I was really looking forward to reading this new novel by Donna Ashcroft. The cover caught my eye immediately and just looked so inviting that I couldn't wait to dive in and start reading all about Evie and Callum. In particular I love the ombre sunset sky and the colourful flowers along the top of the cover.

As mentioned this story focuses on Callum and Evie's life and relationship. Both of the characters had been heartbroken but in very different ways. Callum has come over from New York for 4 weeks to try and find his grandfather who he believes lives in Lockton, in the Highlands, which is where Evie's families farm is situated. Evie has decided to hide out on her parents farm for the foreseeable future after being humiliated by the man who she thought was The One.

The pair join forces when Callum asks Evie for her help to find his grandfather, and I believe he's in for the shock of his life when he finds out who it is! I must admit, I had a bit of an inkling about 30% into the novel as to who it could be but the book kept you guessing and on the edge of your seat wanting to find out who the mystery grandfather could be.

I did enjoy this novel, it was quite emotional in places and not all that lighthearted but it was a pleasant read nonetheless. I took a while to warm to Evie, as her character seemed quite cold on more than one occasion, however the more you read about her past the more you understand why she acts like she does and why she finds it so hard to trust anyone. Callum, again I wasn't sure on at the start. Simply because of his background and what he had been through himself. Even so, I believe I liked his character more than Evie as he seemed so kind and fun.

Overall, a nice book to read to pass the time. Thank you to the publisher for a chance to read an advance copy of this novel via Netgalley, which I have reviewed honestly.

I'm giving this book five stars, but really I would give it as many as I could! It's a wonderfully written with a aantastic cast of extremely well-written characters that make you feel like you are living in their village. I want to go and live there and actually live with Nana Agnes. What a fantastic romance, family story, coming-of-age, getting over breakup all jumbled into one. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! I seriously can't recommend it enough. Our main protagonist is Evie, who is living back home after an extremely messy breakup. She's been had by a cad. A married man who played her and broke her sweet and loving heart. Her family runs a little group of Yurts that they use as holiday vacation homes. Quite honestly, I'd love to try one out. One of the guests ends up being an American firefighter, Callum Rider, who's kind of on vacation for a two fold reason. One to lick his wounds and recover from a tragedy that occurred at work. And another to try and find his maternal grandfather. Lucky for Evie, he chooses to stay at her family's business, ButterMead Farm in Lockton, Scotland. They both have many issues and they both help each other find their way to each other. Callum is in position of 50 year old handwritten love letters from his grandfather to his grandmother, who he didn't end up marrying, but he did end up impregnating. Beautifully written from the heart and so poetic and beautiful they make you want to have anyone write you letters like that. My favorite character by far was Callum. He really grew throughout the storyline. And even crusty old Fergus, who we end up finding out is the grandfather that everyone's been looking for and is a Distillery owner of fine whiskeys. There's a lot of early-morning skinny dipping in the loch, a sassy talking parrot named Tiki, a sweet little goat that's Evie's personal pet, Meg, who is Evie's best friend, that owns a Christmas shop and cafe in Lockton. The author has a fantastic writing style with extremely well-developed characters and an excellent plot. The town is so warm and welcoming that I'm really going to miss this book. I highly recommend it. It's perfect for losing yourself in, especially during these times. I found myself laughing out loud at quite a few spots. Bravo!!

I would like to thank Donna Ashcroft, bookoutoure, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange a fair and honest review.

A perfect book if you want to smile and escape this bleak times.
It's engrossing and entertaining and I couldn't help rooting for the characters.
Even if it's a light read Eve is a character that can make you reflect how hard it can be to accept change and overcome hour fears.
I loved the characters, the lovely setting and the plot.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Evie Stuart and Callum Ryder could not be more different. She leads a quiet ad practical life, while Callum is as impuslive as they come. Callum is visiting in Scotland to try and learn of his family's Scottish heritage. Callum's search is what brings him in contact with Evie, and he really shakes up her life.

Callum only plans on being in Scotland for the summer, because he is a firefighter in New York and that certainly keeps him very busy. However, despite their differences, as Evie helps Callum trace his roots, they find time to really enjoy some of the sites - and each other. With the thousands of miles that would be between them when Callum finally goes home definitely does not bode well for a future together, despite the flair of attraction that quickly sparks into a flame.

