Lilac Mills' Summer Holidays on the Scottish Island is a sunny and inspiring story of family, love, and rediscovering what really counts. Freya Sinclair has it all: a successful London career as a ceramicist and a handsome boyfriend but a family crisis returns her to the stunning Isle of Skye. What starts as a fleeting trip soon turns into a journey of self-discovery as she reconnects with her heritage and discovers new inspiration at the craft centre of Coorie Castle.

The emotional core of the novel is Freya's reunification with her father and reigniting of a spark with her childhood sweetheart, Mackenzie Burns. Their attraction comes naturally and is intensely nostalgic, presenting readers with a gentle second-chance romance that flowers under the magical island atmosphere. The island of Skye is vividly brought to life by the author through its stark landscape and sense of community, such that the island itself becomes a character.

However, Freya's London existence and the intriguing possibility of New York puts a fine tension between ambition and belonging. Mills resolves this tension with warmth, humor, and sentiment until the last page, when readers are still fully invested.

Charming, cozy, and full of heart, Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle is the ideal feel-good novel for anyone who yearns for romance and a little bit of escapism.

Freya Sinclair has the world at her feet, she is a famous potter, and has just received an invitation to lecture in New York, she has a very artsy boyfriend and life is going well.

When she receives a phone call to tell her, her father had had a bad fall and has broken his hip, having already lost her mother Freya has no choice to but to head back to Skye and look after her father, this is challenging since losing her mother passed she really has struggled to be in Skye.

Life in Skye is doing okay, she has forgotten what an inspiration Skye was to her when she first started potting. The fact that MacKenzie Burns is there being brooding and handsome is not a bad thing either. But they both know this, whatever it is, cant go anywhere,; she has to go to New York and he has to stay on Skye, right.

This was such a lovely story dealing with soyme very emotive issues, The description of Coorie Castle and the Sea Loch were so good I could almost feel like I was there. Fabulous characters and a strong story. Definitely worth a read.

Really hope there is achange to revisit soon.

A lovely book to read. It has a simple but beautiful plot enhanced by the gorgeous surroundings and colourful characters. The author has a writing style that is easy to get lost in and creates books that are difficult to put down. There is a subtle pull, to keep reading, to unwrap the plot and to find out the ending. Thoroughly enjoyable and a pleasure to get lost in.

Thank you Netgalley.

This book is beautiful… I was expecting to enjoy this book that much! It’s about the relationship of the main character with her dad who broke his hip and who is getting old. They have a beautiful relationship, sometimes a bit hard but beautiful nonetheless and it really moved me. I thought about my dad and myself and wondered what I would do myself if I was in this situation the main character founds herself. It’s a very deep story and it really touched me profoundly.
I recommend this book at 100 %!!!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful summer book. It was such a fun armchair-travel experience!

Another great read by Lilac Mills, loved the characters and the storyline. Both heartbreaking and healing coming back to home.

Having enjoyed the first in this series, I was delighted to read the next and to catch up with the community on the Isle of Skye. This story is centred around Freya who was brought up on the island but who left as a student, eager to put space between herself and the island. Her mother died and Freya just wanted to escape the memories. She has become a successful and critically acclaimed ceramics specialist and professor in London, using the colours and environment of the Isle of Skye as her inspiration.

Summoned back to the island after her father has broken his hip, Freya finds herself stuck there for the summer. Her feelings of guilt at leaving her father come to the surface and she tries to be the best daughter she can, despite him trying to cold shoulder her. As time goes on, Freya begins to question her relationship with Hadrian who is back in London and finds a growing connection with a local man, Mackenzie who she knew when she was young. Freya finds herself torn between her desire to create beautiful pottery and her home responsibilities. Her father is a far from easy patient and Freya finds herself torn between her worries about him and a once in a lifetime career opportunity. As she slows down, Freya is able to appreciate all the local community has to offer. The local environment gives her such inspiration and offers a gorgeous backdrop to the story.

