Member Review
Review by
Marie-José J, Reviewer
You may remember Izzy McBride from Romantic Escapes 8: The cosy cottage in Ireland. This was the story of Hannah and Connor, but Izzy took that same cooking course at the world-renowned Killorgally Cookery school in county Kerry. She inherited her great uncle Bill's castle in the Scottish Highlands and intends to turn it into a boutique bed and breakfast. As she returns home from the cooking course, she finds out her eccentric mother Xanthe has already rented a room to a very handsome but mysterious writer. To make things worse, she has also accepted a high-end booking for Christmas from very demanding guests, and the castle is nowhere near ready! It will be a race against the clock to get everything done. As Izzy tries her very best to ready the castle and prepare for the festivities, she and Ross grow closer. There's a risk everybody is going to be snowed in for Christmas, and it's not yet determined if that is a blessing or a curse.
Julie Caplin knows how to tell a beautiful story. All the ingredients for a seasonal feel-good romance are here. The beautiful castle, the mysterious Highlands and the picturesque village paint a gorgeous picture, especially in wintertime. Everywhere Izzy goes, we see the surroundings through her eyes and we can dream away. The atmosphere is romantic and cosy and all the characters you meet are heartwarming and funny. Izzy is the sweetest young woman, always wanting to take care of everyone and her mother Xanthe is a force to be reckoned with. Scenes with her are hilarious. She is made for drama but somehow she steals your heart anyway because she is loud but also kind and generous.
The romance between Izzy and Ross is slowly building up. You get to know them well as you read along and find out what their obstacles are. The story works towards the grand finale, Christmas. Will the castle be ready? Do Izzy and Ross get together? Will the guests be happy with everything?
The plot is a classic, although there are some original twists that are quite nice. The story has a relaxed pace, due to the attention that is paid to the surroundings, the food and lovingly written emotions. That slow pace is not irritating, in this story it's rather pleasant. I was not in a rush to say goodbye to all the lovely characters. The end was exactly what I was hoping for and it suits the storyline.
All and all not a complicated story but 100% feel-good. Written with a lot of TLC.
The Christmas castle in Scotland is the 9th book in the Romantic Escapes series. Like the previous books it can be read as a standalone, but since the main character, Izzy McBride, was already introduced in the previous story (Romantic Escapes book 8: The cosy cottage in Ireland), it's more fun if you read the books in the right order. Romantic escapes book 10: The French champagne chateau will be published June 6th, 2023. This will be the story of Hattie and Luc. You meet Hattie in the Christmas castle in Scotland. She arrives as a guest at the castle. The last chapter, called '6 months later', is a preview to Hattie's story in book 10 and it makes me want to read that one too, for sure!
Julie Caplin is an international bestselling author who has sold over a million copies of her books worldwide. She wrote 20 books and is best known for her Romantic escapes series, these uplifting romantic comedies are set in beautiful destinations all over the world, giving us readers a fantastic vacation through a story, they truely are romantic escapes!
As a former PR director, she used to travel all over Europe with writers that specialised in food and drinks. These trips inspired her to write the Romantic Escapes. Her knowledge about the continent and good food are very visible in the stories, taking them to the next level. You really experience what she saw and tasted. It is a very large part of what makes the stories so special and very enjoyable!
Review also published on Hebban:
https://www.hebban.nl/recensie/mariejosejansen-over-the-christmas-castle-in-scotland?share=1
Goodreads uses a different ISBN, so I can't insert my review there in here, but I did post my review there as well. You can find it if you visit my account Marie-José Jansen
Julie Caplin knows how to tell a beautiful story. All the ingredients for a seasonal feel-good romance are here. The beautiful castle, the mysterious Highlands and the picturesque village paint a gorgeous picture, especially in wintertime. Everywhere Izzy goes, we see the surroundings through her eyes and we can dream away. The atmosphere is romantic and cosy and all the characters you meet are heartwarming and funny. Izzy is the sweetest young woman, always wanting to take care of everyone and her mother Xanthe is a force to be reckoned with. Scenes with her are hilarious. She is made for drama but somehow she steals your heart anyway because she is loud but also kind and generous.
The romance between Izzy and Ross is slowly building up. You get to know them well as you read along and find out what their obstacles are. The story works towards the grand finale, Christmas. Will the castle be ready? Do Izzy and Ross get together? Will the guests be happy with everything?
The plot is a classic, although there are some original twists that are quite nice. The story has a relaxed pace, due to the attention that is paid to the surroundings, the food and lovingly written emotions. That slow pace is not irritating, in this story it's rather pleasant. I was not in a rush to say goodbye to all the lovely characters. The end was exactly what I was hoping for and it suits the storyline.
All and all not a complicated story but 100% feel-good. Written with a lot of TLC.
The Christmas castle in Scotland is the 9th book in the Romantic Escapes series. Like the previous books it can be read as a standalone, but since the main character, Izzy McBride, was already introduced in the previous story (Romantic Escapes book 8: The cosy cottage in Ireland), it's more fun if you read the books in the right order. Romantic escapes book 10: The French champagne chateau will be published June 6th, 2023. This will be the story of Hattie and Luc. You meet Hattie in the Christmas castle in Scotland. She arrives as a guest at the castle. The last chapter, called '6 months later', is a preview to Hattie's story in book 10 and it makes me want to read that one too, for sure!
Julie Caplin is an international bestselling author who has sold over a million copies of her books worldwide. She wrote 20 books and is best known for her Romantic escapes series, these uplifting romantic comedies are set in beautiful destinations all over the world, giving us readers a fantastic vacation through a story, they truely are romantic escapes!
As a former PR director, she used to travel all over Europe with writers that specialised in food and drinks. These trips inspired her to write the Romantic Escapes. Her knowledge about the continent and good food are very visible in the stories, taking them to the next level. You really experience what she saw and tasted. It is a very large part of what makes the stories so special and very enjoyable!
Review also published on Hebban:
https://www.hebban.nl/recensie/mariejosejansen-over-the-christmas-castle-in-scotland?share=1
Goodreads uses a different ISBN, so I can't insert my review there in here, but I did post my review there as well. You can find it if you visit my account Marie-José Jansen
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
