Kiley Dunbar is an author I have heard numerous wonderful things about from other bloggers but until now, had yet to experience for myself.  Well, I can finally say I am a convert to Kiley's writing and I immensely enjoyed Beatrice's story in Port Willow. 

At the very beginning of the novel we meet Beatrice who has just found out she is pregnant, and over the moon about it.  The reader is then transported 7 months down the line where things look very different for Beatrice although it takes a bit further into the plot to discover why.  I love that I was kept guessing for a while.

The setting of Highland Coral Beach is a hidden gem.  First impressions of Port Willow are pretty unimpressive but the more Beatrice integrates into life there, the more the reader sees the beauty and warmth of the place and the wonderful community who inhabit it.  The vivid and cosy description of Port Willow completely sucks you in.  As it began to reveal it's splendor to Beatrice, it does the same to the reader, allowing us to join in on the discovery of this place through surprising moments and fresh eyes.

Atholl and Eugene are fabulous characters and as we get to know them better, alongside Beatrice, they make a wonderful trio of friends.  It turns our Beatrice isn't the only one who needed some help and guidance.  Eugene is the softer and more sensitive of the brothers and Atholl has a stonier and more abrupt manner.  I enjoyed seeing the brothers change as much as Beatrice to be honest. 

This is a novel about love, friendship, fresh starts and moving forward and it's simply wonderful.             

I cannot wait to visit Port Willow again!

Loved this book, I was into it from the very first page, loved the way it flowed back and forth with twists here and there.. Set in a small seaside coastal town in the highlands of Scotland where things are set to change. I am sure you will enjoy this as much as I have done. I recommend this and give it 5 stars.

Favorite Quotes:

‘He and his wife didn’t get on, and she moved to the other side of the island once their son was at the high school. And every day he’d ride his bicycle over to visit her, and on Fridays he’d take a posy of flowers to her. They got on like a house on fire once they’d separated. It was quite the love affair, apparently.’ ‘And they never moved back in together?’ ‘And risk spoiling their romance? Goodness, no.’

I have a theory that nice, available Highland blokes who aren’t out grafting twenty-four-seven are like Brigadoon; one rises from the mists every one hundred years.

‘So, it’s manicure, facial, manscaping those brows and taming that chest wig that’s escaping his shirt?’ Beatrice whispered. Cheryl laughed. ‘Eee, I thought it was going to jump out and run up someone’s trouser leg when I first caught sight of that fuzz.’

Scottish tablet… A whole bag of sugar, large can o’ condensed milk, wee scrape o’ vanilla and a splash of whole milk. Then you boil it up until it looks like a raging furnace in the pan… You only know the stuff’s ready when the bubbles have risen to the top o’ the pan, your eyebrows are singed clean awf and you truly fear for your life… I’ve known folk lose fingers making the stuff. Melted, they were!

The girls at the Hub used to show me their dating profiles and the men they were matched to. They were a gruesome crop of middle managers with hairy backs, halitosis and three mobile phones and ten women on the go at once. Half of them have wives!

My Review:

Scotland is the land of my forbearers, so I do loves me a Scottish burr and this tale had lots of thick and juicy ones with an especially tasty one from a sexy redheaded knightly willow weaver. Atholl was divine!

I wasn’t sure if I was going to appreciate the main female character of Bea as at times she had been curt, critical, impatient, arrogant, and outright rude toward her Scottish hosts, and I was disappointed with her annoying and thoughtless behaviors. I didn’t seem to have that problem with the sexy Scotsman, he was a tender heart and a kind soul - and I adored him. The storylines and writing style were engaging, active, insightfully written, well-paced, and often cleverly amusing with unusual activities and misadventures by a cast of quirky and original characters.

I collected several fun new Scottish words to add to my British Isles Word List with ceilidh – a traditional Scottish social gathering usually with dancing, braw – fine, and birling – spinning around like the logs in their Highland games.

4.5 stars
What a beautiful, subtle, and gentle story charting a road to recovery and healing... I was a bit wary at the lost baby part but this was handled so beautifully, and I couldn't not root for Beatrice throughout. The Scottish setting was so adorable, and the characters were all lovable mad hats and it all just came together as a warm, beautiful, cozy read that puts balm on your heart and gives your soul a hug

I absolutely loved this story! Beatrice has some major life changes in her life and finds herself at an inn in the middle of nowhere, small-town Scotland. A story of finding yourself, healing, and moving forward.
This is my second Dunbar novel and I am a fan! Her stories seem to have a heavier aspect to them, but they are beautifully written, the characters are so easy to fall in love with, and you find yourself cheering them in and mentally pushing them in the right direction.
There were moments of anguish, humour (although the characters might not always agree haha), and just real-life-genuine-stuff. Beatrice is not unlike a lot of people in that age wants to just bury her head in the sand and not deal with her issues.
I am so excited this is a series as I cannot wait to be reunited with the characters!