In short: new beginnings

The beautiful budding romance is perfect. It has a real community feel to it. Very well thought out and the characters develop so well. It also deal with other issues like grief, and love with such sensitivity. Beautifully descri8bes the surroundings of Skye. Makes me wish i was right there soaking it all up.

This book is the second part of the Coorie Castle Crafts series, although it can be read as a standalone novel. I really enjoyed reading this book.
This book has a gorgeous setting, and it is a lovely heartwarming read. Perfect for summer reading.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for my arc.

the setting for this one was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed the remote, tranquil location. Freya was a relatable character for her dreams to leave home but her tenderness and love for her home. She was put in a ridiculously hard situation but ultimately chose to return to her family. I feel like nothing happened in this book though, until she broke up with Hadrian, her and the love interest had absolutely no romantic connection or had shown feelings for each other. It felt like a switch had flipped and the author just automatically forced them to fall inlove even though it felt unnatural. this book was just generally boring. i love lilacs other works but this one disappointed me.

⭐️ 3.75 (rounded up to 4)

ARC Review:
Okay, confession time: I’m not a romance reader unless it’s mixed with fantasy. It’s just not usually my genre. But the gorgeous cover of Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle totally drew me in, and the Scottish setting sealed the deal. I couldn’t resist.

And honestly? I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this! The romance wasn’t overly sappy — it felt natural, with a slow burn that developed at just the right pace. The characters were super likeable, and I especially loved following Freya as she navigated big life changes. Her journey felt grounded and real, which made her easy to connect with.

While it didn’t completely convert me into a full-on romance reader overnight, it definitely reminded me how refreshing it can be to step outside your usual genre. This was a light, heartwarming read with charming characters and a beautifully written Scottish backdrop.

Thank you for the ARC! I’ll definitely be picking up more books by Lilac Mills.

It was great to be back on Skye to catch up with the Coorie crafter community. It seems an age since my last visit.

The little community is still thriving and I was able to reconnect with familiar faces, and made new friends along the way.

It's a heartwarming read of family, friendships and romance, obviously.

Immensely enjoyable and the perfect escapism read.

Summer Escapes on the Scottish Isle by Lilac Mills

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Will she give everything up for love? Freya Sinclair has it all. An exciting life in London, a successful career as a ceramicist and a handsome boyfriend. But when she receives a call that her father is in hospital, she drops everything to support his recovery in Skye.

On the island, Freya finds new inspiration – Coorie Castle’s craft centre is firing her creativity and she’s glad to be back with her dad again. Being so close to her schoolgirl crush, Mackenzie Burns, is an added bonus. The two share an instant connection and Freya misses London less and less.

But Freya has a boyfriend at home and now a dazzling job offer in New York. She must figure out what she truly wants, before anyone gets hurt.

My Opinion

I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was delighted to return to Coorie Castle. A heart-warming read with some great characters. A lovely novel that I would highly recommend.

Rating 4/5

I adored the first book in this series so I was thrilled to be able to join the book tour for the return trip to the gorgeous Isle of Skye and Coorie Castle. This time we're following Freya Sinclair, an incredibly talented Ceramicist who moved to London to pursue her career. Although it's the second in a series this book can very easily be enjoyed as standalone, although I would highly recommend reading book one as it was brilliant.

I thought that the relationship between Freya and her dad was incredibly well portrayed and very realistic as although Freya loves him very much she also finds him to be infuriating at times with his stubbornness. It must be very hard for him to come to terms with the loss of his independence after suffering a fall however, to go from being an able-bodied fisherman to being reliant on his daughter must be incredibly hard to come to terms with.

Mack is a brilliant character, he's really there for Freya when she needs him and he's incredibly patient and selfless. It's obvious that they're meant to be together but of course the path to love doesn't follow a straight line and there are multiple obstacles standing in their way. The dynamic between the two of them was fabulous and I really enjoyed watching them fall for each other.

I really felt for Freya as she's being pulled in multiple directions; as much as he won't admit it her dad really needs her, and at the same time she has a life and career back in London, not to mention an offer of an amazing job in New York. She feels incredibly torn and while she knows what needs to be done it's certainly not an easy decision to make. She's trying to find a good balance between caring for her father and staying true to herself which isn't easy with the distance between them, and she soon realises that something has got to give.

