Synopsis: 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...
Type: Historical Fiction
Quick Take: Recommend - I really enjoyed this novel for it's originality and interesting rhythm, moving back and forth from current day to chapters of a novel being written by the main character Carrie.
Carrie's writing a historical novel about a distant relative, hoping to learn more about her family. Under a deadline from her publisher, she rents a house in Scotland where she hopes to find the creativity she needs to begin writing. Channeling the past through dreams she finds herself writing at a rapid pace, much to everyone's surprise.
While she's writing/researching she does become friendly with the landlord and his two sons, adding another element to the story (one I enjoyed).
I felt Scotland and cold of the sea while reading this book. I did enjoy Carrie's story a little more than the fictional story she was writing but overall I really enjoyed the book which is filled with Scottish dialect, history and so much more. If you enjoy historical fiction you will love this one, read it!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Source: Personal Copy
Challenge: Historical Fiction Challenge
Country: Scotland