Book Review: To The Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

Saturday 27 August, 2011 By 8 Comments

Title: To The Moon and Back
Author: Jill Mansell
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: September 1, 2011
Paperback: 448 pages
ISBN: 978-1402243851
Genre: Fiction

From the back of the book:

The hardest part of love is moving on…

It has been a year since Ellie Kendall’s husband, Jamie, was killed in an accident, but she’s still haunted by his memory.  In fact, she finds herself talking to him regularly.  At the urging of Jamie’s successful actor father Tony, Ellie moves to Primrose Hill, where nobody knows her past…

But even in her new home-and with her hardworking new boss, Zack McLaren; and Jamie’s best friend Todd to distract her–Ellie cannot seem to leave Jamie behind.  Will Ellie stay stuck in the past?  Or will she realize the man of her dreams is flesh and blood-and right in front of her eyes…

My Review:

To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell is a powerful and witty story about fresh starts and how Ellie Kendall sought  one after experiencing a devastating tragedy.  Mansell draws readers in with her writing talent in this very memorable romantic comedy that deals with loss in a sensitive, yet uplifting style.  Coping with the loss of a spouse seems such a difficult and heavy topic to craft into a hilarious tale, yet Mansell not only does exactly this with charm, but gives readers a cast of characters that almost come to life as Ellie relocates to Primrose Hill to try and leave her past behind and begin that fresh start.  It is easy to cheer for Ellie as she has many likeable qualities, yet getting over the past is one of her vices and one wonders if she simply cannot see that her future is before her very eyes.  At times I wished I could jump into the story and give Ellie a swift kick, but alas, her decisions were all the product of one exceptionally talented writer.  To the Moon and Back, to put it simply, is brilliant.  I highly recommend this emotional, moving, and hilarious love story to all romantic comedy fans.

To learn more about author Jill Mansell and her books, please visit her website: www.jillmansell.co.uk

I received a complimentary arc of To The Moon and Back by Jill Mansell from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review: Whispers In the Sand by Barbara Erskine

Wednesday 27 July, 2011 By 6 Comments

Title: Whispers In the Sand
Author: Barbara Erskine
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: July 1, 2011
Paperback: 396 pages
ISBN: 978-1402261756
Genre: Historical Fiction

From the Publisher:

Recently divorced, Anna Fox decides to cheer herself up by retracing a journey that her great-grandmother, Louisa, made in the mid-nineteenth century from Luxor to the Valley of Kings on a Nile cruise. Anna carries with her two of Louisa’s possessions: an ancient Egyptian scent bottle and an illustrated diary of the original cruise that has laid unread for more than a hundred years. Meanwhile, two men from the tour party begin to develop an unfriendly rivalry for her attention and a disturbing interest in Louisa’s mementos. As she follows in Louisa’s footsteps, Anna discovers a wonderful love story from the Victorian past, along with chilling secrets and terrifying specters that haunted her great-grandmother—and will soon begin to pursue her, too.

My Review:

Whispers in the Sand by Barbara Erskine is an intriguing drama of one woman’s battle for personal growth amidst adverse conditions with elements of irony, mystery and redemption. With well-crafted, strong characters, Erskine has penned a tale with plenty of unexpected plot turns to keep the reader engaged.  Her gift for descriptive prose transports readers to Egypt where the main character, Anna Fox, is planning to take a cruise along the Nile, the same cruise her great-grandmother had followed several years earlier.  Erskine takes readers along this journey, meeting various characters along the way, many of whom, ironically remind Anna of her domineering ex-husband, the very person from whom her departure is being celebrated by this much deserved trip.  In an expertly crafted story, Erskine contrasts the past and present through Anna’s great-grandmother’s diary which contains secrets that turn out to be important to more than just Anna during the journey in Egypt.  For both readers and discussion groups, especially those looking for a topic relating to the empowering of women, I highly recommend Whispers in the Sand.