I thoroughly enjoyed my return trip to Duncoorie and I'm very excited for book three which I believe is coming out later this year. I highly recommend this series if you're looking for relaxing and heart-warming reads with a beautiful setting and realistic characters and plots.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'Summer Escapes On the Scottish Isle' by Lilac Mills.

This book is the second book in Lilac's brand new 'Coorie Castle Crafts' series but it can be read as a standalone. I have also read the first book in this series 'Surprises At The Scottish Isle' and would highly recommend it.

Well blooming heck Lilac, yet another absolutely STUNNING book and perfect addition to this absolutely stunning series!! Genuine this has got to be one of the BEST series I have ever read!!!

WOW!!!! What can I say?!?! What an absolutely beautiful book that I fell in love with!!! Lilac is one of those brilliant authors that I don't even read the synopsis of her books as I just know they are going to be beauty's regardless!

This book is beautifully written with vivid descriptions setting the picture perfectly in the readers mind. The title, description and cover works perfectly with the storyline.

As you may have been able to work out from the above I absolutely love, Love, LOVE this absolutely stunning book that is an absolutely perfect escapism so don't even waste your time reading more than this and go and grab your copy now!! To find out for yourself how beautiful this book is you will just have to grab your copy of this absolute stunner today and I can PROMISE that you will not regret it!! With a storyline ram packed with stunning settings, memorable characters, friendship, heartache, family, romance, community and so, so much more what on Earth are you waiting for?? Grab this book and enjoy a stunning sofa holiday at the stunning Coorie Castle today!!! I absolutely loved returning to Coorie Castle which already feels like a much loved holiday destination. As previously mentioned this is the second book in the series and I would always say to try to read books in a series in order but if you cannot wait to read the first book before this beauty, and who can blame you with this adorable cover, then there is a silver lining. The silver lining is that after you have finished this beauty and fallen in love with it, which I can guarantee you will, you can go back and read the first stunning book in this series 'Surprises On The Scottish Isle' while eagerly and impatiently waiting for the next book in this series!! Speaking of which, the next book in this stunning series is called Seaside Dreams on the Scottish Isle and will be released on the 22nd January but is available to preorder NOW on Amazon!!

I absolutely love the the fact that one of our main protagonists is a strong female, being female myself I love strong female protagonists in books and Freya is absolutely fab and just so likeable I was completely rooting for her from the start and throughout. This genuinely is a beautiful heart-warming story filled with everything you could ask for to lift your spirits. If you want a book that will warm you up and turn a frown upside down this is definitely one for you!! Lilac's stunning evocative descriptions pulls you into the book leaving you feeling the fresh air blowing around you, smelling the sea air, feeling your heart warm as you turn the pages and make you fall in love with the beautiful Isle Of Skye, Coorie Castle and the amazing characters in it!!! This is one of those places that already feels like a second home and I really cannot wait to get stuck into the next book in this absolutely delightful series and meet all of the characters again and then again after!! I am absolutely landed to say that the second book in this series which is called ' Seaside Dreams on the Scottish Isle is available to preorder on Amazon now and will be available on the 22nd January!! The characters already feel like friends and I am hoping to see more of them again when I return!! Lilac really does a beautiful job of weaving this incredible storyline together especially with the multiple protagonist perspectives of Freya and Mackenzie. Thanks to her emotive writing skills she will have you smiling, crying, laughing and more so have those tissues at the ready!! This book is an absolutely gorgeous, romantic paradise escape!!! I was completely swept away with the storyline and loved having a holiday in the beautiful Coorie Castle while surrounded by amazing characters and stunning settings. This book really is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I was utterly glued to the pages and I could not bring myself to put it down. I was carrying my kindle around with me every chance that I got as I just could not put it down and ended up devouring it in one sitting then being gutted I had finished it so quickly!! This is one stunning book with a stunning location that I would absolutely love to visit!! I was devastated when I came to the end of this gorgeous mini break away and had to get back to reality. I am already counting the days until 22nd January and I can return!! I would seriously recommend this book to anyone and everyone!! A gorgeous uplifting romance that will warm your hearts 💝.

