A #review of Hamish by L.L. Muir, Book 28 in The Ghosts of Culloden Moor series

Today, I review Hamish, by L. L. Muir -- Book 28 in her The Ghosts of Culloden Moor series.

Pages -  155 

Published -  March 27, 2017

Sold by -  Amazon Digital Services LLC

Genre -  Historical Romance, Scottish, Time Travel

Series -  #28 in The Ghosts of Culloden Moor

Language -  3/5

Sexual Content -  2/5

Narrative -  3rd P

Have you ever been tempted to sit patiently on a Scottish hillside to see what--or whom--the mist might bring?
With violin in hand, Samantha MacKord sets out to do just that. But when a Highlander appears, she realizes it might be her music, and not the mist, that lured him to her. Unfortunately, he's not the only one who's been listening...

Hamish Farquharson is ready for a holiday and a rich woman to spend it with, but the witch isn't thinking about his needs. Instead, she sends him on a complicated rescue mission to save three abandoned children. And in a cruel twist, he's given the perfect woman to protect, and the one enemy who might destroy them all.

It wasn't bad, and it wasn't great.

A short, fast read if you are keeping up with the Series.

A short but slightly rushed feel if you are not.

It felt stand-alone despite the series being so lengthy.

There were GPS issues.

• he’d no ken how to adjust for the five months
• It was her that wasn’t real?
• Still, the youngest still clings to me in need.
• a dull light shined out through the narrow gap.
• “Oh! That’s so sad?”
• Sam bit her lips together and toyed...
• Sucker someone in. Win their hearts.
• shook his head with in the timeless expression
• that said, Don’t look at me. (no quotes and makes no sense)
• But he’ll be back when he’s realizes I lied.”
• and pulled the girl into him arms.

A lot more favorable ratings at Goodreads and less ratings at Amazon but a mixed bag there.

For me, this was a bit too short a time-span to believe that Love is possible -- despite his being a ghost transformed for a brief period of time -- and she arriving just in time for that transition to occur.

I did not feel romance as much as I did tension whenever she slipped between modern time and ancient era.

Throwing 'kids' into the mix didn't help to add to the Romantic feel, either.

I don't care for 'kids' or 'babies' to be included in a 'Romance' unless they are here today, gone tomorrow type instances that might help the hero/heroine to garner Reader brownie points.

This was simply about a dead man being permitted to return as a human for a very short amount of time in order to 'help' in some way before being returned to death.

What also threw me out of Romance mode while reading this was that the heroine played violin and even looked like the Hero's dead 'sister'.

That is gross, and I couldn't wrap my head around why the author felt the need to do that if she intended for these two to become romantically involved... even if that didn't really happen!

His sister?

Yuck.

This wasn't a Romance as much as it was a brief glimpse into the author's knowledge of Scottish history and their current customs.

The two met through a series of waffling he's visible, he's no longer visible... he's in the present, he's back in the 1700s kind of writing that also confused this reader.

There was an old hag, three urchins, the modern heroine, a 'relative' who lived in town, and the ghost Hero.

Redcoats kept barging in to disrupt things, but with the Hero's 36 hours coming to an end, Romance needs to happen quick in order for this to become a Romance novel.

So, the merry band arrive in modern times, the kids get to bathe and change their worn-out clothing, the ghost gets to see the heroine nearly naked, they kiss and VOILA!

They're in love and talking about spending eternity together... literally.

He never mentions the fact that he's not alive but continues to hope that he can snag a little somethin' somethin' before the final curtain.

But then he does the Modern Day Castrated Male thing and chastises himself for thinking like a 1700s man, grateful for the chance to simply cast his hungry gaze upon a lovely lass and that's thanks enough.

36 Hours and it is all over, they barely said two sentences together, but the instant attraction thing somehow led to undying love and a burning desire to spend their whole lives together.

Lastly, I know everyone and their mother enjoys these Time Travel novels... especially if they are set in Scotland... because of the Outlander thing.

I get it.

However, and to my mind, not a single author has ever bothered to consider, much less go into the astounding details surrounding the simple yet quite obvious fact that ANYONE capable of going forward in time will have ZERO mental ability to comprehend ANY of what they see, here, smell, or even taste.

It just isn't possible.

But, that is for another Blog Post.

I wouldn't say that L. L. Muir isn't worth reading, but I am not interested in reading any of the other books in this series.

There are 37 in all if you are so inclined.

*HAMISH is #28 in the series.
Most of these romances can be read in any order, but first, read the short set up, THE GATHERING, to avoid confusion.