A woman who is losing her job working at a gift shop is hired by a couple to transform 4 cottages on their property to be rented out. The woman is part of a team but she is the designer and she proposes holiday themed design.

A light, breezy Christmas read - pretty formulaic and generic, but sweet and cozy for the holiday season.

The Highland Lodge Getaway was a fantastic read, very easy and captivating. Julie Shackman has some great character development where you're left wondering about certain things that get revealed later in creative ways. I love Lottie's Christmas spirit despite the hard times that have fallen upon her. She continues to push forward doing the best she can, despite grumpy Grinch like Blake appearing and arguing over her ideas.

I love a good Christmas book in the summer and the descriptions of the holiday cabins got me wanting to cozy down in a cabin in the woods for a weekend with some hot chocolate, a blanket and some books. I would love to travel to Scotland and see these cabins if they were real. I love how she got the community involved and you can feel the small town vibes from the writing.

The only issue I had with this story was that a couple of the characters just kind of disappeared for a bit and I understand as background characters they aren't there, but I would have loved to see Lottie go to her mom about a few things that happened in the story. She also definitely took a chance driving into the woods to meet people who seemed to know a lot about her when she did not know them. Lucky for her it all worked out.

I would like to thank HarperCollins UK, NetGalley, and Julie Shackman for this arc copy.

The Christmas Highland Lodge is truly like a Lifetime Christmas movie in book form and I loved it! The author did an amazing job of setting the scene and making you feel like you’re part of an adorable small town around the holidays.

Lottie Grant is expecting to be the next owner of a Christmas themed shop, Christmas Crackers, when she finds out the shop’s lease is ending and they’re being forced to close its doors. She quickly finds another job doing interior design for some new cabins in the area. However, she soon meets another member of the resort team, Blake Dempster, who hates everything Christmas and is doing everything he can to stop her plans. This was a typical enemies to lovers and grumpy/sunshine trope with a really fun Christmas twist.

Save this one for December and it will definitely put you in the Christmas mood!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lottie loves everything about Christmas. She is excited about her new position and everything it entails. She meets Blake who is her opposite in many ways. I liked the chemistry between Lottie and Blake.

A quick read about a woman who loves Christmas and works in a Christmas store. While she planned to take it over, things change and she finds a new job which brings her with Blake, a new to town hiking and climbing instructor. Love and hate ensue. Really enjoyed.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cosy Christmas novel.
Perfect Christmas read

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Enjoyed the story of Christmas mad Lottie and not at all Christmas mad Blake. Perfect light Christmas reading!

Lottie Grant, soon to be owner of Christmas Crackers, finds out that the shop is sold to a different company and her world is flipped upside down. Soon after this, she gets offered a job to do interior work for holiday cabins- she accepts questioning her luck. That is up until the grumpy but handsome Blake Dempster, also recently appointed, starts questioning her every move for the interior.

I thoroughly enjoyed this festive romance read. This grumpy sunshine romance was a warming slow burn, and it will leave you feeling the need to keep reading. The intense tension between Lottie and Blake will leave you gaping at the obvious connection.

I do wish the pace was faster, mid way through the book we still hadn't met Blake, as the beginning focused on Lottie and her coworkers at the successful Christmas shop. Although this did make for an interesting read, we really only saw romance towards the very end.

The plot in this book was great, but when you add in the cozy, warm, and comfort of the setting it is incredible. I definitely recommend reading this relaxing Christmas romance novel with a nice warm mocha or tea while snuggled up under a warm blanket- it fits the mood perfectly.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and the author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Publishing Date: 2 October 2023

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot or publisher's blurb.

What better time to read a Christmas-themed novel than the height of the Great British Summer (in time-honoured fashion t was pouring down as I read this book!)

This is an enjoyable light read, set in the Scottish Highlands (as the title would suggest!). The plot is multi-layered, and there are some interesting characters - some likeable, others definitely not so - at least at first. I loved the interactions between Lottie and her Dad - a really nice touch.

The settings are very well described, so that you can picture the surroundings. I've run across a few little shops that are dedicated to Christmas and open all year round, so I could easily imagine what Lottie's shop looked like. The "big house" and lodges are also easy to imagine and sound lovely!

A touch of peril, and a hefty dose of romance all add to the drama. This would make an ideal holiday or journey read - or you could read it in the run up to Christmas.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

Such a lovely read. Very festive but also draws you into the story and the characters. Would recommend this book

Julie has done it again! With her clever wit and amazing imagination, she has created a festive and fascinating story of likeable characters, exciting plot and some intriguing curve balls that keep this novel fresh and delightful. The Highland Lodge Getaway is a heart-warming story about the magic of Christmas and how a sprinkle of goodwill and positive attitude can go a long way! It is also about second chances and how people are often stronger than they think. Dealing with life’s challenges can be draining and sometimes we just want to run away from the people and things that hurt us. But this story shows that we cannot escape or hide forever. We must deal with our fears and insecurities, learn to forgive, hit the reset button and create new memories. This may be difficult but necessary to free us. So, The Highland Lodge Getaway is also about emotional healing from damaged relationships. Plus having confidence in one’s abilities to accomplish new tasks.

