Member Reviews

I felt like I was there with the characters. Wanted to be part of their lives and the ups and downs they went through. Imagining the setting was easy, felt like I was there on the loch.

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Lily loves her job working for Brebners department store in Edinburgh, the job is busy and focusing on that means she doesn't have to focus on clearing out her mothers belongings and selling her shop in the Scottish Highlands.

Then her job at Brebners is no more, redundant and rudderless there is nothing to stop her facing up to her mothers passing.

Lily heads to Carroch thinking after two weeks she could head back to some serious job hunting back in Edinburgh, however when she gets to Carroch it starts to pull her in and the gorgeous Jack doesn't help either.

This was a great book and once I got into it it was difficult to put down.

A nice light read to put a smile on your face

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

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A lovely heartwarming story in a beautiful setting. Lily picks herself up after losing her job and the man of her dreams and takes on the gift shop left to her by her mother, falling in love with the village and stray cat can she also find a far more worthy love?

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As i am sure you have noticed i have been virtually visiting alot of cute little places lately, I've been to Malta, France, Stratford Upon Avon & now Scotland. What a lovely way to take trips when you can't. I was torn between reading something cute and something dark and thrilling. I am glad i picked this one.



I haven't read anything by Maggie yet but have a few of her books on my TBR. I really loved this light hearterd and sweet read. We meet Lily, who in the space of a few minutes has her life thrown upside down. She suddenly loses her job and the man she is in love with when she is called into his office at work, which is made 100 x worse when she actually thinks all her hard work is been rewarded.



Feeling sorry for herself and licking her wounds Lily takes the time to treat herself to all the things she wouldn't usually when she is working at a hundred miles per hour. She also finally decides its time to deal with her mothers belongings and the shop she was left after her mother suddenly passed away. Heading away from the hustle and bustle of the city to the beauty of Carroch life starts to take some unexpected turns.



Lily didn't expect to be interested in the shop, she doesn't like cats and there is in fact no way she plans on sticking around for long. So when something about the shop captures her, the cat makes her feel less lonely and the thought of returning to the city makes her feel conflicted. Could this be a new life?



"This is some quoted text from the book itself that i enjoyed".



I really enjoyed this book, meeting Lily was lovely. I felt for her - she hadn't had a bad upbringing just maybe not a conventional one which had led her to seek security in a reliable job rather than something that warmed her heart. Lily i felt was a little lost but she was such a lovely character. I warmed to her straight away and just felt for her as she tried to deal with her emotions alone.



Well, we all like a nice hunky man and Jack filled that description in this book, a man she remembers when he was a boy as Lily sat reading at the lake trying not to make eye contact. The pair don't get off to the best start (as if often the case) but i really enjoyed discovering his personality as not all is as it seems. Underneath the initial impression he cares, alot - about all those around him and his community. It was lovely to read and i could feel myself really caring for him. He hadn't had the best time and was determined to make every day the best he could.



Throw in the side characters and you have a book that is great to enjoy. I also really enjoyed getting to know everyone in the community and what their roles were as such. Its just a shame there wasn't more to read because i could of carried on for hours. It took me away from life for a few hours.



This was a light read, with beautiful description. A great sense of how important of community is also plays a massive role in the narrative too. With wonderful characters, a picturesque setting and a fast pace this is perefect for chick lit fans.



I was gifted an e-arc from netgalley but my views are my own.

If you want a copy of this you can get one from amazon

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A beautiful tale, invoking love and loss following the death of Lilly’s mother and her inheritance of a gift shop. Beautiful setting and warmth of characters, once you get past the horrors of lIlly’s ex-boss and her boring accountancy job!!

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Such a cosy and lovely read! It's the type of book you want to read under a warm blanket with a hot latte... First time for me to read a book by Maggie Conway and I am very happy I decided to pick up this book! It was really really good! Very well written with very lovely characters, and it was very nice to be by a lake in Scotland. It's my dream to go there and I almost could feel I was there! I really liked the plot of this story, the doubts that the main characters has and the way she works her way up to her final decision. Perfect story! I highly recommend it!

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Cute, fun summer read. It was an easy to read novel. I enjoyed it.

