Having your life turned inside out when you discover that your husband is cheating on you with a friend, and being fired at Valentine's Day... is a nightmare.
Thea Mottram suffered this with dignity and bravely.
But, yes, it was difficult to stay in the place where you were betrayed and hurt.
So when she found out that an uncle left a cozy home in Scotland as an inheritance, Thea didn't think twice about changing the air.
Add to that, a collection of rare - and expensive - books left for her.

Thinking about how she could make good money selling the collection, Thea contacted the owner of the local bookstore, Edward Maltravers.
And if everything that she suffered in Sussex was not enough for Thea, she is faced with a difficult man-and family - from the region.

On the other hand, Thea began to feel things that have long been dormant. Was there a possibility that this new phase of her life would bring the flame back to life?

A book about how life teaches us to be strong.
Don't expect a hot "instant love" romance (in fact, I don't remember reading contemporary British novels with instant love).
Grab a hot tea, choose your favorite chair, and have a good read.
4 stars

After finding out her husband of 20 years has been having an affair with her friend, Thea finds out her uncle has left her a house in Scottland. It's the perfect chance for her to get away. Once she gets there she falls in love with the charming town and makes so many new friends that it becomes a place that she might want to stay. When she first arrives she meets Charles, who lives up the road and is very open about wanting to purchase the property she just inherited. Then she meets his brother Edward, who is broody and moody but owns a charming bookstore in town. Soon she is working there and becoming friends with Edward, who has made it known he doesn't work well with women. Thea gets under his grumpy exterior and sees a good man underneath and is happy to call him her friend.
Thea is what one might call a pushover. There were so many times I wanted to scream at her because she was so nice and understanding. Her ex cheated on her with her best friend and Thea was like, "oh, it happens, I don't think he meant to hurt me." This man was scum, in my opinion and I would never have been so understanding so that already had me on edge. Then we bring in man-child Edward. He was sweet and endearing with Thea AFTER we understood he can't handle his feelings, but honestly, this man is pushing fifty and the way he acted was a real problem. Kudos to Thea for looking past all of his craziness to find the good man under it all, but the amount of drama was excessive. I really enjoyed that the characters were older and it would have been a mature romance but the characters acted like they were in high school at times.
I'm not sure if it is because the book wasn't published originally in the US but the way it was written felt awkward at times and while I read a lot of books based in Europe, this one distracted me. I felt awkward reading certain scenes and the vibe of the book was more informational instead of something I experienced. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, it is just not how I prefer to read.
Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine Books and the author for an early copy.

This is an interesting story about starting over later in life after a separation. Thea discovers that she inherited a house right after discovering that her husband has been cheating her. So she sets to go on a journey to go get the house fixed so she can sell/rent, but in the process ends up meeting some nice cool people in the city where the house is located, and she ends up deciding to stay there for longer. And in the process she ends up rediscovering herself and what really matters in life. She also finds a job at a second had bookstore with a grumpy boss (hence the name of the book). The book is nice, I just felt that at some points the story was kind of dragging itself - maybe it could have been told in less pages? But I took a chance and it was overall a nice book.

The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser is a romance novel set in the Scottish countryside after Thea escapes her life in England after losing her job and discovering her husband was cheating. A sudden inheritance from her great-uncle is what brings her to this small village, offering an escape from her claustrophobic life. Soon after arriving, she meets the neighbors known as the Maltravers brothers. The eldest brother, Edward, owns the local bookshop and a repartee develops between him and Thea as she goes through the books in the inherited home. However Thea is forced to come to terms that she cannot escape her past no matter how painful.

I am a huge fan of bookish novels and was so excited to receive an ARC for this novel. The pacing of the novel was well-plotted and followed the ups and downs as Thea struggled to reconcile her past and her heartbreak. The village was well-built and almost was its own character with the other villagers gossiping and the friendships she develops with the people. I also enjoyed the writing style which was simple and easy to fly through. I found the setting cozy and it was perfect to feel like I was traveling somewhere besides my couch!

As for characterization, I appreciated seeing the messy parts at the beginning and how that influenced Thea as a character. I would have liked to see a bit more development in her character by the end of the novel but I still felt like she changed and learned from the beginning of the book. As for the brothers, I struggled to connect with them. Edward's background seemed a bit weak for explaining some of his behavior that it was hard to understand the decisions and thoughts he made/had. I did enjoy the banter between Edward and Thea, but I think I didn't connect quite as much with their relationship because Thea seemed different with him than as an individual.

