A really enjoyable book following Sophie as she quits her job as a wedding planner after coming up against a spoilt bride who wants to move someone’s else’s wedding just because she can bring money and photo opportunities to the hotel. When Sophie’s beloved grandma dies Sophie finds her grandma left her a letter telling her she has bought her a shop and left her some expensive crockery too which she could auction to get her started Her grandma wants Sophie to open a crockery shop in Briar Glen a place once famous for its blue rose.

I loved the shop and how a very famous tea set came to be given to Sophie. The mystery that went with the tea set certainly adds to the book. A great holiday read and well worth five stars

Sophie Harkness is a successful wedding planner at Castle Marrian when she is forced to resign out of fairness for a friend. She finds herself navigating this difficult time in her life shortly after the death of her grandmother with whom she was very close. Unbeknownst to Sophie, her late grandmother has gifted her with a shop in Briar Glen, a fictional town in the Scottish Highlands. Sophie has shared a love of crockery with her grandmother and vows to attempt to fulfill a mutual dream.

A Scottish Highland Surprise is a heart-warming story that is equal parts charming characters, mystery, and romance. This is an enjoyable feel-good story that is good for a moment’s escape; about a perfect picturesque town and the quirky people in it. I loved the relationship of Sophie and her Gran. The timelines shifts and flashbacks of her Gran, and the mystery of the tea set and letter add depth to the story. While the romance is perhaps a little underdeveloped, Shackman has written a story as charming as Sophie’s crockery shop. Three cheers to Sophie and The Cup That Cheers!

I was delighted to receive this ARC for my honest review. I will be reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Shackman, and Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter.

I received an ARC of, A Scottish Highland Surprise, by Julie Shackman. This was a very interesting book, I loved the characters of Sophie and Xander. Starting over is never easy, but Sophie does it.

This was a cute read that was enjoyable. The mystery tea set element was cute, but honestly I got bored and was sort of over it by the end.

This was a super quick and easy read, and one that would be perfect for beach day/pool day/stay in bed/on the sofa all day sorta read!

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy.

Loved the concept of the novel and all the entwined stories within. Lovely to read about the relationship between the grandmother and her grandaughter and all the mystery concerning and old crockery set. An easy and lovely read.

Pleasant story spanning 3 generations and the mystery of a special tea set.
Ancestry interwoven with current day reveals the story behind the intrigue of the blue rose…..read on

A charming Scottish tale of teacups, romance and family surprises. Perfect for a lazy afternoon read. Enjoy!

Sophie is a very social character, caring about how her mother takes the death of her own mother and dealing with the house that was left behind, and about a colleague who's been working at the castle for quite a long time. However, it took over a quarter of this book for me to feel like the story was getting somewhere.

And although I thought the research part about the tea set... it didn't reveal much of Sophie's character or the man she denies being in love with.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

This is an uplifting read set in the Scottish highlands and featuring Sophie, a successful events coordinator at a local castle who leaves her quits her job on a matter of principle just weeks after the death of her beloved grandmother and days after receiving a letter from her urging her to leave and open a crockery shop. With her grandmother having bought her a shop, given her sets to sell to fund it and contacts to help she decides to proceed which leads to a tea set and a mystery landing in her shop which is the main basis of the story. Sophie is a good character, believes in what she stands for and cares about her community, she’s a genuine passion in what she’s doing and Xander the art expect provides an interesting element to her research and story.

A quick, easy, cosy and fun read. It was well written with a really cute and funny storyline and well developed charcaters that i really liked. I would definitely recommend reading this for a lighthearted and fun read.

"A Scottish Highland Surprise" is set in the fictional town of Briar Glen near to Glasgow. When Sophie loses her job at Castle Marriam she is grateful to discover that her grandmother has left her the wherewithal to open a crockery shop. Despite her misgivings about starting her own business Sophie is soon enthusiastically creating the shop of her (and hopefully her gran's) dreams.

The novel revolves around the family and friends Sophie has, and finds, in her small home town. Readers will need to suspend belief as the crockery shop thrives and tourists hunt for the elusive (mythical) blue briar rose for which the town is famous. There is a strong moral bent to the book, in addition to the closeness of family and friends.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

A Scottish Highland Surprise, published by Harper Collins UK/ One More Chapter, is a witty and fun read. A feel good book that gives all the feels.
Sophie is an eventplanner/weddingplanner and she doesn't particularly likes her job.
When she inherits a Crockery Shop she has the chance to start over.
Xander is a chef who's about to go his own way with his special sauces. And what could be better than karma pairing these two.
A sweet story, well written, 4 sweet stars.

A Scottish Highland Surprise by Julie Shackman is a great contemporary fiction that I truly enjoyed.

This is such a wonderful, uplifting, and enjoyable story. It has it all: fiction, romance, mystery, and it all is all intertwined to give the reader more than just a simple contemporary fiction.

I enjoyed the cast of characters, the progression and growth of the main character Sophie, and the wonderful historical flashbacks involving her Grandmother. The author does a great job in crafting a novel that entertains and also brought a smile to my face.

A definite gem.

5/5 stars


Thank you NG and One More Chapter/ Harper Collins UK for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/22/22.

A Scottish Highland Surprise by new to me author Julie Shackman contains three intertwined stories. One is the story of a grandmother’s gift to her beloved granddaughter and the numerous changes this bequest brings. Another concerns an old crockery set with a mysterious letter. The third are flashbacks to the life of the grandmother that help explain the why behind the gift and the basic message to never settle for less because of fear of what might happen. The characters are interesting…even the unlikable ones and the story moves along quickly. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.

This was a very enjoyable story with great characters, a touch of mystery and some miscalculation. Through it all a love story develops, very low key but intense nonetheless. A lovely conclusion which met all my expectations.

This author is amazing she knows how to get you hooked straight away and has you guessing what will happen. The characters are great and the plot to the story is brilliant. Shows how you can change your life with your job and make new friends and try and find things from the past and solve a mystery letter. Sad in places as well. Full of secrets and surprises.
Sophie is a wedding planning and when a spoilt bridezilla wants to move her date and it falls on the date of her friend she works for she refuses and ends up handing her notice in as she won’t move the date and her grandma has just passed way and when she learns her grandma has brought a shop for her to follow her dreams in having her porcelain shop and she can’t wait to start this. She is left with an unusual tea set with a mysterious letter and she can’t help but read the letter and follow the mystery and intrigued by the story behind the tea set. But then Xander comes knocking on the door she soon learns the colourful past to the antique what will she do with it all and will she be happy in her new job.
A warm beautiful read.

Gosh I loved this this book. A great story and a perfect ending. Sophie was a great character and I loved her crockery shop and the history with her grandmother . The flash backs in the book were great . I love the back story. The love element with Jake and Xander was good. A must happy feel good read. The wedding bit make you laugh and be cross.