Ah I've loved my stay in Scotland. It's been magical, beautiful and so funny. I've loved Liv's character and the chemistry and spark between her and Fraser was just wonderful.
The book started slowly building the story and once you reached 40% it picked up pace and took you on another journey. A wonderful read by Bella Osborne.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the first book that I've read by this author and I'm happy that I did it! Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands has a bit of romance, many hillarious situations and lovable characters, and two very special characters - Liv and Effie - that support each other and make the best of each one to be exposed. It's a story that can be read just as an entertaining rom-com or it could also be seen as a story that makes one think about human behavior and the importance to fight to be heard and have space.
I thank Ms. Osborne, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands by Bella Osborne

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

Blurb

Olivia Bingham has bad luck with men.

She's been ghosted more times than she can count, but this Christmas she's finally met someone really special Fraser Douglas, a Scottish chef working at an idyllic hotel in the Highlands. He's sweet and sensitive, thoughtful and funny – not to mention incredibly good looking.

Just when she thinks things couldn't be going any better, Fraser's dating profile vanishes, and Olivia fears the worst. Frustrated and wounded, Olivia decides she's going to drive all the way out to Loch Lochy Hotel and confront Fraser.

But when she arrives, things don't go exactly as she hoped. Worse still, Fraser doesn't seem to have any idea who she is...

My Opinion

Bella Osborne has written another delightful book. I read this in one sitting as I couldn’t bring myself to put the book down. Olivia has once again been ghosted but this time she is going to do something about it. Her trip doesn’t go entirely as she has planned, but it definitely had a few entertaining moments. A magical wintery trip to the Scottish Highlands. This book does get off to a slow start but personally I think that the rest of the book makes up for it.

Rating 4/5

This book showed a lot of potential. I thought the plot sounded interesting and the concept seemed unique and like the perfect typical christmas rom com. However I just found that it fell short of my expectations. I felt like the main plot of the story was wrapped up about 50% of the way through this book and et there was still half a book to go which felt a bit unnecessary. And while the main romantic characters showed promise, i did not feel that they had any actual chemistry with each other.

❄️ 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 ❄️

Mistletoe Magic In The Highlands -
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

A wonderfully cosy Scottish festive read to get you right in the mood for Christmas (in October 😬🤫)

In this story we have Liv (Olivia) who, let’s just say, has awful taste in men. So when she matches with Fraser on a dating app and they hit it off, she thinks he could be the one, until… he ghosts her. Well Liv has had enough with being pushover and decides to confront Fraser and tell him how she really feels, but taking a lengthy trip to the Scottish Highlands. She makes this journey in her sister’s car, but along the way she doesn’t have the best of luck and breaks down. Luckily for her, the hotel (where Fraser is) is just up the road, so after a trek in the pouring rain, she is faced with a friendly, but cheeky Highland Cow named Ginger and some people, who will later become of grate importance to her.

This book is a really cosy, easy, no spice, if you’re wanting to get into the Christmas spirit early. A few years ago I went to Scotland for my birthday at the beginning of December and I absolutely loved the feel for Christmas then, so I can only imagine what’s it’s like to be there for the day itself.
The banter and characters in this story were my favourite. Especially Effie, she really has a place in my heart.

Overall a delight to read. Thank you Netgallery and Bella Osborne for the ARC in exchange for an honest review 🩷

Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands is a fun, almost comedy-of-errors Christmas romance. Liv finds she is ghosted on a dating app and travels to Scotland to track down the offender. Hijinks ensue, and romance follows. Overall, a very fun, sweet read.

Bella Osborne has always been a go-to for holiday reads because she always incorporates Christmas, romance and a destination I want to be in. This time it was the Scottish Highlands, and once again it was a treat.
Olivia has had a run of bad luck with men so when she meets Fraser on a dating app, she thinks things are finally changing for the better. Then he suddenly ghosts her and she has no clue why. She decides to find him and face him to figure out what went wrong so she heads off to the Scottish Highlands, only when she gets there, Fraser seems to have no idea who she is. She has an accident when she gets there and needs to rest for a couple of days, but Liv is a fixer at heart, so even though she can’t understand what’s happening with Fraser, his business (a struggling hotel with a restaurant in it) needs help, so while she is there, she agrees to help him out, thinking that the time spent with him will help her get to the bottom of the whole ghosting situation.
There were a couple of extra subplots that were maybe unnecessary, but one that was not was Effie and Lviv’s new friendship. I loved seeing that developing and how she was so protective of Fraser.
If you’re a fan of the grumpy/sunshine trope like I am, you’ll enjoy this story.
Thanks to Aria Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

