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The Winter Sea$24.95 add to cart

A dark time in Scottish history serves as the catalyst for Susanna Kearsley's romance. In 1708, exiled James Stewart returns to Scotland to retake his throne, while in the present, bestselling author Carrie McClellend struggles with her novel, set during that same Jacobite uprising. Carrie soon finds herself sharing the memories of her ancestor, Sophia Paterson, who lived during the period.

If the romance tag makes you blush, have no fear -- this is no bodice ripper. Kearsley has taken great pains with the historical details and the cloak and dagger intrigue of those tumultuous times, making them every bit as fascinating as the dual romances of protagonists Carrie and Sophie. The narrative also plays with the concept of genetic memory as a scientific possibility, which has the effect of making Carrie's inherited memories seem plausible, rather than reducing the novel to a ghost story.

A sense of doom underlies the novel, for unlike the Scottish nobles plotting King James' return, we the readers are well aware of their rebellion's failure. I did, however, find myself wishing as much for James' return to the throne as I was for Carrie and Sophia to have their own happy endings.

Kearsley also writes thrillers under the name of Emma Cole, which you can bet I will be seeking out.