I read the first book in the series, Coming Home to Glendale Hall, last year and thoroughly enjoyed it, so when I found out the sequel, New Beginnings At Glendale Hall, was ready I just had to have it. I was not disappointed and it was certainly worth the wait.

Whilst the main focus of the book is on Emily Prescott and her annoying boyfriend/ex-boyfriend Greg. Beth, Drew, Izzy, and house-keeper Sally from the first book all played their roles too in this one.

Emily is best-friends with Beth. She is the friend that Beth turned to all those years ago when she found out she was pregnant and had no-where and no-one to help her. The pair have kept in touch even though Beth now lives in Scotland and Emily in London.

With the wedding of Beth and Drew nearing, Emily’s boyfriend casually lets it slip that he can’t attend the wedding as he has to work, although others at his place of work have been given subsequent time off. He then goes out one evening stating that a friend needs him but returns in the early hours and with a message from a woman on his phone about their night together. Trouble is the woman is a colleague of Emily’s too.

Hurt and wanting to put some distance between them she heads to Scotland early, telling everyone she wanted to make the wedding cake she promised to Beth there rather than trying to transport it. Greg doesn’t seem to be able to get the message though that Emily needs some time to work out how she feels as he hounds her with phone calls and telling her it was a one-off and a mistake – But was it?

New Beginnings At Glendale Hall was everything I hoped it would be. I adored the first book but this one was so amazing, even with the annoying rat Greg playing a part. Emily is such a beautiful character who deserved to be treated with respect, not like a doormat. Her journey of self-discovery is certainly worth reading about, especially being set in the scenic Scottish highlands and at the amazing Glendale Hall.

The book reminded me of the film, Four Weddings and a Funeral (without a funeral I might add). It is just such an interesting, engaging, and unputdownable read. There were plenty of poignant moments alongside some humour too and there was also the amazing quirky character of Vicar Brodie who you just can’t help loving.

Whilst it is the second in a series and I do believe that you should read the first book before reading this one, it is not essential as it does work as a standalone too. It is a relaxing read with plenty going on to keep you entertained the whole way through. I do hope that we will be back at Glendale Hall once again as I miss it already.

Oh my!

What can I say?... Don't worry, it's all good!

Baker Emma Prescott's life is falling apart. After finding out her partner Greg has cheated on her, she takes refuge in Glendale, a place where she was born and brought up. It's an opportunity to spend time with her friend Beth, who's eager to discuss cake ideas for her upcoming wedding. However, life-changing news causes her to re-think her future and where she wants to be.

Brodie Stewart is the reverend of the local church and as such, an active member of the community. He lives a busy life, without anyone to share it with. When he meets Emma Prescott, there's an instant attraction. A pragmatic man, friendship is all they can share because after Beth and Drew are married, Emma's heading back to London. Only fate steps in to pave a way for these two unlikely people to be together.

It's complicated is an apt way to describe Emma and Brodie's friendship. Emma is dealing with the fallout from her live-in relationship, whilst wondering how to deal with a longed-for situation happening at a difficult time. Brodie's supportive companionship and easy manner help Emma to put her situation into perspective. However, the more time they spend together, the more they develop feelings for one another. It's both heart-breaking and heart-warming when reality strikes.

Beneath the cosy layers of this delightful novel, relatable plot-lines reflect potential true-life situations. Ms Walters skilful writing pours the emotions of the situations into her protagonists' reactions; tugging at the heartstrings of the reader.

When you're fully invested within a book series, it's always a treat to catch-up on characters you love and in this case, it's lovely to finally witness Beth and Drew's wedding and get updates on others who help to create the friendly Glendale community. It highlights the closeness of the folk living in this rural setting close to Inverness.

My return visit to Glendale House has been a delight. It's standalone, so you don't need to have read Coming Home to Glendale House but I recommend you do.

