Customer Reviews
Pure Enjoyment - By: Mrs. A. L. Maddocks, 12 Jun 2008 
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, & can't understand why it has mixed reviews.
I have been to the Highlands & can picture the surroundings & appreciate that having a bottle of whisky in the house is a matter of course there like tea & coffee is in England.
I thought the characters in this book was another insight into how diverse peoples way of lives can be. I liked the way Jenny & Ross bickered at each other keeping their barriers up & lowering them at the end of this book. Good Read.
No Disappointment - By: Ms. H. R. Hooton, 08 Apr 2008 
After fallling in love with Flora's Lot, I daren't not hope this book would be as good, but it has surpassed my expectations. Katie Fforde's style of writing is very reader-friendly, she makes her characters likeable & is never scared of broaching new themes. From the books I've read they vary from antique auctions, to gardening & cookery, to mills to barges, & the effort of this research cleverly entwined into the story is an interesting lesson in things one wouldn't normallly be particularly into. Two thumbs up for Highland Fling.
Fluffy, light-hearted fun! - By: L. Felthouse, 10 Mar 2008 Katie Fforde was an author I'd not read before, although I'd heard much about her books. And, being a sucker for chick-lit, I was more than happy to dive in. I was hooked in straight away as I identified with the character Jenny & saw a great deal of myself in her, which naturallly had me rooting for her! I also have a weakness for Scottish accents, so I was dying to see if she hooked up with a hunky Scotsman!
However, I'm not going to tell you the ending, because then there would be no point in you reading the book! The basic plot of the book is "Virtual Assistant" Jenny is asked to go up to the Highlands of Scotland & investigate her client's business interest, in which he has invested a lot of money. She is to see if it is a viable business & whether he is likely to see a return on his investment, or not, & then report back to him. Jenny's boyfriend Henry isn't altogether pleased to see her go, as he doesn't like her being independent, & prefers her to be around alll the time to make sure his every need is catered for. This time, however, Jenny puts her foot down & off she goes, planning to take in some sights of Scotland whilst she's there.
Even before reaching her final destination, Jenny comes across some very interesting characters who quickly divulge some very interesting information about Dalmain House, the place she is to be staying. Excited to start with, Jenny is now a little dubious about being here, & wonders exactly what it is she's going to have to do before returning to London, & Henry.
She also meets an infuriating, & yet, worringly sexy man, which throws her into turmoil. As if she didn't have enough on her plate, Jenny is now wondering exactly what is going on with her & Henry's relationship, & whether she should be in it for the long haul.
After meeting the batty Dalmains & touring the factory she may have to shut down, Jenny desperately begins to wish she could just hide under her duvet & make it alll go away. But as things often go, they get worse before they get better. Henry arrives in Scotland, eager to claim back his absent girlfriend, & then Jenny makes a shocking discovery about the sexy but irritating man she met when she arrived. Jenny's head is in a complete spin. So when she decides to go for a Christmas Day walk in the snow, she's hoping to clear her head. Little does she know that this is when her adventure reallly starts to begin...
This book was a laugh a minute. Just the sort of thing you can read in a couple of sittings. The characters alll seem very real, I disliked the ones I was meant to dislike, & rooted for the ones that deserved it. I also thought the plot was great, particularly when alll Jenny's complications start to work out for the best.
A reallly fun book which I'd recommend to anyone after a giggle & some romance.
All too predictable - By: bluebird269, 15 Aug 2006 
Maybe I'm a hardened old cynic, but every time I pick up a novel with a punning title, my heart sinks a little. It always seems that the title has come first & the plot spun round it -surely the wrong way round? Unfortunately, that is precisely how "Highland Fling" comes across. It is formulaic in the extreme - ditzy heroine with comfortable but dull boyfriend gets hauled out of comfort zone & sent off to Scotland where she miraculously saves an ailing business despite the despot owner (who, of course, turns out to be the man of her dreams). KF even chucks in a mobile burger bar for good measure!?! The whole thing appears to have been dashed off on a wet afternoon.
Whatever next? Ooh, I know - let's try 'Ploughman's Lunch'. Daisy Ditz gets sent to work on a farm & fallls fowl (geddit?) of Aggie Culture, the redoubtable Matriarch of the clan. Meanwhile, her surly son, Giles, glowers in a Heathcliff-like fashion, but makes Daisy's udders shudder! I cud go on ...
Katie Fforde has published over a dozen novels which seem to have sold well - she is clearly a writer of some ability & I feel a little guilty for picking on her when she is far from the worst (or the only) offender in terms of flimsy characters & formulaic plots. Maybe she should slow down a little & that way produce a work with a little more substance. Mind you, I imagine that churning out fast-selling potboilers is a lucrative business - or am I just being cynical again?!
Romantic and humorous well worth reading! - By: Em, 06 Aug 2005 This book made me laugh out loud on many occasions & has to be one of the best Katie Fforde books that I have read so far. It's definitely the funniest & most romantic of her books, I love the attraction between the lead characters, however, the book shows a complete conflict of interest when Jenny (the main character) finds herself taking the other side of the argument & turning against her boss. Jenny is a 'virtual assistant', which means someone could hire her to work for them without her having to meet her boss, which turns into a major issue towards the middle of the book. Katie Fforde explains Jenny's feelings perfectly in every situation, there are a lot of other things that happen within this book to make it entertaining & interesting & I already feel that I haven't done it much justice through my explanation, however, it is a very good book & I would recommend this book to people who like romance as well as humour & not just to those people out there that enjoy reading Katie Fforde books. Its definitely worth the read & even if I've ended up confusing people more than convincing them, trust me it's worth reading just to find out what happens at the end!
