Under Scottish Stars by Carla Laureano {Book Review}

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are 100% my own. 

Recently widowed Serena MacDonald Stewart focuses on her children to the exclusion of her career, her art, and her sanity. When her brothers ask her to oversee the family guest house on the Isle of Skye, it’s a chance to dust off her long-ignored business skills and make a new start. But her hopes for a smooth transition are dashed when the hotel manager, Malcolm Blake, turns out to be irritating, condescending . . . and incredibly attractive.

Malcolm Blake gave up everything―his home, his girlfriend, and his career―to return to Skye and raise his late sister’s teenage daughter. With few job opportunities available on the island, he signs on as the manager of the MacDonald family hotel, which he’s soon running successfully without interference from the owners. That is, until Serena shows up, challenging his authority and his conviction that there’s nothing missing from his new life on Skye.

Before long, Serena and Malcolm have to admit the spark between them is more than mere irritation. But as single parents, there’s more on the line than their own hearts. Will their commitment to family be the thing that draws them together or the only thing that could keep them apart?

 Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

Connect with Carla online at her website (www.carlalaureano.com) or on any of these social media platforms:

Facebook.com/CarlaLaureanoAuthor
Twitter.com/carlalaureano
Instagram.com/carlalaureanoauthor
Pinterest.com/laureano_carla

Under Scottish Stars is the third and final book in Carla Laureano's Macdonald Family Trilogy. This was the first in the series that I had read myself, and I found that it read quite well as a standalone as well. Like most series, you'll have more background of all the characters by reading in order, however, enough is given so that I didn't feel the least bit lost.

In this book we meet (or reunite with) Serena as she returns to her family's hotel to help out. Upon her return she meets Malcom, manager of that hotel. While their initial meeting doesn't go so well, it's not long before sparks fly. And boy do they fly! This book might be a little bit steamier than what one might come to expect from a Christian publisher... but not too steamy! This is still very much a clean romance... but there is a lot of heavy kissing. While I personally don't mind this in a love story at all, some more conservative readers may not appreciate it as much!

The story was good--- a great romance, a decent amount of drama to keep it entertaining, and great family dynamics... but it's perhaps the setting of the story that really set it apart. It'll whisk you off to the Scottish island of Skye with it's beautiful storytelling... and you just might find yourself dreaming of a trip to Scotland for real.

Overall, this was a good read and one that fans of romance are sure to enjoy!