Another wonderful book that finds Mirren Sutherland and Theo Pallister together again searching for another lost book. Things are much different this time since they're not traveling the country searching but rather working for the Laird of a real Scottish castle ... and searching it top to bottom for an unknown book .... at Christmastime .... in the middle of nowhere .... at the very edge of Scotland. The characters are wonderful ... intelligent, kind, funny, quirky, frustrating, handsome, beautiful, posh, and everyday. This book really has everything you could ask for in a story .... a mystery to solve, books, wonderful books, delicious foods and drinks, a castle, the beautiful Scottish countryside and coast, and did I mention lots of books?! Jenny Colgan weaves another magical tale for us to enjoy, and I certainly did!

An interesting plot and characters. A want to be book finder is hired to find a book in a house overflowing with books. In addition she must solve riddles to find the one book.

The quest for a rare book, a castle in the north of Scotland and the magic of Christmas. Jenny Colgan can take you there. A must read!

I enjoyed A Christmas Book Hunt, the previous book in this series, but I loved The Secret Christmas Library!

After the excitement of finding a valuable long lost book last year, Mirren has been unhappy with her somewhat drab life. When she is offered a job to find another lost book she is happy to travel to rural Scotland for Christmas. She hadn’t expected to find Theo, her rival book search companion hired for the same job.

I adored the romantic setting- a crumbling castle in snowy Scotland. It was beautifully described and almost felt like another character. I liked all the characters, but especially the love interest and their relationship was sweet. I also really enjoyed the plot with its puzzles and secrets.

Overall, I highly recommend this lovely story!

I struggled to finish this book. I found myself skimming the pages and unable to connect with any of the characters.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars. Good enough to read to the end without skimming but just OK.

Jenny Colgan is one of my favorite authors and I perennially return to Mure, Kirrinfief, Carso, and Mount Polbearne. to immerse myself in satisfying, romance, and very entertaining stories filled with wonderful characters and delightfully snarky dialogue. However, I don't feel that way about all of her books and, unfortunately, this is one of them.

This story was a bit too gloomy for me. I liked the idea of the story but just didn't connect to any of the characters and found myself not really caring about solving the mystery either. On the positive side, there were flashes of snarky dialogue or commentary that made me laugh out loud.

Anyway, not one of my favorites by Colgan.

A smattering of profanity and an R-rated bedroom scene.

Mirren is sent to a castle in Scotland to help find a book. The only problem is Jamie, the castle owner, has no idea what the book is or where it is located. She isn't the only one hired to look for this book, rival Theo is also there, as is Jamie's sister Esme and housekeeper Bonnie. Jamie's and Esme's grandfather passed away and left a clue to the book but over the years he has collected thousands of books and they still don't know which one they are looking for.
This was a fun read full of riddles and developing friendships and relationships. The only thing I didn't care for is the use of all caps on words often throughout the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

If you are wanting to get into the holiday spirit a little earlier this year then this is the novel for you. Not only that if you are someone who dreams of being a antique book hunter you can get an idea of what that dream can be like! Overall it was a very sweet story that takes place in modern times. I for one thought it was beautiful and creative. Reading about the characters navigate through life in modern day Scotland was truly an interesting journey.
Our main character Mirren is an antique book hunter (again a job that every bookworm dreama about) and she meets a man named Jamie who has a interesting family lineage. However his family castle is slowly crumbling and supposedly there is a antique book that could possibly be the answer to his prayers. Mirren who is all for the treasure hunt decides to explore the castle in hopes of finding the book.
Before she sets forth on this hunt she meets up with a rival named Theo and reluctantly decides to put aaide their differences in hopes to find this book. Although searching for this book will be a trial as Jamie's grandfather is a huge book hoarder but through hard work and perseverance Mirren will work through the job she passionately adores.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

The Secret Christmas Library is a sweet, winter-themed (not overly Christmasy) mystery/romance set in the Scottish Highlands. The impoverished owner of a castle needs to find a mysterious book that should turn around the estate’s fortunes— but where is it among all of the stuff gathered by hundreds of years of inhabitants? He brings Mirren and Theo to Scotland to help him hunt for it, and mayhem ensues: a poem to decipher, a maze (and gigantic castle) to search, and motives to unravel. This is a fast, well-written, engaging read, perfect for lovers of light mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Secret Christmas Library
TY NG & Jenny Colgan!

“When all the songs are past, then you must find a crown of gold”

A secret library and a hunt for a rare book.

Cute book with a mystery thrill. Heart pumping race to find

Quick read to keep you on your toes.

Goodreads -https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7629807198