This is the first in a new series by Kiley Dunbar and what a different storyline it is
compared to the borrow a bookshop series. I wasn’t sure what to expect but once again Kiley has written a beautiful story about second chances in both life and businesses.
Ally McIntyre is a work from home girl working for her family in their repair shop
in the town and Jamie is a volunteer Police Officer who is wanting to become a full police officer in the future. Their paths cross one evening when a knock on the door leaves the officers informing Ally’s father he is guilty of crime - handling and altering stolen goods, the owner of ‘‘stolen goods’ recognised their belongings on a news broadcast promoting the family business. Ally informs the officers of the description of the woman who bought the items in and they leave to make more enquiries - but without anymore details to go on, the police are left clueless. This is, until one evening when Jamie was on a ‘date’ with Ally and they spot the woman leaving the pub but when he gives chase, he loses her in the darkness.
When he rings to report the sighting his Supervisor warns him how unprofessional and potentially career damaging it would be if he continues to see the woman who is possibly involved in the crime….

Will they ever solve the crime and find this elusive woman?

cute, quick read one the many things a repair shop can fix. Not just objects but also people.
The characters were well blended and the secrets between siblings brought to light

This was such a cute book! I loved the setting for this book and I enjoyed reading this book a lot! I highly recommend this book!

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Although I enjoyed the premise of this book, I am fairly ambivalent about it overall. The plot and the setting were interesting, and while Jamie was portrayed well, with an engaging backstory which helped the reader develop a relationship with him, Ally was two-dimensional, meaning I struggled to connect to the story. She does get better as the book progresses, and I enjoyed the development of the Community Day, but unfortunately this book fell a bit flat for me.

Killy Dunbar is a new author to me and I will read her books again a lovely heartwarming read about community and more thing can be fixed than things in the repair shop. Ally McIntyre is putting everything into the community repair shop while neglecting her own life but when she meets Jamie a transfer to the local police station can they help each other mend their broken hearts.

I was close to DNF in the first chapter but i persisted and im so glad i did! By the third chapter the story was developing enough to keep me interested and it was a nice, cosy story. The environmental aspect was unique and I love that while it had the romance element, it was different to many others in the genre. Can’t wait to read others in the series!

Great idea for a new series. Excited to see where all the character stories go. For my taste Ally and Jamie were a bit messy and rushed, but overall it worked ok. Hard to introduce so many characters in one book and go hard on the romance. Looking forward to the next one.

Ally lives with her mum and dad and feels like she is stuck in a rut working at their repair shop in the Highlands of Scotland after a bad break up while her twin brother is a high flyer in Switzerland
Enter Jamie a policeman who has come to investigate some stolen jewellery that was worked on in the repair shop. Ally takes offence at him thinking they were somehow involved and tells him what she thinks of him !
Feeling soon change and as things start to thaw between them they discover that Jamie will be moving back to Edinburgh and Ally gets a job at the Charity her brother works or worked at.
Can they overcome the issues or is it over before it’s begun ?

This was a beautiful setting and a great little cast of characters. I found it a bit slow going at times, but did enjoy the love story and growth.

This heartwarming contemporary romance brings us to the enchanting Scottish Highlands where Ally McIntyre finds herself picking up the pieces after her career crumbles and her boyfriend's betrayal leaves her questioning everything. Seeking refuge in her family's beloved Cairn Dhu Community Repair Shop and Café, Ally discovers that while she's brilliant at helping others fix their broken treasures, mending her own heart proves far more challenging. When temporary Special Constable Jamie Beaton arrives with his own hidden wounds and a mysterious connection to the past, their instant attraction ignites just as a scandal threatens everything Ally holds dear. This beautifully crafted story weaves together themes of healing, community, and second chances against the stunning backdrop of Highland summers, exploring whether love can truly repair what life has broken and if sometimes the courage to start over is exactly what we need to feel whole again.