Clear your schedules as this is one gorgeous and unputdownable stunner that will keep you hooked and sweep you away on a stunning holiday❤️

I absolutely loved getting to know the characters in this book who were all strong, realistic. I became completely invested in each and every one of them. They all had their own problems, secrets, feelings and all had unique personalities and I just absolutely loved getting to know them all. The main character Freya is an absolutely fantastic female protagonist and I clicked with her immediately. I also absolutely loved Mackenzie and seeing everything from his perspective too. I was rooting for him and Freya from the moment I met them and all the way through the gorgeous story I wanted them both to get their happy ending. I absolutely loved seeing the amazing castle community, romance and friendships develop and grow between different characters and it really made them all feel like friends rather than fictional characters. The fact that Lilac clearly cares for each of her characters shines through the pages in her fantastic descriptions of them and how she gives each their own unique personalities and brings them to life!! I really am looking forward to meeting each of them again and again on my future journeys to Coorie Castle!! I will say that with all the characters, Thanks to Lilac's fantastic and emotive writing skills she ensured I felt each of their love , friendship, pain, heartbreak, happiness, anger, sorrow and so much more. She really does do an absolutely amazing job of bringing the story to life and the characters leap out of the pages as your turning them thanks to her evocative writing skills!! Well done Lilac!!!

Congratulations Lilac on another absolutely gorgeous and heart-warming read filled with everything you could ever ask for in a page turner!!! I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie!!! This is the exact reason that you are on my favourite author list and here's to your next success 🥂

Overall an absolutely gorgeous book that will keep you glued to the pages and warm your heart ❤️!!!

#SummerEscapesOnTheScottishIsle #CoorieCastleCrafts #LilacMills #Canelo #CaneloRomance #canelo_co #RachelsRandomResources #rararesources

@LilacMills @Canelo @CaneloRomance @Canelo @CaneloRomance @canelo_co @RachelsRandomResources @rararesources

https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__tn__=%2As-R

https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhitlock86/

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/34299953-kirsty-bookworm86

https://mobile.twitter.com/kcmw86

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AFZ2XZBSFHIHXBXGZLBQ666XVK4A?ie=UTF8&ref_=ya_mb_l_prf

This is the second book in the Coorie Castle Crafts series, and after enjoying the first book, I was looking forward to this one.

Freya has come back to Skye from her life in London to look after her dad but eventually she finds things are not all as they seem. I loved Freya and her Dad, their relationship is so emotional and true to life and my heart went out to them. I felt the topics of frailty and Parkinsons were sensitively tackled.

When Freya meets Mack again, who she had a crush on, old feelings are stirred up despite her having a boyfriend in London. Mack came across as such a lovely person.

This is a heartwarming and emotional read with a lovely slow burn romance. I loved connecting with characters from the previous book but we definitely need more Mhairi, she’s a fabulous character.

I feel this is going to be one of my favourite series, by a new go to author. Definitely recommend this one.

Now I've read some of Lilac Mills books before and I've always enjoyed her writing style so i knew that id enjoy this book and id be able to get lost in the story very easily.
I have to say i loved Freya from the off, she was so easy to like and relate to. I feel we all get to a point where we're carrying on but we're not completely sure if the path we're on is where we still want to be. It was so true to life that it takes a big life upheaval to make you truly look at things and make a change.
Now obviously the whole growing romance between Freya and Mack is the main relationship that we follow in this book and i loved doing just that but honestly i loved the relationship between Freya and her Dad more. I adored seeing that caring relationship between the two of them and the way that it had to change and almost have that complete role reversal for a while which is never easy but is something that always happens suddenly, we never like to think of our parents aging but they do and i think Lilac Mills wrote it beautifully here.
Having said it made smile so much to see how Mack just slipped into their family so easily and without a conscious effort to do so, it was one of the many parts of this book that gave me that warm fuzzy feeling that a good romance does. Im hoping that as this series continues we get little glimpses of Freya and Mack and how life is for them because i loved them as a couple and honestly id happily read more of them if it was written.
This is defiantly a good summer romance to take you away if your not going anywhere this summer and it will make you want to visit the Scottish Isles to find your own creative inspiration because the descriptions of the scenery is so vivid that you want to climb up with Freya to view the loch or walk along its shore and enjoy the sounds of nature.