***arc generously received courtesy of Hera via NetGalley***

I haven’t read the first book in this series, but I didn’t feel like I needed to in order to understand and enjoy this book. There are some series where you must read the books in order, or even if they say you don’t need to, you kinda do. Victoria has done a wonderful job of writing this story in a way that truly is standalone yet can also be read in a series.

One of my favourite parts of this story was that it didn’t feel like an obvious romance, while we also knew that it was so Emily had to get her happily ever after. Unlike most romances, I wasn’t 100% sure of who she was going to end up with, or how.

Because of this, it felt like Victoria wrote a novel about loving oneself, how to learn to put yourself first, how to chase your dreams and stand up for what you deserve. I feel like so many young girls are so obsessed with finding love and having a family that they don’t take the time to make sure that person is right for them.

Emily is forced to do just that, and I love her exploration and her confidence to do just that. While also knowing when to say, “I don’t have room for a relationship right now, but if you’re right for me you’ll give me the time I need.”

Given what I found and loved about this book I have a feeling that I’ll go back and read the first book at some stage. It was nice and easy to read while still being engaging, interesting and insightful. It was just such a great mix of everything that makes a romance book great.

Omgosh loved it loved that I got to read how everyone was after the first book. Wish it had pictures as I would of loved to see the wedding and clothes.
The story was brilliant not to loved up.
But with a happy ending and lots of twists as well my perfect book.

This was such a welcome return to Scotland and to the lovely village of Glendale with the beautiful Glendale Hall. In book one we met and read about Beth, Izzy and family and I would highly recommend reading Coming Home to Glendale Hall prior to reading this to fully appreciate and enjoy the storyline and characters. Book Two in the series; New Beginnings at Glendale Hall, is the story of Beth's best friend from London, Emily Prescott. Emily is a baker and has agreed to make Beth and Drew's wedding cake however, just a few weeks prior to the big day Emily discovers some upsetting revelations about her boyfriend Greg and she decides to bring forward her visit to Scotland early just to escape and take stock of her life.

Enjoying the blissful countryside in Scotland doesn't last too long when the complications in Emily's love life become even more chaotic with a new startling discovery, the unearthing of more lies and throw in a handsome minister just to unsettle Emily even more! Emily is all of a fluster with which way her heart and mind is going.

Victoria Walters has expanded her catalogue of lovely characters in Glendale enveloping us with more community spirit. The author has created another wonderful interlude in life and loves in the Scottish highlands. I loved the introduction of new characters, especially Brodie our lovely minister! This story just like book one is charming, realistic, full of hope and new beginnings with a heap of delicious sounding delicacies and romance! Hope there's more to come in Glendale ...

I absolutely loved the first Glendale Hall book, I was so excited to learn about the sequel to it. I was was longing to read it, so I was thrilled to receive an early preview copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher, thank you for letting me read it.
Although this is the second book in the series, it could be read as a standalone book. There is a recap of the first book in the beginning of the book, which explains who the characters are. If you haven't read the first book though, I would recommend that you read it, as it is a lovely book.
You are definitely in for a treat with this book, it's a gorgeous and heartwarming read. It is just as good, maybe a little better than the first book.
Glendale has become more lively and busy since the first book, as more shops have opened, and there is a lot of community spirit.
This book features Emily, who had a small role in the first book, as the London friend of Beth. She is originally from Glendale, and is the Niece of Sally, the housekeeper.
Emily is invited to Beth's wedding, but after problems with her boyfriend Greg, she decides to have an extended stay in Glendale. While she is there, she discovers that her problems are even bigger than she thought, and has to make a decision about her life.
This book is very romantic, it features two weddings. There is also a lot of cake. This is a very happy book, I found myself smiling as I read it. The book is set in the Summer, which makes it a perfect easygoing holiday read.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I would love to have another book set in Glendale.

This is second in a series but has enough story to stand alone. Since I was on the lookout for a light read, I decided to give this a shot. It had a few excellent points and few that did not work for me. I will elaborate.

