3 Stars
One Liner: Read it as a drama

Bailey McArthur moved to Heather Moore for a fresh start. As someone who always loved flowers, she opened a florist shop, Flower Power, and was getting her life back on track.
The arrival of Zach Stern, a journalist, threatens her newfound freedom. When Zach wouldn’t stop asking about Eric, the famous celebrity hiding in the town, Bailey is afraid if her secrets would tumble out. Her growing feelings for Zach complicated things.
Can Bailey sort the mess and find happiness?
The story comes in Bailey’s first-person POV.

My Thoughts:
Firstly, this is not romance. It has a lot of drama too, so we’ll call it contemporary fiction.
The start is quite good. I enjoyed the descriptions of the flower shop and the picturesque small town in winter.
As the story progressed, I realized this would not be romance. There isn’t enough connection between the main characters. Insta-love trope but sadly it’s not well done. I was still wondering how they could develop such deep feelings for each other.
There’s a lot of side drama involving Bailey’s family. The celebrity, Eric, is also hit with drama and scandals from all sides. Naturally, Bailey, with her helpful attitude, is at the center of it. Things spiral out of control in the second half.
Fortunately, I liked the bond between Bailey and Marcus (her brother). His arc was quite believable. In fact, I empathized more with him than the main characters.
Bailey’s character is decent if a bit silly over Zach. I like she made some great points about starting over, the role of media in sharing gossip at the cost of privacy, the right to become a better person after making mistakes, etc.
Zach’s character is so surface level, he was hardly anything more than great eyes and hair with commendable ethics. If the side drama was limited one topic, there would have been enough space for the MMC to grow and the romance to feel like something.
As expected of the genre, everything gets sorted at the end. There’s an epilogue too. The saving grace for me was the pacing. I could read this in a couple of days.
To summarize, A Scottish Highland Hideaway has a solid premise but messes it up by bringing too much drama and turns it into a soap opera. It might work better if you go with the right expectations. (It is a proper standalone.)
Thank you, NetGalley and One More Chapter (Harper Collins), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
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Links will be updated after the blog tour.

A fab and fun autumnal read. Set in the picturesque Heather Moore in the Scottish Highlands.

Bailey is starting over and finding her feet again after being left at the alter. She is a talented florist and learns she can make it on her own.

She meets the handsome Zach Stern but she can’t reveal her new actor friends secret hideaway so she sends Zach on a few wild goose chases.

There’s lots of interesting things going on and various sub plots weaving between her past and present.

I devoured this book in a day and loved every word!

Julie shackman does it again....another page turner that you can't put down because you just have to read a bit more......and so it continues till you realise you've read her book in a day!! This is a story of finding yourself and where you belong and learning to trust yourselves and others again. All set in a beautiful setting which I hope is real somewhere and I want to visit.

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

I’ve read most, if not all, of this series and didn’t think there was any more secrets to be hidden in the Highlands, but this one threw that right out the window!

Nearly everyone we meet has a secret of some sort - identity, work, family - you name it. And they all seem to have made their way to Heather Moore, a tiny town in Scotland. I really enjoyed the twists and trying to work out if anyone was safe from Zack, the nosy journalist who turns up asking question after question. He was an odd character to begin with, and changed my view of him a few times throughout. I loved Bailey, but she did seem a bit over-cautious at times and at others, she just dived right in!

A really cute, cosy story with love, laughs and twists galore. More secrets you can imagine too, but all worth keeping.

First I want to say I adored A Scottish Highland Hideaway by Julie Shackman and felt it was a solid well composed story from start to finish. It is set within a beautiful Highland location and contains a plot that flows appropriately within its time frame. The lead characters are warm, winsome and their dilemmas authentic to their society and professional positions. It held my attention completely and I read it straight through with hardly a break. I was caught up in the lives of Bailey and her friends and family. And kept a keen eye on her enemies! I truly felt uplifted by the end of the novel with its happy feel-good romance outcome.