Overall, this was a quick and easy read that is perfect for the summer or anyone wanting a "getaway" to Scotland right now! This is the first novel I have read from this author and I look forward to what they write next!

Many thanks to the publisher Random House Ballantine and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thea gets a chance to start over just when her life is turned upside down. The story explores the possibilities given to the characters once they open their eyes and their hearts. The conversation is filled with a dry wit and humor that is typical of the characters age and locale. The pace is meandering and invites you to slow down and enjoy the story.

On Valentine’s Day, Thea Mottram spends the day crying over the loss of her job and her husband, whom she left after she found out about his longtime affair with one of her friends. She then has to deal with the always-fun task of going back to her and her ex’s house, where his new girlfriend lives with him, to divvy up their belongings and move her half. Just as Thea is working on settling into her new apartment and life, she receives a letter from a lawyer advising her that her great-uncle left her his house, as well as some money and a collection of valuable books, in Scotland. So she heads up to the small village to learn more about her inheritance and figure out what to do with it.

Thea takes to the cute cottage and the village nearby and is welcomed by the kind locals, including shop owners and even the lord who owns the old estate on which the cottage is built. One local who isn’t as friendly, however, is the owner of the bookstore in Baldochrie, Edward Maltravers, her contact point for working to value and sell many of the books in the cottage. Everyone else she meets in town tells her that he’s gruff and unfriendly to all, so it’s not just her. As the weeks of her temporary visit stretch on, Thea decides it would be a good idea to have a job to stay busy and make some income, and Edward’s bookshop seems like a delightful place to work, even if its owner is not.

The two slowly get to know each other as they work together, and Thea tries to come to terms with who she is at middle age, what to think about her soon-to-be-ex-husband and what to make of their years together. And she must decide where she wants to go next: Should she sell or rent her cottage and buy a simple apartment back in Surrey, or should she stay in Scotland and make a new life there?

Her relationship with Edward complicates all of it, though: Much of the time, he’s annoying and frustrating, but Thea can handle him. But then sometimes, they seem to be becoming friends, and he’s even kind and generous to her. Is it friendship, or is it even possible he’s interested in more from her? Impossible. But she may be finding herself attracted to him.

The Bookshop of Second Chances is hardly unique; it’s built entirely from often-recycled parts: newly single woman in middle age, gruff love interest, bookshop setting. Even so, it’s perfectly charming and serviceable as a romance and woman-finds-new-life-at-middle-age story.

3.5 stars
Things bad in your life...have an inheritance and be able to go to the home. There is an antique book collection so having a positive relationship with the bookshop owner whom you wish to purchase your books would help.
This is an easy read.

A bookshop in Scotland, honestly what more do you need to know.? A lovely novel with quirky characters, a smidgen of romance and of course family, friends, and lots of tea. The cast of characters is intriguing and add depth to the story. Overall I found this book to be an enjoyable read.

** I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

After years of marriage, Thea's husband admits he's been having an affair and can she move out of their house so his girlfriend (Thea's former friend) can move in? After losing her job she's heartbroken and in a terrible place, questioning everything, when a surprise inheritance sends her to Scotland. She might plan on a short trip to settle things, but it turns into a right-place right-time second chance. She is building a new life and discovering things about herself without quite meaning to, which is rather how I think that must happen instead of planning it out. The ups and downs of her emotional roller coaster as she deals with the fallout from her husband's betrayal come across as real and deeply felt without seeming overly dramatic and end-of-the-world. She's a more mature main character than you usually see, at 44 she considers herself over the hill but discovers that she can find a new place and new friendships despite not being 20 any more. I loved the casual, easy feel to the writing and the easy British English and slang that usually gets minimized or removed completely for American audiences. There were definitely times where the book felt longer than it needed to be and the slow build up to her relationship with Edward had me hoping for more than we actually got, but in reflection maybe that was a good thing. The cautious approach Thea had to her future and her relationship was more in character than throwing herself into something new would have been.

Overall, a solid book, if a bit slow at times

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Any book that is set in a bookshop or a library is catnip to readers and that is what lured me to this story that promised readers the delights of a small Scottish town, a bookshop with a resident cat, and a plucky protagonist who meets a tall, dark, and handsome who helps her to heal after her husband cheats on her with her best friend.

