New favorite audio series! Seriously the plotting of this mystery is fantastic. It draws you in and keeps you guessing. Add in wonderfully well-developed characters that make you want to be friends with them and you are set for hours of enjoyment. The narrator does an outstanding job of bringing the emotions, suspense and characters to life while helping you fall in love with this small Scottish town! Added bonus, set in Scotland so a wonderful backdrop for a well-crafted story! I absolutely can't wait for the next book in the series and in the meantime I am off to see if this author has written anything else as I can't believe that I am just now finding such a wonderfully talented writer!

2.5 stars rounded up to 3 because the narrator is great and can switch from with an American to a Scottish accent easily and beautifully.

Honestly, I found the plot quite dull and slow, the protagonist is vapid and throughout the book she basically never does what other people suggest for her own sake. It seems that something really interesting is about to happen but it never really does. There is a plot twist but I feel it's quite random, as if the story simply needed a culprit.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are mine and the review is voluntary. The mystery was well-paced and had twists and turns to keep you guessing. The characters were very likable and it is a nice beginning to a new series. I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 2 to come out!

I really enjoyed this story other than a small town had a fully equipped church/hospital/morgue/house/doctor office with all the fancy gadgets included as well as free food, clothes, and other shopping.

So. Other than that, the story was good. And that wasn’t even bad, some of it was cool to read. It was more annoying that everything was perfect for her.

I loved the narrator and accents. I loved the female friendship build up. I loved the grumpy Lors constable that started to fall for the doctor. I loved that the doctor wasn’t really ready to date. The mystery was one I didn’t figure out entirely.

4.8/5 stars

I received a digital audio book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for an immersive small, homey, Scottish town getaway filled with a twist or turn by the end of every chapter, this book is for you! I became quickly addicted to this audio book and found my self absolutely craving to get back to listening any chance that I got.

I’ve been to Scotland a few times recently in the past few months which really helped me to imagine this book to the fullest as a literal American in Scotland myself. I found it to be true that people in Scotland are some of the nicest I’ve ever met, so I totally felt like Connelly captured an authentic essence of an American Scotland experience overall. I absolutely loved the dynamic of every character in town and it felt really realistic and had me placing myself in the main characters shoes. I’d move there in a heartbeat - ya know, minus the murdering, constant threats, and feeling like you’re being watched/constantly on the edges of your seat!

The pacing of this book was perfect. I find that mysteries typically have a lull or slow build up but this story was perfectly plotted to keep you at the edge of your seat. I was constantly left wanting more and never wanted to press pause.
As for the audiobook itself, the narrator was amazing! Loved it!

This is the first book I’ve read by Lucy Connelly and now I instantly want to read more!

Emilia has given up her job in Seattle. It has way too many bad memories for her. So, she takes a leap of faith and moves to a very small town in Scotland. She is expecting an easy time of it and a slower pace. Then it all changes when she discovers a dead body and she falls right in the middle of a murder!

Now, this is not my usual genre. I am not a big fan of cozy mysteries. But, I wanted to listen to it because we have a trip to Scotland coming up and I wanted to get in the groove.

What I don’t necessarily like about cozy mysteries is that they are overly dramatic. And this one falls right into that category. But, this book is still pretty good! I am definitely going to look out for the next in the series. I loved Emilia, even if she was a bit stupid in some of her decision making skills. But Ewan, the Scottish Laird made up for that real quick!😜

The narrator, Kimberly M. Wetherell did a great job, especially with the Scottish accent. Sometimes that is a hit or miss.

Need a cozy mystery in a fabulous setting…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I love books set in Scotland and add a mystery and I am sold! I grabbed it without really know anything about it...lol. That can work sometimes and sometimes not, but lucky for me it worked!

Emilia needed a change and when she finds out she has Scottish ancestry she decides to take a job in a small town in Scotland as the local doctor, but she didn't read all the fine print. It's not long after she arrives that she find a dead body and learns that she is also the coroner and the big freezer in her home/doctor's office is the freezer for the bodies!

It turns out to be murder and she quickly finds out that the Laird, who owns her home/doctors office, is also the constable, among other things and he quickly gets on her nerves, she finds him rude. Though everyone in town loves him and she soon finds out he isn't as bad as first impressions.

Emilia decides since she is the coroner she will look into the death and finds out that the old man who died wasn't a nice guy and there could be just about anyone in the village who would want him dead. The more she tries to figure things out the more threats she gets on little slips of paper.

