Author: Julie Shackman
ISBN: 978-1-76063-286-1
RRP: $29.99
Publication Date: July 2018
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
A Room at the Manor is a new release by Julie Shackman set in Scotland that sounds heartwarming and intriguing. The cover is absolutely stunning and it’s one I look forward to reading. The month is beginning to run away from me so I thought it best to give our members somewhere to leave their reviews while this one still calls from my TBR.
Lara McDonald returns to her quiet hometown of Fairview when her love affair cools, she is heartbroken but determined to make a new start. A new start following her dream of baking instead of in another PR position. She takes the first position that comes up and finds herself working for a local woman with quite a reputation in her tea room, True Brew.
An unlikely friendship is forged with an elderly customer, Hugo Carmichael. The Carmichaels have lived at the beautiful Glenlovatt Manor for almost 300 years and it is still home to Hugo, his son and grandson even though it is in need of renovation.
Hugo recognises something in Lara and changes his will to include her; leaving Lara stunned and others less than thrilled with his faith in Lara.
A story of love, family, hope and trust, A Room at the Manor will delight every reader keen to find their place in the world.
This is one that certainly sounds interesting and I look forward to hearing what our members have to say.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin 20 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading A Room at the Manor so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
A beautiful story of love, determination and heartache is presented to us in Julie Shackman’s ‘A Room at the Manor’. Thank you to Beauty & Lace and Publishers Allen & Unwin for supplying this book for review.
What a spectacularly addictive book. The story line full of emotional twists and turns, introducing us intimately to the personalities of its main characters, baker Lara McDonald and Scottish laird family, The Charmichaels.
I love the intensity of spirit and drive that the author portrays in Lara and her genuine lovely spirit blooms throughout the book. The broody, difficult sculptor, Vaughan Carmichael is an interesting mix and presents a complex love interest for Lara.
Social status and the expectations of upper verses lower classes intermingles throughout the book. And a few snags are afoot, reaffirming that in real life love isn’t always an easy ride.
Who couldn’t fall in love with a book full of Scotts to adore. This book’s a treasure.
Thank you Rachel! X
I loved this book. It had all the ingredients that I like. A good romance and storyline and baking. It puts me in mind of Trisha
Ashley books. I hope Julie writes some more like this. Thanks for the opportunity to read this book.
Thank you Sue! X
This book was such a delectable treat with its descriptions of scrumptious food and a beautiful old country house.
Julie Shackman’s novel often reads like one of Josephine Moon’s books and it also features a dash of Jane Austen thrown in for good measure. In this case, Lara is our main character, a fine and inspiring heroine who is determined to make something of herself in the wake of heartache. An expert baker, she dreams of having her own tea rooms.
“A Room At The Manor” is an enjoyable and sweet story that you can really get lost in, just like a good cuppa with a close friend.
Thank you so much for your lovely comments Natalie! X
This book, ‘Room at the manor’, was a nice story, but I must admit that I could see where it was going in the first couple of pages. For me, there were no surprises, but I still liked the story. It was easy to read and I was able to finish it in a couple of days – a good book for sitting back and relaxing to! Thank you Beauty and Lace for another book to review >:o)
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to read this book.
This is a delightful story about a girl following her dreams, and working hard to achieve them (although she does have a bit of a kick in the right direction!). I enjoyed this book from the very start. I managed to read it in 2 days despite having to work, do all my chores and look after the kids – I was quite tired when I finished it due to a couple of late nights reading!!!
I thought it was interesting how the book explored the differences between the classes in Scotland. It highlighted the issues that people in the working class experience, as well as those in the aristocratic class. It’s definitely worth all people realising that all people experience hardships, no matter what their background is.
I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys backing and enjoys a good romance.
Thanks again for a great read.
A Room at the Manor Julie Shackman
A delightful read for a few spare hours. And that’s all it will take for the reader to be swept up uin this light enjoyable romance.
A happy ever after ending leaves the reader with a warm glow
A beautiful story focusing on Lara and her dream to one day own and run a shop where she can focus on her baking.
As she works for an unforgiving employer in a cafe she meets some lovely people with one of these who changes the course of her life.
Read while Lara pushes her way through challenges to set up a business in the beautiful Glenlovatt Manor and to make it work.
She immediately makes it her life to meet the challenges while coming across barriers such as the enigmatic Carmicheal grandson. An artist with determination!
Bring into the equation Lara’s mother and her younger lover and the local’s she brings on board throughout the journey.
Read this story of family, trust, love and friendship to find out what transpires. It is well worth the time to read and enjoy.
Room at the Manor has all the ingredients for a fabulous read- a Scottish manor, a heartbroken girl, a dark mysterious handsome man, and a quaint bakery. Although the storyline was a little predictable, it was well written and there were enough twists and turns to keep the reader engaged. The descriptions of all those cakes also helped! A great easy holiday read!
I received this book Wednesday after work. I had a wisdom tooth removed late Wednesday afternoon which had been causing me pain all day.That evening after getting my daughter to bed I began reading A Room At The Manor and I had finished the book by Thursday night.
I truly Loved reading Julie Shackman’s book and enjoyed the Scottish history and the move into a modern Scotland. I love baking and tea and was engrossed in the tea-room fantasy and the amazing opportunity that was trusted/thrusted upon the main character Lara by local Laird Hugo Carmichael who to Lara is an almost stranger before his demise.
She was the perfect example of fighting for what you believe in, trusting yourself and your dreams, resilience and the boundaries between classes not always being as finite as first believed. Lara and her besty Morven created a masterpiece and they brought a sense of comradely, kinship and love to the book which was heart-warming and delicious.
The charmichaels, and more specifically Vaughan Carmichael, add another dimention to the story. Being forced into each others lives, livelyhoods and bussiness become the beginning of a deep and empowering journey though each characters history, love, loss and hopes. Lara forces the family to face realities in new perspectives and fights fiercely for history, dignity and family history.
Lara is as fiery as her corkscrew red curls and she provides so much maturity and depth to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed my journey through the pages of A Room At The Manor, though a quick and easy read it was full of wit, surprise, love and compassion. The novel was empowering, warming and addictive and I greatly enjoyed my time within its pages.
Thank you Beauty & Lace for the chance to read this novel and the wonderful publishers Allen & Unwin for supplying this book for my review.
A great vacation read – comforting like a hot cup of tea and cake on a rainy afternoon. (You’ll totally get that analogy after reading “A Room at the Manor”.) A classic tale of love and friendship and achieving your dreams, with enough twists (although quite predictable and not entirely surprising) to keep this easy read interesting. It’s so sweet that the descriptions of colours throughout related to the food theme, like the avocado green menus and the buttercream yellow paint.