In this heartwarming and cozy new romance novel, readers follow Ally McIntyre as she tries to rebuild her life after her career stalls and her boyfriend betrays her. Joining her family at the Cairn Dhu Community Repair Shop and Cafe in the Highlands, Ally enjoys being part of the community even if the work isn’t what she wants. Jamie Beaton, on the other hand, is on a summer transfer as a special constable with a secret reason for being in the Highlands. Once their paths cross, chemistry sparks between Ally and Jamie, and love might help them both heal -- except the real world and work might have something to say about their chances at a happy ending. The characters are the stars of this heartwarming new novel, and the Highlands are a brilliant and whimsical backdrop for their respective storylines. Readers will also love the depth of detail in the characters and in Cairn Dhu, and Kiley Dunbar has really brought this world and its characters to life in fantastic detail. The emotional storyline is perfectly written, and the two perspectives of Ally and Jamie balance the narrative and the larger beats of the book in ways which romance readers will absolutely love.

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, but as it went on, I found I just didn't care about anything happening. If felt like there were no stakes, no depth, and no connection to anything. I made it over halfway through the book and it was fine, but I felt no compulsion to keep reading or find out what happens in the second half of the book. Ultimately this was a DNF as there are too many great books to read out there that I do connect with more.

I'm a big fan of Kiley Dunbar's books. I absolutely adored her Borrow a Bookshop series. This book, which is the first in a new series is a fantastic start. I really enjoyed reading it, and I'm excited to read the rest of the series.
This book is very well written, very descriptive, and I could picture the setting perfectly. There were some great characters too and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my arc.

Just like the other Kiley Dunbar novels I've read I loved this book. It has characters you'll care about, a sense of place and atmosphere where you get to know the community. And intriguing heart- string- pulling storylines that keep you reading.
I liked Ally straight away and enjoyed the different directions the story took.This is a feel good story of a few broken hearts and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Thank you to Boldwood books for the ARC.

Didn't love this book. Much preferred the bookshop series. Found this a bit slow. Didn't warm to any of the characters.

Favorite Quotes:

Aye, as a kid Jamie had known anger and fear, as well as the impulse to protect others, and it had made him determined as an adult to see the best in people, for the sake of his own well-being as much as theirs. You never knew what someone was going through, so it was best to be kind where you could.

‘Anonymous keyboard warriors posting comments in their underpants on the other side of the world aren’t the people who matter,’ insisted Ally, giving her brother a stern look. ‘Half of them will be bots, anyway.’

Angus was an elderly hillfooter who spent all day splattered with droppings in a hut with his beloved homing pigeons. He lived off his homegrown veggies and stinky roll-ups and was often in the local paper for threatening hillwalkers who strayed onto his land with various antique shotguns which the police seized one at a time, only for him to somehow acquire another.

Kenneth would begin his shift here at nine p.m. and end it at two when he’d walk down the lane to the dairy and stock up his milk van ready for his rounds which he, famously, did in his doorman tux. Nobody questioned it round the town. It was just the way things were.

There seemed to be a moment where she was searching his face for a reaction. He couldn’t help feeling some kind of test that he hadn’t revised for was being sprung upon him. He fixed his face into a delighted smile.

...he was hanging on a shoogly peg (which is the Scottish version of skating on thin ice, only much, much more fun to say, usually).

Party cannons shot confetti in her cerebral cortex.

My Review:

This was a fun, light, entertaining, and easy-to-follow read. I always enjoy reading Kiley Dunbar’s cleverly amusing tales, and I revel in her sneaky, wry humor. Her new series is set in a small Scottish village, populated with a large cast of quirky, flawed, and authentic characters.

I gained an entry to my British Isles Words and Phrases List with swither, which Mr. Google tells me means to hesitate, vacillate, or be perplexed, particularly in making a decision or choice.  I certainly will not swither if asked if I’d like to read another of Kiley Dunbar’s books.

A heartwarming highland story that was filled with wonderful characters coming together to fix their hearts and to help their community too.
Ally feels left behind, recovering from a failed relationship, so when an opportunity arrives that could see her move away she nervously takes the challenge.
Jamie arrives with his own emotional challenges, returning to a place that had a special place in his heart, to a time when his family was complete.
Unexpectedly thrown together with Ally, his role as a Special Constable at first causes some ripples, however a repair quest brings them together and they share their feelings and dreams.
Such a gorgeous slow burn romance with some unexpected moments that kept this story so entertaining and interesting.
The most beautiful setting and an uplifting concept of repairing things that are precious made this such a charming and endearing experience to read.

