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Review of A Secret Scottish Escape by Julie Shackman

What is it about?

When Layla’s older partner Mac dies suddenly, she’s shocked to find he has left her an inheritance. After some agonising, she decides to open a music venue in the idyllic Loch Harris. For the opening night, her father and his old friends reform their band, unearthing some skeletons from the past. Layla also tries to get the reclusive musician Mask to play. When he refuses, she becomes intrigued by him and is determined to find out why he is hiding away in her small town. Could this lead to a second chance at love for Layla?

What I liked:

I found the beginning to be quite fast and hooked me into the story. I liked the idea of Layla being able to achieve her dreams via the inheritance. I presumed that her love of music came from her father. The mystery element worked well and later on in the book, I found myself wanting to keep turning the pages to uncover Mask’s past. Layla’s determination to get to the truth in my mind came from her career in journalism. The romance happened quickly, though there was a sweet ending to the story.

Would I recommend it?

Yes, there were some enjoyable themes, such as forgiveness and second chance at love and life. It worked well as an escapist read. Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter Books for this ARC, that I received in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this four out of five stars.

A lovely story of how Layla’s life feels like it is falling apart due to the circumstances of her fiancé’s death. However with him leaving her a lot of money she decides after a lot of soul searching and the support from her dad and best friend. To fulfill a dream of hers to open a live music lounge. Lots of twists and turns happen in the run up to the opening even meeting an upcoming new artist named ‘Mask’. Loved it.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Harper Collins UK, and Julie Shackman for the E Arc copy of this book.
Layla has lived in Loch Harris for all her life. She has never even thought of leaving until her Fiancé dies in the arms of his ex-wife!!! Layla can’t stand to live in their cottage and wants to get away. That is until she decides to start a live music venue in the town, to help bring people back to Loch Harris. She throws herself into all aspects of designing The Conch Club but when rumours start that the famous reclusive singer ‘Mask’ has bought and is living in Coorie Cottage she tried to persuade him to appear at opening night.
Why is ‘Mask’ being so reclusive? Why has Layla’s Mum decided that now would be a good time to reveal what could be a big family secret. Why is a woman from Australia making accusations about ‘Mask’? Layla has to deal with all of this. Will she be the same person come opening night?
A nice read that will take you away to the Scottish Highlands. Enjoyed this book.

Really enjoyable read, it’s one of those books you feel comfortable with, also has a few surprises along the way. Strong & likeable characters. An Easter weekend read

*3.5 stars*
This was a cute, fun read but I would say it's definitely one that you can pick up and put down and read in between other books. It had an interesting storyline, and went in a couple different directions, but I did find it a bit slow at times.

The book follows Layla Devlin, who, right from he beginning of the book finds out that her fiancé dies of a heart attack while in his ex-wife's arms. It was an interesting start to the book, I'll admit. I liked Layla, I found her to be a pretty relatable character and enjoyed the close relationship she had with her dad. I liked her drive and courage to try new things, including a very cool business venture!

*P.S. kind of a spoiler alert for this next paragraph... but nothing that you couldn't figure out from the synopsis*

I was looking forward to a good bit of romance, but unfortunately that wasn't quite the case here. Layla meets Mask aka Rafe a few times throughout the book, and he's rude pretty much every time (not that I cared about that, it's a book not real life lol!) but it just made it kind of unrealistic for them to get together at the end. I mean yes, they did open up a bit to each other but... I dunno I just wasn't feeling it. There wasn't really any growth or great connection that made me root for them, you know what I mean? So that was kind of a let down.

The story itself was good, but not amazing. The book was written well, I just found that it took me quite awhile to get through what with the slow bits making me put it down more often than I usually do. That being said, I like it enough as a "background book" and I'm glad I read it regardless. I wouldn't be opposed to trying out other books by this author.