To learn more about author Barbara Erskine and her books, please visit her website: http://www.barbara-erskine.co.uk/novels

I received a complimentary arc of Whispers In the Sand by Barbara Erskine from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review: Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley

Saturday 18 June, 2011 By 1 Comment


Title: Queen of the Summer Stars: Book Two of the Guinevere Trilogy
Author: Persia Woolley
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: June 1, 2011
Paperback: 512 pages
ISBN: 978-1402246401
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fiction

From the Publisher:

In a country still reeling from the collapse of the Roman Empire, the young King Arthur and his wife Guinevere struggle to keep the barbarians at bay even as they establish the Fellowship of the Round Table. The spirited and outspoken Guinevere skillfully combats an accusation of planning to poison Arthur in a country simmering with unrest and scandal. But Guinevere’s greatest battles are dangers Arthur cannot see—ones she’ll have to fight on her own. And all the while, she must reconcile her thirst for freedom with her duties as queen, and her growing love for Lancelot with her loyalty to her husband. Vibrantly human and touchingly real, Guinevere reigns as a woman poised to discover the true peril and promise of the human heart.

My Review:

Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley is book two of the Guinevere trilogy. As with the first book, Children of the Northern Spring, Woolley continues the Arthurian legend through the eyes of Guinevere, and as with the first book, Queen of the Summer Stars does not disappoint the reader. Woolley expertly sets up the scenes and her characters come to life in this work of historical fiction. It is evident from the beginning that Woolley took her time researching the history of the time period as she goes into extraordinarily vivid description and allows the reader to view Guinevere’s marriage to King Arthur and their live and struggles through Guinevere’s eyes. Readers will further become acquainted not only with Guinevere and Arthur, but readers will also get to know Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur’s best knights as well as the major player in King Arthur’s court. As with every Arthurian legend I have read there are revolts, uprisings, adventure, misadventure, danger and love, making Queen of the Summer Stars a fast-paced and thrilling adventure and one I did not want to end. I look forward to reading the final book in Woolley’s trilogy; Guinevere: Legend in Autumn after truly enjoying Woolley’s masterfully crafted novel, Queen of the Summer Stars, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys strong female characters, well written adventures and Arthurian legends.

I received a complimentary arc of Queen of the Summer Stars by Persia Woolley from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review: Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain by Margaret Irwin

Saturday 2 April, 2011 By 17 Comments


Title: Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain
Author: Margaret Irwin
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: April 1, 2011
Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN: 978-1402229985
Genre: Historical Fiction


From the Publisher:

First published in 1946, Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain continues the “vivid, psychologically brilliant” (Times Literary Supplement) journey begun in Young Bess and Elizabeth, Captive Princess. Philip, Prince of Spain, the unwilling bridegroom of Queen Mary, has been warned about the young Elizabeth. According to all reports, she is a heretic, a rebel, and a potential enemy—but she’s also alluring. Accused of treachery by Mary, Elizabeth finds herself teetering between Mary’s vengeance and Philip’s uneasy ardor, with her life in the balance.

My Review:

Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain by Margaret Irwin is the third and final book in her Elizabeth I Trilogy, and while I did read and review Young Bess, I missed the second book Elizabeth, Captive Princess, so I am unable to let the readers know how well Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain flows from the second book, however I believe it can indeed be read as a stand alone book. With that said, Irwin captures the sound, look, and tempo of the time period so well I cannot imagine readers wanting to miss one of the books. In Irwin’s stunning conclusion, the reader is drawn into Elizabeth’s continuously tumultuous life, as Prince Philip is to wed Queen Mary, who is no friend to Elizabeth and even accuses her of treason. Philip has very strong feelings for Elizabeth and to further complicate matters, there is the disparity of religion. Robert Dudley enters the scene, much to my happiness, as he is a person in history who has always intrigued me. Elizabeth works to clear her father’s name and to prepare for what history will prove to be a brilliant legacy. Irwin’s writing is impeccable, impassioned and well informed. The readers are immediately whisked back to the sixteenth century and the characters spring to life under the skillful hand of Irwin. My only complaints, which are not the fault of the author, are two-fold. I failed to read the second book, how I missed it I do not know and secondly, the trilogy has ended and I yearn for more. I highly recommend not only Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain, but also the previous two books in the Elizabeth I trilogy, Young Bess and Elizabeth, Captive Princess.

