A Cozy Christmas Romance with a Scottish Twist

I absolutely loved this book! It’s a perfect cozy Christmas read set in the beautiful Scotland. The Scottish language and setting added so much charm, making it feel even more immersive and unique. The relationship between Alex and Ella was heartwarming, and I really enjoyed seeing their friendship grow and develop naturally throughout the story. The Cinderella references were an amazing and at times funny touch, especially with the horrible stepmother (who I absolutely hated). The balance of romance, friendship, and holiday magic was just right. Highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a feel-good, festive escape!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Ella's life feels like its spinning out of control. Their is not enough hours in a day to get everything done. When she participates in a play she likes the male lead. A nice read.

I have read and loved every book in this series and this one was no different. The cast of quirky characters, a HVE and the Scottish Highlands, there is nothing else one could ask for except maybe the next book!

This is my second book by Donna and she writes fabulously.

This story is somewhat inspired by Cindrella where Ella has a mean stepmother and 2 brothers and I spent the first 20% of the book hating them and getting a little irritated with Ella for not standing up to them. Alex also comes across as an egoistic person who doesn't care or think about others.

But as you delve deeper in the story, Donna starts peeling off the layers like an onion and you start feeling, sympathizing and liking the characters. Though I would have liked it if Ella would have come across a little stronger and smarter. It felt weird that she did not know or believe that she was being manipulated and how often she felt guilty. I would have liked her more if she knew but tried to give them a chance and then stood up for herself.

I am not fond of the third act breakup, and Ella's actions and Alex's words were a little over the top. Though the book does have a good ending.

Overall a good read.

I received an advance copy of the book and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Ella works for her family business, but is doing more than her share as her stepmother is always informing her that her stepbrothers aren’t well.

She is a brilliant artist and works with Henry, who is a well known artist when she can fit it into her busy work schedule.

Alex arrives to work with Henry to help him with his own painting. When Ella and Alex first meet, they clash. Then they both are advised by Henry that they’ll be working together in his studio as well as in the pantomime Cinderella.

All his life Alex has tried to make his father feel proud of him, but Ella makes him realise that he shouldn’t feel that he’s not good enough. Alex makes her understand that it’s not right to keep putting what she wants behind what others want her to do.

Will they both listen to the advice each gives and become more than friends?

I loved the beautiful setting, characters and the dogs.

I highly recommend this book.

I just loved this book. It has a heartbreaking and heartwarming story with great characters that are there for the main character as they know her family are using her but they help her find her way and to take back her life as they genuinely love her and they show her that they have her back. It has also has fabulous dog characters in Wyatt and Sprout.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you love a good story with a wonderful ending.

I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

Do you love fairytales? Mainly Cinderella? Do you love Christmas?
Well you have found your book.
This is a cinderella Christmas inspired story.

We have Ella, Ella is an artist she went to artschool but when her father got sick and past away she had to drop out because she needed to take over the business and help care for het family.
She basically runs the cleaning company alone and her step brothers and step mother use her and she is pretty tired from doing it all alone.

In comes Alex, Alex is a city boy (his last name is charming you feel where i am going withe the Cinderella theme?)
He comes to the small village to work on his art.
And he starts with an iceheart and is annoyed with everything.
But can he help Ella and the town? Can Ella melt his icey heart?

This book was wholesome, it took a bit of getting into especially in the beginning i felt it was heavy on the Cinderella part.
But the further you got the better it got.
Both Alex and Ella have dept to them.
And you fall in love with them and everyone from the little town.
Especially little Hunter that boy is just the sweetest.

You see the growth from mainly Alex but also Ella.
Which I loved.
I felt that even the side characters had growth in them which doesn’t take from the main story but does add to it.

It’s an very lovely cozy Christmas read. Which should definitely be on your Christmas TBR if you love fairytales and Christmas.

This was such a great read! This book was a modern take of Cinderella and Prince Charming and I loved it😍 this book has some of my faves tropes too! If you love ememies to lovers, opposites attract and Dual POV then you will love this book❤️ I just loved the characters! Alex and Ella where great and Im so happy they got their happy ending and Alex finally realised he needed a new start with the people who truly cared! Also loved little Hunter too🥰 I adore this book and I will definitely be reading more of Donna's work in the future! Big thank you to Donna and Netgalley for the ARC🫶

I was pleased to read this from NetGalley. I always like a book that’s set in Scotland. The main characters are Ella and Alexander who have art in common. Ella wanted to go to art college but when her Dad died she had to take on the family cleaning business but painted in her spare time. She has a step mother and 2 step brother. I have to say I did get annoyed with her for not standing up to them all. Alexander had come to learn from an artist,he worked for his father and wanted to paint something that would hang in their offices. He had a difficult relationship with his father and wanted to get his approval. Ella and Alexander were getting help from the same artist and there were definitely sparks. Alexander had to step into the role of Prince Charming in the local pantomime of Cinderella and off course Ella was Cinderella. Just a lovely story of how they taught each other lessons on how to be better. Loved the other characters too especially Hunter,the young lad who looked up to Alexander. Will Prince Charming get his princess?

When Alexander takes time off from his high powered job to take art lessons from an expert painter he never expected to let his guard down. Ella is overworked and hardly ever gets a chance to take her art lessons. They both need to rethink their priorities in order to trust each other. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bookouture for my honest review.

This is book #6 in the Scottish Highlands series. Whilst it is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone book. We head back to the Highlands to meet Ella, a modern day Cinderella who is trying to keep her family's cleaning business afloat while her wicked stepbrothers put their feet up! We also meet Alex, the Highlands' very own Prince Charming, who is in the village on a break from his demanding father. Both of the main characters are also studying art with the village's artist, and whilst this does feature a lot in the storyline, the Christmas spirit certainly pushes to the forefront in their stories!

