Why am I passionate about this?

I love everything Scottish. My grandfather was Scottish. I never met him, but mom passed the pride of her heritage and culture to me. Mom used to throw out an occasional phrase or poem that I thought was Gaelic. (I later learned it was Scotts but that’s another story.) I decided I wanted to learn the language and found a short course at a small college on the Isle of Skye and it changed my life. After that short course I committed to learning the language and enrolled in the distance learning program. I travel to Skye for the short courses between my semesters and have made lifelong friends.  


I wrote

Hickville Crossroads

By Mary Karlik,

Book cover of Hickville Crossroads

What is my book about?

Frasier Anderson is one of the hottest teenage actors in the UK, but he’s virtually unknown in the US. Now…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Cafe by the Sea

Mary Karlik Why did I love this book?

First, let me say, I love every book she’s written, and I’ve read them all! It is hard for me to choose just one. I picked this one because it’s the “gateway” book on the fictional island of Mure. (Incidentally, Muir is the Gaelic word for sea. Coincidence?) Ms. Colgan creates a world rich with the culture and beauty of the island people. Although at its heart, this story is a romance, there are several storylines of potential romance and a little mystery. With every book in the series, you delve a little deeper into the lives of the people. It’s like visiting old friends and I’m never quite ready to say goodbye.

By Jenny Colgan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Cafe by the Sea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The beloved author of The Bookshop on the Corner returns with a sparkling, sunny, soulful new novel perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand.

Years ago, Flora fled the quiet Scottish island where she grew up -- and she hasn't looked back. What would she have done on Mure? It's a place where everyone has known her all her life, where no one will let her forget the past. In bright, bustling London, she can be anonymous, ambitious... and hopelessly in love with her boss.

But when fate brings Flora back to the island, she's suddenly swept once more into life…


Book cover of Coming Home to the Loch

Mary Karlik Why did I love this book?

This is the first book in the Loch Lannick series. I love that this book is set on the Isle of Skye because I know the area fairly well. Like Colgan’s books, she has created a world that I can’t wait to travel back to. She has created a close-knit world on the loch full of highland culture and hospitality. I am only three books into the series but so far I’ve loved the heartfelt humor in each one.

By Hannah Ellis,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Coming Home to the Loch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What happens when you meet the right person, at the right time, in the wrong place?

Twenty-two-year-old Leana Mackenzie is looking for adventure. Full of excitement, she leaves her home in a remote Scottish village and heads for the bright city lights. 

In Edinburgh she meets Alasdair – a cute and charming singer/songwriter. As their relationship develops everything feels perfect. 

But as the sparkle of her new life begins to fade, Leana finds herself longing for her cosy home on the Isle of Skye, and the close-knit family she left behind. 

When Alasdair is offered the career opportunity of a…


Book cover of Single Malt Murder

Mary Karlik Why did I love this book?

This is the first in the Whisky Business Mystery series. I loved this series and was sad to see it end. I swear I know at least two of the characters personally. There is enough romance to make this romance reader happy but there was also a great murder mystery sprinkled—or should I say—splattered with humor. I loved it.

By Melinda Mullet,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Single Malt Murder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Abigail Logan never expected to inherit a whisky distillery in the Scottish Highlands. But in the first novel of an engaging new series blending fine spirits with chilling mystery, Abi finds that there are secrets lurking in the misty glens that some will go to any lengths to protect...even murder.

When Abi inherits her uncle's quaint and storied single malt distillery, she finds herself immersed in a competitive high-stakes business that elicits deep passions and prejudices. An award-winning photojournalist, Abi has no trouble capturing the perfect shot - but making the perfect shot is another matter. When she starts to…


Book cover of Scotch on the Rocks: A Contemporary Romance Set in the Highlands of Scotland

Mary Karlik Why did I love this book?

When Ishabel Stewart’s life falls apart she returns to the tiny island off the west coast of Scotland to recover only she doesn’t plan on meeting Brodie, a sexy American who turns her world upside down. This is a fun book with quirky secondary characters, lots of romance, and laughter. I could hear the beautiful accent as I read and see the stunning setting of the western isles.

