Scotland? Tick. Christmas? Tick. Lovable animal characters? Tick, tick, tick!! I loved this book. I’m a sucker for anything that involves Christmas but being Scottish myself if you add in a Scottish setting I’m sold. I loved the romance. I also loved the way that Belle came to be in this town (by knocking over an old lady with her bike by accident and the. Coming to look after her) honestly there is nothing I love more at Christmas than watching a hallmark Christmas movie and this was like reading one. Thank you so much for the chance to review this book.

Such a fun book to get into the holiday spirit. It’s about love, friendship and the season of giving

I could imagine this as Hallmark movie, perfect Christmas vibes with some great characters and side stories it was a lovely read with romance and all the holiday feels.

After years of waiting for me in my ebookshelf, I have finally picked up this winter book by Donna Ashcroft and I am really happy I did! This is a really lovely story about lonely but very kind people who are crossing their paths and who are starting to help one another around Christmas time. I really really loved the story, the characters, the promise of a romance and just about everything in this book! I read it pretty fast as it is quite the page turner! I recommend it to anyone looking for a good winter book!

A gorgeous Christmas read with lovely characters and heartfelt storylines. The perfect cosy read for this December time. Really enjoyed this one!

A enemies to lovers christmas story set in a town in scotland.

I loved seeing Edina come out of her shell and get back into the community, especially as she was on her own living in a big castle.

Reasons for the low stars is due to feeling like all the characters having some issue that wouldnt allow them to be open/honest and just felt to much miss communication, not communicating. Not dealing with issues and just ruined it a bit for me.

But for a wintery Christmas read its worth picking up for.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

Such a great Christmas read. The perfect cosy romance to sit in front of the fire with and get in the festive spirit!

A Scottish Christmas must be my new thing as I've loved both books written by Donna Ashcroft that took place in Scotland and also surprisingly, or maybe not, in a castle!

I loved so many characters in this story, the found family aspect, small town and of course - the donkey!!

I definitely need to check out Donna Ashcroft's backlog of books to find more of these feel good, found family books that she writes. I just love them!

Christmas in the Scottish Highlands

by Donna Ashcroft

Join Belle Albany as she tries to fulfill the elderly, lonely Edina’s Christmas wishes. Edina has separated herself from people and life in Evergreen Castle. It takes an accident to show her what she has been missing. Not only has she distanced herself from the townspeople, but she also needs to finally meet an adult grandson Jack and see her daughter Tara more often. Christmas in the Scottish Highlands is character generated and propelled. The stories that motivate the main characters are key, but the supporting characters are vital to the plot too. A surprising and important character is Bob, a delightful donkey that lives at Evergreen Castle.

Christmas is critical to the plot, not just a backdrop. You can anticipate lots of Christmas traditions. Belle’s students at Christmas Village Primary School put on the annual Nativity program. A lot of effort is devoted to reviving the tradition of a huge Christmas party at the castle—enough that you might coin a new saying: “it takes a village to celebrate Christmas properly.”

Front and center next to the frivolity are deep and sometimes painful relationship issues: abandonment, estrangement, and communication. There are also three romantic threads and one other disclosed third hand as Jack is a divorce lawyer, better at splitting assets than at mending relationships. Several characters need to learn that there are often two sides to a story and author Donna Ashcroft does an excellent job of helping her readers understand that.

I enjoyed my visit to the Scottish Highlands in this book with its snow, castle, small village feel, and Christmas Cairn. Ashcroft sprinkles the text with just enough Scottish dialect (nae, dinnae, wee, lass/lassie, lad/laddie) that as I read dialogue I heard a Scottish brogue.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Romance

Notes: There is one scene in the book where the sex could have been implied. It was not terribly graphic, but I prefer romances with closed bedroom doors.

Publication: October 11, 2021—Bookouture

Memorable Lines:

Belle said his name slowly, layering it with a dollop of irritation. Kenzy quirked an eyebrow. “Is Pollyanna having an off day? I know you weren’t that sure about him, but I thought your mantra was “there’s good in everyone”. Not that I’m complaining. You could do with toughening up—the world’s filled with sharks, it’s good to have your harpoon sharpened when you meet them.”

