Mountain Heather

I thought this story was just wonderful. The other reviewers that bashed Sally for her romances with married men should stop and think about it. It seems to me those men were using Sally for their own selfish satisfaction. The first one was divorced and he and Sally were even planning their wedding and had received gifts. But he was two-timing her with his ex-wife and then decided to go back to her cause he liked her better in bed. I would say Sally was the wronged one in that affair. And her old boyfriend that thrust himself back into her life was just doing it to get back at his own wife and rough homelife. The short love affair with Mike was just so special, how can anyone fault that and as the story unfolds you can see where he was justified in finding a soulmate with the wife he had. She couldn't care less. This story was full of so many peoples lives and the misconceptions they had of each other it was wonderful to see most of them come together in the end. This was my first book by Alexandra Raife.

This novel was first published in the UK as "Grianan", the name of Sally's aunt's bed and breakfast inn. The previous reviews pretty much summarized the storyline, but I don't feel that the characters are at all one-dementional. Their inner struggles to determine what is right for themselves, while weighing the needs of those who depend on them, lead to some interesting character development. The common plot,that of the main character going back to the loving home of her childhood to heal and finding something she didn't know she was missing all along, may be trite, but no one can fault Raife's imagery in giving us a glimpse of the beautiful, natural world of the Scottish Highlands. A common thread in all of Raife's novels is the effort of the highlanders bring back what, over the centuries, was destroyed by the conquerers. They pool their resources to maintain their highland way of life in the face of encroaching civilization by developing an economic system in keeping with today's demands. Raife's characters tackle the problems of all ancient landed families in a modern economy--trying to preserve their ancestral homes and those of the locals who live on the estates by establishing various local industries to provide income for themselves and jobs for the community. They encourage a tourist economy by opening their estates for hunting, fishing,and hiking parties, establishing sheep farms, reforesting the highlands, and establishing cottage industries, all of which not only provide a means of preserving their own homes, but also provide jobs for the local populace who prefer staying in their ancestral homes to moving to the cities for jobs. In this framework, Raife's very human characters interact, develop and shine!

Sally Buchanan has spent her entire life avoiding emotional entanglements. Thus, it is not shocking when she breaks an engagement and flees to her Aunt Janey's inn, Grianan, the only place that Sally has felt at home. On the way to the inn, Sally stops at her Aunt Ursula's home where she meets Mike Danaher, a married father of two. To her amazement, Sally begins to fall in love with Mike. Knowing that any relationship with him would be wrong, Sally completes her escape to Grianan.However, Sally soon learns that life has a way of interceding on the tranquillity of individuals. Her aunt Janey is dying and Mike becomes perilously ill. Once again, Sally thinks of running away, but this time the magic of Grianan and love forces her to deal with the cards fate has dealt her.No one does modern day, small town Scotland better than Alexandra Raife does. Her current novel brings to life the Highlands in a refreshing romance that will be cherished by fans of contemporary rural stories. The story line constantly is propelled forward by superbly drawn secondary players, but it is Sally, whose ability to disassociate is told with insight and warmth by Ms. Raife, that makes this book a wonderful reading experience. Like the author's previous romances, DRUMVEYN and WILD HIGHLAND HOME, MOUNTAIN HEATHER is a rich tale. Harriet Klausner

Sally Buchanan has spent her entire life avoiding emotional entanglements. Thus, it is not shocking when she breaks an engagement and flees to her Aunt Janey's inn, Grianan, the only place that Sally has felt at home. On the way to the inn, Sally stops at her Aunt Ursula's home where she meets Mike Danaher, a married father of two. To her amazement, Sally begins to fall in love with Mike. Knowing that any relationship with him would be wrong, Sally completes her escape to Grianan.However, Sally soon learns that life has a way of interceding on the tranquillity of individuals. Her aunt Janey is dying and Mike becomes perilously ill. Once again, Sally thinks of running away, but this time the magic of Grianan and love forces her to deal with the cards fate has dealt her.No one does modern day, small town Scotland better than Alexandra Raife does. Her current novel brings to life the Highlands in a refreshing romance that will be cherished by fans of contemporary rural stories. The story line constantly is propelled forward by superbly drawn secondary players, but it is Sally, whose ability to disassociate is told with insight and warmth by Ms. Raife, that makes this book a wonderful reading experience. Like the author's previous romances, DRUMVEYN and WILD HIGHLAND HOME, MOUNTAIN HEATHER is a rich tale.

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