An Indecent Invitation by Laura Trentham is a fabulous historical romance.  Ms. Trentham has provided readers with a well-written book.  Lily had words with her father and the next day he was gone.  She's determined to find her father.  Gray is a Crown spy and is also looking for his mentor, Lily's father.  Lily and Gray's story is packed with drama, phenomenal characters, humor, sizzle, action and suspense.  This book had me glued to my chair from cover to cover.  I look forward to my next book by Laura Trentham.  An Indecent Invitation is book 1 of the Spies and Lovers Series but can be read as a standalone.  This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

Highland, Georgia #1, This book was so enjoyable! All the characters not just the main ones were memorable; I'm glad this is the start of a series I already can't wait to read everyone else's story. I love reading Laura Trentham she has a great narrative voice and is so funny, her romance slow burning building the sexual tension between them until they are combustible and with a heartfelt and sweet ending that leaves me wanting more. I fell in love with Highland, Georgia it sounds like a wonderful place to live; except the humidity would probably kill me in the summer.

Rose and Isabel Buchanan love their hometown. Rose married into one of the founding families and after her husband died she kept his spirit and his love for the town alive by continuing on with his favorite time of the year, the Highland Games. Izzy loves this place just as much as her mother and she has fully accepted that her life will always be in Highland. Izzy usually trusts her mother's judgement so it blindsides her  when Rose comes back from her Scotland trip with more than just a scarf and earrings as souvenirs. The man her mother brought home to help organize the games could be after their land or money, but her mother is infatuated it's up to Izzy to keep things in check.

Alasdair Blackmoor use to be close to his uncle, Gareth, but that was before his father died and the truth came out. Alasdair hasn't seen his uncle since he was eighteen so when his mother calls him and tells him he needs to go to America to bring home his uncle before the American woman swindles away his inheritance he goes to appease his mother. He never expected to find a home away from home, his uncle the happiest he's ever seen, and the feisty and beautiful Isabel. Everything smooths out for the most part Rose has Gareth and Alasdair has Izzy and they are happy and the preparations for the games are going well but Gareth and Alasdair are hiding something from the girls; a big secret that can ruin both their relationships. 

Overall, such a joy to read. I laughed, I cried, I fell in love and with the epilogue teasing the next character's book I'm excited and can't wait for it. 

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Izzy and Alasdair both lost their fathers at a young age but while Izzy adored her father, Alasdair didn't have the best relationship with his. Now the uncle Alasdair adored but let anger keep him away, has run off to America with a woman he barely knows and Alasdair wants to make sure he's not being taken advantage of.

Izzy has been her mother's companion and partner in keeping their family tradition alive ever since her father died and she can't believe her mom is bringing a stranger into the mix.

Izzy and Alasdair both want to protect the ones they love but are also learning they might need to live their own lives and take a chance on secretly held dreams.

Lord have mercy, her mother had brought back a six-foot, two-hundred-pound-plus souvenir from Scotland.

First in the Highland, Georgia series, I was entertained with how the author shook things up a bit with transporting the Highlands to Georgia, USA. Izzy and her mother organize the Highland Games every year for their Scottish obsessed town and consider it their honor and Izzy's birthright as it has been passed down through her father's family. I liked how the author showed how even though Izzy considered it her birthright, she also lost a bit of herself when she gave up certain dreams to help her mom and began to ignore her own wants and needs. I think this helped to explain why she was so wary of the man her mother brought home; the pain of thinking of her dad replaced but also her spot in her mother's life.

Alasdair had a whole slew of background baggage to unpack, the secrets about his dad he was still keeping from his mother, trying to live the life he thought his mother wanted for him to makeup for any pain she experienced in her marriage, and the guilt of not still having a relationship with his uncle. Since he traveled to America to keep track of his uncle, this was dealt with and worked through while I felt the issues with his mom needed more flushing out, it kind of gets rushed through at the end.

Alasdair and Izzy had an instant physical attraction that was followed with some cute moments brought on by Izzy's clumsiness and Alasdair's teasing. Their emotional connection wasn't as deep and strong as I typically like but they were flirty cute and transitioned well enough to sexy hot. Alasdair was put in a position by his uncle to omit some truths from Izzy which I thought was mild enough to not be too emotionally damaging but added angst to the storyline. The added plot of his work going behind his back, therefore making it seem like he was going behind Izzy's back, wasn't given enough pressure to add too much of an impact. The development, hiding, finding out by Izzy, and then resolution all happened in the background enough and was wrapped up quick enough to feel more like it clogged the story with unnecessary filler than add any hefty angst.

I thought the town and some it's characters could have actually been fleshed out more, I'm not sure I did feel the spirit of the town but I did think I understood our main characters enough, if not their friends. A Highlander Walks Into a Bar had cute moments and a pinch of angst, it works as an afternoon read but probably won't be a particularly memorable one. The epilogue hints at another highlander venturing into this southern Scottish town and I have a feeling Izzy's free spirit friend Anna is up next for some Scottish loving.

Isabel Buchanan is fiery, funny, and never at a loss for words. But she is struck speechless when her mother returns from a trip to Scotland with a six-foot-tall, very handsome souvenir. Izzy’s mother is so infatuated by the fellow that Izzy has to plan their annual Highland Games all by herself. Well, not completely by herself. The Highlander’s strapping young nephew has come looking for his uncle…

Alasdair Blackmoor has never seen a place as friendly as this small Georgia town—or a girl as brilliant and beguiling as Izzy. Instead of saving his uncle, who seems to be having a lovely time, Alasdair decides he’d rather help Izzy with the Highland Games. Show her how to dance like a Highlander. Drink like a Highlander. And maybe, just maybe, fall in love with a Highlander. But when the games are over, where do they go from here?

I have a love-hate relationship with contemporaries, especially if it’s an author I haven’t heard of. Throw in the word Highlander and I have to give it a try. I’m glad I did with this one. While some might think Izzy was acting irrationally, being in the same type of dynamic, I could actually see my son acting the same way (if not worse) if I were to actually start dating someone again. This also made me happy that Izzy’s mother was able to find a second chance at happiness even though she’s a secondary character. I really liked both Izzy and Alasdair as the fell in love regardless of their original intentions. I also felt that this book was more than just about the romance between Izzy and Alasdair, it was also about Izzy’s relationship with her mother. It also gave Alasdair an opportunity to find himself. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend.   

**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Totally love this book, but then, what woman doesn't love sexy Highlanders? A Highlander Walks Into A Bar by Laura Trentham is a fabulous contemporary romance. I think this may be my favorite of the Laura Trentham books I've read. Ms. Trentham has given readers a well-written book and filled it with lovable, fun characters. Isabel was shocked when her mother brings Gareth, a Highlander, home with her from her trip to Scotland. Alasdair arrives soon after to make sure Gareth isn't being conned by golddiggers. Alasdair and Isabel's story is loaded with humor, drama, smokin' hot sexy bits, misunderstandings and an evil boss. I enjoyed every single page of this book and look forward to the next book in this series. A Highlander Walks Into A Bar is book 1 of the Highland, Georgia Series but can easily be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.