A Scottish Highland Surprise by Julie Shackman #Romance #Mystery @G13Julie #NetGalley @OneMoreChapter

Author: Julie Shackman

ARC Review: Due for Publication 22nd April by One More Chapter

Category: Light Mystery, Romance, Women’s Fiction

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When wedding planner Sophie Harkness refuses to move a friend’s wedding to accommodate a spoilt bridezilla, she finds herself out of a job. That is until she discovers her late grandma has purchased a local shop for her in the pretty Scottish town of Briar Glen.

Sophie Harkness is a successful, hard working wedding planner, but when an obnoxious bride wants her wedding moved regardless of the inconvenience, or the disappointment to others, she refuses. 

Determined not to disappoint her friend, whose son’s wedding was booked on the day bridezilla was angling for, Sophie wouldn’t change her mind despite her sycophantic boss. Things became so fraught and untenable that Sophie felt her only option was to hand in her notice.

I had to make a change of some sort. And soon. Take my future by the scruff of the neck and give it a good shake. But by doing what? “Miss you, Gran,” I murmured before disappearing back into the hotel to collect my bag from my office and head home.

Sophie may have found a solution to her dilemma as she and her parents were sorting though her Gran’s house, in the form of a letter addressed to herself. Sophie and her Gran had been very close and both loved the china tea sets Gran had collected over the years.

According to the letter there were some very special crockery collections for Sophie, packed in boxes under the stairs. Her Gran’s one great regret was that she hadn’t opened a crockery shop. Knowing the pressure Sophie was under at the hotel she had bought a shop for her, in the hope she would start her own business, with the stock she had accumulted as an incentive.

A Scottish Highland Surprise is an easy, enjoyable read with a mystery to solve, set in a delightful location. I enjoyed the way the elements of the story were woven together — the appearance of the antique tea set that comes into Sophie’s possession, with its mysterious accompanying letter, the backstory of her Gran’s life and of course the romance, which doesn’t go at all smoothly — and how they all played out. Perfect for the armchair traveller and those who love picturesque Scottish villages.

My thanks to Sara Roberts, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the review copy.

A Scottish Highland Surprise is available for pre-order from…

Hive Books | Bookshop | Book Depository | Amazon | 

Julie Shackman is a former journalist from Scotland, who has always wanted to write feel-good romance. As well as being an author, Julie also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies. Julie admits to having an obsession with stationery and handbags. She is married, has two sons and recently adopted a Romanian rescue puppy, who she named Cooper. A Secret Scottish Escape is Julie’s fifth novel.