Rosie Winters is a promising romance author in London. She has six books out, and we met her at the launch of the latest, in the V&A Museum. No expense is spared. But life goes abruptly wrong for the hardworking lady. She is soon in need of A SCOTTISH LIGHTHOUSE ESCAPE.

A tragedy strikes in Rosie’s life, and two months later she still hasn’t picked up any pieces. Only her friendly dog, Bronte, keeps her getting out of bed. Then it turns out her late husband Joe wasn’t the man she thought he was. Rosie’s in shock, and her brain keeps returning to the fact that her romance books were all fantasies that weren’t supported by reality. She can’t be blamed for saying that she’s ditching her career and taking a break. Her kind agent Mia Covington hopes time will improve matters.

Rosie’s late grandparents lived in a small coastal Scottish village. Since she recently inherited their cottage, Rosie drives up with her Labradoodle dog to stay there and sort the belongings. The elderly lighthouse keeper, Barclay, is a friend. She chats with him but it seems like she doesn’t want to talk with anyone else in Rowan Bay, which is odd. Barclay is on the verge of retiring. The new appointee is called Mitch Carlisle, and he also has a dog, a German Shepherd. Far from welcoming Mitch, Rosie is sullen and unfriendly as the seasons change to autumn and winter. There is absolutely no reason for this behaviour, and I started disliking her on the spot.

The two dogs, Bronte and Kane, are a great part of the adventure, adding considerable charm and movement to their scenes. I like less the aspect about an artist and retracing events of long decades past. This just seemed to be a way of forgetting about the current story, though it may have said something about love. When a man who knew her grandmother shows up out of the blue, Rosie makes no move whatsoever to check his bona fides before telling him all about her personal life and ended career. She’s just seen someone turn away a journalist. Maybe this is another one, was my thought. Whether or not, he posts on Facebook, so anything could end up getting published. Rosie was probably in dire need of counselling and talked to anyone who seemed friendly.

Julie Shackman has written eight previous books in the Scottish Escapes series, but they are standalones. A SCOTTISH LIGHTHOUSE ESCAPE is not all that romantic; most of the time Rosie is swearing off romance. It’s a light, emotional read with a small cast and two fun dogs.