4.5 rounded up actually.
I recently finished The Cracked Spine which is the first book in the Scottish Bookshop series by Paige Shelton and it was fantastic! I really enjoyed it and I can't wait to read more by her!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I picked it up to read from my library a couple of months ago, but other books came in that had holds on them and I got several books for blog tours and such so it sat there for a bit. Then, I got approval to review the second book in the series, Of Books & Bagpipes, which comes out April 4th, so I knew I needed to get to this one. I was not disappointed in the least!
This book came very close to getting 5 stars, but it just didn't have that extra pizzazz that I like to feel with a 5-star book. Even still, it was excellent and delightful!
These characters are fun, loving, and down-to-earth. They're believable and yet well-developed and complex. I'm absolutely thrilled that for at least this first book, we didn't start off with a love triangle! Sometimes that gets really old in cozy mysteries. Here, our main character, Delaney is only dating one man (yay!).
The plot line in this book moved along quite smoothly and quickly. Not so fast that I couldn't keep up, but there certainly weren't any slow parts in my opinion. I had no idea as far as who the villain was until the end when they are revealed. I was trying to put the clues together, but I just didn't have any idea, which I like!
The descriptions of the settings were wonderful. This is probably one instance when I wouldn't mind more description instead of less. Scotland's at the top of my "travel to someday" list, so I greedily soak up any and all descriptions I read about Scotland, Edinburgh, and everything Scottish! If this book was set in any other locale, I might have felt the descriptions were a little too much, but being that it's Scotland, I'll take any and all descriptions given!
The only thing I didn't really care for is that Delaney seems to be one of those heroines who just has to know it all and figure it all out, even if that means putting herself into harm's way far more often than she should. I liked that Elias was determined that she wouldn't go alone, but I kind of prefer a heroine who doesn't rush head-long into danger all the time.
Other than that, this is a fantastic book and you should read it!
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Reviews with images
Good book
A very good wholesome book. It Makes me want to move to Scotland and work in a bookshop.
Top reviews from other countries
Rosewood
New author and series for me - can't wait to read more of the novels!
Reviewed in Canada on January 19, 2018
Kindle Customer
An enjoyable mystery in Scotland
Reviewed in Canada on June 28, 2020Ashraf Ring
A slightly weak start to an excellent series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2020