I really liked the setting of this one, it has a great cast of characters and a pretty decent mystery. Emilia is making friends, something she didn't have a lot of back home. Everyone in town seems pretty friendly with the exceptioin of a few. They treat Emilia real nice because they want her to stay as they need a doctor.

The narrator, Kimberly M. Wetherell, does a great job with this and uses a lot of different voices and they didn't sound cringy or anything.

If you enjoy historical mysteries I would recommend this one.

I enjoyed the premise and overall story however something lacked I could not pinpoint sadly. Likeable characters and setting, but fairly predictable in my opinion.

A good start to a new series. I would read the next novel to follow. Really enjoyed the Scottish setting for the story.

This book wasn't for me. I didn't like the main character. She is a doctor but really didn't act like one. I like the Scottish location and the people, it felt realistic. Overall, I lost my patience with the inept doctor.

I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for a honest review from netgalley.

I was surprised by this book. It was an interesting concept an American doctor moving to Scotland to take over a small town practice. I think the space and equipment she finds would be any doctors dream. I'm not sure how realistic it was and was sometimes confused by the added rooms in this old church. I did guess who the killer was by something they said early in the book but there were enough twists and turns and personal reveals and developments to keep me entertained. I will be reading the next in this series!

A well developed story about leaving everything you know behind and discovering your place in a different country.

I really enjoyed the plot of an American starting over in Scotland. It was interesting to see how the character adapted to her new surroundings and the challenges she faced. The Scottish setting was also a highlight for me - I loved the descriptions of the landscape and the way of life. The characters were well-developed and likable, and I found myself invested in their stories. Overall, the novel had a cozy feel to it that was very enjoyable.

Unfortunately, there were a few things that didn't work for me. I wasn't a fan of the narrator's voices - they were a bit too nasally and overdone for my taste. Additionally, I found the story to be a little too long and drawn out at times, which made it hard to stay engaged. Finally, the plot was fairly predictable, which took away some of the excitement of the story.

Despite these issues, I still had a fun time listening to An American in Scotland. It's definitely a book I would recommend to anyone looking for a cozy, light read. While it's not without its flaws, I would be interested in reading the next book in the series to see where the story goes next.

An American In Scotland is the start to a new cozy mystery series - The Scottish Isle mysteries, centering on American ER doctor Emilia McRoy who is relocating to the land of her ancestors after a terrible personal tragedy makes life in a Seattle ER unbearable for her. She becomes a village doctor and only medical personnel on a Scottish island which automatically makes her the coroner. Even if life follows a completely different rhythm here than at an American hospital work suddenly follows her around with everybody knowing about the new doctor having arrived and this wouldn’t be a cozy mystery if she wouldn’t additionally stumble over a dead body. But this is just part of the story additionally she establishes ties in the neighborhood with a new best friend, a girl’s night and a potential love interest and as much as the crime was well plotted and the investigation fun to follow it was also seeing the main character picking herself up and putting down tentative new roots that made this book so enjoyable. This was a fun listen and the Sea Isle community sounded fabulous another book that almost has me ready to pack things up and move to a small town in the middle of nowhere - maybe they need my expertise as well !

4.5 stars

Pro:
* Quaint, idyllic setting
* Great cast of characters
* Audio narrator does character designations and accents well.
* The MC has a good angle to investigate, making the book a unique combo of amateur sleuth and police procedural.
* Excellent start to a new series

Con:
* Blackmail is overdone in cozies.
* The main character’s backstory is a bit overmuch.
* Audio narrator (Wetherell) becomes nasal and whispery when not doing character dialogue.

Thank you to Lucy Connelly, Kimberly M. Wetherell, Crooked Lane Books, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

GREAT. GOOGLY. MOOGLY.

IF you follow my reviews [all 3? 4? of you], or you are my Mom or my bestie, you know that I have not had the best experience with new cozy series as of late. There have been so many awful [for me] reads as of late that I will admit that when I remembered that I had this book to read, I almost cried, and then I almost bailed without even trying it [when you have been burned by so many new series' as I have, you'd feel the same; I mean, IYKYK absolutely applies here]. NEVER have I been so glad that I chose to give it a chance.