There are a few cliches in this one. Husband cheating on best friend, a sudden inheritance, aforementioned gruff and gloomy tall, dark, and handsome romantic interest, the gossip mill of charming small towns, and feuding brothers who come from an aristocratic family. Even with all of these things that I've seen done a thousand times before, this particular book felt fresh. I think it's the strength of the protagonist that did it for me. She's middle-aged, and she is forward, no-nonsense, tells it like it is, and she is so easy to root for. The snark. THE SNARK. How many times does she call out Edward and Charles on their BS? So many. And I loved it every time. Thea is a wonderful character that I could not resist following to the very end, to her HEA romance novel conclusion. Bonus points for the slow burn development of it all. It can be difficult to find romance books centering around older characters so this was refreshing.

The negative for me was that the reason behind Edward and Charles' brotherly feud was problematic for me and icky and I don't think that's my asexuality talking either. I think people who do like sex might find it squicky too. Luckily it stays well enough in the background not to be a huge bother.

Overall, I'd recommend this to readers who enjoy light romance books with wonderful, easy to root for protagonists and books set predominantly in bookstores.

I had to take a few deep breaths to calm myself down before writing this review. A few woosahs, if you will, because holy shit did this book anger me. And not in a way where I still loved it in the end.

There was so much that bothered me, but I’ll stick with the major ones. These characters were assholes. And I’m not talking about assholes that you still find endearing. I’m talking straight up don’t give a shit if they hurt someone, say whatever comes to mind, sleep with married people, assholes.

Phew. I feel better.

The 180 that this one character does is so unbelievable. It literally does not work. Unless he had loads of therapy, which he did not. And the other MC doesn’t make sense most of the time. She was cheated on by her husband, and yet is completely fine with being with someone who has REPEATEDLY been the one to break up relationships. ON PURPOSE! He’s an arse I tell you.

Oh and did I mention these characters are in their mid to late 40’s? You wouldn’t know it reading the novel though because they constantly act like they are in their 20’s. I had to remind myself often.

I will say that I loved the setting of a bookstore in Scotland. That was the only redeeming part.

I hate leaving bad reviews on here which is why I avoid doing it for the most part, but I couldn’t ignore this one. I’m sorry!

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the arc in exchange for my (definitely) honest review.

Thea Mottram is thoroughly surprised when she discovers that her husband of close to 20 years is having an affair. Even worse, the affair is with her best friend and her husband has decided to throw in the towel on their marriage and pursue this new and exciting relationship. Reeling from shock and humiliation, Thea learns that she has inherited a large manor on a Scottish Island along with a collection of quite valuable books as well. What starts out as a quick information gathering and decision making trip soon turns into a longer stay as Thea decides she likes both the island and its inhabitants. She meets the Maltravers brothers, as different as day and night, with the charming but entitled Charles and his older gruff and quite grumpy brother Edward. On a mission to sell some of the books left to her, Thea falls in love with Edward's bookstore and decides to help out. The pair, each with their own baggage and issues to work through find that they work surprisingly well together as their skills nicely complement one another. Moving at an almost glacial pace, the pair proves that opposites sometimes really do attract as they move from co-workers towards friendship and finally towards something a little deeper.
With stunning and vivid descriptions of the rural Scottish landscape, Fraser brings the island and its many charming inhabitants to life. Scotland makes for a perfect backdrop for this second chance romance novel that deals with grief, starting over, and discovering what it is you truly want out of life. The characters,both secondary and main had real depth and were lovable yet flawed in the most relatable of ways. Edward Maltravers is gruff, stand offish, with dark curly hair which instantly brings to mind a certain classic literature character of similar description. Thea makes for a perfect counterpart as she is sharp witted and speaks her mind but also has a kind and loving side as well. While the romance itself does not take center stage, it burns at a slow but expert pace, with a perfect push pull rhythm throughout the narrative. The Bookshop of Second Chances is the perfect read for those looking for a sweet, uplifting, and enjoyable story about second chances and the delightful things that can come our way when we least expect them.

The Bookshop of Second Chances transports the reader to a small town rural Scottish village where everyone knows each other and they all know each other’s business. I was drawn to this novel as I not only love books set in bookshops, but I also adore stories about second chances and starting over. The bookshop itself stood out to me in this story and became its own character as I loved how it was described with all of the different sections with books everywhere.