A good solid light read set in the stunning Scottish Highlands by a Loch. A little predictable in places and more than enough drama along the way. Fairly likeable characters, although many had frustrating traits with a few frustrating situations mainly created by the main character. A good gentle plot that unfolded with many twists and turns, there was heartbreak and betrayal in equal measures plus love and friendship within a tightknit community but a few pedantic descriptions mixed in with a nicely paced read.

An enjoyable read with romance, mystery, bereavement, friendships and secrets to be found out. I found that it did become predictable in places but did enjoy the storyline and how it played out. Even so it is a read I would recommend to others who want a perfect escape.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW....there is not another word I would use for the recapitulation of this book. It was a bit sad in the beginning but then it turned into promising and very exciting, although a bit stalker-ish, story which I devoured in few hours.
The author was completely new to me but she has an amazingly colourful use of words and I loved every single one of them.
This book is about grieve, living with remorse, having mental escape and finding inner peace mixed with a bit mystery.
I loved Layla's personality, although after her experiencing the shock of her life and deep disappointment she still tries to help other people in the small village in Scotland, she has grown up.

There were so many wonderful by- characters, but two of them I truly wanted to shoot to the moon. One despiteful and the another one mentally instable. But every book needs a villain.

Anyway like I said I immensely enjoyed the whole story and can only recommend for those who love not the typical romance accompanied with a bit of mystery.
I would also like to thank NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One more chapter for providing an early copy to review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very well written and the characters were very real and lovable. I loved how the story unfolded with all its twists and turns. What a complicated character "Mask" was but it was understandable as the story unfolded.

West Lothian author, Julie Shackman, explores relationships, betrayal, and moving on after grief in her fifth novel, a contemporary romance titled “A Secret Scottish Escape.”

Freelance writer, Layla Devlin, 28, has been dealt a bad hand! Not only is she subject to a flighty mother who abandoned her and now insinuates that Harry might not be Layla’s father, but she’s also just found out that her fiancé, Mac, has been lying to her and has been found dead in the arms of his ex-wife!

Despite the age gap, readers get the feeling that Layla was truly in love with Mac and that his philandering came as a shock. I love that instead of leaving the small Scottish highland village, she remained in Loch Harris and dug in to create a better place for everyone. Her caring nature was well intended even though it came across as downright nosiness at times. She decides to use Mac’s inheritance and build her dream; a live music venue. Layla devotes her energy into turning the old boathouse into a place the locals and tourists could enjoy. When hiring musicians, she meets an elusive Australian who has just moved to the area and bought Coorie Cottage. Aptly named Mask, he shields himself from prying eyes and nosy people by building a protective wall and…. wearing a mask. He’s just what the venue needs; a famous yet mysterious musician.

A unique plot, unique setting and great themes are the strong points of this book. Originally titled “The Garden at Coorie Cottage” this is a light, quick read. Patience is needed to get through the background information as well as dealing with Layla’s mom and Layla’s personality at times. You’ll come away with a fresh appreciation for those who dusted themselves off and continued to work towards a dream despite their circumstances. You’ll also see the need for empathy and understanding as we are all facing demons nobody knows about…and a little kindness goes a long way.

Thank you to Julie Shackman, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the gifted advance digital readers copy. I received it for free and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Publishes May 21, 2021

I was looking forward to this story, the synopsis sounded really interesting, though I am not sure it had anything to do with a Scottish escape. The premise is good, Layla has to cope with the death of her fiance and finding out he died in his ex-wife's bed, which is enough to upset anyone's life. I have to say that the beginning of the story kept my interest and I had high hopes for a good read. However, about halfway through it seemed to lose its way, became predictable and lacked drive.

Layla was a good character and I liked her relationship with her Dad. Rafe "Mask" was a typical reclusive musician type, with something to hide. It took a while to like him but I did in the end. Generally, all the characters were well developed and relatable.

I found the writing style mixed, overly descriptive in places, (I really didn't need to know which direction she was indicating every time she was driving) and at others, the story leapt ahead. It is a gentle story, not sure I would actually class it as romance, because there wasn't a lot but I am sure it will appeal to a lot of readers, just not for me.

