In the holiday spirit of giving, you get not one, but two reviews. So get your coco ready and let’s dive into our festive reads!
A Highland Christmas
Deep in the Scottish highlands, the people of Lochdubh do not believe in the fanfare and commercialism of Christmas. Police Constable Macbeth is stuck on duty while his family vacations in Florida, having to come to the aid of missing cats, track down stolen lights from a neighboring village, and other nuisances.
This little holiday novella unfolds the characters as much as the crimes needing to be solved, with strong personalities like grumpy reclusive women, amicable schoolteachers, and laid-back detectives. While Hamish MacBeth is Beaton’s detective series, A Highland Christmas is less a mystery than it is a sweet and cozy way of adding a bit of festivity to your holiday reading list.
As a first introduction to Hamish MacBeth, A Highland Christmas made me want to read more of the series for the endearing characters, the easy nature of the read, and the enjoyment of a newly discovered series.
Personal rating: 6/10
Recommend? Only if you want a quick yet cozy afternoon read
Re-read? Maybe, but only in December
Christmas at the Island Hotel
Halfway between Scotland and Norway sits the island of Mure. The small island boasts a large host of characters, including a disgruntled French chef, a disowned duke, a shy baker, and various other residents all struggling with their own issues while trying to ensure the success of a fledgling hotel.
Although an easy, feel-good read, the book deals with motherhood, the independence of children, unrequited love, and loss. The characters are loveable and quirky and the setting is quaint and comforting. I was happily pulled into life on the island of Mure and enjoyed the little time I spent living there within the pages. I cherry-picked the Christmas instalment, but Colgan has other stories from Mure to provide a little escapism.
While a duke banished by his father in order to learn about the realities of life teeters on “Hallmark movie” territory, I embraced it and am glad I did so. Plus, if Christmas isn’t a time for feel-good, predictable endings, when is? Christmas at the Island Hotel was filled with enough dashes of authenticity and relatability to stave off anything overtly cheesy and I found such easy enjoyment from my time listening to the book that I’m tempted to read Colgan’s other novels from Mure.
Personal rating: 6.5/10
Recommend? Only if looking for an easy Christmas read
Re-read? No, but might read her earlier tales within the series
Time: 1:48