We meet our leading lady, Emily, who is a people pleaser of the best type. She does her best to ensure that she is regularly doing her best to help the people around her, as well as her friends and family. Emily visits her hometown for a wedding, and then another and then maybe for a more permanent situation. This is the story of all those trips, and what she does in each.

I felt in tune with Emily and her thought process for the most part, especially when she was interacting with people from her past. The extended feel of the relationships felt thoroughly examined. Unfortunately, try as I might, I did not 'get' the faltering relationship she has with her boyfriend. That instalment seemed too abrupt. The switching of behaviour, the revelations and especially a phone message that does not match up with the explanation given later about the sender being sorry immediately after the fact (more details in the first few chapters itself). I was also pleasantly surprised at how naturally they brought up the topic of faith in the story. Granted the entire village follow a single religion, but sometimes when it is included in romantic stories like this, even that feels preachy. That was not the case here, and I actually liked the discussions that Emily has when she is trying to figure out her life. 

 I would have liked this book even more and rated it higher if only I could invest some emotion in Emily's first relationship. It formed the bulk of the narrative, with regards to how and why Emily's life is changing. Overall a good tale and someone less picky than me would love this series. 

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review (as is obvious), is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I jumped into this book and didn't want to put it down until I had finished it, I felt like I had to try and slow myself down so I wouldn't finish it too quickly because this is a book you're going to want to last. One of the things I loved about this novel is that it picks up right after Coming Home to Glendale Hall, the previous book in the series, but it deals with a side character that we met in book one for its main storyline and the main characters from book one become the side story in this one.

Emily is a great character to get to know over the course of this novel. She has an optimistic outlook but definite lack of self confidence and some of her home life is hardly ideal. It was so great to watch her grow and flourish when she arrives back in Glendale, her home town, and I loved watching the small ways that she changed and the alterations in her own self-belief as the story progressed.

It was great to catch up with Beth, Drew and Izzy again after book one, as well as their housekeeper Sally and Drew's brother Rory. I felt like I was catching up with old friends and I loved getting to know what they had been up to. We also have a remarkable new character in this novel, Brodie, the local minister. If you are a fan of the hot priest from Fleabag, you will definitely be a fan of this minister and his relationship with the other characters in the cast.

A lot of this book surrounds family life and also baking, so definitely have some tea and cake to hand for this one. But this storyline does delve deeper too and does a good job of covering addiction and also unconventional relationships and careers, something I wish was tackled more in adult fiction. I really enjoyed everything it had to say and it left me feeling so happy by the end, I could happily go back to the beginning and read it all over again.

What a delightful tale! I wasn't sure what to expect, since Victoria Walters is a new-to-me author, but was pleasantly surprised with characters I care about and wonderful storytelling. I visited Scotland a few years ago, and could picture the scenes and charming characters so clearly.

I connected with Emily instantly. I sympathized, empathized, and rooted for her all along the way. She is a strong, memorable character with a big heart and Beth is a wonderfully supportive friend when she needs it most.

This story holds so much heart. New beginnings, following your dreams, and healing from hurts, are some of the central themes with a sweet, slow-burning, satisfying romance. Although this is part of a series, this is my first experience with Glendale Hall and I'm deeply satisfied with how it works as a standalone. I hope to go back and read book one to learn more about Beth's story!

I received a complimentary copy of this book.

This is such a cute story and I got through it so quickly! This is the second book in the series, but I hadn't read the first, so I feel like it did well as a standalone.


The story follows Emily, who is a baker. She's kind, sweet, and in love. But, once she finds out her boyfriend has cheated, Emily decided to embark on a "new beginning; hence the title; all in the hopes of fixing her relationship, if at all possible.


Emily goes from a woman who isn't entirely confident in herself or her life choices, to a woman redefined and happy.


I absolutely loved the writer's style of whimsical, yet straight-forward and never boring romance. She grabbed me from the very beginning of this story and I'm really looking forward to reading the first in the series.

