Book Description
One romantic getaway. Two friends. Seven days just pretending…
When Nina Copeland’s mates try to match her with the guy next door, she needs a plan. Because Matthew’s just a friend, and Nina has a secret she doesn’t want him to discover – not until she’s tidied her messy life.
After his divorce, physics teacher Matthew Gilchrist has kept his heart locked safely away. So why do people keep pushing him to date his chirpy neighbour? He and Nina are fine just as friends. Aren’t they?
Nina hatches a solution to get everyone off their backs: fake a relationship at a family reunion, then stage a break-up so life can go back to normal. What could go wrong?
Stuck together at a romantic highland lodge, new feelings lure them out of the friend zone. But if love is to find a way in, Nina must confront her past, and Matthew put his heart on the line.
Can their friendship last the distance? Will splitting up be as easy as falling in love?
♥ ♥ ♥
♥ Just Friends at Thistle Lodge is the second book in The Glenbriar Series, but can be read on its own as a standalone.
♥ Set in the highlands of Scotland in a small town with fun, romance, drama, and a guaranteed happy ending.
♥The Glenbriar Series is a spinoff from the Scottish Island Escapes series and there are crossovers and intertwining characters. You might remember Nina as Troy's little sister in book #8 of the Scottish Island Escapes series - A Striking Result.
♥ A beautiful romance story, perfect for fans of Christy Barlow, Heidi Swain and Rachel Lucas
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Just Friends At Thistle Lodge' by Margaret Amatt.
Read and reviewed for Margaret Amatt, Leannan Press and Rachel's Random Resources Tours.
Publication date 3st March 2023.
This is the second book I have read by this author. It is also the second book in 'The Glenbriar' series but can be read as a standalone. I have also read 'Stolen Kisses At The Loch View Hotel' which is the first book in this series and 8 would highly recommend it!
I was originally drawn to this book by its stunning eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'A beautiful romance story, perfect for fans of Holly Martin, Julie Caplin and Heidi Swain'. I am a huge fan of Heidi Swain so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this statement. I'm also a HUGE fan of Margaret and is this book is half as good as 'Stolen Kisses At The Loch View Hotel' it is guaranteed to be a page turning success!! I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Leannan Press. I have yet to read a book published by Leannan Press that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 31 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Scotland 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited and had holidays in Scotland on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Kennedy has based the book on.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Nina Copeland and Matthew Gilchrist . The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
Yet another absolute stunner from the extremely talented Margaret!!! Well done Margaret on another absolutely beautiful and perfect read!! This is the ideal beach read where you could sit there and turn around and just imagine the beautiful Glenbriar.
The book is extremely well written with beautiful descriptions that completely drew me in. The synopsis and the cover match the storyline perfectly!!
The storyline itself completely swept me away. Nina is embarrassed by the fact that everything she owns has been bought for by her famous brother Tom Copeland who was an international football player. She is also fed up of men who are more interested in a bromance with Troy than her. Nina has a gorgeous neighbour Matthew who she is good friends with and her friends are determined to match them together. Nina's friend Flora recently gets engaged and tells Nina that she no longer wants to holiday in Corfu with her as she wants to spend some time with her new fiancée Max so she cancels the holiday. Matthew is recently divorced and his friends agree also wanting him to get with his neighbour. Matthew and Nina come up with what they think is the perfect plan to get their friends off their backs by faking a relationship when they head to Glenbriar for Matthew's family reunion. However, Nina is trying to keep her past and how much help her brother gives hidden from Max and when they start getting closer will it destroy their friendship? Filled with romance, drama, laughter, secrets, fun and everything you could ask for in a stunning page turner!! I absolutely loved having the insights into both Nina and Matthew's life's and what they got up to in the stunning Scottish Highlands. Margaret's evocative writing skills ensures the readers are absolutely sucked into the stunning storyline with the atmosphere and characters coming to life all around them.. I absolutely fell in love venturing into the beautiful Thistle Lodge and Scottish Highlands again and felt like I was coming back to a well known and loved holiday destination after falling in love with Glenbriar in book one. Margaret portrays life in a small village absolutely perfectly I became so invested in this book that it actually felt like going on a holiday and I absolutely dreaded coming to the end again where I had to unpack my suitcase and get back to reality. It was an absolutely compelling and addictive heart lifting read that kept me turning the pages until late at night. I loved discovering the pasts and histories of the characters and the Thistle Lodge and I was absolutely swept away in the story line. The lodge and the Highlands came to life around me and I cannot wait to return in the next book in this stunning series that I have very quickly fallen in love with. The third book is called 'Pitching Up At Heather Glen' and comes out on the 4th July and I will be counting down the days!!! The ending was absolutely perfect and I cannot wait for the third book!! This book and this series would make a beautiful movie!! I haven't been to Scotland for a long time but my son keeps asking to go and this book has tempted me even more. This book is an absolutely gorgeous, cute and addictive addition in an absolutely stunning series!!