About the Author:

Margaret Irwin (1889-1969) was a master of historical fiction, blending meticulous research with real storytelling flair to create some of England’s best-loved and most widely acclaimed novels, including Young Bess, Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain, The Gay Galliard, and the Stranger Prince.

I received a complimentary ARC Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain by Margaret Irwin from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review: I Am the Chosen King by Helen Hollick

Tuesday 8 March, 2011 By 21 Comments


Title: I Am the Chosen King
Author: Helen Hollick
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Paperback: 592 pages
ISBN: 978-1402240669
Genre: Historical Fiction

From the Publisher:

England, 1044. Harold Godwineson, a young, respected Earl, falls in love with an ordinary but beautiful woman. He marries Edyth despite her lack of pedigree, pitting him against his turbulent family and his selfish King, Edward. In France, William, the bastard son of a duke, falls in love with power. Brutal and dangerously smart, William sets his sights on England, finding ambition a difficult lust to conquer.

In 1066, with the old King Edward dying, England falls vulnerable to the winds of fate—and the stubborn will of these two powerful men. In this beautifully crafted tale, Helen Hollick sets aside the propaganda of the Norman Conquest and brings to life the English version of the story of the last Saxon King, revealing his tender love, determination, and proud loyalty, all shattered by the unforgiving needs of a Kingdom. Forced to give up his wife and risk his life for England, the chosen King led his army into the great Battle of Hastings in October 1066 with all the honor and dignity that history remembers of its fallen heroes.

My Review:

I Am the Chosen King by Helen Hollick has finally been released in the United States, the UK title is Harold the King and is a powerful fictionalised historical account of the events leading up to the Norman Conquests of 1066 as told through the voice of the last Saxon King, King Harold. I Am the Chosen King fits chronologically right after Hollick’s book The Forever Queen, where the reader is introduced to Queen Emma and is reunited with her in I Am the Chosen King. While both books can indeed be read independent of the other, I believe once one reads I Am the Chosen King the reader will want to read Hollick’s other works. Hollick effortlessly takes the reader back to the first half of the eleventh century and makes every character, battle scene, and place vividly come to life. It is quite evident that Hollick has painstakingly researched this time period and in so doing makes the reader feel as though they are right there in the thick of the story. One does not need to be a history buff, nor a fan of history to follow along; Hollick is an expert guide as she painstakingly describes each scene down to the smallest detail. Shut off the phones, order takeaway, and have beverages at hand because once begun, this book is close to impossible to set down. I adored I Am the Chosen King and highly recommend it to all readers, do not be put off by the size of this book for in the end I fancy the reader will have wished it longer.

About the Author:

Helen Hollick lives in northeast London with her husband, daughter and a variety of pets, which include several horses, cats, and two dogs. She has two major interests: Roman/Saxon Britain and the Golden Age of Piracy—the early eighteenth century.

For further information about the author or her books, please visit her website and/or follow her on Twitter.

I received a complimentary copy of I Am the Chosen King by Helen Hollick from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Book Review: The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen

Saturday 8 January, 2011 By 6 Comments


Title: The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy
Author: Mary Lydon Simonsen
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: January 1, 2011
Paperback: 400 pages
ISBN: 978-1402240256
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

If the two of them weren’t so stubborn…

It’s obvious to Georgiana Darcy that the lovely Elizabeth Bennet is her brother’s perfect match, but Darcy’s pigheadedness and Elizabeth’s wounded pride are going to keep them both from the loves of their lives.

Georgiana can’t let that happen, so she readily agrees to help her accommodating cousin, Anne de Bourgh, do everything within their power to assure her beloved brother’s happiness.