3.5/5 stars.

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review***

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I really enjoyed this cozy romance, the story is well written and the characters were very engaging. A very enjoyable read.

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Thank you thank you, Netgalley for another adorable and cozy romance set in the UK that had me swooning for lochs and accents!  I have actually had this book on my summer TBR because it seemed like a good piece to read while it was warm out and it definitely was.

This story follows Lily Ballantine, whose mother Patty has died, as she returns to her later mother's home and giftshop a few days after she had been let go from an accounting job that she enjoyed in the city.  With plans to sell, she starts her journey sifting through her mother's life and what remains. In due time, she makes some friends, meets a past love, and learns to let herself heal from her mother's sudden death all while learning to love her life again.

This book was so cute and I loved reading it.  It really was one of those books that makes you feel so warm and fuzzy inside.  The overall plot was lovely; I adored the way it captured the relationship between mother and daughter and how that never really goes away even after death.  Letting go and continuing on is a hard lesson, especially after the sudden death of a close loved one.  I like how Lily works through the stages of her grief and lets others into her life.  This story has such a strong message that should be shared with more people.

Not only is the death that Lily faces a major part of the plot, but this book also demonstrates how to deal with being let go from a job you were good at and also gives a glimpse of men going through emotional turmoil and ways to properly cope and deal.  All of the messages and images produced throughout this book are wonderful and really should be shared with more.

Overall, if you are looking for something that is easy to read and has a very happy ending, this would be a good book for you.  The writing is clear and easy to read, the characters are thought out, and the setting is practically perfect.  Who wouldn't want to live near a loch in Scotland!?

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Yet another book about a little gift shop, book store, church, bakery on the Loch, in the valley, on the shore....do you get my drift. Don't get me wrong, it was a fun, easy read but I am getting tired of reading these books with the same premise. Lily was a likable character, however there was nothing exciting about the storyline.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

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First off, can I say the cover is just adorable! It's what prompted me to pick up the book! Secondly, I liked the premise of the story and could easily relate to Lily and her troubles. And can I say how much I love Scottish heroes? So much! The author is obviously a gifted writer and I enjoy what I read. The issue I had was that the heroine spent a lot of time talking in her head to herself but in the third person. I wished there was more dialogue than inner monologue. It made it difficult for me to stay interested in the story.

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Romance! Scotland. New beginnings! What’s not to love!
Lily is at a crossroads in her life and her sense of grief, loss and isolation is incredibly well written. She moves back to Carroch to...well she’s unsure; to sell up? To start again? To close a chapter? To catch up on the years that have passed? Well all of these and much more. It’s a feel good romance which is my favourite kind!

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Enjoyable book overall. The feelings of loneliness, grief and despair were quite tangible through the writers words which made me unable to put the book down. A tale of new beginnings set in the most glorious scenery. A follow up tale would be most welcome!

Thank you NetGalley

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Lily is having a pretty bad time of it. Her free-spirit mother has passed away, and the man she was secretly in love with has made her redundant.

She decided that this might be the right time to move from Edinburgh to her mother’s village in the north of Scotland and settle her affairs. Which consist of a tiny gift shop and a stray cat.

It is here, in Carroch, she finally feels at peace and finds the stability she has always been searching for.

This was such a sweet story that made me feel homesick for Scotland. I loved every minute of it.

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After being made redundant from a job she loved Lily realises that it is time to face up to the reality of her mothers sudden death and heads up to Carroch. So much has changed since she was last there that it is almost a different village but but still there are Iris, Angus and Jack! Relationships and Lily change beyond recognition as has Carroch but can she find a future there and run the gift shop her mother left her? A great read especially for lovers of Scotland and the Lochs. Will Jack influence her in any way?........................

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So cute! I loved this one. Too adorable!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

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Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
A very good read and one I can highly recommend to others.
I could not put this down.
Thoroughly enjoyable with an amazing cast of characters that you cannot help but engage with.

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Lovely feel good story. It was well written and flowed well. Easy to read and hard to put down. Perfect on these summer nights

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What a feel good heartwarming book.
The story was predictable but still very enjoyable. I couldn’t put it down.
I loved all the characters and the description of the village made me want to be there.

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