When your passion takes you to the world, but home calls you back…

Synopsis

Sometimes life is full of surprises, especially when you least expect them…

Born into the Scottish Clan MacBain and the 17th century ancestral home, Drumblair Castle, Liv MacBain has always dreamed of leaving the ancient homestead and becoming her own person in the world of fashion.

From a young age, she worshipped the trailblazing designs of the haute couture glitterati, hoping one day to join them.

With older brother Kerr, the rightful heir, Liv has been free to spread her wings.

Fast forward. Liv, is now 28 years old, working at a high-end fashion house and living her dream life in New York. She’s never been happier.

Until everything changes with one devastating phone call from her brother, Kerr, that brings her rushing back to Scotland.

Old friends and adversaries resurface and Liv faces a difficult decision that could mean her dream future can no longer be a reality.

Or can you have your castle and your career?

My review

Even if Liv Macbain’s family goes way back until the 17th century and have all been living in Drumblair Castle, Liv always dreamt of a career in the world of fashion. And with her brother Kerr being the rightful heir, she has been able to follow her passion and made it become a reality.
At the age of 28, she is truly enjoying her life in New York, working for a famous fashion house. But it takes only one call from her brother with devastating news to take her back to Scotland. Yet the loss of her beloved mother is not the only shocking news, because now Liv finds herself inheriting what was supposed to go to Kerr…
Liv knows the importance of the Castle, but is she ready to give up her own dreams for the sake of her family’s legacy? 

I have always been in love with stories set in the Highlands, contemporary stories or even those set in the past. And visiting these places is for sure very high on my bucket list, hoping I can thick if of very quickly. Meanwhile I will enjoy using my imagination and reading wonderful stories. And having this author having written a story in the Highlands, of course I couldn’t resist temptation! 

Being a ‘normal’ person myself, without any fancy title (although, Lady Tiziana, it has a nice ring, doesn’t it 😊), it’s not easy to grasp the rules for families who go way back.
So reading how Liv’s brother Kerr will be inheriting everything according those rules, well, in my eyes it doesn’t seem 100% right, but who am I ?
Yet having Kerr inheriting it all, made it also possible for Liv to chase her own dreams, not having any big worry about her legacy. 

Even if Liv is living the dream, it was still sweet to see how close she still was with her mother, despite the distance and time difference.
Yet it also made it more heart – breaking to read about that one phone call from her brother.  And of course Liv doesn’t hesitate to fly back home. 

Once back home although, things does not go as expected for her, yet as a reader we may already know that things will get shaken up rather quickly.  

While some may find it annoying how Liv is doubting herself all the time, not knowing what to do, I could also understand her doubts. If I were in her position, having found my place and having a blooming career, I wouldn’t know what to do either. And I would doubt every move I made too.
Liv understands the legacy of her family, and she wants to protect it. But does that mean that she should give up her own passion for the sake of the family?  

And then there is Kerr… while I would assume that in the most difficult moments, siblings would find each other even if they don’t really get along, seeing Kerr and his antics, made it impossible to be in my good book. Kerr does everything that is possible to be disliked.
Even if towards the end it seems he is turning for the better, I don’t know if things could get forgiven so easily in real life. 

Of course while Liv is attempting to do the right thing not only herself but also the place and everyone who has something at stake, there may or may not be a love interest too.
A love interest that may not be as straightforward and while it is a heart – breaking revelation in the end, I also admired the courage of Lisa Hobman to turn the tables, showing us that the roles of victims and perpetrator can also be switched, even if we too often don’t hear about it in real life. 

While reading, it’s obvious that the romance isn’t the main topic. But it’s about trying to figure out where the future will take us, about finding a way to make things work. It’s about doing what you should be doing, but without losing yourself and give up your own passions.
We see how hard Liv is trying to find the correct balance, wanting to make her family proud of her, but not wanting to lose that what makes her happy.
And while Liv is the one who has to make all the decisions, she has to cut the cord at some point, we also see that surrounding yourself with kindness, love and friendship, those decisions are easier to make with their input. 

This was a lovely book to read, even if there were some sad moments in it. But those sad moments were thwarted by funny, sweet moments with kind, generous and loveable characters, human and not, supporting a main character that is standing at a crossroads but deserves to have the best of both worlds.