Y'all, THIS WAS FREAKING AMAZING. I don't think I was even 5% in and I was going to my group messages and telling my bookish friends that they NEEDED to be reading this, and then talked about it almost continually to my Mom [who is no longer reading] the whole time I was reading it [I couldn't talk about it to the bookish friends because I TOTALLY want them to read and experience this]. Even when I knew who the killer was [at 60%; I knew the why about 70%], it absolutely DID NOT TAKE AWAY FROM THE BOOK. And that reveal....HOLY FREAKING COW. I don't think my heart has beat that fast in ages. ;-)

Emilia is a really great MC that just grows as the book goes on [again, IYKYK]; I love that she is older, an established Doctor, and has lived life, not always for the best and is so open to living a new life in Scotland [and as you read about this town, WHO WOULDN'T? I want a Pig & Whistle and a Chippy and I WANT. IT. NOW. ;-) ] I am not really going to go into the story, because truly, this is one of the books that you need to go unto blind. Everything needs to unfold as it unfolds and you need to experience it with absolutely no preconceived notions. You will thank me later for this. Trust me.
[As a side note, I can only hope there are MANY more books to come - M A N Y. I am officially in love with Sea Isle and all its inhabitants]

Now, go find this and read it. Yes, right now. Go on. I'll be waiting here when you are done and need to talk about it. And you're welcome.

**I was thankful to receive the audiobook ARC of this and boy-howdy this was a really great audiobook. I think much of my enjoyment of the book came from the amazing way the narrator read this book [rarely have I loved someone who does accents/voices as much as this narrator - she is 100% spot on and never did I feel her voices were forced or unbelievable]. SO. WELL. DONE. I will be looking for more books read by her in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Connelly, Kimberly M. Wetherell - Narrator, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media for providing both the book ARC and the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic start to a new series! I love stories of Americans moving abroad for a fresh start and this one did not disappoint. I enjoyed getting to know Em and her new Scottish friends as well as learning more about the town and Scotland as a whole. The mystery was well-paced and had twists and turns to keep you guessing. I figured out who the murderer was early on but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. This was such a fun read and I can’t wait to see what they get up to next.

Bonus points for the narrator; this was so well done, especially switching between accents. I could listen to “lovey dovey” in that accent all day long.

I love love loved the first book in the series! I listed to it on audio, which made it even better. The accents were amazing and the narrator was excellent, with just the right amount of enthusiasm. I did have to wonder if Emilia sounded as snippy at times in the book as she did in the audio.

Dr. Emilia McRoy has taken a job on Sea Isle in Scotland. Her early childhood is foggy, but she has traced some of her heritage to the area, and feels that it is the perfect option after burning out from years of working as an ER doc. She takes the job (without reading ALL of the fine print) and ends up on a gorgeous island, full of fun and engaging characters. I immediatly felt drawn to the characters in the book, and I wanted to know more about them.

Emilia stumbles across the dead body of one of the most disliked men on the island. She is convinced that the man was murdered, but the local most-eligible Constable, Ewan Campbell thinks otherwise. One of the job duties assigned to the island doctor (there's that fine print!) is to act as the coroner as well. Emilia likens the job to working in the ER, trying to find the cause of the ailment and checking marking off all those who don't quite fit. She gets to know the locals and immediately develops friendships. I enjoyed reading this part, because it really seems like she didn't have many connections in her old life in the States. She did have a husband who passed away.

Someone is trying to scare Emilia away by sending threatening letters and breaking in to her house in the middle of the night. I really enjoyed this book. I can't wait to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This one's one me. I know I don't like cozies, but I got sucked in, because Scotland. Don't get sucked in. Wow, a white American with Scottish roots moves to Scotland! So exotic! A murder occurs. She tries to solve it. She chooses the wrong man after already choosing the wrong man. I won't get into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

This is exactly my kind of murder mystery. Light on the thrills, but big on the clues! If you are like me and can’t handle “scary” this is for you!!

I will say though, if an American read this book I’m sure they wouldn’t have noticed. But when the storm was about to hit, and they all started talking temperatures… totally kicked me out of the story. Maybe Am would think “the temp dropped 40 degrees…” but none of the Scot’s would. Metic and imperial are vastly different and this was definitely glazed over. Any time anyone mentioned the temp I had to tell myself to not even convert because it’s fine and doesn’t really matter.

I also wish there was a bit more leaning in to the potential romance between the Dr. and the Laird.

5 stars because I did truly enjoy the story!