Christmas Reads – Christmas Secrets in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft

I’m delighted to welcome Donna Aschcroft to my Christmas Reads blog this week. Donna is going to talk to us about her latest festive romance, Christmas Secrets in the Scottish Highlands, which I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. So grab yourself a cuppa, get comfy and let’s get chatting to Donna. 😊

Blurb

Welcome to Christmas Resort, the festive retreat where the scent of cinnamon is in the air and chocolate yule log is eaten all year round! But with the resort in trouble, can Holliday Harrison save Christmas and find true love along the way?

Thirty-year-old Holliday Harrison is throwing herself into the festive season to give her life some purpose after losing her fiancé three years ago. Working at Christmas Resort, an all-year-round holiday village, with its sparkling lights and community of quirky characters, is the warm environment she needs right now. But everything is about to change…

When handsome, blue-eyed businessman Damon MacAndrew arrives to stay in one of the cute log cabins, at first Holly is intrigued. Why has this serious stranger come to such a jolly place? But then he makes his plan clear: Damon wants to buy the resort and change everything about it.

Determined to put Damon off Christmas Resort, Holly is soon engineering cold showers and setting him up to get lost in the maze. But with freshly baked cookies and delicious hot chocolate available on tap in such a magical setting, it’s hard to find ways to make the resort seem unappealing… Holliday tries her hardest to fight for the resort but the romance of Christmas seems to have other ideas.

As they take sleigh rides together and spend long evenings in front of the log fire she can’t deny the sizzling attraction between them. But has Damon really fallen in love with the magic of Christmas, or is he still a cold-hearted businessman? And will this this turn out to be the best Christmas ever… or will it end in heartbreak?

This sparkling, festive read featuring an enemies-to-lovers romance is completely addictive and moreish! A gorgeous winter romance that will have you glued to the pages. Fans of Cathy Bramley, Trisha Ashley and Debbie Macomber will love this delicious Christmas romance.

Some lovely reviews:

‘Oh my goodness, this book has all the festive feels. It’s a snowy, cinnamon-scented hot chocolate, cosy sweater sort of book… Sparks fly. This book was lovely, perfect with a Baileys hot chocolate in front of the fire.’ NetGalley reviewer

‘Delightfully festive read!… I was well and truly hooked… I flew through the book faster than Rudolph pulling Santa’s sleigh!… Christmas wrapped up in a book… more snow that you can shake a candy cane at… a fabulous read!’ Stardust Book Reviews

‘I just love it… So warm and welcoming… Wonderful… From hot cocoa to sleigh rides… this magical-feeling Christmas book is just what you need for a wonderful holiday read.’ Vegan Book Blogger

‘A magical Christmas read… wonderful… you feel like you are sitting by the fire… I was ready to go for a walk in the snow and pour a cup of hot cocoa… exactly what I needed… a must-read for this holiday season.’ Page Turners

‘It isn’t Christmas without a Donna Ashcroft novel to indulge in… heart-warming, festive… a perfect read for the cold snowy winter nights… Will lift your heart and make you soar! I absolutely adored… 5 Stars.’ Cindylspear

Welcome Donna, I really enjoyed this heartwarming story. I’m delighted to be talking to you today.

Thank you so much for inviting me onto your blog Karen. I thought I’d give you an insight into my writing life. I’ve been writing since I was twelve and have been lucky enough to write fulltime for around two and a half years. I live in Hertfordshire and work in the upstairs box room which I’ve decorated with love heart bunting and a plethora of hand creams. I have a desk which I can sit or stand at which I got in an attempt to stop myself from sitting all the time (I’m still working on that). I have two cats, Daisy and Dylan. Daisy loves sitting on my desk, often beside my keyboard or mouse which makes it difficult to write! If I get up, Dylan will immediately steal my chair and is very unhappy when I try to move him somewhere else.

I write two books a year – usually one for the summer months and one for the Christmas months. Readers especially seem to connect with my Christmas books, so I’m writing two for 2024 and am currently working on the second. I’ve got a box of Christmas items that I keep handy throughout the year – a mug, Santa hat, xmas decorations, candles and fairy lights – for when I need to get myself in the right mood. This is especially useful when the sun is blazing and I’m working on a Christmas book in the garden in the summer. If that fails to give me the festive feels, I love a romantic Christmas movie.

To stop myself from getting distracted during my working day (which I often am as I have a butterfly brain), I create an excel spreadsheet each morning with a schedule for myself. This accounts for every moment of my working day. I schedule time to meditate, for a shower, writing, social media, emails, making lunch, doing exercise and whatever other chores might need to be completed. It might sound excessive, but it helps me to stop wasting time. I’ve spent far too many mornings caught up in dramas on Facebook or Twitter (X), only to look up and realise I’ve only written ten words!

Author friends are very important to me and I live close by to Jules Wake/Julie Caplin who I’ve been friends with since we met in a writing group around sixteen years ago. Jules was published a few years before me, but we used to swop chapters with each other on a weekly basis, to encourage each other to get them written. When we get stuck on our books we take walks around the local reservoirs or canals to brainstorm solutions. If either of us are feeling fed up, or feel like our book isn’t working, we help each other through it. Writing can be a lonely business and having Jules down the road is such a blessing. We always celebrate our publication days together too – drinking a glass of prosecco or having a special lunch!  

This is so interesting, Donna. I love hearing about your cats – I have two cats also – and you’re very organised! I write a schedule too, but it’s not as tight as yours. And how lovely that you have an author friend so close, I love the way authors support each other.

Meet Donna

Author Bio

Donna has had twelve books published, with more coming in 2024. Four of her books have been in the Amazon top 100 and one got to number seven in the US Kindle charts. She was shortlisted for the RNA Debut Romantic Novel of the Year in 2019.

Donna lives in Hertfordshire, with her own romantic hero, two grown up kids and two ornery cats. She loves a happy ending and is never happier than when she’s escaping into a romance novel or movie.

Social Media Links

http://www.donna-writes.co.uk

facebook.com/DonnaAshcroftAuthor

twitter.com/Donnashc

instagram.com/donnaashcroftauthor

Latest book info

Christmas Secrets in the Scottish Highlands

Buy link: https://geni.us/B0CCJW96GFauthor

Also available on KindleUnlimited\

Thanks so much for dropping by to talk to us today, Donna. Wishing you a merry Christmas and lots of writing success for 2024.

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