What an amazingly beautifully moving book.
This was my first book by this author and I was totally blown away. Right from the very start I was captivated. I was drawn to Beatrice and needed to know her story. The time jump from first to second chapter kept me wondering what really did happen, and kept me guessing what her next step was going to be. The way Beatrices story slowly unfolds was beautiful and so very moving at times. Atholl was an amazing character, the only one to truly see Beatrices pain, and without even knowing the full story he was able to give her everything she didn’t even know she needed. All the characters in this book were wonderful and very real, I really really enjoyed reading the Scottish dialect, it really helped to bring the story alive and made me feel like I was really there in Port Willow.
At times, reading this book I sat with tears running down my face, it was so deeply touching. This author certainly has a gift and I will be searching out all past and future books.

Beautiful and uplifting read, exactly what is needed right now ! I loved Bea and Atholl, they were adorable as are all the characters, I loved Seth so much ! This was an emotional read for me, there were plenty of tears along with Bea over the loss of her baby, it’s so well handled and beautifully written, a heartwarming and also heartbreaking read, but with a lovely happy end. A truly lovely read and one I thoroughly recommend I’d love for the author to return to these characters so much and if she does she’s got a definite buyer. But this is my first book my Kiley but I’m definitely off to read her others now. Thoroughly recommended to make you smile (with some tears) and make your heart full.


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

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. A tale of escape and of course romance in a lovely setting with endearing characters. Perfect cosy read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and the gentle way that it unfolded. Frequent references to my idol, Gene Kelly, mixed with mentions of Brigadoon were the perfect way to set the scene!
I genuinely didn’t know which way this story was going to go as the friendship between Beatrice and Atholl started to develop. After all, Beatrice was still holding bittersweet memories of her husband and the way he left.
Kitty, Eugene and Seth may have been supporting characters in this enchanting tale but, knowing it was book one in a series about Port Willow leads me to hope that their stories will follow.
If you enjoy romantic fiction and, perhaps have an eye for Jamie in Outlander, this is the book for you. No time travel but, there’s a strong and rugged Scot to get your heart around.
Kiley Dunbar has set the stage for her series in excellent style and I can’t wait to read more.

I thought that this was an excellent book and it would really brighten your day – it is a genuine heartfelt romantic story!

I thought that the characters were very good, they were well developed, laid back and they were genuine, they were well developed and their interaction was perfect!

The writing style was perfect for me, I thought that the author did an excellent job with the story, it was full of longing and special thought.

It is 5 stars from me for this one, it is a fabulous book to read at this time to escape from the news too – very highly recommended!!

The best thing about this story is the fact that it is set in wonderful beautiful Scotland. It brought back memories of great holidays and the magical scenery. There is not a lot to the story itself. The only reason I kept reading was because I kept visualising the surroundings. I am giving it 3 stars because it was great escapism.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I absolutely adored "Christmas at Frozen Falls" so I had to read "Summer at the Highland Coral Beach" no matter what. While being an interesting story and being beautifully written I didn't enjoy it as much as the author's previous title.

It deals with some serious themes, as loss and recovery, so it not the usual light romantic read. Beatrice was a well developed character but, in my opinion, she spent so much time wallowing in self pity that the story resented a little bit. As much as she was trying to help everyone around her I couldn't understand why she wouldn't let others help her.

