The Scottish Strawberry Farm: Scottish Spice, Book 3

Scottish Spice #3

by Bonnie Woods

*FROM THE #2 BESTSELLING ROMANCE AUTHOR*

FORBIDDEN, SUNBURNT AND UTTERLY HIS…

When Rae comes back home to the Highlands after working overseas in high-end restaurants, almost everyone she knew has moved on. As Rae tries to stop herself and the family fruit farm from falling apart, she bumps into her childhood friend’s older brother, Struan.

Laid-back local mountain guide Struan is everything she’s not but she can’t look away. One night, in the berry fields at sundown, a line is crossed. It’s midsummer madness – and they vow it can’t happen again. But that’s easier said than done.

As the berries ripen, the season will soon be over. Can Rae rescue the farm without losing her oldest friend – or the man she never saw coming?

18+ content 🌶️🔥



Opposites Attract 💞

Forced proximity 🏘️

HEA 🥰

REAL READERS LOVE BONNIE WOODS ‘How can I possibly put into words how much I utterly adored this book?’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A gorgeous, autumnal romance that readers are going to be cancelling plans to sit by the fire and enjoy’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘The chemistry just sizzled off the page’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I couldn’t put this book down and managed to read it in one sitting!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Like the perfect Hallmark movie, with less cheese and more spice’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A glorious setting’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I loved the diverse characters’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was kicking my feet and giggling’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Can’t wait to do a re-read of this!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I was so attached to these characters’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Well it's fair to say that I absolutely adored this’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Definitely one to warm your heart’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I loved the setting, the world-building and the chemistry between the main characters’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Audible Audio

Published June 18, 2026

About the author

Bonnie Woods is a Kindle-bestselling author, ghost writer, freelance writer and editor, from and based in Manchester. She started off writing fanfiction before graduating to seasonal, inclusive romance novels. As Rachel Bowdler, she has written Honeymoon for One and Summer at the Scottish Castle.

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper North and the author for this ARC. I can confirm that my review and comments are all my own.

The Scottish Strawberry Farm is the third instalment of the Scottish Spice series by Bonnie Woods.

As with the author’s previous two books, I absolutely loved this one! I’m a sucker for any romance novels set in Scotland, especially the Scottish Highlands.

I like the FMC, Rae, who was a strong, independent woman. For some reason, I’m still not 100% sold on Struan. I’m no prude but I just wasn’t keen on his language when he was trying to seduce Rae. It kept giving me the ick. But that aside, I appreciated the way he always asked Rae if she was ok before touching her or taking anything further with her. Hats off to him for respecting her in that way.

I was especially pleased to see the characters from the previous books appear.

I love the author Bonnie Woods and I like the way she writes about minorities and tries to include all types in her books. She doesn’t make her female characters visually perfect, they come with flaws which I like, as they are relatable and realistic. I really hope that there is a fourth instalment to the Scottish Spice series (maybe a Christmas setting?).

If you are looking for a cosy, summer romance this year, then I can highly recommend this book. If you like reading about a strong female character and a strong mountain rescuer, then this one is definitely for you.

Tropes:

* small town vibes
* farm setting in the Scottish Highlands
* forbidden love
* found family
* opposites attract
* romance

[justinejustreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

This was another enjoyable installment of the Scottish Spice series. The covers of these books convey the cozy small town vibes, but Bonnie Woods actually packs these with a lot more depth than what you might expect. The found family theme is strong in this series, and I love the queer representation. This one follows Rae and Struan, and I really love both of these pansexual sweethearts. Unfortunately my enjoyment of this one was dampened by the side characters, particularly Rae's best friend, Martha, who happened to be Struan's sister. I do enjoy this trope. The forbidden aspect really works for me, but Martha was very against them getting together AND she was unsupportive of them generally. Drove me up a wall and I hated her. I still liked this one, I just wish there wasn't so much Martha.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

[GraceyBookster · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧 Audiobook 🎧
This took me a while to get into because I wasn’t getting on with the narrator. I initially found her voice a little monotonous and slow which caused me to lose focus a lot but eventually I finally got into it more.

This is the third book in the Scottish Spice series and it’s really cute. I LOVED Straun as the MMC, he was so sweet there were times I just really wanted to give him a hug. He (and all of the MMCs across her books actually) have such emotional maturity and respect for women, which is another reason why I love these books. They always make sure that the FMC is comfortable and consent is a massive deal which I find so endearing (and super sexy). They show how men SHOULD be, grounding and safe to be around.

Boy did I HATE the FMCs best friend though! She made me so angry I wanted to slap her through the pages 😂 but that’s good writing for ya!

As always, Bonnie woods also incorporates LGBTQIA+ rep in her books and also highlights disabilities and the importance/struggles with mental health, which is why she is one of my fave authors! Her stories have so much heart, are relatable and all characters have room for growth too. I especially liked in this how she describes anxiety, burnout and ADHD, it made me feel seen and I’m sure will help others get some validation or understanding aswell.