But the path of matchmaking never runs smoothly…

My Review:

The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen follows on the heels of her Austenesque sequel, Searching For Pemberley.  Simonsen takes quite an intriguing approach in her latest book with Elizabeth and Darcy going their separate ways, and brings front and centre Georgiana Darcy and Anne de Bourgh, who together become matchmakers trying to bring together Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy.  While I am an Austen purist, I do enjoy the tone Simonsen creates in her novels and found it rather refreshing to see a book about characters who did not get much attention in Austen’s Pride & Prejudice.  Simonsen has quite a way with words and her prose follows along the traditional Austen lines, some scenes are a little more risqué than Austen’s original novel, yet Simonsen stays true to Austen’s main characters and brings the readers attention more to Georgiana and Anne, two characters I had always wished to know more about yet Ms. Austen did not feel compelled to share them too much with her readers.  Overall I found The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy to be a delight, fun and ultimately charming read.  I enjoyed Simonsen’s take on the characters and found them charming or not, depending on which one, just as I did in the original Pride & Prejudice.  I do think those who enjoyed Pride & Prejudice as well as those who have never read it (but really, do) will find The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy to be an engrossing and delightful afternoon of reading.

About the Author:

Mary Simonsen has combined her love of history and the novels of Jane Austen in her first novel, which explores universal truths about love and conflict that cross generations and oceans. The author lives in Peoria and Flagstaff, Arizona.

I received a complimentary copy of The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Grace Burrowes Guest Blog, Author of The Heir

Tuesday 28 December, 2010 By 1 Comment

Why I “Choose” to Write About Regency Gentleman

What is this word “choose?” It implies I could have written, say, a medieval paranormal or a contemporary romantic suspense. I wish! From my perspective, I didn’t choose to write Regencies, they chose me.

But they chose me for reasons.

First, from little up, I have been afflicted by the Horse Girl Gene. This is a mutation affecting a certain number of females which causes them to spend inordinate amounts of time, money and energy on securing the company of equines. The Horse Girl has never met an ugly horse (because there are none), never met one that didn’t smell divine, never met one unworthy of treats and pats and scratches and much affection. The condition knows of no cure, and the only treatment is to provide a pony as early as possible (or so I repeatedly told my dad, until my mom took pity on him and got me a horse).

Regency fellows had cool horses. Wellington’s preferred battle mount was named Copenhagen, Wellington’s given name was Arthur, (though he was drop dead gorgeous). Go fig.

Second, from little up, I have also had the Flower Lady Gene. I plant flowers. I do not know the first thing about stringing beans, staking tomatoes, or keeping the deer away (this is a topic of much conversation at the local farmer’s co-op), but I do love me a bed of flowers. Spring and fall are not seasons, they are excuses to plant flowers and shrubs and trees. Christmas is for poinsettias, Easter is for lilies, and so on.

Those Regency estates had boss gardens. Some preserved the old baroque formal gardens, some were the work of the first real landscapers, Lancelot “Capability” Brown and his followers. In any case, those people took cultivation of natural beauty seriously. Scent gardens, color gardens, spice gardens, cutting gardens, knot gardens… Gardens! And I’m supposed to write contemporaries and content myself with a few pots of petunias?

I think not.

Third, I am a sucker, s-u-c-k-e-r for British accents. I recently found myself in York, where I would stand on a corner looking confusedly at a street map just to hear the passing fellows ask, “Wot yew lookin’ for, loov?” Yes, they really called me loov. Me. Hooboy. I didn’t even bother with the street map in Scotland. Just sat in the train station grinning like fool. Close your eyes and that’s Sean Connery asking if you’re done with your tea.

In Highland regalia with nothing but a breeze under his kilt.