This festive romantic comedy has all the best ingredients. Liv always seems to pick the wrong man, and when she is ghosted for the second time, she decides to confront the man even though he lives in the highlands of Scotland. The journey has plenty of misadventures and comic moments. When Liv arrives, there is more trouble, and suddenly, she is face to face with the man she wants to confront, but he doesn't seem to know her. The humour is plentiful, and it's easy to imagine the comic scenes. The chemistry between Liv and Fraser is evident from the start, and when they are forced together, there is an entertaining mix of romance, humour and confusion. It's the picturesque Scottish Highlands and snowing, so the Christmassy feel is vibrant. It is a cosy, fun read with lovely festive vibes and a vivacious cast of multi-generational characters that I appreciated.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I have enjoyed every Bella Osborne book that I have read and I couldn’t resist a Christmassy one, especially when there’s a picture of a highland cow on the front.

Olivia doesn’t have much luck with men, she has been ghosted a lot. Then she meets Fraser on a dating app and thinks she has finally found the one, that is until his profile disappears and she is ghosted once again. The last straw for Olivia she decides to head to the Scottish highlands and track Fraser down. Once in Scotland things don’t turn out as she expects and worse still is that Fraser has no idea who she is.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved unlucky-in-love Olivia and her determination to get to the bottom of this latest dating disaster. When in Scotland we see a lovely character with a caring nature. It is interesting to see the story unfold once she meets Fraser and gets to the bottom of what has happened. We see their relationship grow throughout the book.

Set in the build up to Christmas, it isn’t a full-on Christmas story, but has all the makings of Christmassy romance in the beautiful setting of the Scottish highlands.

If you are looking for a book this Christmastime it definitely ticks the box, but without being full on Christmas. One for you to curl up with a hot chocolate and enjoy.

An easy romance (ish) read, the story begins with the terrors of online dating only for Olivia (Liv) to get ghosted by Fraser (or so she thinks) we follow Liv on her journey to Scotland to locate Fraser and she ends up staying longer than intended!

⭐️ an easy romance read, I wanted more angst & tension instead of miscommunication. No spice but around 3ish kisses in total

⭐️ I couldn't work out the real age or mental age of Effie and it made my head spin a little

⭐️ I just feel like I could have had a lot less in places of the book and a lot more in others? Liv and Fraser often felt like a secondary part of the book, even though they should be the focus.


I rated 3/5 for a cute Christmas read. Thank you to NetGalley and Aria or Aries for the ARC in return for my honest review.

What a totally delightful read – ok, a word I’m perhaps overusing these days, but this really was a totally delicious and immensely enjoyable Christmassy read with a bit of everything I most enjoy.

Liv is understandably hurt when ghosted on-line by Fraser, who really did seem like the man she’d been searching for – but she’s also rather angry about it, tracks him down (with a little help from her support network), and decides to travel to the Highlands from her home in Blackburn, just before Christmas, to both find out why he did it and tell him what she thinks of him. On arrival, the hotel where he works proves not to be quite what she’s expecting, instead rather a work in progress – and instead of saying her bit and leaving again, the car she’s driving isn’t going anywhere very soon, she’s sustained some unfortunate injuries, and has decided it might just be better if she’s unable to remember her name for a while. The hotel is a long way from being ready for guests, but they find her a room and, in return, she finds herself helping the team prepare for the opening night of Fraser’s restaurant – dogged by disaster, and the plotting of a former girlfriend.

And I think that’s enough of the story – there are far more twists and turns before Liv’s mission is accomplished (well, if she still wants or needs to…) and she’s able to head for home again – and I’ll focus instead on why I enjoyed it so much. I was laughing from the opening pages, and the smile never left my face through all Liv’s many trials and tribulations – the author definitely turned up the comedy dial for this one, and I thought every single moment was perfectly judged. But there’s plenty of poignancy too – the supporting cast, that team I mentioned (using the term particularly loosely…) are quite wonderfully drawn, and from across the generations, and I did particularly love Liv’s friendship with Effie (and I just know everyone else will love her every bit as much as I did). There are a few intriguing subplots, one nicely echoing Liv’s experience of the perils of on-line relationships. And as Liv and Fraser’s romance, very steadily and with a lot of grumpy/sunshine, begins to look like an outside possibility again, there’s the mystery of what exactly happened when his online profile suddenly disappeared, and why her real name doesn’t seem to mean anything to him.

