Book Review: Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Frasier

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this ebook free of charge, from Random House Harcourt via #netgalley, for review purposes on this blog. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own


A woman desperate to turn a new page heads to the Scottish coast and finds herself locked in a battle of wills with an infuriatingly aloof bookseller in this utterly heartwarming debut, perfect for readers of Evvie Drake Starts Over.


the bookshop of second chances cover

Synopsis:

Thea Mottram is having a bad month. She’s been let go from her office job with no notice—and to make matters even worse, her husband of nearly twenty years has decided to leave her for one of her friends. Bewildered and completely lost, Thea doesn’t know what to do. But when she learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away, leaving her his home and a hefty antique book collection, she decides to leave Sussex for a few weeks. Escaping to a small coastal town where no one knows her seems to be exactly what she needs.

Almost instantly, Thea becomes enamored with the quaint cottage, comforted by its cozy rooms and lovely but neglected garden. The locals in nearby Baldochrie are just as warm, quirky, and inviting. The only person she can’t seem to win over is bookshop owner Edward Maltravers, to whom she hopes to sell her uncle’s book collection. His gruff attitude—fueled by an infamous, long-standing feud with his brother, a local lord—tests Thea’s patience. But bickering with Edward proves oddly refreshing and exciting, leading Thea to develop feelings she hasn’t experienced in a long time. As she follows a thrilling yet terrifying impulse to stay in Scotland indefinitely, Thea realizes that her new life may quickly become just as complicated as the one she was running from.


Review:

I love this book- it charming, warm and cozy, and just what you need to give you a lift or Spring! Thea is a wonderful older character- full of charm and wit, who has a lot of bad circumstances thrown at her. Is it any wonder she jumped at a chance to run to Scotland? We'd do exactly the same! And that is the charm of this novel- it is so easy for the reader to picture themselves in Thea s place and understand why she makes the decisions she does, and to root for her to make a place for HERSELF in the yonder woods of Scotland, to forgo everything she thought she wanted, for something unexpected and comforting none the less. You'll want to run away to Scotland too after reading this book!


About the Author:

Jackie Fraser is a freelance editor and writer. She's worked for AA Publishing, Watkins, the Good Food Guide, and various self-published writers of fiction, travel and food guides, and self-help books. She reads a lot (no, really), in multiple genres, and is fascinated by the Bronze Age. She likes vintage clothes, antique fairs, and photography. She likes cats. --T

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