I found A Scottish Highland Surprise by Julie Shackman a charming and cosy read.
A love of crockery connects different characters and chapters of history within this book.
Sophie Harkness is the main protagonist in this story, she’s a successful wedding planner at Castle Marrian in Briar Glen, a fictional town in the Highlands of Scotland supposedly near Glasgow.
What I like about Sophie is how principled she is and clearly very hardworking. I also loved her close bond with her grandmother who sadly passes away early on in the book.
Sophie is forced to resign out of fairness for a friend when standing up to a rich spoilt bride.
Later in the book we get flashbacks to her grandmother’s youth and we learn more about her love of crockery and her dream of having her own shop.
With no job and feeling at a cross roads Sophie decides to attempt to fulfil her grandmother’s wish to own and run a crockery shop.
I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue surrounding the donated tea set which takes us back in time as Sophie prepares for the grand opening of her shop and of course this is how the love triangle starts between art critic Xander and artist Jake. Who will win Sophie’s heart?

With thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for the charming read!

An enjoyable read that’s part mystery, part romance. It was a well crafted story with well developed characters. The setting was charming and I loved the coming together of the shop. It was very descriptive though, sometimes overly so for me- not sure the detail on the crockery always added to the story - but this didn’t detract overall from a warm, easy read.

I’m the first to say I’m not a big romance reader, but this one makes me a liar as I really enjoyed this one. It could be Briar Glen, the connection between a grandmother and her granddaughter, or even Xander North, but it’s best to say it’s all of these combined!

This was so well written that I didn’t feel like I was reading a sappy love story. No, I was reading something far better…a love story wrapped up in the life of Sophie Harkness. A really good read. I’ll be reading more by this author in the near future.

Thoroughly good read, great characters and absorbing storyline. Definitely recommend and look forward to reading more from this Author

A new author for me, and I look forward to reading more, this is a voyage of discovery for Sophie and is a cozy feel good story for the reader, a mystery and a romance, and I know so much more about crockery. .I truly enjoyed reading this book, and would recommend it.

Sweet mystery

I thoroughly enjoyed this quirky sweet mystery. It has lots of interesting details about the world of china collecting and an entertaining plot.

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time limited e-arc via netgalley with no obligation. This review is optional and my own opinion.

A lovely enjoyable read. Definitely one to curl up with with a brew and some chocolate. Its just like meeting up with good friends.

As a wedding planner in a highlands hotel, Sophie loves her role except for her boss and the often overzealous brides. Resigning on a point of principle means she can take up the opportunity afforded by her late grandmother, but can she make the business succeed? A multilayered story tells the story of her grandmother's early life, a mystery surrounding an antique tea set and a gentle but conflicted romance for Sophie.

I like the story's originality and how the plot incorporates three women's stories, all intricately woven into an engaging plot. Sophie is s likeable character with easy to understand motivations. Xander is the perfect love interest, arrogant but hiding a broken and kind heart.

This story provides the reader with an enjoyable medley of mystery, poignancy and romance.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is a delightful story of following your dreams, romance and history set in the world of crockery (teapots and tea cups). With such a unique setting one can’t help but learn a bit about the beauty and design of tea pots and the history that some sets hold.

Toss in some light romance and some lovely characters and you have a book you just can’t put down while cheering on your favourite characters. I would love to sit down with this group of people and have a cuppa.

Thank you to One More Chapter and Harper Collins for the sharing of the ARC of the ebook via NetGalley.

This is a binge worthy, easy, sweet and beach read thpe of book. I enjoyed reading about the scenic Scottish town, Briar Glen. The characters were pretty likeable and I loved the relationship between Sophie and her grandmother. Her inherited passion for teapots was admirable, especially when she took the plunge and opened her own crockery shop, an u fulfilled wish of her grandmother's.

I rooted for Sophie's no nonsense and practical attitude but somehow in the second half, she became starry eyed and infatuated with the art critic, Xander. Xander seemed aloof and the attraction towards him after a few meetings was a little far fetched, since there was hardly any bavk story to him.

However, the romance is only secondry in this story as the core of it is the mysterious tea set and the twisty investigation of the 1900s backstory. The chapters are short, fast paced and devoid of any dullness.

Do pick it up of you are looking for a warm and quick beach read! This is a binge worthy, easy, sweet and beach read type of book. I enjoyed reading about the scenic Scottish town, Briar Glen. The characters were pretty likeable and I loved the relationship between Sophie and her grandmother. Her inherited passion for teapots was admirable, especially when she took the plunge and opened her own crockery shop, an u fulfilled wish of her grandmother's.

I rooted for Sophie's no nonsense and practical attitude but somehow in the second half, she became starry eyed and infatuated with the art critic, Xander. Xander seemed aloof and the attraction towards him after a few meetings was a little far fetched, since there was hardly any back story to him.