Lottie Grant is a bundle of energy with a passion for Christmas. She studied Interior Design and has a real gift in making rooms and businesses shine. But the shop, Christmas Crackers, that she has worked so hard to make successful, is now being sold and the lease cannot be renewed. There are plans for a new business on these premises. Lottie had planned to buy the business but now her dream has been trashed and there is nothing she can do. Except move on and find another position. Luckily a new one arises. She is offered a position to re-decorate and manage a new business with luxury cabins in her quaint Scottish town of Craig Brae. It is a daunting task but her mother and others encourage her to accept. And she comes up with some amazing ideas that have plenty of sparkle and spirit.

But then Lottie must work with a grumpy member of the community. The hiking expert, Blake Dempster, who is especially moody about Christmas. His sullen attitude tries to dampen Lottie’s Christmas cheer. But she makes every attempt possible to stay on track in spite of his wet blanket mind-set to derail her Christmas spirit and design ideas for the cabins. She suspects there’s a reason behind his adverse response to the holiday season. But what is it? After roping him in to play Santa Clause to the school children, she begins to see little glimpses of his softer, kinder side. But he still remains silent about his past life—even after they become closer. Is there more to Blake than firm muscles, a long beard and pessimistic remarks?

I loved watching the relationship between these two move from friction to friendly encounters. They maintain their humorous banter while a caring connection blossoms— much to their surprise. Certain events and challenges bring on the changes. Growth happens and the story ends on a beautiful note.

I loved how Lottie’s late father keeps reappearing in the text at important moments. He passed at the young age of sixty. They were very close and although he is physically gone, she still ‘hears’ him in her heart giving her advice and encouragement. I can personally relate to this. It was a nice touch to show Blake’s polar opposite experience with his father as it provides light and shade in the story. Not everyone is as fortunate as Lottie (or myself) to have had a great relationship with their father. There are some like Blake who have had a very different experience. This also helps explain some of his reactions and viewpoints. But even these are not fixed in stone, as Lottie’s bright essence becomes a positive influence on him.

This story is full of wonder, Christmas spirit and sparkle. It is easy to be enlightened, surprised and warmed by the love that shimmers across these pages; to taste the snowflakes drifting down from a white feather sky. The setting is heavenly, cosy and comforting. The characters real, likeable and lasting. Beauty abounds inside this charming community, along with humour tapered by wisdom. I enjoyed The Highland Lodge Getaway and recommend that all feel-good fiction readers add it to their Christmas wish list! 5 Shining Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to One More Chapter and Netgalley for my review copy.

A great love story that is an easy read and hard to put down. Full of emotion, you can buy into the characters and keep hope that all goes to plan

Another gorgeous Christmas Scottish read for this lovely author. I loved its festiveness, the smell of the cinnamon baked goods, the hazelnut lattes, I could almost taste the mince pies. This was a tinselled fairy light wrapped beautiful book. Perfect for us Christmas romance book lovers. I loved Lottie she was organised, sassy, loyal and sweet. I liked her contrasts to chiselled, hard Blake. Again the Scottish setting was so beautifully described my heart aches to visit it.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I chose this because I have enjoyed some other books by this author, and I was in the mood for something lighthearted to read. This is part of the Scottish Escapes series.

This was a charming cosy feel-good Christmas story. From the first few pages, I found myself wanting to escape into it, and it made me want Christmas! I identified with Lottie as a character, and the story was heartwarming. This book would be a great choice to curl up with on a winter evening, with a hot chocolate and a fuzzy blanket, and it's likely to get you in a festive mood.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Even though its summer I enjoyed this warm hearted story based in the Highlands. Great read

Stunning - absolute joy of a read. What’s not to love - Christmas and romance and Scotland. If you’re wanting to get into the Christmas spirit, tuck yourself up with this book and a hot chocolate.

THE CHRISTMAS HIGHLAND LODGE is a small town grumpy/sunshine Christmas romance with Lottie at an unsettling crossroads in her life crossing paths with Blake as they become co-workers in a new holiday themed vacation venture.

The author brings the beautiful country to the forefront in this quaint village in Scotland. Lottie is reeling from the loss of her father and her future owning the Christmas shop she works at. Blake appears as holiday averse as Lottie is holiday chuffed.

You will enjoy watching the prickly relationship bloom amid the background of Christmas in the Scottish Highlands.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced review copy.

The Christmas Highland Lodge is a sweet holiday story. I enjoyed reading this and I will look forward to rereading it during the holiday season.

Lottie is distraught when Christmas Crackers where she works and was hoping to buy is sold. She doesn't know what she's going to do until 2 people come and offer her a job creating the perfect styles for their log cabins. Lovely descriptions of Craig Brae in winter even if it is fictional