The Highland Lodge Getaway by Julie Shackman

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Lottie Grant loves the festive season so much that she works at the incredibly successful Christmas shop, Christmas Crackers, in her pretty Scottish home town of Craig Brae. But when the shop is sold, her world is turned upside down, leaving her wondering what she will do next.

Just as she’s about to give up hope on finding a new dream job, an offer comes that she can’t refuse, managing a set of luxury wooden cabins… and opening just in time for Christmas!

As she gets to work decorating the cabins, and hanging lights on the fir trees, Lottie can’t believe her luck. That is until the arrival of Blake Dempster, a moody but handsome hiking expert, who threatens to bring down her festive joy. But never one to shy away from a challenge, Lottie is determined to change Blake’s mind about all things festive.

And as the snow falls and the fairy lights sparkle, will work-obsessed Lottie and frozen-hearted Blake make their Christmas wishes come true?

My Opinion

This was a sweet read which shows that even though things don't always turn out as planned, there is always the opportunity for success. The main character Lottie loves Christmas so of course this book is highly festive. With a heart-warming plot this will make for a great addition to your festive reading list this holiday season.

I read more than half of this book in one sitting, I just kept turning the page unaware of how much I had read as I was hooked. I thought that this was on the slow side but the interesting plot did make up for it. I have read a few of the books in this series, but not all of them so I know that this can be read as a standalone.


Can we just take a moment to admire this beautiful cover?

Lottie is living her best life as the manager of the all year round Christmas store, Christmas Crackers. She's been able to use her interior design degree to make the store nationally known with her marketing and decorating ideas. But then tragedy strikes when the store family learns the landlord has expired their lease and will turn it over to a restaurant. Lottie is at a loss for what to do...but then the perfect opportunity lands in her lap. She will turn some woodland cabins into havens for guests and tourists to enjoy all year round. Of course there are some bumps and scrooges in the road, but Lottie is determined to not let her festive attitude be swayed!

This is a very cute and fun read to explore the Scotland village life and experience the joy of Christmas all year long. The characters are loveable and there are some humorous takes. This is the perfect book to get you into the Christmas spirit and to fall in love with the wintry backdrop of Scotland.

Thank you Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this really festive story. It was so sweet and the descriptions of the mountains and the snow made me want to dash up to Scotland and stay in one of those gorgeous lodges. Although this is number 5 in the series it can be read as a stand alone. Will read more by this author. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The Highland Lodge Getaway is bursting with Christmas magic that is sure to warm your heart.

Well, this book is an absolute delight. I read it almost in one sitting (who needs sleep anyway). Julie's writing continues to delight and charm me, and I just find myself falling more and more in love with her stories. The Highland Lodge Getaway is filled with Christmas cheer, romance, and so much heart. There is something so wonderful and soothing about Julie's writing. She is a master at telling a heartfelt story (think Hallmark-ish) with a lot of depth and sometimes a good old-fashioned mystery. In The Highland Lodge Getaway, the mystery part is more geared around the mystery of Blake's past, which I loved. Y'all know I am a big fan of small-town, grumpy sunshine romances, so this book just ticked off all those things that make a great story for me. I loved being in Craig Brae and seeing all their Christmas traditions. It just warmed my heart.

The story has a slower start; we are introduced to Lottie, who is excited to become the new owner of Christmas Crackers, but of course, her dreams of owning her own business are dashed when the landlord won't renew Christmas Crackers' lease. Feeling lost, Lottie doesn't know what her next steps are. On top of losing her business, she still deals with the grief of losing her dad. When a mysterious couple offers her a job to decorate their new rental cottages for Christmas, Lottie knows this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At the beginning of the story, Lottie is unsure of herself. She is afraid she is going to screw up this new job opportunity. Watching Lottie grow confident and show off her talents to the world was delightful. Her passion for Christmas and decorating just leaps from the pages. I always love watching a character in their element. Lottie's character comes to life when she is setting out her vision for the rental cottages. I also loved listening to her talk about Christmas and why it is so important to her.

We don't meet Blake until about a quarter through the book. And let me tell you, he is one prickly and grumpy man. Lottie and Blake find themselves working together at the new cottage rental place. To say they get off on the wrong foot would be an understatement. Blake's dislike for the Christmas season causes him to lash out at Lottie, and he tries to undermine her décor ideas. The sparring that happens between these two is a bit addictive to watch. Lottie and Blake clash for the first half of the book. I devoured the tension that existed between these two. And then, ever so slowly, Blake started to become less and less prickly towards Lottie. Boy, when that man starts to show his softer side to Lottie, it had my heart pitter-pattering. Lottie and Blake's story just had this wonderful, warm, slow-burn feel to it. Don't be fooled; there are some hurdles that they have to overcome, mainly Blake's unwillingness to talk about his past.

The Christmas Highland Lodge Getaway is a satisfying and fun romance and a perfect read for a wintery night.

