The Winter Sea

CUSTOMER REVIEW



First Sentence: It wasn't chance.

Bestselling author Carrie McClelland comes from France, where she is working on a book related to the 1708 attempted return of James Stewart to regain his throne. On the way to the christening of her friend and agent's baby, she takes a side road and is drawn to Slains Castle.

Deciding to move from France to Scotland, she rents a cottage near Slains and finds her connection to the old castle is closer even than her ancestor who once lived there.

This is not a gothic, time travel or a torrid romance. It is a flawlessly crafted novel set in two time periods with a romantic relationship in each. From the first page, I was immersed in the story. Kearsley's sense of place is evocative; I was with the characters in sight, sound and even smell.

Her characters became real to me. In the present day, Carrie is a wonderful protagonist; smart and independent, as is Sophie in the past. Surrounded by a strong group of supporting characters, I felt I could sit down and have a chat with any of them. The plot is so well done and flows beautifully between the two time periods.

Kearsley is an excellent writer. There is a lot of factual information in the story, but it is incorporated as part of the story and through dialogue; thus never taking you out of the story or causing you to question her facts. After the end of the story, she very clear about what liberties she did take, and those were few. The explanation used for the link from the present to the past was fascinating and one with which I was unfamiliar.

At the same time, there was nothing dry about this book; I did laugh, I did cry, at times, my heart beat a bit faster from suspense and romance and I absolutely loved the endings. Not normally one to do comparisons but I believe fans of Diana Gabaldon, and Mary Stewart, and others, would enjoy this book; not to mention Ms. Kearsley's existing fans. I wish her books were more frequent but, for another of Ms. Kearsley's books, I'm willing to wait.