Tag: #Scotland

Indie Weekend: Book Review of Amanda in Scotland by Darlene Foster

BonnieReadsAndWrites29 Comments

Indie Weekend is my effort to help Indie Authors promote their books. You can help too by sharing this post with all of your social media followers. Also, if you read this book, please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and everywhere else you review books. Let’s all work together to promote Indie authors and help them succeed. Below is a review of Darlene Foster’s Amanda in Scotland: The Standing Stones.

This is another wonderful adventure in the Amanda Travels series by Darlene Foster. This time, Amanda visits the Scottish Isle of Arran. As always, readers of all ages will learn from Amanda’s experiences. This time, we visit a sheepdog trial, the famous standing stones, and Brodick Castle. Then Amanda rescues a mysterious woman dressed in old-fashioned clothes who seems to vanish afterward. Was she the ghost of Morag, the long-missing girl from Machrie Moor? Amanda’s friend Leah is also along for the trip, but is worried that she hasn’t heard from her father.

As always, I enjoyed Amanda’s adventures and learned a lot about this little island in Scotland. The mystery is well-constructed and fun to figure out. The history and culture of this part of Scotland are so well described that the reader feels as if they are there, exploring a castle or participating in a ceilidh (A Scottish social gathering). The combination of mystery, travel, and adventure is what makes the Amanda books so enjoyable. If you can’t travel in person right now, you can still journey with Amanda through these wonderful books. Readers of all ages will love them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Growing up on a ranch near Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, Darlene Foster dreamt of writing, traveling the world, and meeting interesting people. She also believed in making her dreams come true. It’s no surprise she’s now the award-winning author of Amanda Travels, a children’s adventure series featuring a spunky twelve-year-old who loves to travel to unique places. Readers of all ages enjoy following Amanda as she unravels one mystery after another. When not traveling herself, Darlene divides her time between the west coast of Canada and the Costa Blanca, Spain with her husband and entertaining rescue dogs, Dot and Lia. http://www.darlenefoster.ca

PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS

BEFORE YOU GO

Remember, if you choose to read Amanda in Scotland, please leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and other sites that allow book reviews. If you are hesitant to write reviews, remember, they do not have to be long or fancy. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will help the author so much. Thank you in advance.

Book Review: In Silence Cries the Heart

BonnieReadsAndWrites16 Comments

“I’ll be waitin’ fer ye on the other side, my hand outstretched, till ye reach fer me when yer earthly time is done. Then our clasp shall ne’er be broken again…”

Sometimes love can be so strong that it ruptures the confines of a single lifetime, extending into those beyond. This is what Caitlyn Hegarty, an American schoolteacher, learns on her trip to Scotland where she soon becomes entangled in the tragic history of a pair of 17th-century lovers. Standing before the dungeon at Undlay Castle, she relives the romantic adventures of the roguish thief and poet, Donal Donn, and his doomed passion for Mary McElroy, the spirited daughter of the laird of Undlay. Unable to shake their spell, Caitlyn is drawn into the shadows of the past as she attempts to solve the mystery enshrouding their forbidden love.

Inspired by the true story of Domhnull Donn and Mary Grant, the novel depicts the timeless power of love amidst the lawlessness, superstition, and pageantry of a lost age.

BOOK REVIEW

This is a dual-timeline novel that tells a passionate love story. In 17th-century Scotland, a cattle thief does not normally get the chance to fall in love with the daughter of the laird, but that is what happens between Mary McElroy and Donal Donn. Their instant passion is undeniable after a chance meeting in the forest. Their desire to be together conflicts with the plans of Mary’s father to strengthen his position by placing her in a political marriage. The most likely candidate is a hateful man who will do anything to destroy Donal and take Mary for himself. In 2018, Caitlyn is on a trip to Scotland when she comes across a love story from the past in an unusual way.

I adored the story of Mary and Donal. The writing is so powerful and poetic, and the dialect of the time fits the story perfectly. The verses that Donal pens for Mary while they are apart are beautiful. This love story grabbed me and kept me mesmerized until the end. Mary’s situation demonstrates the lack of choices for women at that time.

