Dreams can always come true, no matter what

Synopsis

Can you live your dreams and also find your destiny?

Since having to drop out of her design degree, Bella Douglas has been unlucky in just about everything life has thrown at her.She’s lost more jobs than she cares to remember and to top it off she’s still single, despite her Granny Isla’s best attempts to set her up with every eligible bachelor in the Scottish Highlands. Currently PA to her best friend, aka, Lady Olivia MacBain, at DrumblairCastle, Bella is yet to find a role that sets her soul on fire. But when disaster strikes for Olivia, Bella steps into the breach to rescue her bestfriend from a fate worse than a bad interior designer.

When Bella and her Granny find themselves homeless, they relocate to the castle where a handsome new neighbour brings mystery, intrigue and a spark of romance.

Is Bella finally on the track to find true happiness? Or do more catastrophes lie ahead? And does true love hide where you least expect it?

My review

Bella Douglas isn’t really known for being lucky. First she had to drop out of her design degree, and it’s easier for her to remember the current job she has, instead of remembering all the other jobs she has lost.
Even in matters of the heart she is unlucky, despite her Granny Isla’s attempts of matching her to any available man.
And while she is currently working as a PA for her best friend Olivia at the Drumblair Castle, Bella is still searching for something that she is actually good at and she loves doing.
When opportunity rises to help out Olivia, Bella is eager to use her vision and her skills as an interior designer.
And when Bella and Granny Isla are forced to stay at the castle after disaster strikes again, they find themselves facing a neighbour that is very much intriguing.
Will this opportunity finally turn the cards for Bella and make her find something she loves doing, and bringing her love at the same time? Or is this just once again a case of calm before the storm?

Obviously it was a delight to return to Drumblair Castle. And I was very eager to read Bella’s story while at the same time seeing how Olivia was doing as Lady of the Castle.

I absolutely liked Bella’s character. She shows in so many ways how altruistic she is, how caring she is, and how she always sees the good in everyone.
She is so kind in many different ways, even putting others before herself.
But she is also the kind of person that will never boast herself, on the contrary! Despite her actual great skills, she often fails to see how amazing she is. Bella obviously doesn’t believe in herself like we as a reader do, and that is a pity, because she is just amazing!

I loved seeing her together with her Granny Isla, who for sure is a force of nature! It was absolutely hilarious how Isla has her own way with words!
The love between the two was so obvious. Yet I could also perfectly understand Bella’s frustrations when Isla was playing matchmaker once again!

I was happy for Bella seeing how Liv gives her the chance to be the interior designer for the castle but also giving Bella more responsibilities. I can understand how in worst case scenarios (and that also happens…) this may test the friendship, but yet when a friendship is so strong, even the worst of the worsts cannot break that bond!

It angered me to see how a trust in a character was given, truly believing it was the right thing to do, to only see how that trust was actually better not given. And it only confirmed my gut feeling in the first book!

Of course there is also romance for Bella in this book. Yu could even see it like a little love triangle if you want. Obviously I could understand Bella being star struck for a moment. Yet I liked it more how Bella nevertheless doesn’t lose herself and just follows her gut feeling. A gut feeling that mirrored mine and once again was the right feeling!

On the other side of the triangle was something that was born out of friendship, showing compassion, care and preparedness to help when needed. It shows patience that isn’t present with the ‘rival’. But here we see people that want only the best for each other, even at the cost of thei own wishes and happiness.

I found this a wonderful, sweet but also hilarious story, about altruistic people that believe and trust each other, are willing to forgive past mistakes. But also trust their (gut) feelings, and always keep an eye open.
We also see that no matter what happened in the past, how unlucky you may have been, your time will come to shine brightly, and that good things will come on your path.
And obviously it’s filled with so many love, in all its forms… and love that can change over the course of time, or just how strong it can stay no matter what…