“Ah, lass, it’s been a lot of years since anyone’s said anything so nice. The last compliment I got was from my dentist—and she just admired that I still had my own teeth.” Edina’s face lit with mirth and Kenzy snorted. The older woman had a wicked sense of humour and often had Belle belly laughing.

He’d had a quiet few days in Evergreen Castle, feeling slightly more popular than an axe murderer, but less welcome than someone with a really contagious cold.

This is perfect for this time of year! I it’s lovely, happy and filled with family, friends and a little bit of Christmas magic.

I love the characters! I love the village and the interactions it creates between the characters. I love that they help each other out and look out for each other.

I love Belle and I love Edina and I learned to love Jack too. I really enjoyed his character development a lot

All in all, this is a great Christmas story and I loved reading this! It makes me believe in Christmas magic a little bit more

This was such a cute and warm and fuzzy festive read! The characters are adorable and the setting is perfect for a nice wintery read.

Really enjoyed this book. I love reading Christmas themed books. This book didn't let me down. A great story! You won't be disappointed.

I HVe only recently discovered this author and am so pleased to have done as absolutely adore her books. What’s not to love about having some Christmas sparkle in May I thoroughly enjoyed having some escapism and Christmas spirit to brighten up a dull rainy day.

This was the perfect escapism read and would make a lovely festive film. It wasn’t just a romance story but one of finding love and happiness and friendship and of the pulling together of a community and that when everyone works together to pitch in then everything is possible and the world becomes a much better place. It also highlights how sometimes you have to share with others what you want otherwise you never know if they will be able to give you it or if they are thinking
The complete opposite to you.

I would love a sequel to follow the lives of Bella and jack and how their relationship develops and also to follow
The fellow inhabitants of the Scottish highlands.

Since it has been snowing in Scotland for the last few days, I thought I would finish off this lovely Christmas book, and what a delight it was! I loved everything about this book - the setting, the characters, the shenanigans, the Christmas theme, the weather, and the lovely Scottish accents. Belle is the main character of the story, and she is a kind soul, who works as a primary school teacher. After accidentally knocking her friend Edina over with her bicycle, she offers to take care of Edina at her Castle, as she has hurt her leg. They both get on very well indeed, and a lovely friendship blossoms between them. Belle helps Edina in a lot of ways, as well as helping all the lovely schoolchildren. Then comes Jack to the Castle; he is Edina's grandson, and he comes in with a bang. Will he set Belle's heart on fire? This is a fantastic book, which is heartwarming, cute, full of romance, good times, fun and excitement. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a sweet and fun festive romance which gave me serious Hallmark movie vibes. I loved the characters and thought this was a delight of a Christmas story. The enemies to lovers trope is one I’m not always a fan of but here I felt it worked really well. Look forward to reading more from this author.

Ein Rund-um-Wohlfühlbuch für die Weihnachtszeit (und das restliche Jahr).
Donna Ashcroft schreibt schöne Familien-Liebes-Romane mit sympathischen Protagonisten und einem Setting, zu dem man sofort hinreisen möchte.
Mir gefällt ihr Schreibstil und ihr Humor.
Man ist sofort in der Geschichte drin, die viel mehr bietet als ein Liebesroman. Doch auch die Romantik kommt nicht zu kurz.
Besonders zur sonst so stressigen Weihnachtszeit lese ich gerne diese Geschichten, die entspannen und Stimmung verbreiten.

Das wird nicht mein letzter Roman von Donna Ashcroft gewesen sein.

This was a cute holiday read! It was quick and beautiful, although it didn’t have many problems to overcome and read a bit like a hallmark movie.

Still a sweet read for those who love christmas ❤️

For anyone who want be annoyed by a little couple of americanisms and some mistakes this is a fabulous feel good Christmas romance and perfect for curling up on the sofa with a hot chocolate. It would be impossible not to fall in love with the story and want to dash off to visit the highlands.

The characters are nice and easy to follow and cheer on. A great book for Christmas & winter!

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.