Absolutely adorable, addictive and heartwarming read. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it made me feel warm and fuzzy , the story and the characters just draw you in and you don’t want to leave, by the time the book ends I definitely didn’t want to leave, I look forward to more books from the author and this series.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

👩‍🍳 Wow! Emily's life changes big-time and her partner starts the ball rolling with a shocker!🙁

I was impressed by the plot of this follow-up story about a close friend of the folks at Glendale Hall. It packs alot of challenges into baker Emily's bag and, strong woman that she is, I felt she coped brilliantly. I was surprised by the scope of her partner's secrets and felt that author Victoria Walters did an excellent job crafting a realistic, not always rosy, life is what YOU make it, story of a woman's odyssey through troubles to a promising, rich life, largely with the undeserving support of her family and true friends.

I would have rated my enjoyment higher but some parts of the story, most particularly the last few chapters, were ripe with unnecessary detail and heartfelt monologues that went on too long. However, the great bulk of the book is full of emotion, heart, and interesting real life relationship issues. Add to that an idyllic, small Scottish town where just about everybody knows your name (and your business!) and the new pastor is eye catching as well as truly comforting and empathetic, and Emily's story comes out a bit inspirational and a good deal uplifting.

Thanks to publisher Hera Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

When a wedding invitation arrives, Emily travels back to her childhood home and stays with her old friend Beth. She's escaping a few relationship worries and looks forward to spending time with her aunt and her friend.
The whole area sounds so inviting that you can imagine moving in. Emily is a talented baker and plans the perfect cake for the wedding. All the characters feel so familiar and it is a lovely warm book. It's perfect to curl up with on a Sunday afternoon and to just lose yourself in the wonderful story.

Thank you to Rachel for letting me be part of this tour and to Hera for my copy of this book via Netgalley. I loved the first book in the Glendale series and I couldn't wait to return!

In this book, we return to Glendale Hall just in time for Beth and Drew's wedding. This time however our main character is Emily, Beth's oldest friend. After her boyfriend cheats on her she needs a break and where better than Glendale Hall! There is some sort of magic at Glendale and this is just where Emily needs to be. I really liked Emily and I loved being part of her journey. I guessed early on where Emily would end up but there was quite a story of how she gets there.

It was great to return to Glendale and see how much the village had grown since the previous book finished. I also loved catching up with the other characters too. Beth, Izzy and Drew, Rory, Heather and their little one, Caroline and John. All the characters have had so much going on it was lovely to see what they had been up to.

Vicky has a way of capturing your whole attention. I struggled to put this book down. There were quite a few characters but Vicky never makes it seem like too many. I hope we have another reason to return to Glendale because I don't know if I am quite ready to say goodbye just yet!

An absolutely gorgeous read that I adored.
I loved the community and characters from Victoria Walters’ previous book at Glendale Hall so was pleased to be going back. Walters’ writing is gorgeous, feeling like a nice comfort blacket – all cosy and nice. A gorgeous setting for such a lovely book, I really enjoy a series set in a village with friendly characters you can catch up with like old friends.
I loved Emily and believed she deserved more than boyfriend Greg (boo to him!). I was very eager to read all about her and the journey she would be undertaking, I wanted the best for her and knew she needed to follow her heart. It was a joy to read how she blossomed and really recovered from huge betrayal. She is a wonderful character.
This was a warm, beautiful book; full of heart and emotion. I look forward to another visit to Glendale Hall (I hope!)

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title New Beginnings at Glendale Hall

Author Victoria Walters

Release Date February 5, 2020

Description from Amazon

Two weddings and a baby…but who will get their happy ever after?

Emily Prescott’s life isn’t going to plan. Her dreams of starting a family with fireman boyfriend Greg and opening up her own bakery in London feel like they will never come true. So when a wedding
invite arrives from her oldest friend, Beth Williams, Emily is thrilled. Not only will she get to return to her childhood home in Scotland, but best of all – Beth wants her to bake the wedding cake!

