I love Donna Ashcroft's books and this was no exception. The animal additions to the characters on this occasion were fabulous (loving the fearsome turkey and the house rabbit!) and the central relationship between Merry and Theo was crafted to perfection. I also enjoyed the bit of sleuthing in regards to the Secret Santa and the warmth and community that shone from Christmas Village. A Christmassy must read.

I received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I’d start by saying this book is a stand-alone even though it’s part of a two book series.

I was happy to begin this book as it’s my first Christmas book of the year and I love the Scottish Highlands, what a great combination right?.

I knew I was going to love this book from the moment that I read the first page, the description of the snow covered cottage with the mountains behind it is just the perfect opening .

I enjoyed this story so much, Merry’s traumatic past was heartbreaking but she was determined to start living her life again by agreeing to look after her Aunts homestead for the month even though she’s never met her Aunt in the flesh before.

All the villagers are lovely to Merry and she begins to feel welcome and happy for the first time in a long time and the ruggedly handsome Vet Theo helps Merry whenever he can, the slow burn between Merry and Theo made my heart sing.

This is the perfect book to read whilst snuggled under a blanket on a snowy day by the fire.

The long and often delayed journey to Christmas village in the Scottish Highlands was finally over for twenty-five-year-old Merry McKenzie, but she was too late to see her Aunt Ava before she left on her journey. The many notes and instructions meant Merry would be able to settle into Chestnut Cottage for the following month as she cared for Aunt Ava's many animals - Simba the cat and Chewy the rabbit inside, with chickens, a turkey, pigs and more outside. Merry was a little scared, a little frightened, but she was determined to find her independence and manage by herself, without her three brothers interferring.

Merry had been in a car accident two years prior and had been in a coma for three months - hence her brothers couldn't help themselves in checking she was okay. Merry had had enough, but when she opened the door to a knock, the man standing there startled her. But it was the local vet, Theo Ellis-Lee, who'd arrived to check on Chewy. Gradually Merry relaxed in Theo's company, while working out the mystery of the Secret Santa gifts that Aunt Ava had set her to solve by Christmas Eve...

Snowflakes & Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft is a sweet Christmas story which I enjoyed. An unusual plot which worked well, with the multitude of animals including a turkey who hated men, but loved cranberries, and a rabbit who lived up to his name of Chewy! The village folks were kind-hearted and friendly and made the shy and tentative Merry welcome. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

A great read, furbaby sitting in the highlands, storms, romance and writing. What more can a girl want? Time unravels feeling that have been hidden…. Loved this book

When Merry meets Theo things don't go so well, and he is trying his best to stop rescuing people so tries to keep away. Things don't always go according to plan though!

After an accident that changes her life and makes her afraid of most things, Merry moved to Christmas Village in Scotland to take care of her aunt's menagerie of animals while she's on vacation. During her time there, she also discovers that she must be the town's Secret Santa in lieu of her aunt. It should be an easy task as her aunt has purchased the gifts and left instructions for who which gift goes to. But when Chewy the rabbit eats the instructions for the gift exchange as well as instructions for how to take care of the animals, Merry finds herself relying on the local vet, Theo, to keep the furry and feathery friends alive. Between Theo, her chance to be self-sufficient for the first time in a long time, and the characters of the novel she's writing, Merry is able to find her feet again following the tragedy in her life. This book is a cozy read that is a ton of fun against the back drop of Christmas and Christmas Village.

Merry goes to the Scottish Highlands to look after her aunt's animals whilst her aunt is away for a month - unfortunately, the instructions to look after said animals as well as a list which describes which recipient gets which Secret Santa gift, is lost. Then add the distraction of an attractive vet to the mix, and it is a disaster waiting to happen.

I really liked this story, it was engaging and funny. Merry and Theo were lovely main characters and I loved the animals (the secondary human characters were ok too, I suppose, lol).

