I love Caplin’s series of books where a minor character from one novel is the main character in the next. In The Christmas Castle in Scotland, we have Izzy, who we met in The Cosy Cottage in Ireland. Izzy has recently been bequeathed a run down castle in Scotland which she plans to turn into a b & b - AFTER renovations. Her mother, however, has different plans and has rushed to get guests, starting with ‘history professor’ Ross. Butting heads when they first meet, Izzy discovers that there’s more to Ross than it seems on face value. Izzy is rushed off her feet preparing for Christmas guests though. Will she get the castle ready in time - and will she have time for a personal life too?

I love Caplin’s style of writing. I am immediately drawn to get characters and her way of describing the setting has me feeling like I’m there. I thoroughly enjoyed this book as much as the others I’ve read, and can’t wait to read more!

Thanks to @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for the review copy.

JULIE CAPLIN: THE CHRISTMAS CASTLE IN SCOTLAND.

It’s fair to say that Izzy McBride was more than a little shocked when she inherits a real life castle from her great uncle Bill.
Izzy has big plans for her run down abode, but to achieve her dreams the castle will need a massive amount of money and a lot of TLC.
Along with her quirky mother, Izzy gathers a motley crew of helpers, which also includes thriller writer, Ross Adair, with whom Izzy shares what seems to be a mutual attraction.
Can Izzy and her gang pull the castle into shape, ready for Christmas and their first guests?

Oh my jingle bells… what a gorgeous book!

The setting is wonderful. What could be more festive than a Scottish castle in the snow?

There is a colourful collection of characters, who all blend together to make something very special.

#TheChristmasCastleInScotland is a warm hearted read. There is some very sweet and squishy romance, and some laughs along the way too.
This is a book full of everything festive and lovely.
It’s one of those books that wraps you up in it’s heart and leaves you with a contented sigh.
Quite simply, this book is a five ⭐️ joy.

With thanks to #Netgalley and #HarperCollinsUk for a digital arc of this title.

Izzy's inherited a castle in the Scottish countryside, but in order to pay for its maintenance she's opening it up as a hotel. While preparing for their first guests, Izzy struggles with her overbearing, overly enthusiastic mother, a to-do list that's a mile long, getting everything ready for Christmas, and her growing feelings for the writer who's renting a room long-term.

This is a sweet, cozy romance that has a lot of Scottish flavor, from the food to the castle to the descriptions of the countryside and its lochs. Izzy's mom was annoying and while it was stressed that they had a good relationship, Izzy's gonna have to rein her in at some point or they're going to go bankrupt. Recommended for readers looking for a romantic festive holiday read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced review copy.

I absolutely loved The Christmas Castle in Scotland from the first page and grew quite attached to Izzy and the extended family that all turn up during the run up to Christmas. There is everything you need in this book - snow, a rugged and moody writer, lost treasure and a pair of young newlyweds living in a tent in the grounds that kept me reading whenever I had a spare 10 minutes. The tension between Izzy and Ross is just perfect and I enjoyed learning more about their pasts and their initial frostiness with each other.
The descriptions of the castle were perfect and I felt as though I was actually there witnessing the festive fun…. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 stars. I love this series so much, this was a really really cute story with a lovely christmassy vibe. I love that we got to know Izzy better after the Ireland story and that we saw some of the other characters too. Izzy herself was such a sweetheart, and I really liked the confidence and self respect she gained.

The Christmas Castle in Scotland is a heartwarming, detailed story of a woman who takes over a Scottish castle and decides to turn it into a hotel. It was a beautiful setting and perhaps a bit too detailed in description of the scenery, the food and even the shopping. I liked Izzy and her family both real and found, it was a wonderful cast of characters and the slow burn romance between her and Ross was enjoyable. It is a good book and great for people who are really into Scotland and history.

This is the first book I’ve read by Julie Caplin. The Christmas Castle in Scotland is Book #9 (of 10) in the Romantic Escapes series. Each book is a standalone, though, so you can read them in any order.

I enjoyed this story. It’s light-hearted and the romance portion is clean. On the romantic comedy scale, it’s not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but more cutesy fun.

If you like reading romantic comedies, this book is worth a try. I’d definitely be open to reading other books by this author.

I love Julie Caplins books! All of them, but especially the Christmas themed ones have a special place in my hearth. Especially if the heroine loves Jamie Fraser as much as I do. :-)

The Christmas Castle in Scotland didn't disappoint. I love Izzy when I first met her in the previous installment of the Romantic Espaces series and I was very happy to see we were going to follow her journey to Scotland in this one.

What Julie Caplin does best is create a setting. I don't just read her books, I am transported to whatever location she wants me too. This times it was the cold Scottish highlands that were waiting for me with a dram of Whiskey and a hot minced pie! Perfect for that instant Christmas feeling.

Of course this book is predictable and you see the happy ending a million miles away! But lets be honest here! That is what we are looking for in these kind of books. We want comfort, warmth and all the fuzzy feelings. And The Christmas Castle in Scotland delivers this all! Its a nice comfy blanket and a mug of mulled whine on a snowy day!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a free ecopy of The Christmas Castle in Scotland in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting story but was more about the Castle and business rather than the romance between Izabelle and Ross. The characters were largely unlikeable, apart from Graham who was my favourite.

