Can the research of your hometown give you all the answers you were searching for?

Synopsis

Prepare to escape to Scotland with a gorgeous feel-good romance this summer…

Returning to the Scottish Highlands was never part of Poppy Summers’ plan. But life had other ideas.

With her parents’ cherished holiday cottages losing money, Poppy is determined to carry on their legacy and save the business before they’re forced to sell.

Revamping the cottages is Poppy’s priority until she meets Mason Cooper, a charming historian drawn to the highlands for research. As their newfound friendship grows, is it possible that something more might be enough of a reason to make Poppy stay for good?

My review

Now that her disastrous marriage is truly ended, Poppy Summers decide to return to her hometown, to just find herself again. But what Poppy didn’t expect, is to hear from her parents that they have decided to sell their holiday cottages, as it is just losing money. That makes Poppy decide to make her parents an offer they cannot refuse: give her a year to run the cottages, and if she fails, she agrees upon selling it. Suddenly Poppy is full of ideas of how to revamp the cottages, with the help of her best friend Katie and Poppy’s brother Caleb. And then Australian historian Mason Cooper needs her help. Mason is researching the real identity of The Scarlet Highwayman, the local historical rogue. And not unimportant, somehow that same 18th century man has become not only Poppy’s muse in her paintings, but he is also her historical crush. With Mason and Poppy joining forces to uncover the real identity, will that attraction between them continue to grow, or will their different views over the Highwayman tear them only apart?

As usual with this author, I could not wait to read this next book. But I also need to be honest, otherwise what is the point of writing reviews… Somehow, was it the story, was it me, it took me a while before I actually got into the story. But don’t worry, because once it finally got me, it truly *got* me!

When the main character finds herself coming back home, it never is for a positive reason, is it? Heartbreak, the loss of someone, or losing yourself, there is always a sad event making in this case Poppy making return back home. But while of course it is sad how Poppy finds herself returning back home, in a way it is also sweet to see how home, wherever that is, can give you the comfort and the love you need.

And wasn’t it wonderful to read how Poppy’s whole family is welcoming her back? Both her parents, her brother and her best friend are over the moon about Poppy’s return, even if Poppy is at loss at the moment.

But we also see how close this family is because Poppy upon hearing the plans of her parents, isn’t willing to let go of the holiday cottages so easily. The cottages have always been important, and not only financially. Perhaps Poppy should have thought better about her proposition, but I could understand where she is coming from.

It also shows the fire Poppy has in her. She is a loving characters, but also a woman who won’t go down without a fight to protect her beloved ones, and the things that truly matter to her.

I am not artistic myself, I cannot draw, paint, do pottery, and if I would, it would look like a child did it instead of a nearly – 40 – years old woman 😊. In that aspect, I admire Poppy and her best friend / sister – in – law Katie that have the vision and the talent to make wonderful things.

Perhaps Poppy is a bit too much infatuated by the legend/ mystery that The Scarlet Highwayman is, but can I truly blame her? No, I cannot. Yes, it would appear that he has done some things that are unforgivable. But just like Poppy, even before the truth about the mysterious man was out, I could sense that there is way much more about his tale than we would believe. And let’s be honest, Julie Shackman wouldn’t let her main character have a crush on a despicable person, would she? 😊

A mysterious character that lets Mason Cooper enter the scene.

Once again, after his first appearance, I did not know what to think about Mason. Yes, the man has the looks, the charms and I am sure that many many female characters are swooning when Mason just looks at them. But his erratic behaviour was so off at moments, that I didn’t know what to think about the man.

Of course, in several romance books, there is the love interest isn’t that easy to understand. But Mason truly can go from hot to cold in just the blink of an eye. And that made me wondering, but to be honest, also a little bit suspicious… Is Mason truly holding secrets that could break Poppy’s heart? Or am I watching too many thrillers at the moment, making me wary of everyone and everything? Only time could tell, and thus I just kept on reading. But not only because I wanted to know who Mason truly is, but because when Poppy and Mason start investigating, that is when I found myself truly drawn into the story!

The more the story progresses, the more Poppy is finding her feet again. She loves managing the cottages together with Katie, she loves diving into the world of The Scarlet Highwayman, and she enjoys spending time with Mason, even if his behaviour is erratic at times.

We truly see Poppy blossoming in this book, standing her ground, but at the same time still guarding her heart. Because no matter how she is feeling about Mason, she is wary of letting him completely in. And it doesn’t help how he is behaving, and how he is being seen with different women, is it?

But at the same time, the same thing can be said about Mason. The way he is able to tell Poppy things he normally doesn’t talk about, how he is protective of her and how he finds ways to keep spending time with her. And once we know why he is behaving oddly at times, can we truly blame him? The truth makes so much sense…

There is of course the mystery of The Scarlet Highwayman, the reason of Popp and Mason meeting and spending time together. I was obviously intrigued by this mysterious man, and the more the story evolved in general, the more question marks were raised in my head. Who was this man truly? Did he truly did the atrocious things he has been claimed to have done? And how come that even in the present a dubious family well – known in the area is doing all the possible to keep the truth from being revealed?

Of course it was lovely to read how Poppy and Mason are in this pushing and pulling away game, and are learning to trust each other and open up to each other. It is also a story about how *home* can be the place that makes you feel loved and cherished again, and where you can find yourself again and find again the place that makes you happy. And all this is already a perfect recipe to have a wonderful story. But add the mystery of The Scarlet Highwayman, and have its real story revealed, truly makes this a great story to be reading.

And if perchance, you find yourself struggling to get through those first chapters, don’t give up! Keep on reading, because you will be rewarded with a book that has just has a little and a lot of everything. And before you know, you will find yourself reading page after page after page!