“Of Heather and Thistle” by Erinn Maxwell tells the story of Heather, a woman whose life is uprooted when she discovers that she has inherited a property in Scotland. In the process of restoring the home, she grapples with love and whether or not she wants to stay in Scotland.
There were some editing and formatting errors throughout the
book. At one point, a word was capitalized in the middle of a sentence when it
should not have been. There are also several phrases that are redundant
throughout the book.
The concept of the book is cool. It is fascinating to see
Heather grapple with her decision to live in Scotland or return to her home in
the United States. However, several things are repeated several times in the
book. Readers already know her struggles with her past and her decision, and
these do not need to be said as much as they were.
What the book does well is engage readers with what they
would do in Heather’s situation. It is easy to say that anyone would take the
opportunity to leave the drama behind and move to Scotland to restore the
inherited home and property. However, she also has to deal with her grief over
her parents' deaths and the emotions the home brings up.
There are a couple of sex scenes in the book, but they are tastefully
done. They say what the characters are doing, but in a way that is not vulgar.
Flynn is focused on Heather’s consent,
and he has expressed that if she wants to stop at any time, they can. This is
such a crucial thing to see in books and other media, as consent needs to be obtained
by people in real life as well.
Through Heather, readers get to get a glimpse into everyday
Scottish life beyond the tourist areas. The book takes place in a small
Scottish village and features a remote property. Flynn’s family has a farm and
contracting business, and Heather gets to explore Scotland outside of the most
popular tourist spots. Her experience is immersive and authentic.
The dialogue and banter between Heather and Flynn are hilarious.
From the day they met, they are constantly making little jokes and poking fun
at each other. It is said that if someone who is Irish is poking fun at you,
they really like you. Apparently, this is also a tradition in Scotland.
One of the coolest things within the book is the use of both
the Scottish Gaelic language and the Scots language. These are two languages
that were oppressed at one time, so it is important to revitalize these
languages to preserve Scottish languages and cultures. Maxwell is doing just
that by using these languages in the book.