Thank you, Rachel Random Resources and HarperCollins UK for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

🏞Grump and sunshine meet over the tinsel of a new project🎄

4.5🌟 stars
This Christmas-themed romance, with all the holiday decorating and seasonal trappings and events I could hope for, was a fun trip to an adorable setting with a sunny versus grumpy romance. Winter in the rural Scottish Highlands was a winner to start and the romance combined with the heroine's personal growth to make for a very positive, low-drama read with a really lovely epilogue HEA.

Blake Dempster, the mountaineer grump who is new to the area, has secrets and a history that only gets pried out of him when he gets an unexpected visitor. In the meantime, he rails against all the glitter and good cheer (and even tries his hand at sabotaging Lottie Grant, local lass who's had the joy of the season drummed into her by her sadly departed, Christmas-loving father).

Lottie is first shattered by broken dreams and then inspired by a new, unexpected opportunity to test her interior design credentials. I loved her hard-working, can-do attitude, her constant forward thinking and her love for her community. Imagine: donning a garish elf costume to keep the kiddies happy!

A good hot-chocolate-in-hand, cozy-up holiday tale with plenty of sweet stirrings of longing and attraction not to be denied. No steamy stuff but, in my opinion, it hit the romantic mark.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Publication date: October 20, 2023

The Christmas Highland Lodge is a grumpy/sunshine holiday romance story set in a small Scottish village. This is my first book by Julie Shackman but I would certainly add her other books to my TBR.

Lottie Grant is Christmas crazy. She loves Christmas, the holiday season and all things tinsel. She even manages the local boutique shop called Christmas Crackers that sells Christmas products all through the year.

Lottie is set to purchase the store from the owner who will be retiring and moving to the States with her new fiancé. After waiting so long for the day to take over, Lottie is delivered the bad news that the landlord is selling the building and she won’t be able to take over.

Lottie is offered a chance at a new job that will allow her to bring her flair for Christmas and her interior design degree to use.

Blake Dempster is the grumpy anti-Christmas owner of the hiking tour business that Lottie needs to partner with on her new job. They don’t hit it off during their first meeting and then it seems to spiral from there.

Doing their best to avoid each other, they can’t quite seem to stay away. As they spend more time together, Lottie senses there is more to Blake’s dislike for
Christmas than he lets on.

I enjoyed Lottie and Blake’s story. I think there were a few draggy parts that could have been avoided but this is a 3.5 star read for me. This is a cute, closed door romance great for a light holiday read.

#NetGalley #julieshackman #thechristmashighlandlodge

A lovely festive romance! A gorgeous setting, a lover of all things Christmas and a brooding, grumpy male lead - perfect recipe!

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you want a Christmassy read, then look no further. It has more Christmas than Christmas itself! Lottie is Christmas obsessed, she lives and breathes Christmas even working in a Christmas shop with her mum. She’s due to buy the business from the owner but this all falls through at the last minute and she finds herself looking for work.

The Styleses come into the shop and headhunt her to turn their failing before its started lodge business into a success, the same as she did for Christmas Crackers. Soon after taking the job, she meets Blake, the rambling misery who she takes an instant dislike to.

There’s so much of everything in this book besides Christmas, hard work and determination, love and heartbreak, fun and laughter. And Christmas of course. As usual, Julie’s writing is so easy to read - telling the story in such a way that you breeze through it in no time and finish before you realise. I’ve read a few now by Julie and will read more I’m sure.

A thoroughly enjoyable festive read that was filled with pure joy, love and Christmas spirit. I loved the characters, the community and just a wonderful story

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Charming, it has all the festive feel-good factor!
This is the fifth book in the Scottish Escapes series, I haven't read all of the previous books, which I will remedy once my toppling tbr is less likely to bury me alive LOL! But I think you can easily read these books as standalones.
There is so much about this that I love; I adore the Christmas-loving Lottie matched up with the Christmas grump Blake - which leads to lots of very amusing moments,
I have a real love for Christmas books I may be a bit of a Christmas grump myself but I love falling into a festive love story and this is perfect. The story is so heartwarming and will keep the reader turning the pages wondering what will happen between Lottie and Blake, wondering if she can thaw the Christmas grump.
Overall, a wonderful story, a very quick and easy read which will leave you feeling snug and cosy.

I would firstly just like to say a big thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources who very kindle forwarded me an arc copy of this book, for my kindle, in return for my honest review.

This book is actually book number five from the ‘Scottish escapes’ series.

I loved this book right from the start as it contained the perfect combination of wonderful characters, a gorgeous setting, some funny moments and a heartwarming storyline too.

I really do love an enemies to lovers trope and this one was no exception, i really enjoyed becoming immersed in the story and couldn’t read it fast enough!

Each chapter pulled me in and i found myself devouring it very quickly!

The Highland Lodge Getaway was such a lovely, Christmassy story - which I thought was perfect - and i absolutely loved everything about it…….

This is a lovely, cosy, and heartwarming festive book. Lottie loves Christmas, Blake does not and working together causes some amusing and poignant scenes. The setting is idyllic, and the reader can invest in the gradual relationship development. I like the festive environment and the engaging characters.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

A great Christmas read that will make you smile.