There are always lots of wonderful elements in Julie’s romance mystery novels such as witty humour and playful banter. But underneath there are subtle serious messages. Often they are about unacceptable human behaviour and its consequences. Plus, its effects on the victims. In this case, it is about a famous girl who has been robbed by a con man (from a band) and left at the altar. He played her, took her money and run. She is devastated at being deceived and humiliated and now has trust issues. She comes from a high society family: her parents are an Earl and Countess and they live in a mansion that would ‘make Downton Abbey look like a semi-detached’. She is Lady Anastasia but has been nicknamed by the tabloids as ‘the Bollinger Babe’ – a party girl, always carrying around a bottle of Bollinger wine.

But after the con man, Declan, rips her off and the news is far spread in the media, she tries desperately to distance herself from that world and lifestyle. To forget the shambles of her past, she escapes to the Scottish town of Heather Moore, sets up a florist business, creates a new identity as Bailey McArthur, owner of Flower Power and turns over a new leaf. She wants to prove she can make a go of it without the help of her title. She wants rebuild her self-worth; to make sound choices and carve out a living that she can be proud of and feel good about. Bailey’s business has not been running long but it’s doing well. It seems she has a real talent in flower arranging, which is reflected in her happy repeat customers.

One day, Ezra, a famous actor enters her shop. He has recently moved into the area, bought a grand old place and restored it. He loves flowers and now wants a florist to supply a variety to his home on a regular basis and to adorn a special event. It is soon clear, he is also running away from something or someone. In fact, it is a scandal. We get hints of this from a journalist who has been digging around. It seems Ezra has upset a lot of people after publishing his life story where he exposes some bad people in the movie industry. This makes him an easy target and the town he has hidden himself in is no longer his safe haven. Other issues arise, too, of the personal nature due to what he has written in the book. Bailey, whose identity remains concealed, tries to help him, because she knows what it is like to judged unfairly. He misunderstands her intentions and turns against her for a while. But, of course, over the course of the novel, as revelations occur, his perceptions change when our heroine saves the day.

One of the things I love about Julie’s stories is that although they may seem light on the surface, they are not and have layers of meaning. When looking closer, it is apparent that A Scottish Highland Hideaway exposes deep psychological and societal issues. Particularly seen in the characters who are in the public eye whether born to a high society position or transported by fame in the movie industry. It sheds a spotlight on their lives and the targets they become and what they must deal with as a result. Their lives are in a fishbowl. Many know this when they enter or are born into such a position but it does not make it any easier. It is simple to see the source of their fears, the acts that subject them to humiliation, the worries of being discovered when they are trying to protect their identities, the endless violation of privacy and the effects of being framed by jealous competitors.

This novel shows the good and bad side of the media. We see the reputable sorts who want to deliver real journalism to uncover the truth and make a difference (as Zack does). Then there are those who are just sensationalist delivering gossip and false information to the tabloids to sell papers and appeal to the baser side of society.

There is also an enemies-to-lovers-theme with Bailey and the handsome persistent journalist Zack (who tries to unlock all the mysteries and uncover the truth within the many events and subplots). And there’s the reverse of lovers to enemies with Bailey and Declan. I found Bailey and Zack’s initial and changing relationship quite plausible, along with the various twists and turns in their involvement in obtaining justice once guarded secrets are revealed. Their actions and reactions to each other in the circumstances were understandable. I thought they made a good couple once they got past their issues and became transparent with each other.

All key characters were well delivered and it was good to see them work through their dilemmas and find healing, restoration and to receive their second chances. There are a number of relationships in this novel, not only romantic ones but also those of family members—such as between siblings and parents and their grown children. I loved that unions and reunions were possible and that real change happened in their hearts.