Well worth reading, if you want a nice, Christmassy, romantic read :)

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

A cute and charming holiday tale set in the Scottish Highlands. Merry agrees to house sit and care for her aunt’s animals during the holiday. She is rather sheltered, thanks to her overprotective big brothers, and determined to be able to stand on her own. I love the mishap caused by a cute but chewy bunny! Merry now has several obstacles to overcome while dealing with her brothers and a rather attractive vet named Theo (not to mention the crazy turkey). I enjoyed seeing a friendship bloom while their pull towards one another grows. The locals are charming and create a safe place for Merry to branch out. There is a little bit of heat, but it is not the focus. Instead, I enjoyed the interactions and budding romance. The animals and locals provided a fun backdrop to this fun, cozy rom-com. I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

I enjoyed the first book, Christmas in the Scottish Highlands, very much, so I was really excited to read Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands. It's a heartwarming story about a young woman who is spending a month at her aunt Eva's to take care of her pets while she's away.
I really liked the main characters Theo and Merry, even though sometimes their bad decisions (and following misunderstandings) were a bit too obvious. There were also some repetitions about their motives and inner turmoils which I found unnecessary. The secondary characters were attaching, and I liked reading about their stories too. I also enjoyed the focus on the pets, my favourite were Chewy and Henry :-)

All in all a really good book to read curled up under a cosy blanket with a hot beverage ;-)

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun sweet story about finding herself after recovering from a serious accident and being coddled by her brothers. To the dismay of her brothers, Merry has traveled to Scotland to care for her aunt's animals while she is away for a month on a trip. Due to travel delays, Merry did not arrive in time to see her aunt before she left for her flight and will have to rely on the pile of written instructions. Theo is the new partner at the vet's office and he shows up after an incident with one of the animals and continues to find reasons to stop by. I enjoyed this story so much, that I acquired the previous story to read.

I received a free copy of this book to review through NetGalley.

What a wonderful and inspiring read. Merry is such a fabulous character and has such strength. Merry felt suffocated with love from her brothers and had shrunk her world so small that just simply taking that first step to go to her aunts house in the highlands of Scotland was so brave in its self. Meet Theo helped her voice her feelings, got her thinking about the type of love and support that she wanted in her life, and in turn she also helped Theo identify qualities within himself that maybe needed tweaking. Theo rose to the occasion and tried to be just what she needed, even when he desperately wanted to protect and smother her with love. Together they brought out each other’s inner strength to be the person they wanted to be.

Meeting all residents of the village again was nice, and getting a look at their lives was nice and seeing friendships growing as Theo and Merry are welcomed whole heartedly. The whole secret Santa tradition was just the icing on the Christmas cake, what a wonderful thing to still be happening all those years later, such thoughtful gifts that really meant something to the people receiving them. I wish there was a secret Santa in my village.

A wonderful Christmas read and very thought provoking.

Merry goes to the Scottish Highlands after her father's death. Loved this book. Good descriptions of the highlands

Such a feel good Christmas romance! The secret Santa mission was a fun one for Merry to do when pet sitting for her Aunt, but it got complicated trying to match up who was supposed to get each present.

I really like all the animal focus in this book, especially since they brought Theo and Merry together(even Henry the turkey). This book is all about overcoming obstacles and learning when it's ok to help without being to suffocating.

This is just a perfect book to curl up with by the fire, just like the book's setting. Snippets of Merry's book throughout was a nice added touch as well. Maybe it would make for a nice independent novella.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

🎁Sweet: Secret Santa, snowflakes and small-town warmth🤗

A lovely novel to get in the Christmas mood, complete with cute schoolkids, an animal menagerie including a mischievous rabbit and an attack turkey(!), friendly villagers and a couple of newcomers set to benefit from the town's Christmas magic. Veterinarian Theo and Merry, a young woman petsitting for her aunt, both have just enough backstory and similar family losses to set up their romance and their initial attempts to avoid getting involved.

The romance is very slow burn and, in fact, although I really enjoyed the story, I found myself putting the book down for a while and then coming back for more. Their interactions are easy and low key but give them plenty of chances to get to know each other and bond and build some heat. There is some conflict to add drama but I would not label this an angsty read.

Merry is writing a book and sharing parts with a class of the local school children. I thought the writing was a clever way to demonstrate the kind of relationship Merry thought she wanted and how it evolved as she wrote and absorbed the children's helpful comments.

The Secret Santa element was also a great way to work Merry into village life as she sought out what gift would best fit each villager's wants or needs.

