wink wink :-)
J**Y
Title Only Complaint
I bought this book for my Kindle and read the whole thing in 24 hours or less. It was a page-turner!Then again, I've loved this author ever since reading her Little Lady Agency series (Yeah, Nelson!); she's really the only chick lit author I can stand. Her protagonists are always funny (Evie of this book is my favorite so far), her male leads are always perfect and fairly legit, and the stories have more to them than the typical rom com fluff/arbitrary chick drama (I HATE Sophie Kinsella!). Hester Browne's writing style reminds me, to an extent, of J.K. Rowling, which is why I love her books: there's quirky, there's wistfulness, there's an engaging and non-irritating narrator, there's honest rather than forced comedy. In fact, Browne, with her style of chick comedy, is the only chick lit author to make me LOL for real.Please read immediately if the corny title and Scottish reeling don't turn you off!
D**A
"Swept Off Her Feet" In A Scottish Reel!
Swept Off Her Feet was a British chic lit novel that followed Evie from London to Scotland. I liked that Evie was someone who appreciated the past, and that trait made her a charming antiques appraiser. The plot was thin: When Evie traveled to a Scottish castle to appraise family heirlooms, she was invited to attend a Highland ball and was swept away by the dashing man throwing it at his family's estate. The entire story was predictable, ridiculous, and truly chic lit. As a result, there really isn't much to discuss. The characters were flat, their conversations were conventional, and the events happened without much foundation. Even Evie didn't mature all that much. The dancing was good fun to read about, albeit that the descriptions of the reels were hard to follow. I couldn't understand the steps or motions the characters were making, all I knew was that they were flailing about in fashionable dresses and having a ball! (Pun intended.) This was a light read that was perfect for me to enjoy while I was in Scotland.This review first appeared on fastpageturner.wordpress.com
J**L
LIghthearted romp
I haven't read Hester Browne's work before, but she's clearly a capable writer, who gives her work a strong sense of personality. The characters are humorous and likeable (if rather 2-dimensional), and the situations in which they find themselves are sufficiently off-beat to create a slight goofiness that is quite entertaining. There's no soul searching, relationship development, or complex plotting, but Swept off Her Feet is a witty romance novel, and the central plot point of Scottish reeling is both novel and amusing. If you're looking for a book where you feel deeply connected to the characters, this won't be for you, but if you just want a quick afternoon's escape you should be well satisfied by this book.
B**.
Fun read - but no lending the Kindle edition
This book was a fun read - cute, romantic, and with an interesting setting. I recommend it for any lover of British chick-lit. The main downside is that the Kindle edition cannot be loaned to another kindle; when I buy a book like this, I always loan it to my mom after I'm done. Thus, I am pretty unhappy I can't loan the book. I recommend that we customers join together and demand the ability to loan!
P**P
If you have ever struggled to learn Scottish dances then you will love this!!
I had forgotten that I had purchased this book on my kindle and found it whilst on holiday scrolling through my books and I am SO glad I did as it was a delightfully funny, quirky story. I maybe appreciated it more than other reviewers as I am English living in Scotland for 25 years so the descriptions of having to do the ceilidh dancing was SO painfully but hysterically true. This traditional Scottish dancing is a form of religion and is a 'very serious matter' to all who attend, and yes, the guys do bellow war cry like sounds throughout the dance. So poor Evie's apprehension at the practice sessions were true to form.I found this story SO funny, and also interesting as I did learn about the valuation business. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I am off to buy more from this very witty author!
T**T
Reeling?
I enjoyed this book and thought Evie was a great character.The one thing that put me off was the constant references to "reeling". I've lived in Scotland all my life and we just don't call it that. You can do Scottish country dancing, ceilidh dancing or dance a reel, but I've never heard "reel" used as verb before! For a section of the book, every other paragraph seemed to mention reeling or reeling practice and it got annoying after a while. And not all Scottish dances are reels anyway.Apart from that it was a good story and I'd love to know what happened next.
L**N
My favourite Hester Browne book ever
I love the quirky narrative in this book; there's a lot of dry wit and clever asides. Its one of my favourite books and I have re-read it numerous times.My only gripe is that it's written in American English. Surely an English ebook version should be possible? I first read it in hard copy, in British English, but this American version was all I was offered via Amazon. It grated so much when I first bought the ebook, I actually returned it to Amazon, but then caved in and bought it again. With my poor eyesight, and the need to read it in Large Print, it was either that or nothing.Please write something new soon, Hester!
C**Y
The Vintage Girl: Γ sweeping romance that will have you laughing out loud by Hester Browne.
A heartwarming story of a woman's romantic daydreams when she goes to Scotland to find some priceless artifacts to help keep the floundering expences of the upkeep of the castle afloat. Who then vers embroiled in the previous Laird and his Lady. This story reflexs on the past and present which entwines the whole outcome of this romantic and mystical and the vivid imagination of Γ young woman, with happy results. Great read.
A**R
A must for all romantic history lovers
A lovely story beautifully written.A daydreaming girl who loves the history and romance of old objects is sent upto Scotland to value items on an estate.She falls in love with the family and the place. Stumbling into a happy relationship after her straight talk helps heal family relationships.Fantastic read from start to finish.
Trustpilot
2 weeks ago
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