Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC.

This is the second book in the Skye Sisters Trilogy about Thea, Ezzie and Valentina. This book focuses on Ezzie, manager of Rothach Hall on the Isle of Skye, living there together with her sister Thea who is head gardener and whose love story we got in the first book, Under a Summer Skye. All three sisters are adopted which comes up quite a bit.

This time it's Christmas and the Swedish Larsson family, owners of Rothach Hall, descend for the festivities. Grete and Erik have three adult children, Mats, Jonas and Maja. Mats and Inger are divorced, and Mats arrives with small children Alvin and Astrid and their nanny Josefin.

Mats develops an interest in Ezzie who first doesn't like him. Ezzie also receives news about her birth parents, and the car accident that played a role in the first book rears its ugly head again. So there's a lot going on and and we learn quite a bit about Swedish Christmas traditions too.

The third book about Valentina is expertly and organically set up. I'm sure you can read each book as a standalone but it's so much better to get the connections in each story because while it focuses on one sister, the other characters are always present too and their stories progress in the background.

This is a cracking read. I absolutely loved the first book and this is even better. Parts of it are predictable but there is so much to hold interest. Also, I've been to Skye and the scenery is just breathtaking. It's like taking a mini holiday in book form! I also like that the author tells us how to pronounce Gaelic words and names. I suppose, if I have to criticise something, it would be the overlong chapters.

This book has it all - a wintery landscape, festive activities, fantastic storytelling with emphasis on family relationships and lots of emotions, a lovely romance and a gorgeous cover. I couldn't put it down and I am so looking forward to the final book in the trilogy, just to meet everybody again. Highly recommended.