A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

A gorgeous romantic escape perfect for Phillipa Ashley and Sarah Morgan fans, The Cottage in the Highlands is a delightful wintry treat from Julie Shackman.

Leonie Baxter is single, unemployed and desperate. With her future in jeopardy, the journalist needs a plan fast in order to turn her life around. When she goes for a spontaneous walk with her rescue puppy, Leonie stumbles upon a beautiful house in the woods which seems to have all the amenities and is fully furnished but is unoccupied. Sensing that there is a story just waiting to be told, Leonie begins to do some snooping and investigating to find out the truth about this house.

Lily Cruickshank, who lives in the cottage next door to the house, is determined to thwart all of Leonie’s plans and refuses to answer any of her questions. Why is Lily so reluctant to help Leonie? What is her connection to the house? And what about the enigmatic Flynn Talbot, whose letter Leonie found inside the house? Leonie will not let any of these setbacks hold her back as it is only by uncovering the secrets of this abandoned house that she will find the strength and courage to open up her own heart and let love back into her life.

Julie Shackman continues to prove to be a rising star in the field of contemporary women’s fiction with The Cottage in the Highlands. An emotionally satisfying and wonderfully feel-good tale about second chances, fresh starts, new beginnings and healing from old wounds set in a gorgeous part of the world, The Cottage in the Highlands effortlessly tugs at the heartstrings, tickles the funny bone and will have readers wiping away a tear or two on more than one occassion.

An uplifting page-turner readers will struggle to put down, Julie Shackman’s The Cottage in the Highlands is not to be missed.

This is my second book I’ve read by Julie Shackman and it did not disappoint! The idyllic setting makes for a cozy, quick read to snuggle up with and I completely devoured it! I’ll definitely be reading more from Julie!

Thank you One More Chapter for the advanced copy of this book!

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

This was a light, quick paced read that is more mystery than romance. That was nice for a change of pace. I liked the characters
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I dnf'd the book at 20% honestly our main character felt like she was entitled to everything and also was a little dumb. It is classified as a romance but read more as a mystery and even a 1/5 in we don't have the love interest introduced which just shows the love is going to be rushed. Even with the mystery I didn't really get what the mystery was like okay so theres an old house no one has lived in for a while like thats uncommon? Also for a book with highlands in the title I expected more of the writing to be centered in the highlands or our main character is moving / visiting the highlands for some reason but no its just that she lives there. Nothing felt particularly scottish about this book.

Another stand-alone read by Shackman in the Highlands series, this book was again quite different from the rest. This novel was more like a cosy mystery with a subtle hint of romance, and I really appreciated how unique it was to my other Shackman reads.

On the other hand, I thought that Shackman could have done more to develop the Scottish setting. For the majority of the book, it could have been set anywhere because there were few definitive references to the Highlands. In previous books, there are some memorable descriptions of the rolling hills, the lakes and, well, the typical weather. But here, despite an abandoned cottage in the forest, there doesn’t seem to be much of Scotland, apart from the odd place name and twisting country road. This was a bit of a disappointment when reading this book because I thought it helped this series stand out from similar stories.

Yet, I still really liked this read because it wasn’t just a girl-meets-boy read. Instead, there are several mysteries that the reader is exploring. From the story behind Merry Cottage to the street artist, Chandler, we also follow protagonist, Leonie, who is in the midst of a job change. There’s a lot of things unsettled in this story and this helped me get swept away with trying to find the answers and, in Leonie’s case, a little bit of happiness.

Leonie’s employment situation sounded horrendous. Her new boss, Athena, is a right dragon and I always cheered when Leonie found it in herself to stand up to Athena’s dictatorial ways. Although Leonie has landed in a new role that is the antithesis of who she is, I admired her determination to make this new opportunity a success – even though it frequently led to her locking horns with her boss. I could not see how this part of the plot would unfold and was intrigued to see whether this would end in a happy new job, or Leonie chucking in the towel and being self-employed.

Meeting Lily Cruickshank, I loved Shackman’s characterisation here. She vividly portrays a grumpy, stubborn lady who has clearly lived independently for a very long time. Her bond with Leonie felt like a new start for Lily; but her reluctance to reveal more about her connection to the nearby abandoned cottage gets Leonie’s ‘spidey senses’ tingling. This added another element to the story and I enjoyed watching how seemingly different parts of the plot gradually became connected.

Merry Cottage sounded so atmospheric and I could totally understand why Leonie felt drawn to it. This was a magical aspect to the story and I think I would have liked to explore more of the premises. It becomes the lynchpin of the plot and I thought this was missing slightly from the book: I wanted to see more of the run-down, sad-looking home – more than what the models see – and found myself urging Leonie to be a bit nosier to satisfy my curiosity. Based on how the gardens were described, I’m sure little Harley, Leonie’s dog, could have taken readers around like an estate agent!

This was a sweet, calming read and I enjoyed that romance was not the forefront of the story. I have to warn readers, it did occur in the lead-up to Christmas, which was completely surprising, but I kind of glossed over this in the end because I enjoyed the plot so much. Therefore, I think this could be read in autumn or winter because of the cosy setting and the warmth that comes from (most of) the characters.

With thanks to One More Chapter, Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked The Cottage in the Highlands! I had never read a book by Julie Shackman before but now I need to go back and read the rest of the Scottish Escape series! Part romance, part mystery I couldn't put this book down!