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the two main characters Ella and Alex. It's clear that they both have their issues and problems that they need to work through, but they are still both really likeable characters who you can easily connect with. I really felt for Ella though and found how her family treated her was awful. I kept my fingers crossed throughout that she would eventually see what we could all see! The author has written it as a "fairy-tale" of sorts and I thought this was really clever and loved the idea of it (especially Alex's name!) I also loved the Pantomime theme, and this created wonderfully festive visions of family times at Christmas - I could almost hear the "he's behind you" as I read!

The storyline flowed along at a lovely pace. There were plenty of light-hearted moments, lots to make you smile and laugh at and some more emotional times. It was a heart-warming read, with the right amount of romance and festive fun to put you in the Christmas spirit!! The absolute perfect read for those snowy winter days! Would recommend!

A retelling of Cinderella- set in Scotland- at Christmas- with evil step brothers! Is Alex the Prince Charming that Ella needs? Ella has so much on her plate but she agrees to do the pantomime because her dad loved it. And that's how she meets Alex, who has issues of his own. These two aren't the tortured characters they might have been but there is a bit of angst. And a bit of magic. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I really enjoyed this book! It had several of my favorite things enemies to lovers, holiday romance, stuck together and opposites attract. The story follows Ella. A hard working woman that takes over her family’s cleaning business after the deaths of her parents. Now she runs it for her evil stepmother. With work alone she is way too busy to play Cinderella in the local pantomime. But the pantomime was loved deeply by her father so she signs up anyway. Then Ella meets the handsome but majorly broody Alex. And she learns he will be taking over as Prince Charming after the other actor gets hurt. Ella does her best to remain positive but as opening day draws nearer everything is just a mess. Between her brothers who are always too sick to help out and Alex with his constant bad attitude Ella is struggling. She feels like she is responsible for everything or she is letting down her dad’s memory. Then slowly Alex starts to open up at rehearsal and they share a heated kiss. Which makes Ella wonder if maybe there’s more to Alex than she originally thought?

This book is a festive read with a sweet small town romance and fast plot line. Would be perfect as a cosy winter read.

Loved the relationship between Alex and Hunter and the caring side of the older towns people. I think for me the Cinderella retelling was too much with the story featuring both as the small town pantomime and the life of one of the main characters. Some aspects within the life of the main character had me cringing and could have been missed out without taking anything away from the story.

Storyline was good and moved quickly, the pantomime adds an extra dimension to the relationships/awkward moments within the building romance. Unfortunately the book was just not for me.

This retelling of Cinderella follows Ella, a talented artist who is overworked, managing her stepmother’s cleaning business while her stepbrothers constantly make excuses to avoid helping. In addition to her day job, Ella works whenever she can with Henry, a famous artist. Alex Charming, another artist, comes to town to assist Henry with his work and has a fateful first meeting with Ella. Their paths cross again when they are cast in the local festive pantomime, with Ella playing Cinderella and Alex as Prince Charming.

Both characters are weighed down by personal struggles: Ella is trying to balance her art with her overwhelming family responsibilities, while Alex has spent his life trying to meet his father’s expectations. With Ella’s support, Alex begins to realize his self-worth, and Ella learns that she deserves to prioritize her own happiness.

The story, set in the Scottish Highlands, is a heartwarming romance full of festive spirit, personal growth, and charming moments. It features endearing relationships, including Alex’s connection with Henry’s dog, and offers a magical take on the classic Cinderella tale with a modern twist.

Donna Ashcroft is a new author to me but I would look for other novels by her after read this. A real Christmas theme behind the story of a pantomime being played out and a lot of making you think about your own worth. Ella spent a lot of time trying to do everything for her family to the detriment of her own dreams. Alex spent all his time trying to impress his father and never succeeding. This novel follows their route to becoming their own people, living their own lives and doing what they want to do. An enjoyable read.

Thank you to Bookouture, Netgalley and Donna Ashcroft for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This was a sweet fun, Scottish Christmas romance between Alex from the "big city" and Ella a small village artist and business owner. It was the perfect Scottish romance and a fast cozy read. The characters were lovable, had great chemistry, and I felt invested in their story.

My only real issues with this story was that the relationship with Ella's stepmother and stepbrothers wasn't super realistic. They were extremely manipulative but it didn't feel very natural. I understand that Ella's real life is supposed to mirror Cinderella, but I think there could have been other options to make these relationships more organic (the characters just weren't believable).

My other gripe is that this ended rather abruptly. I felt like there were a few loose ends at the end and maybe an epilogue would've settled it.

Otherwise I very much enjoyed this book. It would have been 5 stars if not for the

HOW WONDERFUL! this was such a pleasant read and puts you in the feel-good mood just in time for the Christmas season. i highly recommend this read.

A gem from Donna Ashcroft . A Cinderella retelling , Ella is working in her family's cleaning business and working her stepbrothers and stepmother sifts because they always tell her they are sick or busy . She is a talent artist and she is working with a famous artist Henry when she is able . Alex Charming is visiting Henry to help his with his painting . They have an interesting first meeting and when they meet again they discover that they both have to work together with Henry and at the local festive pantomime play Cinderella . Alex all his life tried to please his father but with her help realises that he is enough and she doesn't have to put the others above her needs and happiness . Will Alex and Ella find their happily ever after ?
I loved who Alex without really trying became friend with Hunter and even a mentor . I loved both dogs .
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Giving me all the Christmas feels. Pick up this novel and you will find it hard to put it down again, and when you have read it, you will find it easy to believe that you have actually been there experiencing the story yourself.