A realistic approach to the romantic comedy genre. From betrayal and heartbreak in the beginning to a new chance to love again, this book will bring you down just to pick you back up again. I would recommend this to anyone who likes books that makes them laugh and cry. #NetGalley

Layla discovers a shocking secret after a tragedy befalls her fiancé, and ends up doing something she never would have imagined in her wildest dreams would be possible: open a business. Romance with a mysterious reclusive stranger known as the Mask also adds on to her to do list. Can she pull this off??

I really liked how Layla handled the fallout from her previous relationship, and then was able to turn his legacy into her dream! I was so excited to read about her remodeling and her opening plans to expand tourism in her town. It definitely made me want to go visit this town!
However, the main romance just didn't seem to work for me. Instead of slowly building up, the chemistry seemed to sometimes be there, and then sometimes disappear. It seemed like Layla was just desperate, and that made the happy ending unbelievable. I think it would have been more emotional and easier to empathize if the Mask were to have his own story be more fleshed out in flashbacks instead of just having it be told to us. I did enjoy the offshoot romances though, they were very cute and helped the overall feel of the story to be more of a feel good romance like I was expecting.

A great read that did keep you guessing for quite a lot of the story. Really enjoyable and worth a read

A Secret Scottish Escape starts off with a real bag, with Layla’s fiancé dying while having an affair. It definitely wasn’t the story I had expected at the start of the book but I wanted to stay with it to see where it was going to go. It was nice to see that Layla was trying to do something not only for herself but her community when she was faced with a dilemma about what to do next.

I really liked the array of characters in this book, especially Layla’s dad and his ex-bandmates. I’d say the first half of the book does a great job of being able Layla, her family and friends and how she copes with a sudden and dramatic change in her life. Unfortunately. the last half of the book lost me a bit.

With the introduction of the ‘Mask’ character, I felt like things got a bit silly and not flashed out enough. There was a very quick, well, I don’t want to even say romance, and then very quick changes with the characters. It wasn’t very believable and I felt like a lot more could have been done with these two characters earlier in the book. The romance could actually have been left out completely and I would have been happy.

The blurb about the book pretty much tells you about the story, but this book is so much more than it being a romance novel. It's got
a mystery or two, a couple of twists & turns, friendships, family secrets and betrayal. A fabulous setting, great characters, some likeable some not so. A thoroughly enjoyable book that I certainly recommend.

A light book perfect for an afternoon's reading in a big comfy chair! There's lots packed into the narrative, loss, love, secrets, and new starts, new music - you name it. I did find some of the storylines a tad of a stretch and sometimes the actions of the main protagonist were questionable but on the whole, if you want a true bit of escapism and a packed story then you won't go far wrong with this one.

Layla is supposed to be getting married but when she finds out he died of an heart attack whilst with his ex wife. She feels the need to start over and buys the old boathouse. When she meets Mask they both have hidden secrets.

I enjoyed this storyline. It was a nice easy read. It was the perfect escape. Lots of secrets come out that leave you wanting to read more. Very enjoyable.

I loved traveling to Scotland in this book and reading about the small town life. The beginning of the book was a bit of a shocker to me - but then made sense for the direction the book needed to go. I loved Mask - you could feel his pain, his trust issues. I only wished the book had a few more chapters so we could see more of the relationship between Layla and Mask. Overall, I loved this book and will try to get a copy of A Room at the Manor to read more of Julie's work.

Layla is due to marry her fiancée Macabre he suddenly dies from a heart attack. She plans to leave Loch Harris to start afresh, however after coming into an inheritance decides to stay there in her home village.
Set in a small community in the Scottish Highlands the setting certainly sounds delightful. There are the normal issues that you read about with the downsides of a feeling of nosiness counterbalance that sense of community that I miss. The romantic interest comes in the shape of an elusive musician known as Mask, who recently moved into the area.
You could argue that Layla is too helpful, when she could just let others get on with it, but to me it came across as more endearing. Overall an enjoyable read to snuggle down to.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.