Suitcase Sisters: Book 3
Publication Date: June 23, 2026
“When friends meet, hearts warm.”
Scottish saying
Cousins Nora and Allie are bound by a friendship that feels more like sisterhood, so when their Gran asks them to travel to Scotland on her behalf to claim an unexpected inheritance and unearth her old diary, they jump at this chance for the trip of a lifetime together.
When they arrive in Gran’s childhood village, they run into roadblocks but use the delayed schedule to experience the beauty of Scotland. Over shortbread from the local bakery and a boat ride on Loch Lomond, through exploration of ancestral castles and autumn highlands, they wonder what God wants to teach them in this land of mist and heather.
Though they revel in their time together abroad, they find they’ve brought more baggage than just their suitcases. While Allie fears she may have to leave early to deal with issues back home, Nora struggles to understand all the unknowns before her. What is it about Scotland that keeps drawing her to this unfamiliar place?
As the truth of Gran’s past comes to light, Allie and Nora must make weighty decisions. Will they learn to rely on the creative purposes of God, even if it means their lives will never be the same?
On this armchair trek to Scotland, Robin Jones Gunn takes readers on a journey of faith, friendship, and family. Themes of European travel, midlife adventures, and unexpected secrets make this inspirational women’s fiction a perfect selection for Christian book clubs.
Sometimes, a life-changing adventure happens when you least expect it.
For two 34-year-old cousins, a request from their grandmother sends them on a quest to Scotland. Author Robin Jones Gunn serves up the third installment of the Suitcase Sisters series with Shortbread in the Highlands.
At its heart, the story offers an inspirational message about taking time to pause and let go while trusting in God. Nora and Allie are sent to retrieve their grandmother’s diary, which opens the door to secrets from the past.
For Nora, the trip morphs into an opportunity to fulfill a new dream. The Scottish Highlands offer plenty of surprises for the two Americans as they learn to let go.
Shortbread in the Highlands combines humor and good character development.
Robin Jones Gunn is the bestselling and award-winning author of more than 100 books, including the Sisterchicks series and the Christy Miller series for teen girls. Her books have sold more than 6 million copies. Robin and her husband have two grown children and four grandchildren and live in southern California, where she co-hosts the Women Worth Knowing podcast. The details in this novel come from Robin’s trips to Africa, where she strolled through a tea field, slept in a treetop hotel on Mount Kenya, and went on safari with her Kenyan friend who makes delicious masala chai tea.