However, the romance is only secondry in this story as the core of it is the mysterious tea set and the twisty investigation of the 1900s backstory. The chapters are short, fast paced and devoid of any dullness.

Do pick it up of you are looking for a warm and quick beach read!

A Scottish Highland surprise is the PERFECT summer read! I read it in just two days and found it easy to read and really get engrossed in the world of Sophie Harkness. Sophie’s character is so easy to fall in love with, the way she stands up to her employers right at the start of the book demonstrates her strength (even if she’s not sure of herself afterwards).

I did find the concept of opening a crockery shop a bit random to begin with but actually the way the author builds the back story around this makes you not only believe its absolutely a viable thing but that it’s going to be a massive success. But lets be real here, that’s totally not why we read a romance! Enter Xander North, the aloof art critic and off we go on the romantic arc of this story.

However, and don’t get me wrong I love a good romance, I LOVED the extra element to this story of the mystery that surrounds a tea set left with Sophie as she prepares to open the shop. It adds an extra level of intrigue that is sometimes missing in this genre.

I absolutely recommend adding this to your reading this for this summer!

Sometimes you need to escape and this is the perfect book to escape reality and feel good.
Lovely setting, likeable characters, a well told story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I liked the Scottish setting and the characters. An enjoyable escapist read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.

What a delightful read this proved to be,
With a fresh start and brilliant community.
Several huge surprises are left Sophie by her Gran,
Tea sets, a shop and a possible new plan!

From event planner to crockery shop keeper is in her dreams
When an unusual, special set is left, so strange it seems.
The mystery set, has a secret letter with it, too
Sophie isn't sure just what to do.

Get ready for research, investigations and more
As the past to this special set she endeavours to explore.
Add in a handsome expert who joins in to sleuth
Can they together uncover the truth?

The story has a lovely mix of mystery and romance,
Two folks brought together as if by chance.
The heartwarming community adds to the charm
And brings to this read a lovely sense of calm.

If you're looking for a fun romance with mystery
Together with an investigation into history,
Get yourself a copy of this lovely read
It could well be just the book that you need!

For my complementary copy of this book, I say thank you,
A gorgeous read and this is my honest review.

Following the death of her grandmother and feeling stressed with her current job, Sophie decides to move in a different direction. Sophie follows her passion by owning her own china shop. Some mysteries and interesting characters unfold. An easy read which is most enjoyable.

This was a sweet escapism read set in Scotland with mystery thrown in . A fun read by an author that I haven’t heard of before. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one. It started a bit slow, but after that the story got more interesting. I was intrigued by the peacock tea set and it's history. It sounded very pretty. It was brave of Sophie to start the shop and I thik it was the right thing for her to do. It was a lovely story. The romance felt lacking. We were told they were attrackted to each other, but it didn't feel real.

Sophie works for the big manor house in Briar Glen, a small Scottish town known for its elusive and romantic blue flowered rose, as a wedding planner. But when her boss tries to force her to upset a staff member because a celebrity wants a particular wedding date, she walks out. She’s also grieving for her beloved grandma and helping her mum and dad sort out her cottage … but there’s a surprise in wait for her, as her grandmother put all sorts of plans in place and has left her a shop and the means to stock it with collectable china.

Sophie and her grandmother shared a love of tea-sets and the author’s obviously done a lot of research on these (and/or loves them herself) – this knowledge is inserted naturally to show their love and appreciation – and Sophie’s credentials, when she comes up against a rather intimidating art critic who might be able to help her with a strange donation to the shop.

There is a love interest in the shape of said art critic and his (love?) rival, a local artist, but the book also concentrates on family relationships, the lovely working relationship of Sophie and her assistant, the mystery of the donated tea set and the information it’s hiding, and a dual-timeline addition showing why her grandmother was so keen for her to do what she herself wasn’t able to in the 70s (this is slightly unusual in that Sophie doesn’t find out all about that herself, it’s just for the reader, although she finds one mystery – to her – hint at one point).

I really enjoyed this escapist novel and its Scottish highland setting. The mystery was mysterious enough to hold my attention but understandable, and the characters were attractive. Sophie is independent and is shown setting up her business with the help of two women and people from her community.

My review on my blog here: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/04/22/book-review-julie-shackman-a-scottish-highland-surprise/

Julie Shackman is a new author for me. Set in a beautiful location with relateable characters, a lovely heart-warming read.

A very enjoyable read, with a little bit of mystery, a bit of romance and a smidgen of historical fiction, so there's something for anybody. The characters are likeable and the pace is quick, with a lot of things happening both in the present narration and in the one set in the past.
The romance part is not very prominent in the story, but I loved it that way, since there's a lot more going on in this book, with its mysteries and twists and turns.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.