However, her excitement is cut short when she discovers that Greg has cheated on her. Devastated by his betrayal, Emily flees to Glendale Hall, Beth’s grand estate in the Highlands, and tries to distracts herself with helping with the wedding plans, but that’s not easy when Greg keeps hounding her to forgive him. Then she’s introduced to Glendale’s new young and handsome vicar Brodie, and things become even more complicated.

When Emily discovers that Greg’s betrayal runs deeper than she imagined, she finds herself with a whole host of decisions to make, especially when she discovers her long awaited dream is finally being fulfilled – at exactly at the wrong time…

Initial Thoughts

I loved the first book in this series and was super excited when Victoria Walters announced a sequel on Instagram. As soon as I saw it was available on NetGalley, I knew I had to apply.

Some Things I Liked

Lush details and an amazing setting. I loved the setting and descriptions of everything in Glendale Hall. This story, like the first in this series, makes me want to drop everything and hop on a plane to Scotland.
Imperfect characters. This series is filled with characters whose lives are quite complicated. I love the realism in the stories.
Incredible series value. Please see my thoughts below.
Clean, adorable rom-com. While exploring some tough themes, this story was quite clean and very suitable for younger readers.

Series Value

I’d love to keep returning to to the Scottish Highlands for more stories featuring Glendale Hall. There are so many characters that I’d love to see more of. I would absolutely keep reading if Victoria Walters writes more in this series.

Final Thoughts

I loved this book. As much as I enjoyed Coming Home to Glendale Hall, I liked New Beginnings even more. I really connected with the main character and this story gave me incredible wanderlust. While writing this post, I am simultaneously planning my own move to the magical Scottish Highlands (just kidding, well, kind of kidding 😉).

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

Make or Break at the Lighthouse B&B by Portia MacIntosh – this book is coming out on February 14th (review to come a bit closer to that date), but if you enjoyed the wit, romance, and ideas of starting over in a new place, try this rom-com by Portia MacIntosh.
The Move by Whitney Dineen – if you enjoyed the themes of starting over and finding yourself, try this new release by Whitney Dineen.

A BEAUTIFUL book which captured my heart with the depth of her writing. Victoria Walters is simply a wonderful wordsmith. She could spin yarns of prose which wrapped their delicate tendrils around my heart and made me feel all warm and gooey inside like rich chocolate.

Emily was betrayed by boyfriend Greg, and she came back home for Beth's wedding with her bag of broken dreams. Greg was a louse whose selfishness ran deep. This book was Emily's journey of self discovery and finding a richer life than she could have ever believed.

My second book by this author, and I was blown away by the way she could pull me into the story and make me long to turn pages faster to know what happened to Emily. But my heart wanted to read and revel in every word of the book. I loved, loved, loved Emily's characterization. Her journey touched me in my soul, there are facets of her which I could identify with.

Betrayal and loss of confidence came with a broken relationship, it was wonderful to see how Emily gained her life back. The emotions described were like the sparkly waters of the gentle brook; the current was strong but the waters were clear. Such was Victoria's writing.

Beautiful detailing, emotionally captivating, it was simply a heartwarming tale. Sighhh...

I really enjoyed the first book in the Glendale series and was so happy to see another was coming out. These books are so so lovely to read.

This is the story of Emily who is Beths friend (who we met in the first book) She has received an invite to Beths wedding and has been asked to make the wedding cake.

Emily arrives in Glendale after finding out her boyfriend has cheated on her, here she is introduced to the new young vicar Brodie.

Such a fab story and really kept me hooked from start to finish. I actually think I liked the second book a little bit more, and I adored Beths story!

This book was exactly what I needed: a well written and entertaining read, heart warming and enjoyable.
I liked the well plotted story, the cast of characters and the lovely setting.
I hope to read another story by this author soon.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel to Coming Home to Glendale Hall. This time, it is Emily's life that is turned upside down when her partner lets her down in the worst way. Returning to Glendale Hall several times for weddings leads her to new possibilities in life and love.