So… why do I write Regencies? Sean Connery’s accent, Wellington’s horse, acres of flowers and I get to play with all of it for 100,000 words. That’s my kinda book.
THE HEIR BY GRACE BURROWES – IN STORES DECEMBER 2010

An Earl Who Can’t Be Bribed…
Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven, is the first legitimate son and heir to the Duke of Moreland. To escape his father’s inexorable pressure to marry, he decides to spend the summer at his townhouse in London, where he finds himself intrigued by the secretive ways of his beautiful housekeeper.

A Lady Who Can’t Be Protected…
Anna Seaton is a beautiful, talented, educated woman, which is why it is so puzzling to Gayle that she works as his housekeeper.

As the two draw closer and begin to lose their hearts to each other, Anna’s secrets threaten to bring the earl’s orderly life crashing down—and he doesn’t know how he’s going to protect her from the fallout…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Grace Burrowes is the pen name for a prolific author of historical romances whose manuscripts have so far won, finaled, or garnered honorable mention in Romance Writers of America-run contests in Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, and Florida. Burrowes is a practicing attorney specializing in family law. She lives in rural Maryland and is working on her next book, The Soldier, set to release in July 2011.

My sincere gratitude to Grace Burrowes and Sourcebooks for this guest author blog post.

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Book Review: A Darcy Christmas by Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, and Carolyn Eberhart

Friday 17 December, 2010 By 1 Comment


Title: A Darcy Christmas
Author: Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, and Carolyn Eberhart
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: October 1, 2010
Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN: 978-1402243394
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

From the Publisher:

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Wish You a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Share in the magic of the season in these three warm and wonderful holiday novellas from bestselling authors.

Christmas Present
by Amanda Grange

A Darcy Christmas
by Sharon Lathan

Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Carol
by Carolyn Eberhart

My Review:

A Darcy Christmas is a charming compilation of three Christmas novellas by Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, and Carolyn Eberhart. The first novella, “Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Carol” by Carolyn Eberhart, is a take-off from A Christmas Carol, only Christmas past, present and future are Darcy himself. The second novella, “Christmas Present” by Amanda Grange, is a cheery Christmas tale of the Darcys and the Bingleys gathering together. In the final novella, “A Darcy Christmas” by Sharon Lathan, Darcy and Elizabeth look back at Christmases past with and without being in each other’s lives. Of the three novellas, I thought I would like Lathan’s the best and yet it was not my favourite of the three, which truly surprised me. I attribute this to the more sensual and romantic nature of Lathan’s writing. My favourite of the three was the second novella, “Christmas Present” where I felt Eberhart most captured the essence of the continuation of Pride and Prejudice with the Darcys and Bingleys gathering for a Christmas Ball in grand style. The newest members of the families, along with the beauty of the season and magic of the season are told in beautiful prose. Finally my least favourite of the novellas is the first, “Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Carol”. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what I disliked about the first novella, “Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Carol”, as it was well written, yet maybe I am simply a Dickens purist, but the novella fell short for me. Overall, A Darcy Christmas is a well-written compilation of novellas by three well-known and respected writers and the book leaves the reader in a holiday mood. I would recommend A Darcy Christmas to anyone who enjoys Austen sequels or is merely looking for a delightful book of historical fiction Christmas stories.

I received a complimentary copy of A Darcy Christmas by Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, and Carolyn Eberhart from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Spotlight: Honky Tonk Christmas by Carolyn Brown

Wednesday 8 December, 2010 By 2 Comments


Title: Honky Tonk Christmas
Author: Carolyn Brown
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Publication Date: October 1, 2010
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN: 978-1402242014
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Western

From the Publisher:

She Means business…

Sharlene Waverly is determined to have the “new and improved” Honky Tonk up and running before the holiday. For that, she’ll need Holt Jackson, the best darn carpenter in the state. But his warm, whisky-colored eyes make her insides melt, and before she knows it, she’s sharing her darkest secrets and talking about the nightmares…

He’s determined to keep things professional…

Holt Jackson needs the job at the Honky Tonk, but is completely unprepared to handle the beautiful new bar owner he’s working for.

Sharlene and Holt try like crazy to deny the sparks flying between them, but their love may just be the best Christmas present either one of them ever got.

