Official Review: A Taste of Highland Culture
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Word_Lover
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- Latest Review: "A Taste of Highland Culture" by Evie Stapleton
Official Review: A Taste of Highland Culture
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Taste of Highland Culture" by Evie Stapleton.]
3 out of 4 stars
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A Taste of Highland Culture by Evie Stapleton seems to be set in modern day Scotland, though the time period is never actually specified. I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. While it is written in the third person, it really seems to follow the lead female, Sharon, of the story over the lead male, Vince. There is not a lot of background information given on either of the main characters other than the very basics of their occupation, hair and eye color, Vince’s reputation with his peers and Sharon’s new-to-Scotland residency status. There are hints about both of their pasts but nothing more than a couple of sentences.
Sharon moves from the United States to Scotland to take a teaching position and meets Vince, a fellow professor, at the first staff meeting of the new semester. Within just a few weeks, including several days of total separation, the couple experience a complete evolution of a relationship. From introduction to betrayal, the emotions of Sharon and Vince run the spectrum. There is really only one other character in the book that gets any detail other than the main characters, all other persons are simply background props that have little to no impact on the outcome of the story. Oh, there is the vindictive ex that tries to break them apart and the supportive friend that helps bring them back together, but their roles are very minimal.
Except for two scenes, the entire book is written in Edinburg, Scotland. The details and history of the land are softly intertwined throughout the story but, again, are secondary. Given the location setting of the book, occupations of Sharon and Vince, and title of the book, more detail about Scotland and the Highlands would have been a welcome addition to the book. I had hoped that the rich history of the land would have played a greater part of the story, but at least there was a little detail provided and the Scottish history was not completely left out of the book.
One of the things that I did appreciate while reading the book was the apparent accuracy and use of Scottish slang and terminology. Even though Sharon was American, her knowledge of Scottish terms, and for the most part customs, were well included. She made a few "mistakes" that would be expected of someone going from the United States to the United Kingdom, it only seemed to add to the authenticity of the story and writing. As a reader, it is annoying to read books set in other countries and still see Americanisms. For example, Sharon mistakenly goes to the left side of the car instead of the right side. Little details like that added to the realness of the story, and not distract from it.
This is a happily-ever after book with no cliffhanger. It is a romance novel but I would not classify it as a “steamy” one. Sharon and Vince have plenty of private time and while that is a strong focal point of the book (not so much their conversational skills), it is not smut. Light bondage is brought into the book, almost as if it is an afterthought of the author, towards the end of the book. While I gave this a 3-star rating, it was not for the depth of characters or thick plot. The book was well-written overall but there are some definite areas of improvement in character development and plot.
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A Taste of Highland Culture
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3 out of 4 stars
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A Taste of Highland Culture by Evie Stapleton seems to be set in modern day Scotland, though the time period is never actually specified. I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. While it is written in the third person, it really seems to follow the lead female, Sharon, of the story over the lead male, Vince. There is not a lot of background information given on either of the main characters other than the very basics of their occupation, hair and eye color, Vince’s reputation with his peers and Sharon’s new-to-Scotland residency status. There are hints about both of their pasts but nothing more than a couple of sentences.
Sharon moves from the United States to Scotland to take a teaching position and meets Vince, a fellow professor, at the first staff meeting of the new semester. Within just a few weeks, including several days of total separation, the couple experience a complete evolution of a relationship. From introduction to betrayal, the emotions of Sharon and Vince run the spectrum. There is really only one other character in the book that gets any detail other than the main characters, all other persons are simply background props that have little to no impact on the outcome of the story. Oh, there is the vindictive ex that tries to break them apart and the supportive friend that helps bring them back together, but their roles are very minimal.
Except for two scenes, the entire book is written in Edinburg, Scotland. The details and history of the land are softly intertwined throughout the story but, again, are secondary. Given the location setting of the book, occupations of Sharon and Vince, and title of the book, more detail about Scotland and the Highlands would have been a welcome addition to the book. I had hoped that the rich history of the land would have played a greater part of the story, but at least there was a little detail provided and the Scottish history was not completely left out of the book.
One of the things that I did appreciate while reading the book was the apparent accuracy and use of Scottish slang and terminology. Even though Sharon was American, her knowledge of Scottish terms, and for the most part customs, were well included. She made a few "mistakes" that would be expected of someone going from the United States to the United Kingdom, it only seemed to add to the authenticity of the story and writing. As a reader, it is annoying to read books set in other countries and still see Americanisms. For example, Sharon mistakenly goes to the left side of the car instead of the right side. Little details like that added to the realness of the story, and not distract from it.
This is a happily-ever after book with no cliffhanger. It is a romance novel but I would not classify it as a “steamy” one. Sharon and Vince have plenty of private time and while that is a strong focal point of the book (not so much their conversational skills), it is not smut. Light bondage is brought into the book, almost as if it is an afterthought of the author, towards the end of the book. While I gave this a 3-star rating, it was not for the depth of characters or thick plot. The book was well-written overall but there are some definite areas of improvement in character development and plot.
******
A Taste of Highland Culture
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes
Like Word_Lover's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: "A Taste of Highland Culture" by Evie Stapleton
