"Your own life matters not at all to you. You do your work. You go through the motions. But you don't allow yourself to feel anything. To grow attached to anyone." His voice lowered. "And that is no life at all."
Synopsis
Lady Charlotte Darrington's path in life is clearly laid out before her: she will select a suitable husband, marry, and one day inherit her father's Scottish dukedom. But a growing restlessness has her desperate for a bit of freedom before her all-too-certain future closes in. When the opportunity to travel to America arises, Charlotte leaps at the chance and soon finds herself across the Atlantic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her American hosts and their friends couldn't be more welcoming-all except one. The insufferable Dr. Galloway captures her eye-and her ire.
Life has made Dr. Alec Galloway wary of everyone, inclulding the self-important Lady Charlotte Darrington, who thinks herself above Pittsburgh society. He makes no qualms about voicing his disapproval of Britain's archaic peerage system or of a certain peeress herself, though he never intended for his brusque opinions to reach her ears, sparking a conflagration neither could have forseen. Yet as Charlotte gains insight into Alec's wounded past, she offers him something that changes everything-her friendship. Despite Alec's determination to keep everyone at bay, she slowly erodes his defenses, allowing him glimpses of a future he never imagined. Soon he must decide whether to face his past fears and grasp a second chance at love or risk losing Charlotte forever.
Thoughts & Feelings
You guys! Charlotte's book is finally here and after sitting on my shelf for a bit longer than intended I dove in! I absolutely loved this story and the more I think about it the more I love it.
A small note of caution to all you review readers, A Not-So-Distant Love is the sequel to Heart in the Highlands. I will do my best to not give spoilers but I wanted to warn you. I do have an updated review for Heart in the Highlands if anyone is interested in reading it. You can find that here.
On to the good stuff!
I absolutely loved Charlotte as a child in Heart in the Highlands and Heidi Kimball did an amazing job translating all of her loveable characteristics, and her fiery Scottish temper, into a grown woman in A Not-So-Distant Love. I feel like there is always a bit of a worry that as our favorite characters age (because you know they're real people) they will lose some of the characteristics that endeared them to us in the first place. I loved Charlotte's love for animals as a child, especially her cat. I love that her love for animals remains with her and gives us some of the most amazing moments in the entire story, in my opinion. The borderline scolding that Charlotte gives Alec about caring for the pig is amazing and I could not stop giggling. THEN my brain linked together this lovely pig with the pig in Games in a Ballroom, even though they occur on different continents, and then I really couldn't get myself together. I love that everything starts to come together all because of a pig.
I also loved that the story occurs in both Scotland and the U.S.A! Sadly, we don't get to see Scotland for very long but I did love that Heidi connected these two countries together. The story begin in 1835 and it was so much fun to mentally connect what was going on in the United States with the events and general lifestyles in Scotland/the United Kingdom. I loved the bit of friendly banter that was thrown in about the Revolutionary War and the differing types of government. Ok, it didn't always stay super friendly but it was always super entertaining. I even learned a few fun facts about Pittsburgh, and I guess the United States in general, while reading! For example, the entire popcorn scene. I did some major googling after finishing that chapter because I was so curious.
Lastly, I loved how tender and vulnerable our main man, Alec, was. I loved the vulnerability of Callum in Heart in the Highlands and was so excited that we got something similiar with Alec. Now don't get me wrong these two men are completely different but they are each vulnerable in their own ways. Heidi did a great job letting us see Alec's sorrows and burdens in many different ways and I loved the little bits of information that we are able to glean throughout the novel. It was so interesting to see who knew which pieces of information and who dared to cross certain lines and talk with him about his life. I also loved that Charlotte was vulnerable in her own unique ways and she was able to understand parts of what Alec had gone through and was currently struggling with. I love that she was able to bring out his laughter and be a listening ear but was also willing to go to battle when she felt he was in the wrong.
A Not-So-Distant Love was a book I feel like I waited for forever and I could not have dreamed of a better story for Charlotte. Is it asking for too much to hope that Iseabel to gets a book too?
Book Information
Title: A Not-So-Distant Love
Series: Scotland Regencies #2
Author: Heidi Kimball
Release Date: October 1, 2023
Book Tags
Language
clean
Steam Level
clean, kissing
Content & Trigger Warnings
serious illness or injury
Alec is a doctor and we hear a bit about his work, both past and present, throughout the novel. No major details are given but we do see major injuries and illnesses a few times.
death of a spouse & immediate family member
religious themes throughout
Purchasing Links
affiliate link
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