I love the lessons in this story. For Evie, it was learning to let go and have fun. For both of them, trust played a huge role. After all, their hearts were soon on the line. This busy but endearing story had a few different characters that played a lot into what was going on. One such character was Evie's Nana Agnes, a no-nonsense but playful person. The Little Village of New Starts was an enjoyable read from start to finish and makes the fourth book I have read by Donna Ashcroft. So, when her titles come up for review, I don't even need to read the description...it is a definite Yes!

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This is my honest opinion.

Donna Ashcroft is a new-to-me author with The Little Village of New Starts. This title fits this story perfectly. All new starts do not have to be international travel like Callum’s but can be something as simple as entering the village jam-making contest. The change is not in the event but in the mindset. I like the underlying theme of this romance which is dealt with humor and sensitivity.

This story hit close to home since I have a family member much like Evie Stuart. So afraid to live, to make a change, to try something different somewhere else. Sadly after many years no Callum Ryder has showed up to help her. However, Callum did show up for Evie and Evie is there for Callum. Lovely story of leaving your comfort zone. Then finding yourself so that you are ready to open your arms wide to possibilities such as love.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Evie has shut herself away from the world, keeping to her parents’ farm since she had her heart broken over a year ago. Calum is searching for his grandfather and is haunted by the loss of his mother many years ago. Neither Evie nor Callum are looking for love, but they can’t deny the immediate sparks between them. They must both come to terms with their pasts so that they can move on and find love again.

This is an enjoyable romantic read with a lovely Scottish countryside setting and a village full of interesting characters. I generally liked the two main characters and thought their pasts and emotions were explored well. However, for me personally, there was an aspect/attitude of one of the characters towards the end that I didn’t like and wasn’t fully redeemed for me so I didn’t enjoy the ending as much as I wanted to.

I really liked the Nana Agnes character and her banter. I also liked the love story from the past which was described in letters.

Overall, this is a pleasant read with plenty of tender, romantic and passionate moments.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this title.

For fans of Jenny Colgan’s ‘Mure’ series! Scotland, food, and romance is the perfect combination for a sunny afternoon read and The Little Village of New Starts has all three. It’s sweet and easy to read whilst still having realistic characters with real world issues and a plot that develops. I love the ‘side’ romance and background characters!
I’m excited to go back and read Donna Ashcroft’s other books.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC!

Sweet romance and a💌 letter to deliver, but to whom?

4-4.5🌟stars
I felt like this story took me on a cozy ramble through the Highlands, complete with a curmudgeonly whiskey distiller and quirky animals (a parrot obsessed with Simple Minds?! and Jaws the Seagull, to name a few). But at the heart there's a young woman and her grandmother with opposing perspectives on living and loving in the aftermath of loss and disappointment. Yank (American) firefighter Callum shows up looking for a long lost relative and shakes things up.

I found Callum's story the most touching and my first impression of him as a cocky rogue gave way to a more sympathetic one. He's a rootless man who needs something to anchor and support him. The letter he carries could be his passport to family and acceptance but he also risks rejection.

Callum and Evie's romance is supplemented with jam wars and grannie Agnes's pursuit of a new beau eight years after her dear husband's passing. Agnes is quite a character, wise, more lively than any granny of her years I know and touched with a bit of Highland magic. She and the other secondary characters like nervous Meg and nosey Morag added lots of small-town charm.

Thanks to publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review and the opinions expressed are my own.

This book is filled with happiness and love! Set in the wilds of the Scottish Highlands, Evie has become reliant on her simple home life as she licks the wounds of her failed relationship. With her friendships are few and include her grandmother and a pygmy goat. Evie’s family farm has a number of glamping yurts and, when one is rented by an America visitor, Evie’s life takes a turn for the unexpected.
Callum, a traumatised firefighter is visiting from New York and hoping to trace his mysterious grandfather. All Callum has for clues are some old letters which he found when his grandmother died. Can those clues lead to his grandfather and can they help to heal his traumas?
I really enjoyed all of the characters in this story and, in particular, Evie’s wise grandmother. She has an anecdote for every problem and a wise tale for any situation.
The descriptions in this book left me feeling like I’d just come back from a jam tasting tour of the Scottish Highlands which was so wonderful, I didn’t want to finish the last chapter.
If you enjoy and happy ending, with a light sprinkling of handsome firefighter, this is the book for you!