Thea Mottram is in her mid-forties (43 at the start and she turns 44). As the description states, she not only is made redundant, but her husband of almost twenty years has cheated on her with her friend. She is heart-broken by the betrayal and escapes to Scotland from England when she suddenly inherits a house from her great-uncle. She leaves the house to her husband to buy her out eventually and he seemingly moves on with the “friend.” I loved the emotions that she went through as they felt very realistic. She is shocked by the experience and has a lot of pain that she is dealing with and she became a very relatable character. I’m not sure if I fully agree with her just letting her husband stay in the house and not kicking him out is the best decision, but it felt relatable as not everyone will react the same way in her situation.

When she arrives in Scotland, she meets the Maltravers brothers whose family owns the surrounding estate to the lodge she just inherited. The younger brother, Charles, Lord Hollinshaw, is interested in buying the lodge from her. His estranged older brother, Edward, owns the local bookshop in town. Thea gets to know Edward through the large collection of books that came with the lodge. Edward is sullen and has a lot of walls up that intrigues Thea to get to know him better. The two of them start off as bantering acquaintances before they start to acknowledge that there could be something brewing between them.

The writing and pacing of the story was great as it built up to Thea starting her healing process and trying to move on from the traumatic experience she faced with her husband. The background characters were very interesting and I enjoyed how they gossiped about each other, but also was there for support. It showed the love that is typically found in a small town. One very minor detail that I found interesting was the topic of weather and temperature where they used Fahrenheit (73 and 75 degrees) instead of Celsius (23 and 24 degrees). I am guessing this was changed for the US edition, but it was interesting as other books that I’ve read follow the country they are set in rather than the country they are published for. Again, this was an extremely tiny detail, but it just stood out to me, especially with phrases like “made redundant” are used so it was an interesting mix of common US and UK wording.

Although Thea was a good character, individually, I questioned her willingness to be with Edward. She learns about his past and I am positive I would not have chosen to be with him, if I was in her situation. Edward seemed to not be very mature emotionally as he discusses a past experience from the time he was a teenager and It seemed odd that he would fixate on it considering it’s been decades. I understand that some situations are difficult to move past, but I would think the fact that it was during the seemingly immature teenage years that would help him move on. Charles was not much better as a character as he was very immature, too. With the three main males in the story being very unlikeable and people still wanted to be around them, it was hard for Thea and the other characters to balance them. As I said, I liked Thea individually, but she lost me whenever she was around the other characters.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read with some escapism. I am not sure how much Thea grew in this story, but I did appreciate her journey. For me, I wish that she did not have a romance and instead focused on her own healing, but that’s just me. The bookshop and all of the literature discussion kept me intrigued as I loved each scene featuring either a conversation about a novel or just general descriptions in the bookshop. It’s a light-hearted read about moving on after cheating and remembering that second chances can come at any age and I would be intrigued to read from this author.

**I want to give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Books, for a review copy of this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Scotland, a bookshop, and tall, handsome brothers—what more could you ask for in a book? The premise of Jackie Fraser’s The Bookshop of Second Chances had me hooked from the start, and the lovable main character, Thea, made me want to keep reading.

Inheriting her Great Uncle’s worldly effects in remote Scotland does not feel like solace from her broken heart and shame from her husband’s cheating and the scandalous chatter about it amongst their friends. However, the longer she stays (hides out) in Baldochrie, the more she feels at home. She finds some new friends, a quaint village, some posh and pretentious women vying for the attention of the local lord, and a grumpy bookshop owner with whom she finds it fun to banter.

I enjoyed the leisurely pace and the realistic relationship transitions. Ms. Fraser’s descriptive writing made the reading experience like visiting Scotland. The nosey villagers of Baldochrie are fantastic secondary characters. I did question why Thea was so reasonable in regards to her husband not only cheating but doing so with one of her so-called friends. The slow-burn, friends-to-lovers relationship highlighted the author’s messages about lasting love needing a strong foundation of friendship. The Bookshop of Second Chances is a sweet, easy-to-read romance.

I really wanted to hug Thea so bad, after everything that happened to her, she lost her husband to one of her friends, she is sleeping in a horrible apartment, and she has been crying ever since her husband left her. The she gets notice that her great uncle is leaving her his estate, and she barely knows the man. He has an amazing home in Scotland, and with her best friends Xanthe, she went over to see the place.

I knew this was going to be a fun beginning for her, everything was set up perfectly, the title of this book had me very excited, but it fell short for me. Not only did I not understand Edward, at times I thought of Thea as slightly annoying, Edwards reasons to do the things he does as revenge to his brother was so stupid, and I love character who is very straight forward but Thea? Nah it was a too aggressive at times and I was becoming unstable with my feelings towards her, and also with Edward.