The setting was once again gorgeous and the descriptions took you straight to Port Willow and that coral beach of the title. The set of secondary characters, Atholl, Gene, Kitty was a great one, and it was nice reading about how, in spite of all of them being some kind of damaged, they evolved throughout the story. Special mention to Echo, one of my favorite characters in the book :) It was also fun to learn about the scottish traditions.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hera Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kiley Dunbar is an author who I have come to love, having read her first two releases swiftly in 2019.
Summer at the Highland Coral Beach most definitely didn't disappoint my expectations.
A feel-good story, with a touch of sadness, but filled with positivity and hope.
Beatrice finds herself in a rickety old pub hotel in Port Willow, a tiny village in Scotland after the devastation of a miscarriage and separation.
A drunken decision to get away, at first, seems like a great idea, but after arriving, Beatrice has second thoughts.
A place in the back of beyond, with gruff, rude landlords, a tiny room, and to top it, the activity she'd booked, hadn't been.
The story unfolds as Beatrice begins to get to know characters in the village, despite promising herself to leave and go back t the Midlands, and her woeful life back home.
The landlords, brothers Eugene and Atholl reveal softer sides, and yearnings of their own,
Ever the problem solver, Beatrice gets sucked into their lives, and soon finds herself having feelings for someone she hadn't been expecting.
There's matchmaking, romance, a broody Scotsman, laughter, celebration and acceptance.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to more from this author.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the perfect escapist story I needed.
It's well written, the plot flows and the characters are likeable.
It's an engrossing and heartwarming read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
You can preorder get your copy here:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084P4SJRT
This book will be available on March 27, 2020, hopefully my sanity from being sequestered will also return at that time, if not, you can enjoy a great book while stuck home. What better to do while stuck home, but download a good kindle book and curl up on the couch or in a park socially away from people and enjoy a good book?
I received this book just in time to save me from boredom! This was not my typical light and fluffy read that I normally like. This was intense!
We begin the book with Beatrice getting the results from a pregnancy test, two pink lines meaning she is pregnant! Beatrice has had a long 12 months, she lost her job, her mom from cancer and her 30s. Quite the year, if you ask me. Pregnant after three months of trying when a woman is that age is a miracle! She hadn’t even told her husband, Rich about the pregnancy and she was already ordering a Your Pregnancy; Week by Week book online, along with an overly expensive baby hat and blanket with little clouds and rainbows all over it.
We are then fast forwarded to seven months later to the middle of nowhere. Beatrice has signed up for Gaelic lessons. She was very frustrated, as apparently the online brochure guaranteed a, “warm highland welcome guarantee and a sweet summer escape”. So far, her time in Scotland has been disappointing to say the least. After denying the first room that they try to give Beatrice, she goes for the Princess room. One that is stacked with a tower of mattresses and quilts stacked one on top of the other, hence the name of the Inn. We are then taken on Beatrice’s journey through Scotland. A Scottish adventure was on her mom’s bucket list, one that never was crossed off. Beatrice reminisces about her time with Richard from the time they started dating until the altercation with her father in law. We soon find out the events that have led Beatrice to travel all the way to the Highlands for a getaway all by herself.
This is the first book that I have read by this author, but fully enjoyed this book, despite the sadness and the heaviness of this book.

i enjoyed this book from a new to me author. The story unfolded well and you saw how Beatrice came to terms with her loss and began to move her life forward.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book after requesting it from netgalley.
This is the first time I have read anything from this author and unfortunately it will be the last.
I struggled with this book and had to persevere to the end. I felt it had very little substance to it, and I wouldn't recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book. A beautiful highland seaside village provides the perfect back drop for this story. We follow Beatrice as she tries to cope with, and begin to come to terms with, so many devastating losses in her life in a short period of time: her job, a missed miscarriage, her marriage and her family home. Beatrice tries to ignore the emotional impact of all of this and finally decides to escape to the village of Port Willow on the west coast of Scotland. Initially booked into the Princess and Pea hotel for Gaelic lessons, after a long and arduous journey Beatrice discovers that she will be neither learning Gaelic or staying in the type of accommodation she was expecting. Beatrice and the hotel owners, Gene and Atholl get off to a very rocky start but she is is soon befriended by Gaelic teacher, Kitty and discovers that all is not what it seems at the coral beach - the beautiful white beach is actually made of sharp coral and the hard exterior of willow artist Atholl hides a deeply caring and loving man.
I thoroughly enjoyed following the ups and downs of the relationships between Beatrice & Atholl and Kitty & Gene, surrounded by the stunning scenery of the highland setting. Miscarriage, and the subsequent emotional impact, is sensitively handled by the author and I commend her for this.
A 5 star rating is well deserved, highland romance at its best.

I really enjoyed reading this book, the
location in the Scottish Highlands was stunning. The Scottish Dialect was written beautifully in my opinion. You could really hear the residents voices when they spoke, this gave the story more character.
I liked the character of Beatrice, she had been through loss of her Mother, and a Miscarriage, and was trying to get away from it all. Miscarriage affects a lot of people, but it is often hidden, and not talked about. It is admirable to have Miscarriage as a main storyline as it is a difficult subject to talk about. I felt that it was written about sympathetically.
There is a lot of romance in this book, a lot of things seemed to happen in a very short period of time, just over ten days. However this is often a recurring theme in Romantic Fiction, and it doesn't matter to me, I still enjoyed the book.
I have read and enjoyed Kiley Dunbar's other books. I enjoyed reading this book a lot, and I highly recommend it. Thank you to Netgalley and Hera for my advance copy of this book. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.

A good book but the timescale in which it all happens just makes it a bit ridiculous . .