Cute, easy read story, ideal for forgetting your troubles and the outside world for a while.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc copy in exchange for my review.

I would like to thank Bookouture for sending me a copy of this book to read and to be apart of the blog tour.
The Little Village of New Starts is a heartwarming read and one I really enjoyed. Evie is struggling with self esteem issues and is not lucky in love, she lives in the Scottish highlands with her family. In walks Callum who is seeking answers about his own family and ends up changing Evie's world in the process.
This heartwarming tale was a joy to read, with a beautiful setting and a summer full of adventure it was hard to put down. The characters are well though out and you feel you really get to know the family. Nana Agnes was amazing and by far my favourite character.
An enjoyable read that lets you escape to the Scottish Highland for adventures and romance.

Rating: 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐

What would you do if a handsome stranger showed up to your family farm and stripped naked then went for a swim? That’s how Evie meets Callum fresh off a plane after losing a family to a fire he was fighting and here to track down his biological grandfather after his grandmother’s passing unearthed their letters. Evie is helping out on her family’s farm and with their guest yurts. She has a goat named Daisy and a boyfriend, but he’s more of a defense against getting involved with anyone after she found out her last love was actually married with a baby on the way. The Little Village of New Starts has romance and beautiful scenery of the Scottish countryside. It’s like embarking on a vacation to a wonderful town where there is a year round Christmas Store and the town hosts a Jampionship jam-making contest! This was exactly the kind of uplifting, sweet book that makes you smile when you remember it!

Super cute, fun and heartwarming, I enjoyed this one, Thank you publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

**Disclaimer: I was given a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.**

Title The Little Village of New Starts

Author Donna Ashcroft

Description from Amazon

Sometimes turning everything upside down feels just right…

Evie Stuart is playing it safe. She lives on her family’s remote farm in the Scottish Highlands and never ventures beyond the local village of Lockton. The most unpredictable events in her life are the antics of Miss Daisy, her grandmother Agnes’s pygmy goat. She’s learned that bad things happen when she’s impulsive, and she’s determined not to get burned again.

Callum Ryder is exactly the opposite of what Evie wants in her ordered world. Six foot two of reckless energy with twinkling eyes and a dangerously charming smile, he’s a thrill-seeking American firefighter with no idea how to slow down. Callum enters Lockton like a whirlwind, fleeing his problems in New York City in search of the truth about his Scottish family.

Yet the pair might have more in common than they think… When the well-meaning Agnes persuades her to help Callum find his grandfather, Evie finds herself being challenged more than she has in years: from swimming in the fabled Bonnie Lochan to exploring an ancient castle and even entering the village jam-making championships. Turns out it’s easy for Evie and Callum to connect when they let go of their fears and enjoy the most surprising summer of their lives.

But getting close to Callum so quickly soon starts to look like it might ruin everything for Evie: she’s heading for a disaster exactly like the one that destroyed her a year ago when she fell for the wrong man and let him change her life. Maybe a fresh start isn’t going to be so simple after all… Is the safe haven Evie’s built about to crumble down around her?

Release Date May 12, 2020

Initial Thoughts

I loved The Christmas Countdown by Donna Ashcroft so I knew when she had a new book available, that I wanted to read it. It is wrong that I kind of want to read Christmas books right now? Anyway, back on topic. I was excited to read this book. I really enjoy books set in Scotland and I also like Donna Ashcroft’s writing style.

Some Things I Liked

Scotland as a setting. Lochton sounds like such a great place to visit. Filled with family and warm memories. I loved the rich descriptions and this book only fueled my desire to travel / retire there.
Miss Daisy and Tiki. I loved the role animals played in the story. It can be hard to give animals real personality in contemporary stories, as there is no magical element to lean on. But, I think it was really well done in this story. I felt like I knew both the goat and parrot well by the end of the story and they felt like they were characters just as much as anyone else in the story.
Nana Agnes. I loved her. She reminds me of a Scottish version of my grandma. She was a perfect side character and I loved her story almost as much as Evie and Callum’s.

Series Value

I would definitely continue reading this series if Donna Ashcroft chooses to set more books here. I’d like to see stories about Meg and Lilith as well as a bit of an epilogue for Evie and Callum. I liked the ending, but I wouldn’t be opposed to more.

