The Last MacKlenna by Katherine Lowry Logan

As president of her family's Napa, California winery, Meredith Montgomery has her hands full with launching a new wine when a tragedy from her past catches up with her again. Taking refuge in Scotland for a working holiday, she meets charming Thoroughbred breeder Elliott Fraser. She tries to keep her distance and focus on work, but his Scottish brogue and rich-as-Belgian-chocolate eyes promise an irresistible distraction from her fear and stress. Although a marathoner, Meredith finds she's unable to run very far from the irascible Highlander's bed.

A crisis tears them apart within days of discovering each other, but their passion refuses to be quieted, setting off an explosive chain of events that threaten their hopes for the future. One careless moment confronts them with a life or death decision that could destroy the MacKlenna family legacy forever.

A companion book to "The Ruby Brooch," this sensuous love story comes complete with a strong cast of memorable and entertaining characters woven into a high-stakes romantic suspense.

This book was not my normal type of romance read, but I’m glad I have it shot.  I had no idea that this series existed but it has kind of a flavor to it that reminds me of books that I do love, and it captured my interest.

The Last MacKlenna is about Meredith Montgomery.  She’s a breast cancer survivor from California.  On a research trip to Scotland to find out about her family genealogy, she meets Elliot Fraser, who is a horse breeder.  There’s mystery surrounding the death of a horse on Fraser’s farm, and there are questions about if Meredith can get past her health issues that have left her body scarred and start over again with love.  Can they make it work?

I will say that one of the things I most appreciated about this book is the characters.  They’re flawed and vulnerable, but Meredith isn’t overly dramatic or unrealistic.  And, they’re both more mature characters, which is nice to read about with so many 20 something romances out there right now.

I felt that the plot was a bit predictable, but the writing was good which made the book –even if lacking in originality – enjoyable to read.  Plus, the story does have richness to it and a depth that was unexpected. 

Overall, I thought this was a really enjoyable read.  It’s done well and even if you can figure out where it’s going, it’s captivating.  I will definitely read more by this author. 

This book has some really tough parts for me because it touches on some issues that hit close to home for me. But I found the story to be quite entertaining and different since a lot of romance books revolve around the younger generation and this story is about a man in his 50s and a woman in her 40s. 

I did not read the first book in the series because this was supposed to be a standalone but I found that some parts may have been much better if I had read and had the background from the first book. 

Overall a good read with two workaholics that have a lot of baggage (which we all tend to pick up over the years) and seeing them deal with their emotional and physical scars to try to make their relationship work ends up working quite well. 

I think at times the book hit a little too close to home for me since I have a history with cancer and Meredith's reactions sometimes upset me, but I would still suggest this as a sweet realistic romantic read.