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The Little Scottish Bookshop: A totally charming and escapist romance
"‘My favourite book of 2026!… My jaw DROPPED… Immediately caught my attention… I’ve never read anything like this one!… Absolutely magical… I didn’t want to leave… I was head over heels… PICK THIS UP!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
Take a leap of faith and come and visit our perfect little bookshop by the sea. You’ll find a warm welcome, friendship, and maybe even a new beginning…
Kate is more surprised than anyone to find herself, suitcase in hand, outside a bookshop in the middle of a tiny Scottish village, where seagulls cry and the sea is a shimmering blue. But when an anonymous invitation to Bonnie Bay fell from the pages of a book, it felt like the perfect way to escape her dead-end job and memories of her ex.
Twinkly-eyed and eccentric owner Moira gives Kate a haven in her cozy cottage. Moira sent the invitations out into the world, offering a fresh start to those who need it… but now, Moira can’t manage the shop alone. It breaks Kate’s heart to see the sweet elderly lady lose the place she loves.
And that’s the least of Kate’s problems. Brody, a grumpy, six-foot-four, silver fox arrives at the bookshop with an invitation just like hers. The only place for him to stay? Moira’s cottage, too…
But beneath his gruff exterior Brody has a warm heart. Soon he’s volunteering to help turn the shop around. And as they string fairy lights, fill the shop with cozy cushions, and mend the broken shelves, things between Kate and Brody are quickly heating up in surprising ways!
But will the bookshop – and the spark between them – last beyond the summer? Or will their fresh start come crashing down?
This book was previously published as The Hopeful Hearts Bookshop.
From the million-copy bestselling author of the Comfort Food Café series comes a brand-new, totally addictive and feel-good escapist romance with delicious steam and spice. Perfect for anyone who loves getting lost in a book – in more ways than one! Fans of Susan Mallery, Phillipa Ashley and Laurie Gilmore won’t be able to put this down.
Read what everyone’s saying about The Little Scottish Bookshop:
‘SWOON!! If you love grumpy + sunshine and cozy small-town vibes, this romance is absolutely for you… Genuinely could not read it fast enough… The spice level was perfect… Absolutely phenomenal… Unique and heartwarming… I absolutely recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I LOVE IT SO SO SO MUCH!!… TBH, I cannot move on from this book… I finished it just within three days… I was immediately locked in!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I loved this gem from beginning to end… Completely heartwarming… I devoured this book in just hours… I adored everything about this.’ littlemissbooklover87, 5 stars
‘A laugh-out-loud story… I loved everything about this book… Amazing chemistry… I would love to hang out at the cozy little bookshop… I highly recommend this fabulous book.’ carolines_pageturners, 5 stars
‘I absolutely loved it!… Wonderful… I flew through this in just a couple of days… I was desperate to know how things would work out for Kate and Brody… a totally romantic, uplifting and feel-good read… I fell in love… five stars from me!’ Portobello Book Blog, 5 stars
‘An absolutely beautiful book from start to finish! I just loved it so much… Amazing… Made me smile from start to finish… highly recommend… A heartwarming story… Wonderful.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
Take a leap of faith and come and visit our perfect little bookshop by the sea. You’ll find a warm welcome, friendship, and maybe even a new beginning…
Kate is more surprised than anyone to find herself, suitcase in hand, outside a bookshop in the middle of a tiny Scottish village, where seagulls cry and the sea is a shimmering blue. But when an anonymous invitation to Bonnie Bay fell from the pages of a book, it felt like the perfect way to escape her dead-end job and memories of her ex.
Twinkly-eyed and eccentric owner Moira gives Kate a haven in her cozy cottage. Moira sent the invitations out into the world, offering a fresh start to those who need it… but now, Moira can’t manage the shop alone. It breaks Kate’s heart to see the sweet elderly lady lose the place she loves.
And that’s the least of Kate’s problems. Brody, a grumpy, six-foot-four, silver fox arrives at the bookshop with an invitation just like hers. The only place for him to stay? Moira’s cottage, too…
But beneath his gruff exterior Brody has a warm heart. Soon he’s volunteering to help turn the shop around. And as they string fairy lights, fill the shop with cozy cushions, and mend the broken shelves, things between Kate and Brody are quickly heating up in surprising ways!
But will the bookshop – and the spark between them – last beyond the summer? Or will their fresh start come crashing down?
This book was previously published as The Hopeful Hearts Bookshop.
From the million-copy bestselling author of the Comfort Food Café series comes a brand-new, totally addictive and feel-good escapist romance with delicious steam and spice. Perfect for anyone who loves getting lost in a book – in more ways than one! Fans of Susan Mallery, Phillipa Ashley and Laurie Gilmore won’t be able to put this down.
Read what everyone’s saying about The Little Scottish Bookshop:
‘SWOON!! If you love grumpy + sunshine and cozy small-town vibes, this romance is absolutely for you… Genuinely could not read it fast enough… The spice level was perfect… Absolutely phenomenal… Unique and heartwarming… I absolutely recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I LOVE IT SO SO SO MUCH!!… TBH, I cannot move on from this book… I finished it just within three days… I was immediately locked in!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I loved this gem from beginning to end… Completely heartwarming… I devoured this book in just hours… I adored everything about this.’ littlemissbooklover87, 5 stars
‘A laugh-out-loud story… I loved everything about this book… Amazing chemistry… I would love to hang out at the cozy little bookshop… I highly recommend this fabulous book.’ carolines_pageturners, 5 stars
‘I absolutely loved it!… Wonderful… I flew through this in just a couple of days… I was desperate to know how things would work out for Kate and Brody… a totally romantic, uplifting and feel-good read… I fell in love… five stars from me!’ Portobello Book Blog, 5 stars
‘An absolutely beautiful book from start to finish! I just loved it so much… Amazing… Made me smile from start to finish… highly recommend… A heartwarming story… Wonderful.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
288 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2026
About the author
Debbie Johnson
68 books34 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 4, 2026
This was sooo cute and made me so excited to go to Scotland
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September 17, 2026This was a delightful story and a lovely book. I truly enjoyed it.