Lottie works at a Christmas store and is planning to take it over when her boss retires, but it all goes wrong when the lease of the building is not renewed. Luckily a customer has a proposal for her and she looks forward to the change.

It’s a great Christmas story which brings families together. It’s uplifted and a lovely romantic read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

Julie Shackman returns with another Scottish story, this time set at Christmas-time. It was great, indulgent read with likeable characters, a warm setting and some humour in there as well. A perfect combination!

Lottie personifies Christmas. Well, she has to, considering she works in a Christmas shop. (Note: how this works all year round, I couldn’t quite figure out, but we can just roll with it.) Yet, getting notice that this love of hers and future business ownership is being closed down, Lottie is lost at sea. The Christmas shop is her heart and soul and Lottie has put everything in it to keep it relevant throughout the year. Having to find a new job is no fun for anyone, and in December this is just as hard. But, a surprise job opportunity sees Lottie using her background qualifications and combining them with her love for the festive season. It’s a dream come true.

Except for the fly in the ointment: hew new colleague, Blake. He is Scrooge on legs and wants to make Lottie’s life difficult from their very first meeting. Opposing all her new ideas, Blake seems to take pleasure in Lottie’s misery… and seems to want to bring the season of goodwill down with him as well. I loved the sparring that happens between the two characters, especially when it escalates to a bit of “revenge” as well. Although it is clear how Blake and Lottie’s relationship will progress in the story, I really enjoyed seeing them start as being worst enemies.

There is more to Blake than Lottie realises and she is only aware of a little bit of his past. Unlike Blake, Lottie wears her heart on her sleeve and I loved her honesty and kindness. Even when Blake is at his worst, Lottie does try to understand what is driving his negative feelings and I think this helps to trigger a more positive relationship between the couple.

The novel progresses full of Christmas cheer, Christmas market and plenty of Christmas food! Not to mention the gorgeous decorations which had me yearning to try and visit the decadent lodges that Lottie is helping to design. Shackman pulls together all the great things about this time of year, neatly packaging them into this book for everyone to enjoy. Furthermore, the Christmas song references that are dotted throughout were great as well, having me inadvertently singing them around the house – even when it is not yet Halloween!

There was nothing I disliked about this story and Shackman has written the perfect Christmas novel. There is escapism, love and decorations galore and I enjoyed watching how Blake and Lottie come together. It was really enjoyable from start to finish.

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.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed reading this book.

Lottie has always loved Christmas. But when she finds out that the shop she has run very well, and was hoping to buy it, is closing down, she’s upset as then she’ll be out of work.

She’s made a job offer by two people who would line her to take charge of some luxury cabins, and get them decorated in time for Christmas.

The setting of the story with a lovely ambience , puts you into the Christmas mood.

Whilst she’s starting to organise the cabins, Lottie meets Blake, he is a well known expert in hiking. He’s not a happy person when they first meet, but then they soon spend time in getting to know each other better.

I recommend this book.

Beautiful book, loved every page and didn’t want it to finish. If you’re a Christmas book fan it’s a must read. Cosy, warm, hot chocolate type of story. What more can anyone wish for, of course a bit of romance thrown in. Keep writing!

An enjoyable Christmas read that was filled with festive moments within a lovely friendly community.
Lottie is a very likeable character and I was willing her on with her endeavours.
It was an interesting clash of characters between her and Blake, sparks did happen but not always in a positive way to start with!
It was brilliant to watch Lottie achieve her potential and to find a new way to celebrate all things Christmas in her career.

This was a nice story that starts out with Lottie and Blake as enemies. Lottie is all about Christmas and Blake wants nothing to do with it.
It’s set in another lovely location. It’s a nice sweet romance with a bit of a sad side story. I enjoyed it and would love to stay in one of the cabins.

My first Christmas-themed book of the year and it didn't disappoint!

Lottie lives in Scotland and she LIVES for Christmas. When she gets the news that her job at the local Christmas store is ending soon, she doesn't know what to do with herself. But when two new business owners approach her with the idea of creating luxury holiday lodges nearby, Lottie jumps at the chance. Even if it means working with grumpy rambler Blake, who is opposed to anything festive. Will they be able to work together without biting each other's head off? Of will there be a spark driving the two together?

As always I went into this book blind long after requesting the title (I love not knowing exactly what happens, even though it sometimes also frustrates me). I loved the setting, with picturesque villages in Scotland, a Christmas store that just screams glitter and the cottages set in the woods. Oh just take me there already!
The writing style was comfortable and really brings you in.

The characters I couldn't really connect with, for some reason. Lottie I liked fine enough. Sure, she was a little naive sometimes, but she had a drive and really wanted to make this new job happen. Blake I just found to be plain rude, but that of course plays right into the enemies-to-lovers trope. I also found the romance to be a bit lacking for what I was expecting, but I can't quite put into words what I would've liked to see...

All together it's a fabulous read for anyone who loves enemies-to-lovers and the holidays!

This was just what I needed, cosy Christmas read, with lots of mixed emotions and of course, a happy ending!

Sometimes you just need a feel good book like this. Add it to your Xmas read list!

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