📖 Book Review ~ The Forest Hideaway by Sharon Gosling

Simon &Schuster
August 2025

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

 

Set on the wild edge of Cumbria, close to the Scottish border, The Forest Hideway promises a gorgeously remote and romantic autumn escape, full of hope, friendship and new beginnings.

Saskia is building a home for herself out of the ruins of an old castle. Surrounded by forest, hidden away from everyone and everything, the place is special - it’s the only connection she has left to her father and it’s a hard-won chance to escape from her difficult past and create a new future. She’s spent her whole life trying to find a way to make this project work and finding someone to help her realise her dream has been almost impossible.

When local builder Owen finally signs up to manage the construction, things get off to a very bad start. But forced to find a way to work together, both realise that first impressions aren’t always the right ones, and when Owen discovers the forest is hiding a secret that could bring work to a halt, he realises he’s much more invested in the project – and Saskia – than he thought.

📖My Review..

The beauty of its Cumbrian woodland location sets the scene for a delightful story which introduces us to Saskia who is doing all she can to preserve the integrity of an ancient castle which is surrounded by forest and which is in a sorry state of disrepair. Employing a local builder to oversee the construction and preservation is a daunting task however, Owen is just as committed to the beauty of  Gair and regardless of opposition from local people both he and Saskia continue with the dream of bringing the castle back to life.

This is a lovely story which focuses on the beauty of the landscape, the pitfalls of preserving something so old whilst at the same adhering to all the rules and regulations which are involved with an ancient building. With its air of melancholy, and with a majestic oak tree at the heart of the project, Gair Castle comes alive and as the surrounding forest starts to give up its secrets so we discover that there is far more going on in this forest hideaway than we could have imagined.

I especially enjoyed the relationship, which developed slowly, between Saskia and Owen, each have their own personal problems to work through and there are several difficulties along the way all of which added an interesting dimension to the story. The Forest Hideaway is a well written story about taking a chance when the odds are stacked against you and of finding friendship, love and a fresh start along the way.

About the Author

Sharon started her career as an entertainment journalist, writing non-fiction books about film and television. She is also the author of multiple children's books. Sharon and her husband live in a small village in northern Cumbria. 

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