Unfortunately, Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands fell flat for me and left me feeling disappointed. I struggled to connect with the plot and characters, which made it hard to fully immerse myself in the story.

To me, the book felt messy and lacked cohesion. It seemed as though Bella Osborne was experimenting with a new direction, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark. The repeated attempts at humor came across as awkward and overly predictable, making it feel more like watching a slapstick comedy than reading a heartwarming romance. The plot itself felt scattered, with a mix of romance, ghostly hauntings, mysteries, and a collection of quirky characters thrown together in a run-down hotel at Loch Lochy. It was all a bit too much.

The characters were another point of struggle for me. I found it hard to connect with the protagonist, Liv, and her love interest, Fraser. Their relationship didn’t feel fully fleshed out, and I couldn’t really understand Liv’s attraction to someone so grumpy and unappealing. Oddly enough, I found Effie, one of the secondary characters, to be the most engaging. Her friendship with Robbie Williams (the cow's name was a fun touch!) and her personal growth made her far more interesting than the leads.

While I appreciate the snowy and cozy Scottish Highlands setting and some festive cheer sprinkled throughout, the story didn’t deliver the Christmas magic I was hoping for. Liv and Fraser’s romance felt overshadowed by too many competing storylines, and Liv’s memory loss subplot felt forgotten almost as quickly as it was introduced.

There were moments I enjoyed, like the snowy atmosphere and Ginger the cow’s amusing antics, but overall, the story didn’t live up to its potential. Despite my disappointment, I can see how some readers might enjoy the unique setting and quirky cast.

Thank you to Aria and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Mistletoe Magic was a delightful Christmas story with lots of things that I enjoy. Olivia Bingham has been trying to meet someone using dating sites. She has been chatting with Fraser Douglas, a Scottish chef working at a hotel in the Highlands. She wants to go and meet him, that is until she is ghosted once again. Frustrated and angry she discusses the situation with her mother and sister. They encourage her to go to his hotel and confront him. For some reason, Olivia agrees. When she arrives at the hotel he works at, things are not what she had expected.

Mistletoe Magic in the HIghlands had a plot that was different from other books I have read. I will say that I thought Olivia was crazy heading off to confront the man who ghosted her, but she has spunk. Of course, she isn't sure how to meet him and in the process has an accident which results in her staying in the hotel. She is surprised that Fraser doesn't recognize her name or seem to know who she is. Fraser is gruff and bit mean to Olivia, but his family and friends take to her immediately. There is a lot of fun banter, as well as some curious actions that had me scratching my head as to what was really going on. I realized what had happened to Fraser's profile early on, but the who and the why stumped me. I liked Effie, Fraser's sister, and wanted to reach into the book and give her a big hug. She has her own story within this book. I enjoyed this contemporary Christmas story with it's clean romance. Of course the Scottish setting at Christmas time is very inviting and adds to the ambiance of this story.

DNF

Wish this book worked for me, but unfortunately, the writing style put me off. Narrator kept over explaining things, plus it felt repetitive. I also didn't feel like reading about a bunch of Scottish tropes thrown together.

This was a fun holiday romcom!

The premise behind this book is so dumb: girl gets ghosted on a dating app and feels like it’s the last straw in a string of bad luck with men and decides to go to Scotland (she’s in England…anywhere else in the world and that would be even crazier) to confront the guy and the book is about what happens when the FMC gets to Scotland.
Really dumb premise but I give Holiday rom-coms a pass on that because part of their novelty is the cheesy-unbelievable stories. So I let it slide, other books I would have DNF but it’s partially why it’s only a 3 star read for me.

However, despite the ridiculous premise it is a funny, cute holiday romance. There’s no spice (which is my preference). There’s some funny banter between the FMC and the MMC but honestly my favorite relationship in the book is between Liv and Effie and their BFF relationship that develops.

It’s Christmasy, has snow, takes place in Scotland, includes bits of Scottish history and culture, a cheeky highland cow (🥰), and is a rom-com with enemies to lovers. If any of those are elements you enjoy, I think you should consider picking this up when you need a lighthearted holiday read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

This was a fun holiday romance. I enjoyed the characters and the story. I am a sucker for Scottish romance stories and this hit all the marks for me.

This book was cute and I really grew to love the characters and their little quirks. It was a great cozy, winter book to curl up with by the fire!

Loved this story of Liv who did what many woman would love to and set off to Scotland to give Fraser a piece of her mind for ghosting her. Not all was as it seemed when she got there and not all went to plan. A really lovely story which will keep you wondering but also keep you wanting to read more. Snow, lochs, laughter, strangers, friends, love and a ginger cow

I was confused as to why the book kept switching POVs from Olivia and then to Fraser's sister Effie. It wasn't necessary to me and it didn't make much sense or add to the story. The book felt a bit messy, as did the characters, and I had trouble connecting and believe in the romance aspect between Olivia and Frasier. Overall, my favorite character in this novel was the little highland cow Ginger.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

The premise of this one was very cute! Unfortunately, I struggled to get into it. It was too dialogue heavy, and it felt like everything was quite low stakes and juvenile. Just not for me

My last holiday read for 2024! A fun, rom-comy, mix-up set in Scotland.