Add in Liv’s unusual travel companion, a Highland “coo” with a bit of an attitude and a penchant for classical music, an unexpectedly heavy snowfall, an off-duty policeman only too happy to whip out his bagpipes when the occasion demands it, all those wonderful Christmassy touches, a shared love of Mariah Carey, a dog who steals socks and a gang of pensioners who hope to help save the day – yes, I still have that smile on my face a few weeks after reading, and this was a book I absolutely loved. And as for that romance that could have been over before it really started – particularly slow-burn, but honestly everything I’d hoped it might be. As I said, totally delightful, and most definitely one of my Christmas books of the year – you will add it to your reading pile too, won’t you?

(Review will be copied to Amazon UK on publication day)

Thank you Aria and Netgalley for an advanced copy of Mistletoe Magic in the Highlands in exchange for an honest review.

I feel bad for this but this book was a hot mess. I was hopeful because I love Scotland and the Highlands have a mystical, ethereal quality to the region and I was expecting some of that. However, the book fell so flat. Where's the magic? The plot was all over the place; there were scenes that did not seem necessary to plot development and the main tension point (Fraser allegedly ghosting Liv) gets lost often. One example is Fraser telling Liv to leave (again) after he thought she insulted Effie. That response felt out of left field since the book already established a fondness between the two ladies so it didn't make sense that he would respond that way without inquiring more from Effie or Liv. The writing was stunted and repetitive ("She [rest of sentence]. She [rest of sentence]. She [rest of sentence].") The dialogue between characters ran longer than they should. Conversations veered left and right that I would forget the point of the conversation and not understand what the purpose of the conversation was. For example, at the beginning, Liv had a supposedly comedic scene with her mother and sister. I got the gist of their family dynamic and individual personalities, however, there were unnecessary quips that made the scene feel long.

Further, the book was uneven in its application of the Scottish Highland brogue. It would pop up here and there but certainly not throughout, which it should. OR, leave it out and let the reader imagine a thick Scottish accent. And from the additions of the brogue (e.g. "canna[e]"), I could tell the author (and probably editor) is not Scottish. I lived in Scotland for several years and, though I am not Scottish, I could tell when something does not sound right. And, there are certainly portions of the dialogue from Scottish characters that don't sound Scottish at all. Similar to that point, the place-setting could be better. It really could have been in any snowy mountainous area by the book's description of the landscape. The Scottish landscape is majestic and vast, with peaks and valleys. Readers do not get a sense of that. Nor is the description of the castle hotel adequate. I just know it's large and made of stone. What time period is it from? Medieval? Victorian? That will give an idea of what the rooms look like. Are there long galleries? Is there a massive foyer? Is the kitchen a medieval kitchen updated for modern use? Or is Fraser working with an Edwardian kitchen with a large butler's pantry somewhere?

The book was a struggle to get through. I often didn't know where it was taking me.

Thank you Net Gallery for allowing me to Read and review.

I also look forward to. Bella Osborne book, I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed.

Liv is on a mission to find the man behind a Dating profile which has been removed after a few messages between herself and him.

This Story was a really enjoyed cosy Christmas read, with all the drama of a family Christmas.

I would love to revisit the Hotel in the future to see how the story develops.

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

Olivia is feeling down, she’s been ghosted a few times now. Recently, the person who she thought had things in common with her has now done the same, and she’s had enough.

She decides to travel to Scotland and let him know exactly what she thinks of him, come home and move on.

But when she arrives at his place that he said he lives at, she surprised to discover that it’s not as she expected it would be.

I loved the setting, the scenery with all the snowy landscapes. The characters were lovely and relatable.

The story will relate to a lot of people. It was fun, festive and had laughable moments.

I highly recommend this book.

This heartwarming rom-com set during Christmas in the Scottish Highlands follows Olivia “Liv” Bingham, who has had terrible luck in love, especially with online dating. After being ghosted multiple times, including by a man named Fraser whom she believed might be “the one,” Olivia is fed up. Encouraged by her mother, she decides to confront Fraser in person by traveling to the Highlands, only to discover that he doesn’t even recognize her when they meet.

