I absolutely adored this fun, festive and heart smashing dual point of view read! Donna Ashcroft’s books always inspire and uplift me. Reading one is like curling up with my favourite blanket beside a cosy fire eating my favourite foods! But this one is extra special. I became completely lost in the spell of Donna’s words as they pulled me deeper into A Christmas Romance in the Scottish Highlands. The world outside disappeared because I was inside the story with the characters. It is now my number one favourite Christmas book of hers!

There are endless wonderful elements in this timeless story. First, this is a modern and creative take on Cinderella with some unique twists set around Christmas. Which by the way is my favourite fairy tale and festive season! Ella and Alex represent Cinderella and Prince Charming. They are both talented artists but work in other fields—in fact, in unrelated family businesses. Ella has a wonderful godmother, along with a demanding stepmother plus two stepbrothers (instead of stepsisters). There are a couple of gorgeous dog characters who play some delightful parts, too. (It would not be a Donna Ashcroft novel without animals!) Alex Charming (yes, that is his last name) is on a short sabbatical from his father’s business to study under a famous artist. He has some pressing challenges to overcome as far as his father is concerned. Ella works in her family’s cleaning business but is also learning from the same artist. Art means a lot to her but she struggles to find time to come to class. She made a promise to her late father that she would keep his business going but he has left her with a few challenges. And the hefty responsibilities have taken their toll on her. Her stepbrothers are supposed to be helping but they keep pulling the wool over her eyes with excuses. When she gets exhausted, she wishes she could take a break and spend more time on her art. But her stepmother keeps reminding her of the promise she made to her father.

Ella’s first encounter with Alex is a dramatic one and he does not come across as very likeable. She is shocked to discover they will be studying together under the same artist (Henry). But this allows her to get to know him better. He has his own personal battles that explain his distant and feelingless behaviour. Of course, being Ella, she wants to help him. But she is not alone as another wants to draw some emotion out of Alex to make him a better artist. I personally found the comments on art and what makes a good artist very interesting as these principles could apply even to writing.

A Christmas Romance in the Scottish Highlands really hit home with its brilliance, wisdom and incredible psychological insight. I was greatly enriched and charmed by the two lead characters but their predicaments at times frustrated me to tears. I wanted to give them a good dose of encouragement, let them know they were appreciated and recognised for their amazing talent: especially after seeing how they were treated by their families! Before anyone says this treatment is not realistic – I have to disagree as I have seen such behaviour in the real world. What is unrealistic is a parent expecting their child to follow their dreams. Being individuals everyone needs to be free to pursue their own interests. It is true that Mr Charming is the extreme example of a demanding parent but that only makes the message ring louder so that this point is heard. A child or adult made to feel they will never be good enough or gain their parent’s approval is very damaging. In fact, it is heartbreaking and we can see its effects on certain individuals in this story (including the boy Hunter). Trying to meet unrealistic expectations is a heavy load to wear for anyone.

Ella has her own problems. She certainly has worked hard to keep her promises and the family business running. Sadly, though, it has been much to her own detriment. And her two stepbrothers and stepmother have taken advantage of her willingness.

I loved the creative angle the author takes with the fairy tale premise. Alex Charming (the equivalent to Prince Charming) has some hard lessons to learn and unlearn. His father is quite the negative parent and work taskmaster. He has taught his son to distrust kindness and that having positive emotions makes him look weak. (Mr Charming’s rules for success are downright tragic!) Throughout the story, including Alex’s time playing in the pantomime (which is a great part of the plot), Alex’s upbringing will be challenged. It all starts when he meets Ella and Henry. Alex is talented and an incredibly hard worker but who is he trying to impress? Alex helps Ella recognise her issues, too. Both he and Ella are trying to achieve or maintain approval from their fathers (and Ella also with her step-family). But until they learn this is impossible, they will never be free to be themselves or achieve their own dreams.

A Christmas Romance in the Scottish Highlands is a brilliant well delivered story. Donna’s writing skills are always exceptional but this book has moved her up another notch on the creative ladder. And for me she has shot past the regular star rating with this impressively imagined take on the Cinderella fairy-tale. This Christmas treasure is an absolute must read! 5 Plus Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

This book was great! I loved the writing style and I loved the characters and their chemistry. I loved the Christmas vibes. Great book!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.

This is a dual POV Christmas insta-love romance which is a very obvious modern retelling of Cinderella to the point where Cinderella is called Ella and is being exploited working for the family cleaning company, Prince Charming's last name is Charming and the villagers are performing a Cinderella panto where everyone is given their real roles in life, so art is imitating life. Speaking of art, they just want to paint, why won't their families just let them paint?

I can't help feeling that everyone is exaggerated as surely no one would act like these people do in real life. The villains (Cinderella's stepmother, Prince Charming's father) are caricatures and Ella and Alex are so psychologically damaged that they don't believe in their own worth, don't stand up to people and come to all the wrong conclusions. I really wanted to shake Alex who overreacts massively because he can't differentiate between real and fake emotions due to his awful cold father having done a number on him his entire life.

This novel has a lot of similarities with Winter Wishes in the Scottish Highlands, which I've read recently (the publication dates are only a month apart), with characters behaving ridiculously throughout, including having silly third-act break-ups.

It's a short read with a cute cover but I'm afraid the story fell flat for me. There were some interesting side characters like painter Henry, godmother Mae, little Hunter and Aggie with the soups, plus dogs Wyatt and Sprout but they didn't save the book for me. I really needed more of an original story and less childhood trauma.

However, it's a fast, easy read with enough romance and festive Christmas activities going on to sustain the average romance reader. Unfortunately, it isn't for me.

This is a modern day cinderella story .
When Ella's dad dies he leaves the family leaning buisness for her to run with hr stepmother and brothers only this buisness is in debt an the step family are always letting her down. she ends up doing all the shifts herself and not doing what she loves painting.

Alex works in a high power job and has come away to Mistletoe for a painting hoilday . Working with local painter in his studio.

Ella and alex meet by chance when he arrives at mistletoe when he nearly runs over her dog and they get off on the Wrong foot.
Only to meet again at the artist studio.

A lovley christmas story

Ella perdió a sus padres, primero a su madre y años después a su padre. Ahora ella vive para cumplir los sueños de sus padres y obedecer a su madrastra.

Alex vive para complacer a su padre, toda su vida le ha enseñado que los sentimientos lo debilitará y lo mas importante es el trabajo y el dinero.

Cuando se conocen sus personalidad chocan, son polos opuestos en apariencia, pero en realidad ambos sólo quieren ser felices y amados.



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

A sweet Christmas the fairy tale. Ella and Alex have to find a way to believe in themselves and put themselves first. In helping each other, they also heal themselves. A nice romance.

A true Cinderella story from Donna Ashcroft. From an unfortunate first meeting, the story develops into a romance with lots of ups and down. The full range of Cinderella type characters are in the book and it also has many humorous moments. Well worth reading.

A lovely love story set in the Highlands . You had a mad artist , snow, step families being awful , a terrible controlling father , a pantomime and a love story and a great godmother .What more could you want . A fab read