I feel that the dual timeline, however, is not needed. The whole 2018 storyline is unnecessary and not fully developed, and Caitlyn’s character is not fleshed out. The story of Mary and Donal stands on its own. It appears Caitlyn’s function was to bring a bit of magical realism to the story, but that could have been done without her.

Although the dual timeline did not work for me, I am still giving this five stars because this was one of the most beautiful romances I have ever read. Rarely am I captivated by a romance, but this one swept me away.

I received a free copy of this book via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award winning writer, Catherine Hughes is a first-time author who, from her earliest years, immersed herself in reading. Historical fiction is her genre of choice, and her bookshelves are stocked with selections from ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Europe as well as those involving New England settlements and pioneer life in America. After double-majoring in English and business management on the undergraduate level, Catherine completed her Master’s degree in British literature at Drew University and then entered the classroom where she has been teaching American, British, and World Literature at the high school level for the last thirty years.

Aside from teaching and reading, Catherine can often be found outdoors, drawing beauty and inspiration from the world of nature. Taking the words of Thoreau to heart, “It is the marriage of the soul with nature that makes the intellect fruitful,” Catherine sets aside time every day to lace up her sneakers and run with her dog in pre-dawn or late afternoon hours on the beaches of Long Island. When her furry companion isn’t busy chasing seagulls or digging up remnants of dead fish, she soaks in the tranquility of the ocean setting, freeing her mind to tap into its deepest recesses where creativity and imagination preside.

PURCHASE LINKS

BARNES AND NOBLE | AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS

#blogtour and #bookreview: Childhood Sweetheart #Bookouture

BonnieReadsAndWrites3 Comments

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Bang. Bang. Bang. I jump as the knocks on the window crash above the roaring wind outside. Who could it be, at this late hour? I open the curtains and peer outside. ‘Hello?’ But the dark, the rain and the empty lane are all I see.

It’s been eleven years since I last saw Jonah, after his brother died that stormy summer night. And now, without warning, he’s back, living in his old house next door just like old times, on the remote Scottish island that is home. Where I used to imagine we’d stay, together, forever, sharing our lives and our secrets as we always had. But that was before.

Jonah’s not the sweet boy I once knew. His mood is changeable, his behaviour unstable, our brief conversations are forced and awkward. And then the knocks on my window begin. It can only be him, but why, and what does he want? I used to love him. Now I don’t even want to invite him in.

Because after all these years, I see our childhood secrets, the ones we swore never to reveal, in a newly terrifying light. Was his brother’s death truly an accident? Could Jonah’s secrets have been worth killing for? And how safe am I now, on this isolated island, with the man I used to love…?

A totally addictive and twisty psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist. Anyone who loves The Woman in the Window, The Wife Between Us and The Housemaid won’t beable to put Childhood Sweetheart down!

BOOK REVIEW

Ailsa’s childhood love, Jonah, is back after 11 years, living next door and bringing with him memories of secrets that were long buried. But Ailsa has little time for anything new, as she’s trying to raise her autistic son, Kyle, of whom she is very protective. But Jonah has changed so much, and even the best-hidden secrets have a way of coming to light.

This thriller is somewhat slow-paced at first, but eventually picks up speed. I enjoyed the setting on a Scottish island, and there are plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings. Ailsa’s challenges as a parent of an autistic child are well described, and Kyle’s personality is very well done. I also feel that the reaction of some of the characters to Kyle is very realistic. There are varying points of view as well as flashbacks, and as a warning rape and child abuse are a part of the story.

Overall, this is an entertaining thriller that will keep you guessing.

I received a free copy of this book via Bookouture. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Wendy Clarke

Wendy Clarke was a teacher until the small primary school where she worked closed down. Now she is a writer of psychological suspense but is also well known for her short stories and serials which regularly appear in national women’s magazines.

Wendy has two children and three step-children and lives with her husband, cat and step-dog in Sussex. When not writing, she is usually indulging in her passion for dancing, singing or watching any programme that involves food!

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BUY LINKS

Amazon | Amazon UK