I enjoyed A Scottish Highland Hideaway by Julie Shackman and feel it is a wonderful novel that appeals to the desire in us for happy endings. It shows us the gritty facts of all types of relationships, the consequences of our actions and reactions whether coming from ill intentions or well meaning. But it also teaches that out of those rough experiences good things can come. I am reminded of author Nicole Reed’s words in Ruining You. “Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the most wonderful things that will ever happen to us.” This thought is also an ancient scriptural belief. And is boldly demonstrated in Julie's beautiful novel. A definite must read in my opinion! 5 Happy Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for a review copy.

A Scottish Highland Hideaway was a sweet story about starting over, finding love and finding yourself. It was a good read.

I love books in faraway settings, and the premise of a jilted bride wanting to start a new life was appealing. This was a cute book and an easy summer read. I enjoyed the main character finding security in herself and not in what others think. I agree with other reviews I've seen that the romance seems fast-paced. I feel like there's a chapter or two missing that would have built more chemistry and a foundation between the main character and the love interest. The revelation and mystery at the end I wasn't expecting, but it was resolved quickly-- maybe a little too quickly and perfectly! There wasn't a lot of tension in this book to really hook you in on a few fronts. But, that made it for an easy summer escape read for me.

I received a review copy by NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, and One More Chapter for my honest opinions.

Starting over after a big fall, the party girl becomes the shop owner in a small town, yep the Scottish hideaway, that somehow becomes the hub of secrets - and the target of a rather hot investigative reporter with more secrets of his own. A number of subplots and interesting characters keep things moving to the eventual HEA. A fun read

A fabulous read. The main character reinvented herself in a small Scottish village and you follow her finding herself , falling in love, helping a famous film star . Supporting her brother and forgiving her mum. A great story . You just escaped. A perfect summer holiday read. I loved it

The premise seemed fun and lighthearted and had a solid-enough first half. The latter half went a bit off the rails and ended up more tedious than entertaining for me.

The FMC was fine if not a bit silly and the flower shop in the Highlands seemed like a nice cozy exposition. The flower shop and setting were incidental to the story, and the MMC was hot and cold and all over the place. Their romance and its timeline were entirely unbelievable, and there was not enough time to make me invested in them together. The family's meddling and side plots were more distracting than entertaining, but I admittedly have little background on British uppercrust society activities. Because everyone had a twist and turn, it was not surprising with every dramatic development.

This was a quick read and played like a daytime soap opera, so if you want a very low-stakes melodramatic read after a tame beginning, this is for you.

Thank you Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter for the arc!

2/5. I received and advance copy from NetGalley. I was intrigued by this book because i am obsessed with everything Scottish Highlands, but honestly there was very little about Scotland, the storyline was lacklustre and unrealistic, the romance was rushed and we learnt very little about the main characters, particularly the male lead who was in the story less than a lot of the side characters.

I enjoyed this novel about a jilted bride reinventing herself and looking to be known for who see is versus who she was. Some romance and some intrigue, and generally a good read.

Todo el libro es desde el punto de vista de Bailey.


Anastasia/Bailey es una exitosa florista que fue dejada en el altar, meses después intentando seguir adelante se muda de estado, un lugar en donde no la reconozcan.

Ezra es un famoso actor que busca anonimato, entonces se va a vivir a un pueblito, el mismo en el que Anastasia y también busca empezar de nuevo.

Estos dos se hacen amigos mientras intentan alejar a un periodista.

Luego tenemos a Zach, un galardonado periodista que de repente pasó de escribir artículos sobre política a seguir celebridades.
Él sienten que Bailey sabe algo sobre la persona a quien quiere entrevistar, entonces intenta hacerse cercano a ella.

Bailey no es tonta y sabe que Zach quiere utilizarla. Ella logra ganarse su confianza para que le cuente sobre lo que ha descubierto sobre Ezra e intentará alejarlo de Heather Moore, pero conforme pasan tiempo juntos se da cuenta que él no intenta arruinar la reputación de su amigo y además empieza a sentir cosas por el. Pero hay un gran problema, le está escondiendo su verdadera identidad y sabe que reaccionará mal.




Senti feo por lo que pasó Marcus.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.