Enjoyed the interaction between Liv and Fraser, and all the Scottish side characters - even Ginger, the Highland cow who thinks she's a dog.

A perfect way to send-off the holidays and get back to regular life.

*A sincere thank you to Bella Osborne, Aria & Aries | Aria, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #MistletoeMagicInTheHighlands #NetGalley

I really like the premise of this novel and could already see it as a film in my head, but unfortunately it was a bit of a let down. The plot felt very messy and tried so hard to be funny but did not succeed. The memory loss plot felt like a bad choice and was a bit cringe.
The novel has a great setting but I couldn’t make myself care for the romance which is a shame.

What a cozy holiday read with a magical setting. I really enjoyed the cast of characters all with their own defined personalities and quirks. This includes the fabled hotel ghost and the adorable young highland cow. I'm grinning again - such a heartwarming read.

The romance was sweet with the happily ever after expected for a holiday romcom. I was laughing throughout the whole book - so many great comical moments. The sprinkling of Scottish lore and phrases was the cherry on top. I really enjoyed this one and will gladly read more from Bella Osborne.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the Aria & Aries imprint of Head of Zeus publisher for my digital copy.

olivia doesn’t have the best luck with men in her life and when fraser goes mia she takes matters into her own hands and decides to travel to see him
a festive frolic in the highlands makes a good cost read

My final Christmas read of the year and I was hoping to go out on a bang. I love Bella Osborne books and I was confident this read would just keep my festive feelings tingling a bit longer. Unfortunately, this story went down like a damp squib and I could not connect with the plot or characters in the slightest.

In my opinion, this story did not gel together very well and it felt incredibly messy. It seemed like Osborne was trying out something different with this book because it felt very different to her other stories. Firstly, there was the repeated attempts at trying to be funny: it seemed awkward and incredibly predictable. Sometimes it felt like I was watching a poor comedy film that was more slapstick than story. Secondly, the plot came across as all over the place: a bit of romance here, ghostly hauntings there, mysteries to solve and a collection of individuals that seem to be thrown together in a run-down hotel at Loch Lochy. Finally, it was these characters that I could not really get to grips with and found that Effie, one of the secondary characters, was the more interesting of the lot.

I persevered with this book because I just thought it was me in a reading slump… again. I really wanted to see a romance develop between Liv and Fraser, but there was too much going on elsewhere in the story for that to properly happen. Her convenient “memory loss” was forgotten after a few chapters and I was confused as to why Liv was not going to confront Fraser about the ghosting. Perhaps I was anticipating an “enemies to lovers” sort of story with plenty of Christmas vibes, but I felt that for the most part, the story went round in circles.

The setting was very cosy and I especially appreciated the large dumpings of snow. Ginger the cow was quite entertaining and, as mentioned, Effie was the most loveable of them all. I really wanted her to have her happy ever after, perhaps more so than Liv, and spotted the close friendship she has with Robbie Williams (great name choice). As for the connection between Liv and Fraser, I couldn’t see where the romance would go and still failed to see the attraction with someone so grumpy and unappealing.

Ultimately, this wasn’t as Christmassy as I was expecting but there was a happy ending and quite a bit of festive cheer. Sometimes I thought the story was quite far-fetched and went round in circles, but I did like having a story set in Scotland and seeing Effie come into her own.

With thanks to Aria and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Getting to visit the Highlands is always a great time. Olivia gets ghosted and she decides that she is going to go and confront him at his restaurant. The story unfolds with funny moments, great banter and chemistry. Also great to read around Christmas time.

This is just the cutest cover ever! The story is just as cute. It’s just a perfect Christmas story and one I will revisit next year!
Thank you #NetGalley and #aria for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very wholesome funny hallmark type of Christmas romcom set in snowy Scotland with a whole host of characters (including one cheeky highland cow!).

Very easy to read which was needed over the past few busy days!

Loved this rom com. Christmas, Scotland, friendships and misunderstandings. Up to date with the use of dating apps and online scams but friendships and relationships make this an enjoyable read. Touching moments and comedic moments .l just what I wanted in this book.

This is a fun, cosy read which is easy to get into and enjoy.

When Olivia is fed up of being ghosted, she decides to confront Fraser herself...
She turns up at his huge hotel in the middle of nowhere in Scotland and soon finds herself stranded there...

We get to meet various characters. It's a bit silly, a bit fun. I enjoyed reading it.

My expectations were low going in because so many of the holiday books are a disappointment, but Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands was a wonderful holiday read! Loved the snappy dialogue and sweet characters. Great holiday read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.