by
3.73 of 5 stars
Once upon a time, a young woman had her heart broken. She was cynical enough to close the door on love, but idealistic enough not to lock it. Inste... read full description

reviews

May 20, 2011
Alice rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I try not to read too many romance novels, mostly because I overdosed on them in my teenage years. Another reason is romance novels warp my sense of love in real life. I mean seriously, not everyone has a happy ending. Not every man loves you as much as you love him. Yes, I know I’m a total cynic, but when you spend your impressionable years believing in happy endings, it’s hard to deal with that broken heart when it those happy ending don’t come.

That being said, there was something More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Feb 19, 2011
Samantha rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Cassie is young and dumped. After traveling across the country to visit her boyfriend, who was studying abroad, the boyfriend promptly breaks up with her. Not feeling comfortable staying with him, Cassie decides to journey on a ferry to stay at a small bed and breakfast. While on the ferry, she meets the older Ralph, and makes an instant connection with him. During the weekend, the relationship between Cassie and Ralph grows, but then Cassie must leave to return to her job and her family. She do More...
0 comments like (3 people liked it)
Feb 08, 2011
Parita rated it: 5 of 5 stars
FANTASTICALLY ROMANTIC...enough to make me wanna run to scotland and look for my own Ralph, and this is saying that I am getting married in 2 weeks! nevertheless, definately one of the most romantic book i have read...not mushy as in mills and boons kind, but just dreamy romance. while Cassie's character is quite imaginable (probably because i identy a lot with her), Ralph seems too good to be true. and even then, it all seems very beleivable. the fact that the story is set in scotland makes it More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Apr 25, 2011
Caitlin rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Fun read, I definitely liked it but I wasn't ever really DYING to know what happened next and would have been happy to set it down for a while between readings, so it gets 3 stars from me :) I'll definitely be picking up the sequel soon.
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
Nov 27, 2011
Meredith rated it: 3 of 5 stars
22 year-old Cassie goes to Scottland to visit her boyfriend of 9 months and is immediately dumped. She then goes elsewhere in Scottland and falls instantly in love with 40 year old Scottsman, Ralph. What transpires is a story about the complexities of a long-distance relationship made more complicated by a heroine who is afraid of being hurt.

There were aspects of this book I really enjoyed - the chemistry between Cassie and Ralph is undeniable, very well done and believable. I didn More...
Apr 29, 2011
Laura rated it: 4 of 5 stars
3.5 stars

Cassie travels overseas to visit her boyfriend who is studing abroad for the summer to discover that he boyfriend has moved on and dosen't want to be with her anymore. The devastated Cassie decides that she obviously can't stay with him for her trip, and decides against going home to answer the many questions of her friends and family. She decides to take a ferry trip to a small island in Scotland, to get some piece and quiet and to collect her thoughts.

She ends up More...
0 comments like (1 person liked it)
May 09, 2011
E.B. rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Many readers have reported having trouble with the age difference between Ralph and Cassie. That wasn't the case for me. I guess I've known enough May/December romances to not even bat an eye. My issue came with the 'conflict' of the story. Cassie struggles with giving up her independence/future to go to Scotland to be with Ralph 100%. I would never have left in the first place! Hot guy, madly in love with me, wildly successful as an actor? Yeah, I'd never give that up. Probably would have marri More...
Jun 20, 2011
Michelle rated it: 5 of 5 stars
What do you do when you are in a foreign country and your boyfriend dumps you? That is the question that Cassie Wrentham finds herself posed with when her long distance boyfriend, Jason, breaks up with her the night she arrives in Scotland to see him. Instead of turning tail and running home to the states, Cassie decides to venture out on her own, booking a trip to Coll. On the ferry ride over, she meets a charming stranger who suggests a bed-and-breakfast to stay in when she arrives. Cassie tak More...
Feb 14, 2011
Rachel rated it: 4 of 5 stars
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here
Jan 30, 2012
Marie rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This review was originally posted on my blog, Ramblings of a Daydreamer. You can find it, and many more reviews at the blog.

I loved this book. Loved. I can understand why some people don’t like contemporary women’s fiction/romance/chick lit - it’s a lot of dialogue and self-reflection on the main character’s part, but I love that sort of thing. It’s like getting a look into someone’s life and thoughts and dreams and fears, and sometimes seeing yourself there and knowing you’re not al More...
Aug 07, 2009
Nancy rated it: 5 of 5 stars
I wrote this book... So I won't pretend to be objective. But I thought I might be able to add some information on genre, style and pacing so people could decide whether it's for them or not.