The second book of the series behind right after the first but features someone who briefly appeared in the previous book. Mac is a forceful character with an interesting lifestyle. He has been a player with a revolving door of women but he’s tiring of the image and the monotony of it. Freya has a unique vocation ( in keeping with the series theme).

Freya’s father has had a fall and this has shaken her routine. On the one hand she’s itching for her normal but on the other her concern is genuine. For anyone who’s experienced something similar, this will make sense.

The relationship in this felt more interesting to me than the previous one even if it was borderline cheating, mostly because of the friendship that preceded it. The crafts centre is not in the middle of the plot like the last time but has its own influence.

On the whole this series presents the location and people in a very interesting way and I look forward to the next in the series. I would definitely recommend this to fans of the genre.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐞
𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐜 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬
𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

- - -
Read this if you like:
□ romcom
□ she used to have a crush on him
□ slow-burn romance
□ set in Scotland

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC!

This book really gives you the urge to travel to Scotland. Luckily, I convinced my best friend to go there in a few months!

This is such a feel-good romcom. I loved the playful banter between the main characters and that the story is set in beautiful Scotland. I giggled a little when Outlander and Sam Heughan were mentioned in the book.

I loved the relationship between the FMC and her father. How she took care of her father and was always there for him. And how her father gave her advice and encouragement. I loved their bond so much.

I highly recommend this uplifting, sweet romcom! It's such a gem.

Freya’s childhood home at Duncoorie on the Isle of Skye is in a particularly beautiful location, but she’s rarely visited since the loss of her mother, and the grief is very much still with her. But her father’s coping ok, with friends and neighbours keeping an eye on him – and he doesn’t want to intrude on her new life, in London, where she’s finding success as a creator of ceramic art while working as a college lecturer. And a new opportunity has now cropped up – a role at a top art college in New York that would be the stuff of dreams – and, after some soul-searching, her relationship with Hadrian has perhaps run its course.

But then her father has a fall, and it seems it might not be his first – so Freya heads home to care for him for a while, to get his home organised and him settled enough for her to be able to leave. He’s not the easiest patient – and she’s glad of the help of childhood crush Mackenzie for the heavy lifting, some distraction, and a shoulder to cry on. She finds he has depths she never expected, but a relationship isn’t something that’s on her mind – there’s too much else to think about, and she’s on the verge of leaving. But that spark she remembers is still very much there, and his every act of kindness makes her heart grow fonder – he gives her the use of an outhouse to use for her ceramics and, knowing that her father misses his boat, thrills him by taking him along on his own boat tours in the bay.

And things have changed since Freya last spent time in Duncoorie – the craft village at Coorie Castle is now well established, with Mhairi in charge and Calan at her side, and she’s delighted to find herself among equally creative people, all of whom play their parts in the story. And, surrounded by people who draw her into the community, she slowly loses her fear of being overtaken by tears at the thought of her mother’s final farewell – the surrounding countryside is stunning (and so vividly described), and being near (or on) the water isn’t anything like as awful as she thought it would be. But there’s really no chance of her staying, however much she begins to want to… until some issues she wasn’t aware of make it all the more difficult for her to walk away.

The budding romance is simply perfect, the community beautifully drawn and the individual characters so well developed – and the story’s a particularly emotional one, gently and beautifully told, that I thoroughly enjoyed. There’s nothing to stop you reading this one as a standalone if you missed Tara and Calan’s story – but I loved meeting them (and the wonderful Mhairi) again, and spending time among friends. And I do think you might fall in love with Mackenzie as much as I did – and I might just not be the only one. The loveliest read – and one I’d very much recommend.