What starts as an awkward encounter turns into a longer, unexpected stay in the picturesque Scottish Highlands, where Olivia navigates mishaps and misunderstandings. The story is full of witty banter, comedic moments, and holiday cheer, offering a sweet, clean romance without any explicit scenes. Olivia’s journey to finding love unfolds against the backdrop of Scotland’s scenic beauty, making it a perfect festive read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for a copy of this eARC to review.

Anything to do with Christmas and romance and the Scottish Highlands is always going to tickle my fancy when it comes to choosing a book to read but unfortunately this one missed the mark for me.

Olivia Bingham has bad luck with men. When she meets Fraser Douglas on a dating app she thinks her luck is finally starting to change, until she is ghosted, again. Liv decides to take action and confront Fraser face to face at his hotel in the Scottish Highlands, only Fraser seems to have no idea who she is.

The premise of this book was good and the blurb had me interested. However it took me waaaaaay too long to get through because I honestly had no desire to pick it up and keep reading. I should have been able to smash this book out in a couple of days with it only being 250 pages long but instead it took me nearly three weeks 😫

The writing was subpar, the characters weren’t fleshed out enough and the story felt stagnant and not much happened. The ghosting aspect seemed to be skimmed over until the end and when we finally do find out who the ghoster is - I’m sorry but I’m just not convinced they could have pulled that off.

Liv and Fraser had no chemistry and I’m not convinced a man is driving six hours to see a girl after knowing her for six days. Everything seemed to be thrown together at the end to tie the story up with a nice neat bow but most of it was incredibly unrealistic and made no sense. The most interesting character to me was Ginger and she was a literal cow 🐮

I will say I’m looking forward to visiting Scotland one day because it sounds like a beautiful place but that’s all this book really gave me.

This was a super cute wintery story full of miscommunication, banter, and making the best of hard situations!

It was a quick read, for me, I finished in a day. I enjoyed seeing how the characters overcame the problems and apologized to repair relationships.

I enjoyed the relationship of Effie and Liv but thought Effie’s supposed intellectual problems were a little too prominent sometimes.

This book was a little different from what I was expecting based on the description so once I adjusted my expectations I had no problem settling in to the story. I thought Liv would arrive that hotel, immediately confront Fraser, and then get trapped there while they have to work out what exactly happened with the online dating profile. Perhaps an immediate confrontation was what Liv had in mind before everything started to go wrong. I was not a fan of her faking the amnesia so I'm glad that was over and done with pretty quickly. What I loved about Liv was that at her core she was a fixer and just wanted everyone to be happy and make everything work out for them. Even though she's upset with Fraser at the beginning she just can't stop herself from trying to make his business venture successful. It's understandable why Fraser is initially standoff-ish but he could have been a little nicer to Liv at the beginning. But I can forgive him for that because he does come to see how great Liv is. The secondary plotline with Effie complemented Liv's story because they were ultimately both victims of the shadier side of online dating but also both came out the better for it by the end. And it's pretty much because of Effie that Liv and Fraser worked out some of their issues before she left. At first I was thinking it was Effie who had created Fraser's dating profile, but then when she didn't recognize Liv at all and was stuck in her own online dating situation I realized she was probably not the culprit. The twist involving who created the profile and why they suddenly deleted it was a surprise but you couldn't stay mad at the person because their heart had been in the right place. The part of the story that didn't really work for me was all the stuff with Fraser's ex - I couldn't understand why she stayed in Scotland and was so hell bent on making Fraser's life so difficult. And the twist with Fraser's dad and Effie's mom served no purpose other than to make me dislike both of them. There also didn't seem to be much of a point of those revelations unless there will be a second book with these characters.

What a fabulous festive read! Funny, warm, a great setting and great chemistry. A cast of likeable, quirky characters, lots of snow and a highland cow - couldn’t ask for more!

Let me just say I tried to like both characters but they just did so many things that I couldn’t quite comprehend. Keep in mind these are both people In their mid/late twenties so why did it feel like I was reading about some teenagers. The male lead character was such a grump and definitely needs some work in order to be like-able by the reading audience. Also the ghosting and the amnesia were brushed off very easily I expected more development on that. Overall this book has a little bit of everything, romance, humor, a bit of suspense (local legends), which I really enjoyed. Also anyone else was swooning when Fraser called Liv sassenach, my outlander heart was bursting.