One other thing that needs to be mentioned is how amazing it was to come across characters from Kindling and Fireworks (Book 1 + 2) in the story too which made my heart swell with happiness!! I LOVE Belbarrow and those characters so much, so it was so great to see more of them and their stories develop further 🥹😭🫶🏻 OMG it was the best and made me feel so warm and fuzzy.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot and can’t wait for the next book. Bonnie writes romance very well. This one was a bit spicer than I was expecting quite quickly (I’m more a slow burn person), but the chemistry and yearning of her characters is always second to none and it was 🔥

P.S I now eat strawberry EVERYTHING!! That strawberry lemonade and strawberry wine sounded to die for! 🍓 🥤 🍓 🍷🍓

[Lisa (Two Bookish Brits) · Rating 4 out of 5]

How freaking lovely this book was. I absolutely adore any kind of romance set in Scotland, such a beautiful, beautiful place.

Rae has finally come home after working overseas at high end restaurants has taken its toll on her. She’s back to see her family and her friends and help her dad with the family fruit farm. There she bumps into her childhood best friend’s older brother, Struan only he’s not the tall, dorky boy he was a few years ago.

Seeing these two meet for the first time after those few years have passed it’s clear to see there’s an instant connection, there’s sparks flying between them and it’s surprising for both of them.

I loved watching them become closer, turning into something more. Seeing that one night where they both cross the line was brilliant. I loved the pull they had for each other even though they knew they shouldn’t be doing it because of how her best friend, his sister would feel but it was inevitable.

It’s been so much fun following these two on their journey, I just wanted them both to be the happiest they could because they deserve all the love and happiness.

I just need to point out that Rae’s gran had me in stitches, what an absolute character she was, loved her.

This was my first read from this author and most certainly won’t be my last. I loved the delicious mix of sweet and spicy. The cuteness, the love, the tension it all wrapped up into one brilliant story. Bonnie brought us two wonderful characters that you just couldn’t help but love.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5 stars)
Come for the Strawberries, Stay for the Yearning.

Rae left her small town in the Scottish Highlands to chase her dream of becoming a chef. After years of working in high-pressure restaurant kitchens, she returns home for the summer hoping to recharge, only to discover that her family's strawberry farm is struggling to stay afloat. Determined to help save it, Rae throws herself into the business. What she doesn't expect is to come face-to-face with her childhood best friend's older brother, Straun, who has had quite the glow-up. One impulsive night together is supposed to be just that—one night—but we all know how those promises usually end.

Some thoughts:
- Rae's journey was my favorite part of the book. I appreciated seeing her learn to manage her anxiety and panic disorder, and I thought that aspect of the story was handled with care.
- Straun was exactly the kind of MMC I enjoy. Sweet, patient, supportive, and absolutely yearning. Give me a man who's quietly in love any day.
- The chemistry between Rae and Straun was great, and I enjoyed watching their relationship develop.
I understood why they were hesitant to pursue a relationship because of Rae's friendship with Martha, but honestly...I thought it was a pretty weak reason to keep them apart.
- Speaking of Martha...she drove me absolutely nuts. For someone who is supposed to be around 30 and planning her wedding, she acted more like a teenager. If she truly cared about Rae as much as the story wanted me to believe, there shouldn't have been such a big issue with Rae and Straun simply talking to her about their feelings. Instead, Martha came across as a pretty terrible friend.
- Rae's father also frustrated me early on, but unlike Martha, he grew on me as the story progressed. I appreciated seeing his character develop and enjoyed him much more by the end.

Overall, this wasn't my favorite book in the Scottish Spice series, but I still had a great time with it. The Scottish setting, the family farm, and Straun more than made up for some frustrating side characters. Had it not been for Martha, this easily would have been a solid 4-star read for me.

[cakecoffeeandbooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 38%
I loved the sound of this one from the blurb but struggled to get into it because of the characters- they’re just not very likeable, so I’m not invested in the story nor do I really care what happens to them. Everyone seems very harsh to Rae- the FMC- in fact even her dad is awful to her so far. I might come back and try this one again but for now it’s a DNF for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

[Akriti Sharma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I mean, they’re so unlikable by the end of the book it’s concerning. None of them get any meaningful push back when it comes to their actions that it feels like they’re just let off the hook for being toxic for most of the book.(except for maybe that one scene between the male and Martha and even then she barely apologized).None of the conflict is even remotely releastic because it’s the same problem that’s stretched out for over 200 pages. Also, why was the guy the one doing grand gesture?

[Gales Tales70 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Advance early copy from Netgalley

It was lovely to return to Belbarrow. Loved the setting, the storyline, the characters, just didn’t enjoy how everyone treated Rae, but she also needed to find herself

Book 2 was my fave

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved and related to both characters.
Made me cry sometimes.
Good storyline just lost its way a bit before the end. I wanted more of a heart wrenching without each other so that M would apologise for being in the way type of moment. It was a bit too meh. Nice ending though.

[Rachel Bowdler · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy and grateful to bring another little story to Belbarrow. 🍓🩵

[Cara Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha needs to get her head out of her ass. The rest is great.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good three, it was cute and fun but not obsessed with either of these characters and felt there was a little bit of a disconnection between them. Fun read though for the summer!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

🎧

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Zoe Crowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

The characters are just not likeable, found it really hard to keep wanting to read it. Thought I was going to love it but unfortunately not for me.

[Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sweet and spicy scottish romance from Bonnie. I can't wait for the next one.

[Molly Forney · Rating 2 out of 5]

a slog

I loved all of the other books in the series. This one was so painful to read - a lot of angst and a mad dash at the end for the HEA.

[Chantelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this book, perfect romance🥰