Julie Caplin has become one of my favourite authors with her fun romances set in beautiful destinations across Europe and the US.
This one is about Izzy, who we previously met in the last book set in Ireland as she was one of the students at the cookery school. Izzy recently inherited a Scottish castle and is in the process of turning it into a hotel. On returning from Ireland she finds that her Mum has not only rented out a room for a few months to an author named Ross. She has also organised to host a private Christmas holiday for a wealthy family when the castle is no where near ready for guests.
What I love about Julie Caplin's stories is the way that she really makes you experience the locations that the stories are set in and she always finds a way to bring in a host of wonderful characters.
Although this is not my favourite of her books, it's still a really enjoyable read and I love the beautiful setting. I can't wait to read her next book.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley.com for this complimentary eARC copy.

Despite the author having written 20+ books in this genre somehow I have never read any of them until this book. I’ll now definitely be looking out for other books written by her as I enjoyed this book.
The story is populated with fully-formed characters many of whom I warmed to, with a storyline that kept my interest throughout,
I really enjoyed reading this book, some aspects were a little far-fetched, but that’s par for the course for this genre and I readily accepted what was happening & the storyline so nothing detracted from my enjoyment of, and investment in, the story as it unfolded.
Descriptions of the setting for this book, both the castle and surrounding grounds, added to the whole experience of the book as it sounds absolutely wonderful, even in deep snow. The addition of the setting over the run up to and during Christmas, and a main character that would put Jamie Fraser in the shade, made this a really great read.
A fabulous festive read, perfect for Christmas and the winter season.

Cosy Christmas romance. A good read though Xanthe, Izzy’s mum was super annoying and this marred my enjoyment.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

A book in the author's romantic escape series, which I think is a fitting description. Throw in a little Christmas, and you have a cozy, eimple holiday read.

A lovely setting, a castle hotel getting ready for its first important guests at Christmas, and a bubbling-under romance you are never quite sure will happen. Plenty of warmth and humour, lots of snow, but some of the surprises are just a little too obvious and could be spotted a mile off. I enjoyed it though.

The Christmas Castle in Scotland by Julie Caplin

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Izzy McBride had never in a million years expected to inherit an actual castle from her great uncle Bill but here she was, in the run up to Christmas, Monarch of her own Glen – a very rundown glen in need of a lot of TLC if her dream of turning it into a boutique bed and breakfast was to come true.

But when Izzy’s eccentric mother rents a room to enigmatic thriller author Ross Adair and the Scottish snow starts to settle like the frosting on a Christmas cake, it’s a race to get the castle ready before they’re all snowed in for the holidays. 

My Opinion

In the run up to Christmas this has been a lovely festive book to read, I was enjoying it so much I wasn't ready for it to end. Julie Caplin has written this book with such lovely descriptions it was so easy to picture yourself in the Scottish Highlands. Anyone that has had a chaotic Christmas will be able to connect with this book as Izzy quickly finds herself inundated with extra guests for Christmas.

This is such a beautiful, festive book to read. If you need an escape from reality this festive season, curl up with this book - but make sure you have snacks on hand as there is a lot of talk of food.

Rating 4/5

I loved this book. I loved the main character. Loved the castle. Loved the romance. Loved all the food. Loved all the secondary characters. Has put me completely in the mood for Christmas now

I've loved all the books in this series, but for some reason this one not so much.

Izzy has recently returned from Ireland, where we met her in The Cosy Cottage in Ireland on a cookery course. This is a standalone book and you don't need to have read the previous book. She intends to use the skills she's learnt to do the cooking at the Castle she has just inherited.

Although it is Izzy who has inherited the castle in Scotland which she intends to turn into a hotel, it's her Mother who appears to be front of house. This causes a lot of confusion, not least that she is related to Izzy as she won't let her call her Mother. Izzy is also very slow to correct anyone that it is not her Mother than owns the castle.

There are many and varied supporting characters and I didn't really warm to any of them. The parts of the book I enjoyed were the descriptions of the food and getting the castle ready for the guests. The romance was a little light in this one and felt a little rushed at. There was also a bit of a mystery to be solved which I found annoying more than anything else. I was glad I kept reading as the last part of the book was probably the best.

If you are looking for a very light hearted Christmas read, then this one will be a good one to choose.

When Izzy inherits a castle, she intends to live there and take paying guests. Whilst she is away, her annoying mother starts accepting bookings. Will they be ready to offer their guests a stay that they deserve? An amazing setting with glowing Christmas cheer. I wanted the book to go on forever.

This book was relatively boring. The side characters were flat and I really didn’t feel invested in any of the sub plots. The romance was nonexistent and the hunt for the sapphires had me not really caring if they found them or not. Too much time was spent discussing the carters and like why can’t Izzy bill them seeing how Hattie should showed up. Would not recommend

I just loved this. It had all the elements that I feel make up a perfect romance book - Christmas. Scotland. Castle. Handsome Scottish Lead in a Kilt. Wit. Mystery. What more do I need to say? I'm a tough critic when it comes to romance novels - it's not my favorite genre, but throw in those elements and I'm usually happy. It was cute and funny and not overly saccharine. Good character development, including an eclectic group of side characters. Great setting. If you're a fan of quick and easy rom-coms, I recommend you give this one a try! I just ordered several others of Caplin's in this series (it's dubbed as a "series", but reading this, I had no idea and didn't feel anything was missing - I get the idea each book is more of a stand-alone).