254 pages publication date September 27,2022 Bookouture publisher
About The Book
Step into Christmas Village in the Scottish Highlands where you’ll find plenty of mulled wine, romance and secrets! And join Merry McKenzie as she stays at her Aunt Ava’s cottage for the winter festivities to try and mend her broken heart…
Thirty-one-year-old Merry has vowed never to have her heart broken again. When her Aunt Ava asks her to house-sit Chestnut Cottage to look after her menagerie of animals, Merry jumps at the opportunity. Perhaps spending Christmas in the snowy Scottish Highlands will be just the escape she needs…
But on her first night in the little cottage everything goes wrong. The lights don’t work. It’s freezing cold. She has to call out the local vet, Theo Ellis-Lee, to help her calm down her aunt’s over-excited pet turkey. Merry realises she’s completely out of her comfort zone and it doesn’t help that Theo is both infuriatingly cheerful and insanely attractive.
It gets worse when Theo begins stopping by the cottage every day to check on the unruly animals. Merry wanted to prove that she doesn’t need a man holding her hand all the way. And Theo wasn’t part of her plans to be home alone for Christmas. Except Merry can’t deny the handsome vet sets her pulse racing…
Merry tries to keep up her Scrooge-like persona, but gradually Theo begins to melt her heart with his cheeky sense of humour and smouldering looks. As the two of them share cosy evenings drinking wine and eating cookies, Merry lets down her guard for the first time in a very long time.
But when Merry discovers Theo has been keeping a secret from her, it makes her wonder if she can really trust him. Can Theo convince Merry to give him a second chance? Or will Merry leave Christmas Village and return home heartbroken?
My Thoughts
Merry McKenzie is visiting the Scottish Highlands for Christmas. Now I’ve never visited there myself, but the book sure makes it sound like the perfectly festive getaway.
As a lover of animals, I was thrilled to read a book full of so many animals including some pretty funny scenes.
She is there for a month to take care of her aunts’ animals while she is traveling. I’ve read a few of this authors’ books already so I knew I would enjoy this story and it was what I was expecting. Things get off to a bit of a hilarious start when Chewy, her aunts’ rabbit chews up an important list she needed. With her aunt away, Merry is tasked with filling her aunt’s job of doing the Secret Santa.
I just love Secret Santa, so much fun. When Chewy chews up the list she doesn’t know what gift for who is. The local vet helps her figure out who each gift is for, but she doesn’t know it, she thinks she figures it out herself.
Theo Ellis-Lee, the local vet starts coming every evening to check on the animals, he’s infuriatingly cheerful and can’t help bringing a smile to Merry’s face when they go to the pub.
This visit to the highlands is really a healing trip for Merry, she needs to figure out somethings in life and this is to help take her mind off things. She has important things to decide and with the help of a certain handsome vet her mind just may have been made up a lot quicker.
Loved the immersion of the Christmas spirit I felt while reading this. The town’s people are so friendly and welcoming to this outsider she just may decide to make this winter’s vacation one she’s not going to leave. Grab your hot chocolate with marshmallows and your cat you’re going to enjoy snuggling up while reading this one.
Pub Date 27 Sep 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.
About The Author
Donna Ashcroft was born in London, England and grew up in Buckinghamshire. She went to university in Lancashire and, among other things, worked as a copywriter, buyer, waitress, secretary and marketing manager.
Donna was shortlisted for the RNA Debut Romantic Novel of the Year in 2019, has had eleven books published with Bookouture and is working on her next which is due out in September 2023.
Donna loves a happy ending and is never happier than when she’s escaping into a romance novel or movie. When she’s not reading or writing she’ll probably be found hoovering … or negotiating with her kids about who is doing the washing up.
You can find Donna on Twitter @Donnashc or visit her at http://www.donna-writes.co.uk
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