By Lizzie Lamb,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Scotch on the Rocks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SCOTCH ON THE ROCKSFamily secrets threaten the future of Brodie and Ishabel ISHABEL STUART is at the crossroads of her life.Her wealthy industrialist father has died unexpectedly, leaving her a half-share in a ruined whisky distillery and the task of scattering his ashes on a Munro. After discovering her fiancé playing away from home, she cancels their lavish Christmas wedding at St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh and heads for the only place she feels safe - Eilean na Sgairbh, a windswept island on Scotland’s west coast - where the cormorants outnumber the inhabitants, ten to one. When she arrives at her…


Book cover of Lingerie Wars

Mary Karlik Why did I love this book?

Okay, so this book is just outright funny. After dumping the ex-fiancé who stole her money, ex-model Kristy Campbell buys a lingerie shop in the highland village where she grew up. The problem is hot, hunky, ex-special forces officer Lake Benson. He has rolled into town to save his sister’s shop. The other lingerie shop in this quirky village. Heat builds as the two complete for the village’s lingerie customers.

By Janet Elizabeth Henderson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Lingerie Wars as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"With all the things going on in the world, this was just what I needed. I enjoyed this book so much. It's a laugh out loud romantic romp through a small town full of quirky characters." Amazon ★★★★★ It's going to be HOT in the Highlands this Christmas!

A former special forces officer. An ex-model. And a bet that could cost one of them their lifelong dream...

Kirsty Campbell's modeling career ended after a car crash left her scarred and gave her fiancé slash manager the chance to run off with her life savings. Silver lining? She found out he…


Explore my book 😀

Hickville Crossroads

By Mary Karlik,

Book cover of Hickville Crossroads

What is my book about?

Frasier Anderson is one of the hottest teenage actors in the UK, but he’s virtually unknown in the US. Now he’s landed the leading role in a big-budget Hollywood film that could make him an international star. So how do you prepare a Scot for a role as a Texas high school student? Embed him in a Texas high school. He only has to follow three rules: No drama. No girls. And no telling who he really is.

Jenna Wiley is smart, funny, and has a few no-drama, no-dating rules of her own. Things come to a boil when Frasier’s biggest secrets hit the tabloids. Can Frasier convince Jenna that shy, goofy Ethan Smith is closer to reality than the image the tabloids have created?
Book cover of The Cafe by the Sea
Book cover of Coming Home to the Loch
Book cover of Single Malt Murder

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Book cover of The Romantics

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Why am I passionate about this?

Author Nature lover Rower Reader Ad guru Dreamer

Isabel's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Some endings deserve a second chance.

In The Romantics, Dr. Harrison Ramsey's meticulously planned life collides with the ex he swore to forget. A prosperous plastic surgeon, Harrison is a member of an elite, exclusive Houston club, while Zuri faces professional ruin after a messy breakup. When circumstances force them back into each other's lives, old emotions resurface, and they find themselves retracing past steps in the plastic surgery practice where they both work. The two explore the complexities of letting go and evaluating life’s choices and expectations.

The Romantics is a grumpy billionaire, sizzling second chance romance between two…

The Romantics

By Isabel Jolie,

What is this book about?

Some endings deserve a second chance.


Dr. Harrison Ramsey has it all.

A flourishing plastic surgery practice, close friends, and a coveted membership to one of Houston's most elite and secretive clubs.

His life has followed the plan.


Dr. Zuri Lennox's life is a literal dumpster fire.

Thanks to a cheating ex whose Ferrari ran into her baseball bat, she's unemployed, at risk of losing her medical license, and maxed out on medical school loans and legal fees.

Nothing in her life has gone as planned.


When she left a decade ago, he had one request. A simple thing. For…


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Interested in Scotland, the Scottish Highlands, and Isle of Skye?

Scotland 345 books
Isle Of Skye 15 books