About the Author:

Award winning author, Carolyn Brown has been a full time author for the past ten years and has sold sixty books. She and her retired English teacher husband live in southern Oklahoma. They have three grown children: Lemar, Amy and Ginny and too many grandchildren to list! Please visit Carolyn Brown’s website for more information.

I received a complimentary copy of Honky Tonk Christmas by Carolyn Brown from Sourcebooks. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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Susanna Kearsley Guest Blogger, Author of The Winter Sea

Thursday 2 December, 2010 By 1 Comment

Why I Made My Heroine a Writer

First of all, Jennifer, thank you so much for inviting me here as your guest. This is my first-ever blog tour, and it’s nice to be starting in such a friendly place.

Your question is also a good one. The classic advice writers get is to write what we know, but in my case I don’t often write about writers. It’s true the heroine of my very first novel was a writer, and the heroine of my thriller was a journalist, which is sort of the same thing, but she spent most of the book in constant peril and was on the run too much to stop and write.

In between I’ve had an actress, a receptionist, a literary agent, a shopkeeper, and a finds supervisor on an archaeological dig, and it’s always been interesting choosing and researching jobs for my heroines. But when I came to write Carrie McClelland, the modern-day woman who narrates the The Winter Sea, I knew she had to somehow bind the contemporary and historical threads of the storyline together, and because I didn’t want to send her back in time herself, I had to find some other way to let her function as a conduit between the present and the past.

I’ve had a fascination with the concept of genetic memory since I first discussed it with a woman I met travelling through Cornwall twenty years ago, and I thought it might be an interesting way for Carrie to connect with the events of 1708 – to simply let her “remember” what her ancestor had lived through in the Jacobite intrigues.

Inherited memories, I thought, if they did exist, must be held somewhere deep in the subconscious – the same place that drives my own writing. So if I made Carrie a writer, like me, she’d be accessing her own subconscious all the time, unknowingly, while writing, and the memories might believably get mixed in with the story she’d created.

I saw, too, how letting Carrie be a writer helped the plot in other ways. For one thing, I could structure the past story as a book within a book, to give it shape and keep things somewhat less confusing. And if Carrie were a writer, I could let her have a few of the adventures I’d had doing research for my books – the things that hadn’t had a place in any other book I’d written. I could give her the 50p coin meter I’d had myself when I’d lived in my old house in Wales, and my challenging Aga as well, and a village of people all ready to help and take care of her.

There are so many people who’ve helped me to research my own books, but even the ones whom I thank in my author’s notes still remain faceless to readers, so it was especially nice to be able to give a few of them a place in The Winter Sea, and to show just how important they are to the work that I do.

I wouldn’t want to make every heroine of mine a writer, because I do so love learning about other people’s professions, and weaving that new knowledge into my novels. But in choosing to let Carrie be a writer, I believe I made the right choice for this book. I can’t imagine any other job she could have done that would have served the story quite so well, or shown me that it doesn’t hurt, from time to time, to take the ancient rule to heart and write about the things we know.


THE WINTER SEA BY SUSANNA KEARSLEY – IN STORES DECEMBER 2010
History has all but forgotten…

In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth—the ultimate betrayal—that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her…

About the Author
After studying politics and international development at University, Susanna Kearsley worked as a museum curator before turning her hand to writing. Winner of the UK’s Catherine Cookson Fiction prize, Susanna Kearsley’s writing has been compared to Mary Stewart, Daphne DuMaurier, and Diana Gabaldon. Her books have been translated into several languages, selected for the Mystery Guild, condensed for Reader’s Digest, and optioned for film. The Winter Sea was a finalist for both a RITA award and the UK’s Romantic Novel of the Year Award, and is a nominee for Best Historical Fiction in the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Awareds. She lives in Canada, near the shores of Lake Ontario. For more information, please visit http://www.susannakearsley.com/.

My review of The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley may be read here.

My sincere thanks to Susanna Kearsley  and Sourcebooks for making this author post possible.

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