Do not turn a single page of this book until you have cleared your schedules and when you do get ready to go on a stunning holiday you will not want to leave!!
Although this is the second book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I became completely invested in the characters, along with the storyline, who were all absolutely fantastic with their own individual personalities and quirks. They all started feeling like friends so quickly having got to meet and know so many of them so well. I felt like I was leaving amazing people and friends and feel quite sad about that but am happy in the knowledge that Margaret's next book in this beautiful series is coming in June, although it feels way too far away!!! I loved watching how Nina and Matthew's characters and personalities develop and go from strength to strength from the first page to the last. I also adored watching Nina and Matthew getting closer and seeing the sparks between them. Although Nina and Matthew are the main protagonists I also absolutely loved meeting Matthew's absolutely ecstatic family especially his Aunt Rowena Margaret's is an absolutely phenomenal writer and her talent ensures that these and the other characters all leap off the pages and come to life in front of your eyes! Each of the characters have rich personalities and they will all stay with me for a long time. I'm hoping we will meet some of them again in the next amazing book so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping Margaret takes this not so very subtle hint lol!! This is definitely one of those series which could go on and on and I wouldn't get bored. Here's to (hopefully) meeting them all again along with the next new faces of Glenbriar!!
Congratulations Margaret on another absolutely gorgeous success!!! Im definitely looking forward to my next holiday to Glenbriar!!! This is exactly why you are in my favourite author club and here is to your next success 🥂 !!!
Overall this is another perfect, stunning, page turning beach or fireplace read with a great gang of characters that will sweep you away to the Scottish Highlands from the very first page to the end by the extremely talented Margaret Amatt!
Genres covered in this novel include Travel In The United Kingdom, Parenting & Family Humour, Family Relationship, Rural Life Humour, Women's Romance Fiction, Holidays & Celebrations, Women's Contemporary Fiction, Romance Novel, Humorous Fiction, Humorous Romance, Romantic Fiction, Travel Writing, Love, Sex & Marriage Humour, Psychology Of Sexuality, Friendship, Women & and Relationship Humour, Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy, Friendship Fiction, Golf, Women's Literary Fiction and Holiday Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of as well as fans of Fiona Valpy, Lucinda Riley, Barbara O’Neal., Jojo Moyes, Debbie Macomber, Susanne O’Leary, Pamela Kelly, Nancy Thayer. Amanda Prowse, Diane Chamberlain, Shari Low, Veronica Henry, Heidi Swain, Christy Barlow, Heidi Swain, Rachel Lucas, Nicholas Sparks and any lovers of a book that you can float away with at the beach!!!
281 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, and free on kindle unlimited and £9.99 in paperback (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Margaret has told and written stories for as long as she can remember. During her formative years, she spent time on long walks inventing characters and stories to pass the time. Writing books is Margaret's passion and when she's not doing that, she's often found eating chocolate, walking and taking photographs in the hills around Highland Perthshire. Those long walks still frequently bring inspiration! It’s Margaret's pleasure to br ing you the Scottish IslandEscapes series and The Glenbriar Series. These books are linked (even the two series have crossovers!) for those who enjoy inhabiting Margaret's world of stories but each can be read as a standalone if you'd rather dip in and out with individual books.
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