We are returning to France for another great summer read by Gillian Harvey . The Village Cafe in the Loire was published by Boldwood on July 12th. High-flyer Becky Thorne cannot believe what she’s being told. She doesn’t need to be signed off for burnout! Life has been a bit chaotic lately, that’s all. As if dealing with her enviable job and permanent meddling from her mother aren’t enough, she’s also inherited a café in the Loire from an estranged great-aunt, complete with sitting tenant who refuses to budge. But nobody stands in Becky’s way! Ignoring her best friend Amber’s advice, she decides to storm over to France and sort the tenant out. Then she can finally get the café sold and jump back on the career ladder. What she doesn’t count on is the tenant being Pascale, who is six feet of tall, dark, handsome and extremely grumpy about her plans for change. Not to mention the village and the secrets it holds about her past. Becky’s path to succes...
A Scottish Island Summer by Julie Shackman #Review #ScottishEscapesBook8
When ambitious city girl, Darcie Freeman is sent to the Isle
of Skye to conduct research for a travel guide, she’s horrified. The prospect
of having to travel to a remote island in the Scottish Highlands leaves her
wondering what she’ll do.
Step in Logan Burns. Gorgeous and adventurous, he lives and breathes the island, and along with his sister Iona, who owns a rather haphazard PR company, they’re going to show Darcie everything she needs to know about Skye.
As Darcie swaps her designer shoes for her walking boots and her faux fur jacket for her raincoat, will she learn there’s more to life than the picture-perfect presence she shares on social media, or will it be the case that Skye is the limit…
My Thoughts
The Isle of Skye is ever-present in the story and the colours and light of the environment adds to the atmosphere, as well as being intrinsic to the story. Darcie arrives on the island with all her city preoccupations and you see her respond to what she sees as she travels around the island. Darcie seems like the complete opposite of Logan when she meets him. He avoids social media and looks down on it as a rather shallow way of life, you sense.
Darcie's actions which are all fuelled by her ambitions to compete with other social media influencers, put her at the mercy of others' self -interest. She can be impulsive and envious and speak before she thinks. However, you feel that beneath this veneer, there are different priorities. Some of her actions have been part of her desire to protect herself from heartbreak. She has put on a veneer of ice to stop people getting close. Several of the people Darcie meets on the island can see beneath her act. The mystery at the centre of the story adds interest and shows you how Darcie has reassessed her future and how she wants to live her life.
In short: escapist romance with a mystery to uncover
About the Author
Julie Shackman is a former journalist from Scotland, who has always wanted to write feel-good romance.
As well as being an author, Julie also writes verses and captions for greetings card companies. Julie admits to having an obsession with stationery and handbags.
She is married, has two sons and adopted a Romanian rescue puppy, Cooper.
A Scottish Island Summer is Julie's twelfth novel.
You can follow Julie here: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website
Book links: Amazon UK | Amazon US
Thanks to Julie Shackman, One More Chapter and Rachel of Random Things Resources for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
Check out the rest of the tour!
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