Highland Legacy: Four Generations of Love Are Rooted in Scotland

Rating:
Summary: The Legacy of Jesus Christ
Review: The Highland Legacy: Four Generations of Love Are Rooted in Scotland by Tracey V. Bateman, Pamela Griffin, Tamela Hancock Murray, and Jill Stengl is a heart wrenching Christian romance novel. The story is beautifully woven together in a modernist writing style that is usual for a novel that is written in the twenty-first century. All four authors are Christians, and they use at least one character that portrays what a true Christian should be in character. In any good novel there is an antagonist of some sort that rebels against society and a protagonist that knows the answers and has the knowledge of life. The authors have not forgotten to add, in their novel, real life issues that question Christianity. The protagonists use the Christian values and beliefs that they know are the truth to combat the antagonists in the novel.

The first story in the novel, which is named, Finding Audrey, the reader is introduced to the main character, Audrey MacMurray. Audrey becomes the antagonist in that she refuses to believe in God. She has a lot of pain in her past that has made her bitter towards God. Audrey like many real life people echo that familiar statement, "God does not love me because look at what he has put me through". On the way to finding her identity through her family history or genealogy, Audrey meets Brett Canfield. Brett Canfield is protagonist who believes in Christ. He is the teacher of her genealogy class, and he is a youth pastor at his church. Brett Canfield helps Audrey discover her ancestral lineage along the way. The two become really close friends, but their different religious beliefs keep them from dating. Brett and Audrey's story is told amongst three other stories that contain the life of Audrey's ancestors. This form by the authors is unique in the fact that the reader is given pieces of a mystery little at a time but in reverse order.

In the first story, the reader along with Audrey discovers that Audrey's ancestors were from Kennerith Castle in Scotland. The setting is placed back in 1822. Fiona Galbraith who lives at Kennerith Castle meets an Englishman named Alex Spencer. On their journey to stop the forbidden wedding of their siblings they fall in love. Throughout the journey Fiona realizes that Alex, who is a Christian, has the compassion and kindness that Jesus Christ showed to people while he was on Earth. Fiona learns to put all her trust in the Lord and not to rely so much on herself for strength.

In the second story, the setting is placed in 1748 back at the Kennerith Castle. The characters in this story are Lady Celeste Galbraith and Allan Croft. These two end up falling in love with each other. Allan reads to Celeste scripture from the Bible. He tells her who Jesus Christ is. Celeste ends up accepting Jesus Christ into her life. Allan discovers his hidden past, and he protects Celeste from getting murdered by an evil plot that is against her. For mystery loving readers this story is a page-turner.

In the third story, the setting is placed in 1348 back at the Kennerith Castle. The two main characters are Laird Kenneth and Fayre Shepherd. Laird Kenneth is the lord over the castle, and Fayre Shepherd is a serf in Laird's kingdom. Fayre and her father are unable to pay the tax that is owed to the lord. In exchange Laird takes Fayre with him back to the castle. At the castle she must plant beautiful bushes of roses like the ones at her home. Fayre makes the best of her situation, and she continues to pray to God earnestly. She not witnesses to the people at the castle around her, but she also witnesses to the Laird himself. Laird ends up catching the Black Plague and Fayre is the only who takes care of him and stays by his side through it all. They end up falling in love just like the others characters. This story is more of a romantic fairy tale like the Disney movie, "Beauty and the Beast".

The novel ends with Audrey realizing that she does identify with her ancestors. She owns a flower shop and her favorite flower is roses just like her ancestors. I enjoyed the novel, and I would love to tell you as the potential reader what happens to Brett and Audrey's relationship, but I encourage you to read it and find out for yourself. I will tell you though that Audrey ends up back at the Kennerith Castle amongst the beautiful roses in the garden. She returns to her ancestral home in Scotland. The Highland Legacy: Four Generations of Love Are Rooted in Scotland is a wonderful novel that mixes just the right amount of irony filled with Christianity, romance, drama, and mystery.


Rating:
Summary: Journey To A Scottish Castle And Find Love...
Review: Highland Legacy begins with Audrey, a woman who is searching for family roots. She has been raised by foster parents most of her life, and only discovers a long lost Aunt in her sophomore year at Northwestern.

The Aunt, an amateur genealogist gets her started on her search, but Brett Canfield, a genealogy teacher and youth pastor, helps her finish the journey.

With Brett's help, Audrey discovers three beautiful love stories from her family history. The reader discovers the details when she does, so we are traveling too. We journey from the present day, through the 1800's, 1700's, and 1300's.

Heroines named Fiona, Celeste, and Fayre all make their own journeys to love. Kennerith Castle in Scotland is the beautiful setting for all three.

And in the end? Audrey finds the Giver of Love, as well as a love of her own.