I'd call this a light romantic comedy, sort of a beach read that focuses on a relationship. It starts a bit slow; in fact, I recently uploaded a revised version to Amazon in which two of the earlier, way-too-much-expository-writing chapters have been excised. (No more revisions, though... it is wh More...
7 comments like (4 people liked it)
Feb 26, 2011
Julie rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I stumbled across this book via Goodreads and as it was only 99 cents on amazon I thought: why not? Plus it had a lot of 4 star reviews--which it justly deserves! This book has wit and a very deep and moving romance. This book is more emotional than the usual romance, which I thought made it distinctive. And the emotion in the book isn't of the eye-rolling variety--its a connected part of the characters, and their journey. I simply had to read on to see what happened and if the characters would More...
Jan 11, 2011
Heather rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I quite liked the writing style in this book, but I felt the plot ended up being repetitive. Cassie annoyed me at times with her decisions and strange ways of handling things, and for someone as introspective as I felt she was I would have expected her to understand herself better.

One other note: the story has that "start in the present, go to the past, return to the present" structure. I have no issues with that, but I did find that some of the past parts were written more More...
Apr 10, 2011
Heatherh rated it: 2 of 5 stars
This was an ok book. The setting drew me to it more than the description of the story. It seems easier to take a chance on love again and being vulnerable after being let down and hurt when the new guy is gorgeous, smart, a good conversationalist, successful, emotionally available and head over heels for you.
Mar 25, 2011
Margaret rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Loved this book. The author uses quite a bit of narrative, and sometime it meanders a bit, but it's always amusing and relatable. I admit, I wanted to smack Cassie a few times, but Sweet Mary, I adore Ralph. Off to download the sequel!
Feb 21, 2011
Cheryl rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I found this book on an ad link on Goodreads and thought I'd give it a try. I loved this book. I have been in love with Scotsmen since reading 'Outlander' and can't seem to get enough of them.

This was such a fun book to read and had me looking up the areas in Scotland.

Can't wait for the sequel.
Sep 29, 2011
Orla rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Great idea for a plot but the narration is a little strange and annoying. The narrator takes too long to get to the point and generally whines too much about her life.
Feb 03, 2011
Elle rated it: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this sufficiently to make me want to go back to Scotland for a long overdo visit. Contemporary romance in a Scottish setting lovers will enjoy this book.
Sep 25, 2011
The CB rated it: 2 of 5 stars
I borrowed this book through Booklending site. There are nice people who are lending their kindle books so I am grateful for that. Now about the book. I never liked romance novels. Last one I read maybe 25 years ago. But I must say that this one made me smile and it was really refreshing. From time to time it is good to escape from reality. Author did a nice job and to my opinion it is different to so many "shallow" books you can run into these days. I gave it two stars only because I More...
Apr 09, 2011
Jaikaies rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Review to come!
Mar 24, 2010
lita marked it as to-read
kiriman
Oct 20, 2009
Becky rated it: 5 of 5 stars
Great!
May 28, 2011
Suzanne rated it: 3 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. I just love Scotland, so was interested in reading a story set there. I wasn't disappointed and am looking forward to the sequel. Good summer reading.
Apr 07, 2011
Kaley rated it: 4 of 5 stars
Stay tuned on my blog for my review on April 30th!
Jun 02, 2010
Sherrill rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This book it just what I needed.

The characters, the setting, even the flying back and forth across the great pond.

My heart just about broke when Ralph walked away, and disappeared around the corner. Once I found out what he really did after he walked away, I will always take a look, go after, and not back down.

This book is on my own to read again list...highly recommend it to all.
3 comments like (1 person liked it)
Sep 24, 2011
Christine rated it: 3 of 5 stars
3.5 stars. This was pretty cute. I'm giving it the 3.5 star rating because I kind of wanted to shake Cassie a few times and even though Ralph was supposed to be 40, he acted and felt more Cassie's age to me. Overall though, it was a sweet story.
Apr 09, 2011
Cindy rated it: 2 of 5 stars
I was drawn to this book because of its title. Scotland acts like a magnet to me. But I had real trouble relating to the characters and finding their actions/reactions believable. So it was a sort of a nice read but it just didn't do much for me.
Mar 23, 2011
Kate rated it: 5 of 5 stars
This book and the sequel are only $0.99 for Kindle right now :)

And it was so so so so so good! I never thought I could love a male character named Ralph, but Ralph was awesome! Going to start the sequel tomorrow! :D
Nov 03, 2011
Donita rated it: 3 of 5 stars
This was a romance which is not what I normally read, mysteries are my favorite, but it was nice for a change and an easy, quick read. And of course, I enjoyed the Scottish accents even if they were just in my head.
Apr 08, 2011
Pam rated it: 3 of 5 stars
Cute. Almost predictable, but a bit more complex than what you might expect.