Even his "no girls" rules for his shop was so immature, he's a 40-something year old man, and the excuse he gave was horrible, lol, don't get me wrong even though he was another unstable character for me to read I started to like him a little, their love story is sweet at times, even though it didn't make sense in the beginning, I wish all of that happened sooner instead of the story dragging with their cat and mouse games.

Thea is having a hard time when she loses her job and is betrayed by her husband and friend so finding that she inherited a house in Scotland from a distant relative seems like a good idea to go check it out. And naturally she stays far longer then she planned to and life happens. It’s nice to see a middle aged woman starting over when life throws her all kinds of curveballs and she manages to move for ward with her life. Thea is a good character and you don’t often get romances about anyone a little older. A fairly light read and I look forward to reading future work by the author.

What happened to Thea sucks! Losing her job, leaving her husband, all of that sucks, but there is not time to dwell on this pain as Thea's great uncle leaves her his house in a quaint Scottish coastal town and the timing works for her to check it out thinking she will pack it up and sell it. The house (they call it the lodge), the town, and the book store give me all the cozy feels. I wanted to pack up and move there straight away, and this is essentially what Thea decides as well. When she first meets Edward and decides to work for him in the book store I think she is nuts because he is so grumpy and rude, but she doesn't let him get to her and she calls him on his silly behavior and the next thing you know they are friends. I of course wanted them to be more than friends and they eventually get there and then I was utterly let down as there was zero steamy sex scenes in this book. I felt with as refreshingly honest and straightforward as Thea is that the lack of description of their sex life was a total disappointment. I liked Edward and Thea's communication style of calling each other out on their BS issues and yet not getting uptight about it. While I felt it was nice that Thea was able to get Edward and his brother Charles to come together and get along after 30 years of hating each other, it also happened too quickly and wasn't at all realistic. This book had a wonderful build up to their relationship, however once Thea and Edward were a couple I felt it was all a little too easy for them and I got slightly bored. That being said, this is what good communication and straight forward honesty does to a relationship, it makes it easy to enjoy the goodness and the blessings and all of the little moments together, which is exactly what Thea and Edward were experiencing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC of this book.

I enjoyed reading this story set in a Scottish bookshop.

I really liked the premise that Thea is starting over in a new town with various options ahead of her. Speaking of which, 5 starts for the setting! The cottage in a quaint Scottish village sounds like an amazing place to live….as does a flat above a bookshop.

I liked that both brothers were interested in Thea. The chapters where Thea is at “The Shack” are very well written and some of the best chapters in the book. I understand why she picked the brother she did. Although, Edward has a pretty disconcerting character flaw surrounding his feud with his brother which carries on from his teenage years all the way into middle age. The brothers reminded me a little bit of Linus and David in the movie Sabrina.

I liked that Thea spoke her mind when dealing with Edward and Charles. However, I was disappointed that Thea didn’t take better control of the situation with her ex husband! That whole storyline gave me anxiety even to think about leaving such important details unresolved and open ended.

All in all, an enjoyable book that romance readers and book lovers will enjoy.

Ok, so, if you want a head-over-heels, strangers/enemies-to-lovers story that involves England, Scotland, and bookstores – then this is your book.

If you want a nice romance that is realistic … you might not like it quite as much.

In all honesty, I fall more in the first category, but upon further inspection there are plot points that lead to skepticism of whether or not the two main characters would really end up together.

I don’t want to have any spoilers here, but I do need to say that this book feels like whiplash at times with the plot twists and sudden realizations of love the occur. If it’s something you enjoy, definitely check it out!

Scotland, a bookshop, and a handsome bookshop owner - what could be better? Thea is a forty something woman starting over in life. Not only has she lost her job and her husband, but she has just found out that she inherited a home in Scotland from her great uncle. Thinking she will just go for two weeks to sell the house, she journeys to Scotland and finds what she didn't know she was looking for.

This book was so lovely! It was a quick, lighthearted, cozy read that transported me to a beautiful country and took me along the lovely journey of a woman finding herself. Of course the cozy bookshop with the grumpy, but loveable owner added to the charm and kept me devouring every page. I read this book in 2 sittings, because I fell in love with the characters and the town she found herself in. It was interesting to read about a woman in her forties, who is slightly older than me and had a different way of viewing the world. The romance was perfect as well. I love a good slow burn love story. This book was a great escape after the intense fantasy book I had just read and was exactly what i was looking for!

Thank you to Netgally and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!