Audrey and Kennerith Castle keep each story connected to one another, making for a tight satisfying read. There is a horse named Dunderhead, a 'diamonds in the sewer' theory, a heroine who is forever losing her glasses, a hero who snores, and haggis-a recipe for warriors! (It's a cooked sheep's stomach filled with oats, suet, and ... read the book for more juicy details. :)

Rating:
Summary: A Page-Turner That's Tightly Woven as Tartan Plaid
Review: Highland Legacy

This set of four novellas is as tightly woven as
tartan plaid, and reads like a full-length novel.
Follow Audrey McMurray's path to her family and to God
through Tracey Bateman's FINDING AUDREY. Audrey's new
friend, the Reverend Brett Canfield, helps her in
genealogical research. Audrey learns of the plucky
Fiona in Pamela Griffin's novella ENGLISH TEA AND
BAGPIPES. Fiona tries to stop her sister from wedding
an Englishman! Still farther back in history, Audrey
finds the story of Lady Celeste Galbraith (who cannot abide
her new bodyguard) in FRESH HIGHLAND HEIR (by Jill Stengl),
and she travels even farther back in time to the noble serf
FAYRE who tended some special roses tended the highland Laird
Kenneth (in the novella FAYRE ROSE by Tamela Hancock
Murray). All of these authors kept me turning the
pages meeting the strong women of Audrey's heritage. I
enjoyed Audrey's journey learning about her ancestors
and grappling with issues of faith and learning what
family truly is. The book ends, very fittingly, at the
modern day Kennerith Castle where Audrey has come full
circle. Buy this book, and buy some for friends! You
won't be disappointed!

Rating:
Summary: Highland Legacy
Review: This novella collection is one of the most unique and skillfully woven collections I have ever read. It follows the life of Audrey MacMurry, an orphan from a young age. She has never felt that she belonged anywhere, and she blames God because her missionary parents left her with relatives. After growing up in a series of foster homes, she wants to find her roots. As she searches for ancestors, we become embroiled in their lives in the 1800s, then the 1700s, and finally the1300s. Each story relates to what is going on in Audrey?s life. You won?t want to miss this wonderful story!

Rating:
Summary: Falling in Love in the Highlands!
Review: With no family to call her own, Audrey MacMurray searches for her roots in the past. Though not interested in God, Audrey accepts the friendship of a pastor who offers his help in researching her past.

She first comes upon information regarding her ancestors in the 1800's with Fiona, a strong-willed highlander. In ENGLISH TEA AND BAGPIPES by Pamela Griffin, this highland lass sets out to prevent her sister from marrying an Englishman but ends up finding love herself.

Searching in the mid-1700's, Audrey discovers Celeste, a young lady who journeys to Kennerith Castle. In FRESH HIGHLAND HEIR by Jill Stengl, Celeste finds herself in need of protection but ends up saving the life of her bodyguard.

And in the 1300's Audrey comes across Fayre, a serf who goes in her father's stead to pay a debt. FAYRE ROSE by Tamela Hancock Murray tells of how the beauty of Fayre's roses drew the laird's attention, but it was the beauty of her spirit that captured his heart.

FINDING AUDREY by Tracey V. Bateman weaves its tale among the other three stories. As Audrey learns of each of these women and their strength and trust in God, she finds herself drawn more and more to a man she just can't have and a God she doesn't want anything to do with.

I enjoyed the set up of this novella collection with Audrey's story interspersed between the other three. Her story began and ended this collection and wrapped up the storylines so beautifully.

All four novellas are filled with engaging characters and heartwarming stories. These multi-published authors have shown their talents by creating stories with depth in spite of the shorter format. I highly recommend HIGHLAND LEGACY!

Rating:
Summary: Falling in Love in the Highlands!
Review: With no family to call her own, Audrey MacMurray searches for her roots in the past. Though not interested in God, Audrey accepts the friendship of a pastor who offers his help in researching her past.

She first comes upon information regarding her ancestors in the 1800's with Fiona, a strong-willed highlander. In ENGLISH TEA AND BAGPIPES by Pamela Griffin, this highland lass sets out to prevent her sister from marrying an Englishman but ends up finding love herself.

Searching in the mid-1700's, Audrey discovers Celeste, a young lady who journeys to Kennerith Castle. In FRESH HIGHLAND HEIR by Jill Stengl, Celeste finds herself in need of protection but ends up saving the life of her bodyguard.

And in the 1300's Audrey comes across Fayre, a serf who goes in her father's stead to pay a debt. FAYRE ROSE by Tamela Hancock Murray tells of how the beauty of Fayre's roses drew the laird's attention, but it was the beauty of her spirit that captured his heart.

FINDING AUDREY by Tracey V. Bateman weaves its tale among the other three stories. As Audrey learns of each of these women and their strength and trust in God, she finds herself drawn more and more to a man she just can't have and a God she doesn't want anything to do with.

I enjoyed the set up of this novella collection with Audrey's story interspersed between the other three. Her story began and ended this collection and wrapped up the storylines so beautifully.

All four novellas are filled with engaging characters and heartwarming stories. These multi-published authors have shown their talents by creating stories with depth in spite of the shorter format. I highly recommend HIGHLAND LEGACY!