A true standalone with an all's well, happy village conclusion. Most of the characters have appeared before in the author's last Christmas romance (Christmas in the Scottish Highlands), but each book stands well on its own.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

A very cute and cozy Christmas read. I enjoyed this on an afternoon with a few cups of tea. The secret Santa storyline was new and refreshing. Enjoyed all the villagers and their stories, especially the classroom of budding writers!

A great read to cuddle up with.

Another wonderful story by a great author. Heading to Scotland to take care of her aunt's farm and animals is not something expected of Merry. For her though it is a good chance to prove herself plus get out of her brothers' smothering love. After a horrible car accident, when she was in a coma for a long time, they are overly protective. Meeting hunky veterinarian Theo is an added bonus. Highly recommend this book. Hard to put down.

Merry heads to the Scottish highlands after recovering from a traumatic accident, she wants some time away from her overprotective brothers to try to find the courage to move on with her life. The story is uplifting, funny and is the perfect feel good read for the festive season.

“Snowflakes and Secrets in the Scottish Highlands”filled me with holiday cheer and made me look forward to Christmas even more than I normally do. I enjoyed every minute of Merry McKenzie’s adventure carrying out her aunt’s instructions for the town’s mysterious Secret Santa event. Donna Ashcroft’s description of the the charming Christmas village made me wish I could visit the picturesque town and meet its quirky residents. I was delighted to find out Donna Ashcroft has other books that take place in Christmas village and can’t wait to read them to learn even more about this quaint town and its residents.

Merry and Theo are meant to be together. It takes a one eyed cat and secret Santa to make it come together.
Thirty-one-year-old Merry is escaping to the Scottish Highlands for Christmas. Heartbroken by the death of her father, the man who raised her single-handedly, she needs some time to heal. Hiding away at Chestnut Cottage with only her Aunt Ava’s menagerie of pets for company seems like the perfect way to spend a peaceful December. But when she arrives, Merry discovers some curious instructions from her aunt asking her to organise Secret Santa gifts for the residents of Christmas village.
Merry’s determined to try and carry out her aunt’s festive task. But on her first night in the little cottage everything goes wrong – including upsetting the handsome local vet Theo Ellis-Lee when he arrives to assist with a crazed turkey and the mischievous rabbit who’s torn apart her aunt’s gift list. Merry is completely out of her comfort zone and it doesn’t help that Theo is both infuriatingly cheerful and insanely attractive.
Merry’s plans for a quiet break are quickly thwarted as Theo starts coming by every day to check on the unruly animals, and she can’t deny he sets her pulse racing. And, one by one, the friendly locals draw her out of her shell with cosy cups of tea, warm words and laughter-filled evenings in the pub. She finds herself embracing the challenge of finding the perfect gift for each of the kind-hearted people on her list. When Theo offers to help, sparks fly between them. But when the Secret Santa project forces Merry to face her heartache, she’s not sure she’s ready for a fresh start.
At a crossroads in her life, will Merry decide to go home and hide from her problems or will she open her heart and stay in Christmas Village.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Ahhhh here’s the Christmas book that I was looking forward to! I mean, were set in Christmas Village, the main character is called Merry and we have a Secret Santa… oh plus all the snow, cold weather, presents, cosy nights at the pub and mince pies…

This is definitely a mini Christmas bomb and I loved to be a part of it, I can’t wait for those crisp mornings where you can go out in the crunchy snow for a little walk - I’m definitely one of those who wants to be outside when the snow starts falling!

I absolutely loved this book, seeing how Merry grew during her time at Christmas Village, she definitely coped better than I would have done without those notes, although she does have a rather charming helper! Even the animals had characters and you could just picture them clearly in your head, especially Chewy and Henry, little trouble makers that they are!

While reading this you can spot the moment where things are going to go wrong - it was one of those where I read it and was like ‘no…. Don’t do that, it’s going to come across so wrong and you’ll fall out’. You want to just shake the character a little but I also had faith that the author was going to take me onto much happier pastures.

The final scenes around the Christmas Tree were lovely and it’s given me a proper festive buzz - and a desire to find a mince pie or two asap!!!