Marcie is back in Strathkin for a long visit with her new husband, Simon. She has sold the family estate, keeping a smaller cottage adjacent to the main house. She is displeased by the changes being made to her old home and suspicious of all the activity. What are they doing? Marcie and her circle of friends are each struggling with their own issues and the group’s ties are strained at times.
This isn’t a light book, but it is engaging. Thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

This has lots going on with some tough situations to deal with! Marcie returns to Strathkin with her new husband, Simon, for a 6 week holiday. Having sold Swanfield she's staying in Sweet Briar, Uncle Callum's cottage, which has been renovated. After seeing all the renovations to Swanfield House, now called The Retreat, she's regretting selling it, and is also convinced there's something 'going on' there. Bella has been released from prison following the events of the previous book and the 4 girls are back together. But Marcie is still very nosy and very controlling which actually made me start to dislike her. Her heart's in the right place but she's still trying to 'fix' things which nearly costs her her relationship with her friends. There's some devasting news about one of the girls, and then a twist that I did not see coming that turns the whole story upside down. A good read with a great twist.
Thanks to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and Elayne Grimes for the free ARC. All opinions are my own.

I am going to struggle to review this. It covered a very delicate subject and if I had known I would not have read it. But I can’t mark it down as that is a very personal opion. It is a serise but can read alone. Set in highlands. You follow a set of friends. It is moving at times. You feel very sorry for the new local doctor. Money can be very powerful. This book makes you think. I won’t spoil the plot but a book that makes you think.

This started out seeming to be a fairly usual novel set in Scotland. By the halfway mark something
extremely unusual was beginning to rear its head and while the was entertaining, it was clear that
the book was taking an unusual turn. While still entertaining I am certain I would not have been at
all interested in the the book had I known the going’s on at The Retreat.
I did enjoy the setting, and Dina’s husband and kids, along with the lifelong friendship of the four
women. The story moved along with one catastrophe after the next, with the conclusion being
expected. This might be something everyone enjoys, but it’s not really why I read..
I can only assume many will really enjoy the story. My thanks to Storm Publishing for the book
used for reviewing.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This is a pretty quick story - I read it in two sittings. I enjoyed the first in this series and this was equally as good. I really like this group of characters except for Marcie the FMC - she's my least favorite but I'm hoping she grows on me as the series continues. I feel she's very selfish, am not sure why Simon is with her, and is very controlling among her friend group. But I think her heart is in the right place so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. I was sad to see a major character killed off. The ending was a little too abrupt and over the top involving the villain - there was a little too much eye rolling on my part - otherwise this would have been 5 stars. And some of the side characters are ridiculously gullible. If you like your mysteries set in the Highlands, put this series on your TBR list.