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Love, On The Rocks - Elsie McArthur



Description

Escaping a difficult childhood, unhappy marriage and dead-end job, Rachel McIntyre has escaped to the tiny Hebridean island of Inniscreag in search of a new beginning.

Taking a job as the manager of the local distillery, she's just settling into her new life when the elderly, eccentric owner dies, unexpectedly leaving her two hundred year old family legacy in Rachel's inexperienced hands.

Can she keep the small, community business alive in the face of a takeover attempt from a major multinational corporation? And can she resist the charms of the flirtatious, attractive company lawyer who arrives on the island to persuade her to sell up?

Join Rachel and the quirky inhabitants of Inniscreag - along with a couple of unexpected arrivals - in this funny, heartwarming tale about love, loss and having the courage to start over.

Review

This is the second book of Elsie's that I have read and reviewed. You can read about her first book The Back up Plan here.

It was just lovely to sit down and escape to the Western Scottish Isles. Beautifully described scenery, tales of island life and some wonderful dialect.  I immediately warmed to Rachel and her new life and the job at the distillery that she's settling into on Inniscreag. It's only pages before we meet Duncan who you can tell is going to feature prominently in this story. 

I also loved Duncan! I think it might be the first time I have ever actually fallen for a character in a book. He's described so well and I could just hear his gentle Edinburgh lilt and see his sparkling green eyes. Rachel's ex Graham was another matter entirely and I felt my hackles rise every time he stepped onto the page. 

There are quite a few backstories of the different characters in the book, so it never gets boring and the depth of the writing brings it all to life. So many difficult subjects are dealt with sympathetically such as mental health, divorce and miscarriage. As the book progresses we begin to realise that all is not what it might have first seemed with more than one of the characters. As secrets begin to be uncovered the book takes a whole new twist and is certainly more than just a romantic tale. 

Will Rachel be able to maintain the distillery and keep it from the Multinational corporation? Is Duncan only interested in Rachel because of the distillery? Settle down and find out. You might want a wee dram too, as every time someone has one in the book it made me wish I had one at hand also.

I'm giving this book five out of five stars. My thanks to Elsie for a copy of her book to review.

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