Okay, firstly, I have to confess that Kiley is a dear friend of mine but that hasn’t affected my review in the slightest (BACS me that fiver, hon, lol).

The first thing that struck me about this story is the way it’s told. It genuinely feels like you’re sat by a fire, having Kiley read it aloud. It’s not a narrative style that I’ve come across before and I loved it!

This book is exactly what it says on its somewhat meaty tin. There are few surprises, especially if you’ve ever watched The Repair Shop on TV, but rather than being a negative, it’s very much a positive. It’s like going to your Mum’s for Sunday lunch – knowing what you’re getting doesn’t stop it from being warm and comforting.

I’m going to start with the setting. Dear goodness, the descriptions are so vivid, you can almost smell the heather. Kiley’s love of her home country shines through in every paragraph. I could ‘see’ what Ally and Jamie did, could imagine the weathered paths and the glorious mountain. And, having been a hill walker in a previous life, could easily envisage the clouds coming down.

The there’s Ally. Though lost and broken-hearted, she never came across as pathetic. Her meet cute with Jamie was blinking awesome. But I am a fan of enemies-to-lovers, so no surprise there. Her kind-heartedness and drive once she got focused made me cheer for her, but she wasn’t without fault or flaw. She was no goody-two-shoes Mary Sue. She felt real, like I could pick up the phone and call her.

Jamie is also very sweet. I’m sure such men exist somewhere. It’s just not immediately apparent. I did love his focus on becoming a copper, and I loved his relationship with his dad and sister, especially after “Holiday” was returned to them. It was nice to see them all turning a corner in their grief, and doing that as a family. Not a thing I’ve read often.

The supporting cast at the Cairn Dhu Community Repair Shop are fabulously portrayed. I’d be here all day trying to pick a favourite, though anyone who can bake immediately goes up in my estimation, even if they do use yucky walnuts. There’s a recipe for Scottish tablet at the end, and I’m very tempted to try it.

Knowing that Fixing a Broken Heart at the Highland Repair Shop is the first of a series excites me massively. I’m desperate to know who’s next for the patching up.

A wonderful and heartwarming read. The setting in the Highlands of Scotland was wonderful. With the support of the local community the repair shop seemed to be a great idea add to that a lovely romance this was a feel good story which was a joy to read.

Fixing a Broken Heart at the Highland Repair Shop
by Kiley Dunbar

This is my second read by Kiley Dunbar, and I must say, both of her books have been enjoyable experiences. The characters in this story are vibrant and relatable, bringing a delightful sense of fun to the Story. I particularly appreciated the strong community vibe throughout the book. The evolving relationship between Ally and Jamie is engaging, although I feel it could have been developed even further to create deeper emotional connections.

Dunbar's descriptions of the setting are nothing short of exquisite. The picturesque village of Cairn Dhu, with its charming landscapes and warm community spirit, is beautifully brought to life. I love how she skillfully builds up this descriptive setting, enhancing the emotional moments that resonate throughout the story. The writing flows smoothly, making it easy to immerse oneself in the plot.

One of the standout elements of the book is the concept of the Repair Shop, which serves as a heartwarming community hub. Jamie, who is temporarily visiting the town for a few months to gain experience as a Special Constable, finds himself drawn into the lives of the local residents. Ally McIntyre’s journey from heartbreak to newfound hope is eloquently portrayed, capturing her struggles and triumphs as she rebuilds both her life and her sense of self in this close-knit village.

When Jamie and Ally’s paths cross unexpectedly at her father’s workshop—where items are restored and lives are mended—the stage is set for transformative change not just for them, but also for their friends and families. Jamie emerges as the perfect counterpart for Ally; he is supportive, gentle, and genuinely swoon-worthy. Their romance unfolds sweetly and gradually, making it all the more satisfying.

I also loved the deeply emotional scenes when Ally reconnects with her old friends. These moments are truly heartwarming and highlight the importance of friendship, nostalgia, and community support. Overall, Dunbar has crafted a tender story of resilience and love that lingers long after the last page is turned.