Series Name: Scottish Escapes, # 7
“He’s not coming,” said my mother. She had emerged out of the church and was hurrying towards me, immaculate in her aqua fitted suit and wide-brimmed hat.
I stared at her. “What are you talking about?”
From outside the church grounds, I could sense the press had caught wind of a story. A fresh volley of camera clicks went off, competing with the sound of excited chatter.
Mum reached up one hand and stroked my face. Her navy eyes expressed sadness and …. Was that pity?
Icy fingers tore at my heart. “What do you mean, he’s not coming? We’re about to get married.”
A Scottish Highland Hideaway is another heartwarming and interesting story by Julie Shackman.
For Bailey McArthur, her family and job mean everything. She runs her own floristry shop and loves spending time in nature in the pretty town of Heather Moore, whilst desperately trying to forget about being jilted on her wedding day.
When journalist Zach Stern arrives in town asking questions about a famous actor, Bailey decides to throw him off the trail of the superstar hiding out in the Scottish Highlands.
But despite Bailey’s efforts to thwart Zach’s investigation she finds herself falling for him. It’s just a shame she can’t be honest with him. But then, Bailey might not be the only one with a secret to hide…
I love Julie’s books because I’m often surprised by the direction in which she takes her stories. I know I am going to get a charming and heartwarming story, but she always throws in a twist that
I was never expecting. I love being surprised. I really enjoyed this book. I’m a sucker for a small-town romance set in Scotland, and Julie did a fabulous job at capturing that small-town charm. The prologue is absolutely perfection in that Julie hooks her readers in and leaves them needing to know what will happen next.
The overall story has a steady pace that is bound to keep its readers entertained. This book has plenty of drama, mystery, and the beginning of a charming romance. Bailey has moved to Heather Moore, hoping to have a fresh start and leave all the glitz and glam behind her. She has worked really hard to hide her true identity from the small community of Heather Moores. She owns a small florist shop, where she meets Ezra King. Ezra is a big celebrity who is also looking to escape the limelight. Bailey has agreed to help keep Ezra’s identity a secret. But of course, things become rather complicated when Zach, who is a journalist, starts asking questions about Ezra. There is this whole mystery around why Zach is so keen on interviewing Ezra; he mentions something shocking from Ezra’s past, and as the book goes on, other mini-mysteries start cropping up around Ezra. The mystery elements in this story made it quite an addictive read. I wanted to unravel all these mysteries around Ezra. It was really well done. There is also a lot of drama in this book. There is the drama surrounding Ezra, and then there is the family drama that comes from Bailey’s family. I enjoy a book that is bursting with drama, so this was right up my alley.
I liked all the characters. Bailey is instantly likeable, and I couldn’t help but root for her. She truly wants to leave her old life behind her. She loves what she has created in Heather Moore. But there is this almost constant fear that someone will recognize her and everything she has built will come crashing down upon her. Zach is a prickly character and also a bit of a mystery. We really have to peel back those layers to understand what is going on underneath that gruff exterior. Bailey and Zach don’t get along at first. Zach thinks Bailey is hiding information about Ezra, and Bailey thinks Zach has no moral scruples because he is determined to thrust Ezra back into the limelight. The banter between these two is sharp, and I devoured the war of wills that was going on between them. There is definitely a slow-burn feel to their relationship. Those frosty feelings between Bailey and Zach do take a bit to thaw. But that slow-burn feel to their relationship helped to make it feel more real. I loved Zach and Bailey so much that I wished they were together on the page more often. I understood why they weren’t, but that greedy romantic part of me couldn’t get enough of these two.
A Scottish Highland Hideaway is another stunning and heartwarming love story by the very talented Julie Shackman.
Thank you, HarperCollins UK and Rachel Random Resources, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