Final Thoughts

This was a super fast read, started at around 9pm and finished at about 1am. I liked the story, engaged with the characters, and confirmed what I already knew, that I was a fan of Donna Ashcroft. If you are looking for a quick, rom-com, definitely check this one out.

Final note, this book is available for free with Kindle Unlimited.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

The Christmas Countdown by Donna Ashcroft – if you liked the writing style and small town setting, try this Christmas release by Donna Ashcroft.
The Little Teashop in Tokyo by Julie Caplin – if you liked the themes of a main character who didn’t totally trust her judgement in men (or herself), try this upcoming June 2020 release.
The Move by Whitney Dineen – if you’re looking for a bit of a gender bent version of The Little Village of New Starts look no further. In The Move, our heroine moves to a new town, discovers a part of herself that she had lost, and meets a nice local guy.

I love this author’s books and haven’t missed one yet! This book takes us to the Scottish Highlands and introduces us to Evie. Evie is a lovely character, but has obviously had past relationship problems which has left her with low confidence and self-esteem. She lives and works with her parents and grandmother on Buttermead Farm in the little village of Lockton, where they hire out Yurts to holidaymakers. When American Callum Ryder arrives in search of his grandfather, there’s an obvious spark between them, which Evie tries her best to ignore!

The setting of this book was perfect and conjured up great images of the Scottish Highlands! Evie’s story is quite sad in parts and as the story moves on you discover it’s because of a recent heartbreak which not only devastated her, but humiliated her as well. I loved the first meeting with Callum, although despite the talk of blue skies and warmer weather, it did make me feel rather cold and certainly set my teeth chattering!! Callum is also trying to escape some demons, taking some extended leave to search for who he thinks may be his grandfather but with only the barest facts and an initial to go by! It was obvious that Evie would end up helping him and I loved the storylines when they were off doing this!

Filled with interesting and likeable characters, this book grabbed me from the very beginning. Not only does the story take us on a family history adventure, showing us what life is like in the Highlands and proving that there are Christmas shops all year round, it also fills us with laughs and delights from the Jampionships, the annual Jam making competition (although the thought of egg flavoured jam turned my stomach slightly!) The star of the book had to be, of course, Nana Agnes! If you were going to be staying in a Yurt at Buttermead Farm, who else would you want looking after you! The ending was just perfect with the mystery of Callum’s grandfather solved, the results of the Jampionships and finding out if Evie gets her happy ending!! An absolutely wonderful story of love and laughs which will warm your heart completely!! Highly recommended!!

A small village in the Scottish Highlands, a Scottish female, an American male, what could go wrong, what could go right. This is a great read with plenty of ups and downs beautifully written by Donna Ashcroft, her books are always a good read and I enjoy them. I am sure you will too. I am giving this 5 stars and I recommend you read it and enjoy it as I have done.

Sweet and escapist in the best way possible. A first purchase for collections where lighter women's fiction is popular.

This book was cute but I can't say it was one that will stick out in my memory for long. There wasn't anything wrong with it, it was just to similar to other books I've read and nothing made it stand out from the crowd.
If you're in for a light read then this is perfect.

Provided in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the opportunity.

A romance set in Scotland! A place where I have always dreamed of going, so reading this was a total escape for me. I read this book in one day. This was my first novel by Donna Ashcroft. The cover design and the description lured me in immediately. My usual genre is historical fiction and thrillers, so when I read a romance, I am quite picky. This was a romance, but not all fairytale because a few difficult decisions along the way, which makes it much more enjoyable for me to read because it doesn't seem too unrealistic. The atmospheric writing style was like a breath of fresh air to me, and like I noted at the beginning of my review, was a total escape. I am looking forward to reading more by this author in the future. I am very impressed, and so glad I was approved to read The Little Village of New Starts!

I have love this book. I love a book with romance but with a few difficult decisions along the way because life isn't fairy tail.

I love the sense of community and Agnes and Eve's relationship.

The relationships Eve has had remind me of a couple of mind (not the married one, but he was an idiot). Callum however is much like my hubby and I could really relate to this book.

Thank you Donna for a brilliant story and the description of the places they walked, the farm and the Jam competition ingenious. Loved it!