🌟 Review Note:
This review is provided as part of the Virtual Book Tour hosted by Zooloo’s Book Tours which runs 8-14 October 2025. Check the Book Tour Schedule and follow along with us.
Thank you to the author Ellie Henderson, publisher Joffe Books and, of course Zooloo’s Book Tours for including me on this tour and for providing a digital edition of this new novel to read and review.
As always, this review reflects my honest thoughts.
About the book
One snowy village. Two guarded hearts. A Christmas they’ll never forget.
After a year of burying her heartbreak in endless work, Jessica Stewart returns to her childhood home in the Scottish village of Rowan Bay. She hopes the Christmas lights and familiar faces will help her rediscover the woman she used to be.
She doesn’t expect Reuben Campbell. Once her brother’s infuriating best friend — the boy who teased her endlessly — Reuben is now a ruggedly handsome architect with an easy charm. And he’s suddenly everywhere Jessica turns.
As the village prepares for Christmas, Jessica and Reuben find themselves sharing frost-bitten walks, fairy-lit evenings and gingerbread house disasters. The spark between them is impossible to ignore and Reuben’s steady presence begins to melt the walls Jessica has spent so long building.
But Jessica came home to escape complications — and Reuben, for all his warmth, is hiding heartbreak and secrets of his own.
As Christmas approaches can two people with every reason to resist each other finally give in to a second chance neither saw coming?
A Scottish Christmas Hideaway by Ellie Henderson
Published on 8 October by Choclit / Joffe Books
Find the book on Amazon, Goodreads and Storygraph
About the Author
Ellie Henderson lives near the sea on the east coast of Scotland and is a regular visitor to the Isle of Arran on the west coast of Scotland.
When she’s not writing she runs creative workshops in the community.
Ellie also writes psychological fiction under the name Lorna Henderson.
You can find out more about Ellie Henderson by visiting elliehendersonbooks.com and on social media
Facebook @EllieHendersonBooks
Instagram @elliehbooks
X (formerly Twitter) @EllieHbooks
My Review
What an absolutely gorgeous start to the Rowan Bay series! I fell head over heels for this book within a few pages and genuinely did not want it to end.
Jessica’s return to Rowan Bay is meant to be a quiet escape from heartbreak, but the moment Reuben Campbell steps back into her world… well, let’s just say the snow isn’t the only thing melting. Childhood teasing, unspoken history, and that delicious slow-burn tension – all wrapped up in twinkly lights, small-town charm and festive chaos.
Reuben is exactly the kind of hero I adore: rugged, kind, and quietly wounded. Watching the walls between him and Jessica crumble through gingerbread disasters, frosty walks and unexpected sparks was pure joy. Their second-chance/friends-to-lovers arc hit every emotional beat without ever feeling heavy.
And the setting? Utter perfection. Rowan Bay feels like the kind of Scottish village you’d move to “for a week” and never leave. Cosy, close-knit, and full of found-family warmth – I already want to book a cabin and stay there until spring.
I loved the characters, I loved the heart, and I loved how the festive atmosphere wrapped everything in that magical Christmas glow without losing the emotional depth. If this is book one, I’m already itching for the rest of the series.
A beautiful, comforting, small-town Christmas romance that gave me everything I look for this time of year. Absolutely five stars.
This review may also appear on my social media and selected book platforms. All links are correct at the time of posting.
#AScottishChristmasHideaway #EllieHenderson #JoffeBooks #ChocLit #digitalread #ZooloosBookTours #bookreview #booktour #newseries #Scotland #RowanBaySeries
MoMoBookDiary 