The cottage in the highlands - Julie Shackman

A lovely feel good read with a great setting (who doesn't like a book set in Scotland - especially the highlands!) and likable characters with plenty of depth to them. The story line really keeps you hooked throughout, and felt perfectly paced, a really nice book to escape into. Many thanks Harper Collins UK & One More Chapter for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an enjoyable read which I am sure, draws on the author's experience as a journalist. Leonie is a likeable character who is self-motivated and keen to further her career in investigative journalism. Her ambition however does not rule her and her kind nature and trustworthiness shines through. This is a story with several strands. Alongside Leonie's investigations, runs a mystery connected with an old house and an enduring love story. It makes for an interesting read.

You also see contrasting family dynamics and below the surface, some shocking and serious issues. It all makes for a story with plenty of appeal. I also enjoyed Leonie's colleagues who were at times amusingly drawn. The Scottish setting is incorporated into the story, both the city of Glasgow and on the coast at Silver Ness, which Leonie loves so much. You certainly feel that it is a place which keeps her grounded.

In short: a winter's tale of mystery and romance

Plot: Leonie has lost her boyfriend and almost lost her job. On a walk in the woods with her beloved puppy, Harley she stumbles across a cottage that looks like its been abandoned despite being fully furnished. Being a reporter she is determined to find out what happened.

Review: I found this book enjoyable and a relaxing read. I did find that it address quite a sensitive subject. I also found the characters to be very heartfelt and genuine. I would definitely recommend it.

Leonie is a reporter for a small town paper in Scotland and learns that it is being merged with another paper and as a result she is losing her job. Soon after receiving this news, she was walking her dog and he ran off. While searching for him she comes across an overgrown big house that looks like a time capsule through the windows. Solving the mystery of the house, finding a new job, and possible romance makes for a fun read.

I received a free copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

Overall a really lovely story, subtle hints here and there to the may layers of things happening past, present and a possible future. I really liked the characters and the layers of story and bit of mystery too.

For me it was a slower read, while I liked the story line and characters it took me a while to get through the book. Leonie is smart and even in the face of unfortunate events does not give up her morals or determination, and I loved that.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter for granting me an ARC for my opinion.

Leonie has unfortunately been made redundant at her job as a journalist, she spots an advert for an investigative journalist with a glossy womens magazine.so applies for it. Unfortunately the job she is offered is for a beauty reporter. As jobs are thin on the ground she decides to accept even though beauty isn't exactly her thing.
As she tries to settle into her job events start unfolding when she discovers a house in the woods and her journalistic instincts kick in, and a tale of love and loss unfolds
Loved it, didn't want to put it down

Leonie’s life has just turned upside down. She has just been made redundant from her job at the newspaper and her relationship is over.

While out with her rescue puppy, she comes across an unoccupied house in the woods. But strangely the house seems frozen in time with presents still left on the table and the furniture untouched. Her journalistic nature needs to find out more but no one is willing to help, but that won't stop her digging and getting to the bottom of the story.

This was a great story full of intrigue and mystery.

A light easy read enjoyed loved the setting the characters and the story a great way to lose yourself on a winters evening

I do love a book set in Scotland and if it’s the Highlands then even better, so I was excited to jump into another fabulous story by Julie Shackman and couldn’t wait to get some time alone with my feet up.

As always with Julie’s books it’s a lovely, feel good book with lots of humour along the ride, she still amidst the fun manages to touch on difficult issues and handle them with care and sensitivity, it’s such a wonderful talent she has.

Her characters are so relatable, so well-written they are full of so much personality that you’ll even fall in love with the pets. The Cottage in the Highlands” is an adorable, feel-good mystery with plenty of romance for good measure, one that will keep you happy on a cold night tucked up indoors.

Thanks to Julie Shackman and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to enjoy and take part in the blog tour for this gorgeous story. For full disclosure I was given a free ebook in return for a voluntary and honest review, all opinions are my own and freely given.

Such an amazing book delivering falling in love, a true love story lasting for years, revealing the mystery of a beautiful but abandoned house "Merry Wood" and uncovering a famous yet unknown street artist´s name.I loved the main character Leonie. She was brave, bold, and amazing going after what she wanted and doing her investigative reporter job. Although landing a job as a beauty writer with the popular women´s magazine "Goddess", her investigative nature can´t rest. I loved the whole scenery, almost all the characters as well as the wonderful twist.

What a pleasure it was to read this wonderful story. It has the real WOW factor and that really is the best word I can say. Highly recommend this and give it 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

“Live for today and let tomorrow take care of itself”

This adorable novel had me wondering “so is she moving in this picture-sque cottage.

Leonine is a journalist who has a passion for what she does. Isn’t that what life is about? Finding a good few hobbies and activities and DOING them. However, the local newspaper is shutting down so she is devastated. After applying for a job she doesn’t expect to get. She kind-of gets it. Anyway, she went from one field to the completely opposite.

When walking her dog in the local Forrest she discovers a beautiful and abandoned cottage which leads to love, anger, truth telling, and a lot of the past brought up for some.

I really enjoyed her down-to-earth character in finding out the truth and trying to help others that were deceived. I will not say too much about it but I will say this: this novel easily captured and held my attention throughout. The chapter lengths was not too short or long (AKA perfect). This was indeed a unique story about friendship, love and a bit of mystery.

I am so happy to have received this in exchange for an honest review. Definitely recommend this one.