Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publication Date: October 31, 2022
Reviewed On: November 10, 2022
BASIC PLOT
Unwrap this gorgeous gift of a book for an escape to the snow-peaked caps of the Scottish Highlands and a romance that will melt your heart…
Izzy McBride had never in a million years expected to inherit an actual castle from her great uncle Bill but here she was, in the run up to Christmas, Monarch of her own Glen – a very rundown glen in need of a lot of TLC if her dream of turning it into a boutique bed and breakfast was to come true.
But when Izzy’s eccentric mother rents a room to enigmatic thriller author Ross Adair and the Scottish snow starts to settle like the frosting on a Christmas cake, it’s a race to get the castle ready before they’re all snowed in for the holidays.
REVIEW
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Cute story! I love anything set in Scotland, so this was perfect, plus… Christmas!!! Yay!
A great thing about this book was that the descriptions were done really well. So well, in fact, that at times the descriptions of the Scotland really did transport me. Reading about Edinburgh, I felt that I was actually waking the streets – A few of the places even brought back happy memories from my own travels.
As far as the story goes, I have to admit, the main character of Izzy was not my favourite person. She seemed so helpless and unable to do things on her own. She kept having to call her friends from culinary school for help and ideas for meals – even though she completed the same program they did. I wish she had been written stronger, maybe surer of herself. The relationship between mother and daughter felt over done. I don’t think I actually know of any mother who has their child call them by their name. Xanthe is also an interesting character. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with her at all, to the point where I was tempted to skip over any parts she was in (side note – I didn’t, for the sake of getting the full story). Xanthe’s character was seriously triggering for my anxiety – Her actions and antics just put me on edge. I do wish there had been more character growth for Izzy – her mother sort of just pushes her around even though Izzy is the owner of the castle.
I was a little confused when it came to Ross because the name and job, he is given in the description is not the name (and job) he’s introduced as. The twist was basically given away in the description. But, the Ross we meet at first is your typical book guy – all moody and broody and “stay out of my way”… Loved this! He changes and grows as the book goes on.
The relationship between Izzy and Ross is typical of a Hallmark movie, which was fine for me, but I felt like something was missing for them. I still haven’t put my finger on what it was though. Maybe it was the minimal spice? Maybe it was that the relationship felt more like a friendship than a romance? But this relationship worked for this story.
The story line with the Carter-Jones family was pushed so hard that I figured something would go horribly wrong – predictable. Then the story line with the jewels… I do wish there had been more of a “whoa” moment but as soon as the Claymore and it’s need to stay in the family came out I knew the sapphires had to be tied to it somehow… Again, predictable.
The book had its sweet moments and it was a really easy read. Definitely a good book to have as a time filler during the Christmas holidays!
FAVOURITE QUOTES
He lifter his hands to her face again. “That kiss floored me.”
Butterflies soared and danced in her stomach, swooping and diving, as her blood fizzed in her veins like Alka-Seltzer on speed. The touch of his lips as intoxicating as the words ‘threw me off a cliff’, which reverberated over and over through her brain.
“Yes, but you get the friends you deserve.”
STAR RATING
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