seriously romantic: it happened in the highlands by may mcgoldrick

it happened in the highlands is a second-chance at love story that addresses some real issues like adoption and identity and race. wynne melton and jo pennington had been engaged once, when they were young and innocent. he was going off to war and she was overwhelmed by a society that didn't quite know where to place her.

he broke her heart. and he nearly died for it. and sixteen years later they meet again. this time when a patient at the mental hospital he helps manage draws images that bear her likeness. there is a mystery afoot. and it might reveal the secrets of jo's birth and her circumstances.

wynne has never forgotten her. he's never forgiven himself for how he handled things. but jo doesn't want to dwell on the past. she wants to move forward. except neither of them can forget the hold they had on each other's hearts back then. it's a hold that is still evident in the present.

and so they find their way back to each other. and they learn about who they really are. jo quite literally. but wynne shows us growth as a character too. sometimes i'm not always sure about second-chance stories because i find that there is too much to forgive, too much atonement required. and yet, jo isn't ever bitter, and when she does finally allow wynne to explain himself, she only makes him do it once. her forgiveness is freely given. and that makes all the difference.

**it happened in the highlands published on march 27, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press (swerve) in exchange for my honest review.