Amazon synopsis:
Kate is more surprised than anyone to find herself, suitcase in hand, outside a bookshop in the middle of a tiny Scottish village, where seagulls cry and the sea is a shimmering blue. But when an anonymous invitation to Bonnie Bay fell from the pages of a book, it felt like the perfect way to escape her dead-end job and memories of her ex.
Twinkly-eyed and eccentric owner Moira gives Kate a haven in her cozy cottage. Moira sent the invitations out into the world, offering a fresh start to those who need it… but now, Moira can’t manage the shop alone. It breaks Kate’s heart to see the sweet elderly lady lose the place she loves.
And that’s the least of Kate’s problems. Brody, a grumpy, six-foot-four, silver fox arrives at the bookshop with an invitation just like hers. The only place for him to stay? Moira’s cottage, too…
But beneath his gruff exterior Brody has a warm heart. Soon he’s volunteering to help turn the shop around. And as they string fairy lights, fill the shop with cozy cushions, and mend the broken shelves, things between Kate and Brody are quickly heating up in surprising ways!
But will the bookshop – and the spark between them – last beyond the summer? Or will their fresh start come crashing down?
Amazon synopsis:
Kate is more surprised than anyone to find herself, suitcase in hand, outside a bookshop in the middle of a tiny Scottish village, where seagulls cry and the sea is a shimmering blue. But when an anonymous invitation to Bonnie Bay fell from the pages of a book, it felt like the perfect way to escape her dead-end job and memories of her ex.
Twinkly-eyed and eccentric owner Moira gives Kate a haven in her cozy cottage. Moira sent the invitations out into the world, offering a fresh start to those who need it… but now, Moira can’t manage the shop alone. It breaks Kate’s heart to see the sweet elderly lady lose the place she loves.
And that’s the least of Kate’s problems. Brody, a grumpy, six-foot-four, silver fox arrives at the bookshop with an invitation just like hers. The only place for him to stay? Moira’s cottage, too…
But beneath his gruff exterior Brody has a warm heart. Soon he’s volunteering to help turn the shop around. And as they string fairy lights, fill the shop with cozy cushions, and mend the broken shelves, things between Kate and Brody are quickly heating up in surprising ways!
But will the bookshop – and the spark between them – last beyond the summer? Or will their fresh start come crashing down?
August 30, 2026
I loved this book so much, It was a randomly selected book on my kindle so I knew nothing about it.
This book had my emotions all over the place.
Moira is just amazing, she is by far my favourite character, Brody is a big masculine man, a bit grumpy but the man has had some stuff going on so I can't fault him at all. At first I was a bit unsure because of his grumpyness but once everything he's been through comes to light you'll find yourself wanting to reach into the book just to hug him ♥️
Kate sounds absolutely gorgeous, she's a bit clumsy and down on her luck and she's had bad relationship experience so she doubts herself a lot but when they finally get together 🔥🔥🔥🔥it just goes to show that no matter how life gets, if you're down on your luck it can only go back up. You've just got to take that risk, that chance, that leap.
This book does include some 🔥🥵 scenes but it's not too in your face with it.
Overall everything is written beautifully, I 100% recommend it to anyone looking for a cosy romance or maybe just looking for a grumpy Canadian guy who certainly knows how to treat a lady - Brody *insert french kiss here*
This book had my emotions all over the place.
Moira is just amazing, she is by far my favourite character, Brody is a big masculine man, a bit grumpy but the man has had some stuff going on so I can't fault him at all. At first I was a bit unsure because of his grumpyness but once everything he's been through comes to light you'll find yourself wanting to reach into the book just to hug him ♥️
Kate sounds absolutely gorgeous, she's a bit clumsy and down on her luck and she's had bad relationship experience so she doubts herself a lot but when they finally get together 🔥🔥🔥🔥it just goes to show that no matter how life gets, if you're down on your luck it can only go back up. You've just got to take that risk, that chance, that leap.
This book does include some 🔥🥵 scenes but it's not too in your face with it.
Overall everything is written beautifully, I 100% recommend it to anyone looking for a cosy romance or maybe just looking for a grumpy Canadian guy who certainly knows how to treat a lady - Brody *insert french kiss here*
September 5, 2026
Enjoyable story. Beach read. Feel good vibe. Set in a place that fills you with hope.
September 8, 2026
An amazing love story from old lovers
October 13, 2026
This was a sweet romantic read with a little bit of a magical serendipity. The setting is lovely and the characters are likable.
October 18, 2026
Such a lovely book
October 31, 2026
Yes, charming. Yes, escapist. Yes, clichéd, and so SO predictable. Did I still enjoy it? Yes. But the predictability was a groaner.
August 18, 2026
I’ve enjoyed other books from this author, but this one is not for me. It felt overly dramatic, with more language and open door scenes than I prefer.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews