Review: The Lost Lover

The Lost Lover is the third in a four book historical fiction series by Karen Swan that gets the reader ever closer to solving a mystery that’s been teased and alluded to over three books. In this book, we get to hear Flora’s side of the story and it went in a direction I wasn’t expecting, which helped me keep turning the pages to see how much was going to be revealed.

Here’s the book’s description:

Young Flora MacQueen has always dreamed of more than a hard life on the small Scottish island of St Kilda. And when she catches the eye of visiting adventurer and wealthy businessman James Callaghan her future seems brighter.
Only, as the islanders prepare to leave their homes for the final time, Flora finds her dreams shattered. With her beauty her only currency she must step forward in ways that would have been unthinkable back home in order to support her family. Soon Flora is the toast of glamorous Paris. Fame and fortune are hers for the taking but she knows only too well by now that rich men make empty promises.
But then a secret comes to light that will change everything . . .

I think if you haven’t read The Last Summer or The Stolen Hours, the first two books in the Wild Isles series, don’t read The Lost Lover. You’ll be, well, lost! And you really won’t understand why you’re reading about certain things and what kind of importance they have. I think that’s kind of why I didn’t find this one to be as strong as the others. I don’t know if it was my mood or the book itself, but it really just felt like a placeholder until we get the fourth book, FINALLY start moving forward in time again, and find out what, exactly, happened on that island.

This book tells Flora’s story as the residents of St. Kilda spend their last winter on the island before being evacuated to the Scottish mainland (can you call another island “mainland”?Main island? Big island?). The story starts back at the beginning where we meet all three young women and then follows them as important (in the plot sense) characters visit (and leave) the island. The thing is, the reader has already experienced some of the major plot points in Effie’s story (book one) and then in Mhairi’s story (book two). By this point, I felt kind of over it and wanted new information. Which I didn’t really get until the very last page of the book (there was another bit of news part way through but it didn’t surprise me nearly as much as the reveal at the end).

I found that Flora’s story really emphasized how difficult it would have been for the St. Kilda residents to be plucked off their island and set down in a large town (or even a city) full of sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that they’d never, ever experienced before. And were definitely not prepared for. The islanders didn’t even use money on St. Kilda - how were they to navigate paying for anything? Or even knowing what they needed to pay for? I feel like some of the folks would have been able to gain understanding of their new world at a more leisurely pace (though it would have felt breakneck to them) but Flora was thrust into a completely different world, one the average person would have struggled with. She had no idea what was being asked of her and it infuriated me that those she met didn’t try to explain it. It wasn’t that they were trying to take advantage of her naivete. It was more, they knew she didn’t know any better and just…didn’t care to help her learn. Sure, she learned how to be presented like a shiny object, how to look beautiful, and how to perform. But social skills? Those she was severely lacking in the world she now found herself in. All I could do was hope that things would work out for her.

Reviewing a book in a series is always tricky but this one feels harder, somehow. If I say too much, the first two books may get spoiled. Too little and it’s just a bunch of words on a screen that aren’t really saying much of anything. I’m glad I got to read Flora’s side of the story in The Lost Lover but I found myself wishing we could just get to book four in Karen Swan’s Wild Isles series sooner rather than later. I’m still very much looking forward to that last book and am so impatient because I must find out what happened on that island!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: The Stolen Hours

Most of you will know that I’ve been reading Karen Swan books for a long, long time now. I was really impressed by the first book in her new historical fiction series, The Last Summer, which was published last year (review here). It was left on such a cliffhanger that I was desperate for the second book. The Stolen Hours focuses on another of the inhabitants of St. Kilda and gives some more details on what, exactly, happened on that last night on the island.

Here’s the book’s description:

A reluctant bride. A forbidden romance. An island full of secrets . . .
It’s the summer of 1929 and Mhairi MacKinnon is in need of a husband. As the eldest girl among nine children, her father has made it clear he can’t support her past the coming winter. On the small, Scottish island of St Kilda, her options are limited. But the MacKinnons’ neighbour, Donald, has a business acquaintance on distant Harris also in need of a spouse. A plan is hatched for Donald to chaperone Mhairi and make the introduction on his final crossing of the year, before the autumn seas close them off to the outside world.
Mhairi returns as an engaged woman who has lost her heart – but not to her fiancé. In love with the wrong man yet knowing he can never be hers, she awaits the spring with growing dread, for the onset of calm waters will see her sent from home to become a stranger’s wife.
When word comes that St Kilda is to be evacuated, the lovers are granted a few months’ reprieve, enjoying a summer of stolen hours together. Only, those last days on St Kilda will also bring trauma and heartache for Mhairi and her friends, Effie and Flora. And when a dead body is later found on the abandoned isle, all three have reason enough to find themselves under the shadow of suspicion . . .

I wasn’t sure how Swan would start off this one. Would it be an immediate sequel, picking up exactly where book one left off? Would the cliffhanger from book one be resolved by the end of book two? It turns out the answer is no to both. I KNOW. I need answers. But I also really appreciate what Swan is doing. This is an ongoing saga and to know the full story, you have to have multiple stories. Instead of continuing where Effie’s story left off, Swan goes back in time and then moves forward to the evacuation once again but this time from Mhairi’s perspective. There were some overlapping stories where pieces from book one started to make a little more sense but there was a lot of new information as well so I wasn’t bored by any repetitive details.

I was, however, a little less…engaged? Maybe? In Mhairi’s story. I loved her, don’t get me wrong. But there were a ton of aspects about that time period that just drove me (and my modern sensibilities) bonkers. I tried to temper that because it’s not fair to put my beliefs and expectations onto characters whose lives are very, very different from my own. When I was able to tamp down my 2023 expectations, I was glad to get a glimpse of what life was/could have been like for women on St. Kilda at that time. I don’t think I would have dealt with it well for all kinds of reasons!

I want to be careful not to share too much about this story because I do think the series needs to be read in order plus there are revelations in this one that I want to keep quiet. Though I will say I did NOT see any of that coming and I wonder how much I may have missed in book one or if Swan cleverly hid some of these details. Whatever it was, it worked for me! I didn’t love some of it but I appreciated how it was all revealed.

I read The Stolen Hours in just a few days - quite the feat for a 400 page novel! I’ve really been enjoying Karen Swan’s journey into historical fiction and I’m desperate to know what actually happened when the residents of St. Kilda were about to be evacuated. I’ll take book three any day now, please!

*An egalley and an ARC were provided by the Canadian distributor, Publishers Group Canada in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Last Summer

I’ve been reading Karen Swan’s novels for *checks files* er, a long, long time. I’ve always enjoyed them, some more than others, as they provide a lovely escape from reality and some solid armchair travel. When I heard she was writing a new historical fiction series I was intrigued but cautious. I was determined to give it a try, though, and wouldn’t you know it. I absolutely loved it. The Last Summer is the first in the series of five and I did not want to put it down.

Here's the book’s description:

When the residents of St Kilda ask to be evacuated from their remote island home in the summer of 1930, it’s in search of a better life on the mainland rather than the scratch existence on their mountain in the sea.
For 18-year old tomboy Effie Gillies, it’s a bittersweet departure. She’s the best young climber on the island, as skilled and brave as any of the men. But it is Effie’s expansive knowledge of local bird life that leads her to taking up a position as curator of Dumfries House’s ornithological collection - and back into the arms of Lord Dumfries’ son and heir, Sholto.
During her last summer on St Kilda, Effie had been Sholto’s guide, and their attraction had seemed irresistible but, in the glamorous polite society of Ayrshire, it is clear they are worlds apart. When a body is discovered on the island, soon after the evacuation, a scandal erupts as she is implicated. Sholto knows she’s keeping secrets – but are they even her own?

I can’t remember ever hearing about the island of St. Kilda which is sometimes the best kind of historical fiction to read. I was immediately intrigued and plan on learning more about it before the next book in the series is published. It was such an interesting time period to read about for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the story takes place in the years between two wars. The characters, of course, have no idea but the reader does. Second, the residents of St. Kilda weren’t living as their contemporaries who lived on the mainland of Scotland (can you call a country that’s part of an island “mainland”?).

There was also the interesting division between the island people, like Effie, and the people who lived at Lord Dumfries’ estate. Not only the class division but even the lifestyle division between Effie and the servants of the house. I was surprised at how frustrated I ended up being on Effie’s behalf because of how little the servants understood her position. They had never experienced St. Kilda and didn’t bother to try and look at things from Effie’s perspective and how difficult it would have been to leave everything she knew behind and start somewhere new that was entirely foreign to her. She was the one who had to adapt and adjust her behaviours, not them. And that bothered me! It definitely shows how talented Swan is when it comes to creating characters you really care about.

The Last Summer is a long book, clocking in at 400 pages, and I’m not entirely sure it needed to be quite that long. There was a lot of set up so I’ll be interested to see if book two is just as long or if Swan will be able to skip some parts. I’ll be a bit annoyed if I end up reading the exact same scenes, just from someone else’s perspective, over and over and over again. I want to see how other character experienced the evacuation, of course, but I sense there will be some unnecessary repetition. There were also some gaps left in this story that I understand would be intentional because that character’s story is coming but it was frustrating to only get part of the information I feel like I should have gotten in certain scenes.

I wouldn’t necessarily say this book compares to some of the great historical fiction stories out there (I’m thinking of the ones written by Genevieve Graham and Kate Quinn), but I was completely invested in the story. I would kind of describe it like…as if Swan wrote a story that just happened to take place in another time. Of course, the evacuation of the residents of St. Kilda is what set off this entire series and that most definitely took place in years past but this is, essentially, a fish out of water story with a dash of romance and murder.

The Last Summer will be a great read to pick up, well, this summer! Karen Swan’s latest is an intriguing start to a new historical fiction series that will keep you turning the pages. And hopefully you’ll be just as shocked as I was when you get to the last of those pages!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Midnight in the Snow

I always love getting a new Karen Swan books in my hands. She has a summer and a winter book out every year and they’re stories that whisk you away to another part of the world – which is great for these times of no travel. Midnight in the Snow took me to a location that may have been just as chilly as what is outside my own door but was full of snowboarders and the cutthroat competitions in that world – not something I see in my neighbourhood!

Here’s the book’s description:

Award-winning director Clover Phillips is riding high when she encounters Kit Foley; a surfer and snowboarder as well-known for controversy as he is for winning championships.
Involved in an accident that had devastating consequences for a bitter rival, Kit has never spoken about what really happened that day. Determined to find out the truth, Clover heads to the snowy wilderness of the Austrian Alps, sharing a romantic winter wonderland with a man who can’t stand her.
But as she delves deeper, Clover finds herself both drawn to Kit, and even more convinced he’s hiding something. Is Kit Foley really as cold as he seems?

I am very particular when it comes to enemies to lover stories. I just cannot understand when hatred turns to attraction and I realized early on in this novel that some of my worst fears would be realized when it comes to this trope. Clover and Kit hate each other. Hate. Kit thinks Clover ruined his professional life and Clover thinks he’s 100% responsible for the accident of his fellow surfer, Cory, who Clover had just done a documentary about. Kit doesn’t do himself any favours since he doesn’t talk about the accident or his part in it and just takes the blame. The reader knows there’s more to the story, there has to be, and so does Clover. That’s part of why she’s now doing a documentary on Kit. But she’s biased. Again, that hatred. Sure, she can be professional about it and she is trying to get to the bottom of the story even if Kit won’t give it to her. But how did their hatred turn into a Happily Ever After? I couldn’t buy it and it just made me feel…ew.

An aside, Midnight in the Snow is the first title of Swan's winter novels that doesn’t either outright mention Christmas or something related to the holiday (like presents). I’m glad someone made that decision because I was pretty tired of reading these books and the holiday not featuring much at all. Publishers take note: if Christmas is in the title, we expect all holiday, all the time. So, if you were wondering if you could read this one outside of Christmas the answer is a resounding yes. There’s a bit of lead up to the holiday but the last scenes are on Christmas Eve Eve with the Big Day happening after the end of the book. It’s a great winter book since so much of it takes place at ski and snowboard resorts in Europe. I just don’t really know what the heck the title is referring to in the story…

Where Swan excelled, in my opinion, in this novel was in the setting. I really felt like I was on the mountain with Clover and her crew, observing the boarders and trying to get to the bottom of Kit’s story. If I hadn’t felt like I was really “there”, I honestly don’t know if I could have kept at the book since all the emotional parts of the story were not working for me. I don’t snowboard (despite growing up close to a lot of hills) but the world is interesting to me so I really did enjoy being immersed in a story like this one. Made me even more excited for the Olympics, honestly. You know, when everyone becomes an expert at every sport? The best! Anyway…I appreciated that Swan made me feel like I was experiencing the setting right alongside the characters and very much enjoyed that part of the story.

Midnight in the Snow was not a win for me. I’m going to give Karen Swan one more chance, though, because I'm intrigued about the new series she’s working on – a five book historical series set in Scotland.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.* 

Review: The Secret Path

Karen Swan is an auto-read author for me. So much so that I didn’t even read the description of her latest, The Secret Path, before requesting it! I know I will always enjoy the travels she takes me on through her writing and the story will be heartfelt and enjoyable. I really liked seeing Costa Rica in this novel but the actual story didn’t thrill me quite as much as I’d hoped.

Here’s the book’s description:

Every step leads me back to you.
At just twenty years old, Tara Tremain has everything: a trainee doctor, engaged to the man of her dreams—a passionate American biology student called Alex Carter. But just when life seems perfect, Alex betrays her in the worst way possible.
Ten years later, she's moved on, with a successful career, good friends and a man who loves her. But when she's pulled back into her wealthy family's orbit for an unmissable party in the heart of Costa Rica, she finds herself flung into crisis: a child is desperately ill and the only remedy is several days' trek into the heart of the jungle.
There's only one person who can help—but it's the man who shattered her heart a decade before. And how can she trust him, of all people?

It might have been because I wasn’t really sure what kind of story I was going to be getting into and because I was reading an e-galley (and couldn't check how many pages it lasted), but I found myself wishing the 2011 storyline would hurry itself up. Which is quite silly because it was really enjoyable! I knew it was leading up to Something Big, though, and I found I just wanted to know what that was already. I also couldn’t help but wonder if some of the things mentioned in that timeline (an Airbnb in the countryside or American true crime documentaries streaming on Netflix) really would have been things in London in 2011. I know both Airbnb and Netflix were around back then but it just smacked of Now-ness that it brought me out of the storyline a bit.

I’ve appreciated Swan’s stories even more in the last year (this is the third of hers I’ve read in 13 months) than usual because she always sets her novels in far flung places. Or, if they’re not that far flung, they’re at least flung enough that I’ve never been to them myself (that’s not too hard, I haven’t traveled a ton). Her books have been set in places like London (where she lives), the Scottish Highlands, Paris, the Netherlands, Greece, Banff, Norway, and, in this latest story, Costa Rica. Tara talks often about the Instagram worthy scenes she sees (a bit often, to be honest. It’s gorgeous but influencers are too surface level, I get it). She’s seeing a lot more of the country than she ever had before plus she hadn’t even been back to her family’s cabins in over a decade. The reader gets to “see” all the sights right alongside with her and I could almost feel the oppressive heat and humidity as she trekked through the jungle and hear the waves on the beach as she and her friends relaxed (before all hell broke loose, of course). It was a really nice escape, especially after a week that saw my province impose even more lockdown restrictions to try to curb the spread of COVID-19.

I liked Tara and I was impressed at how she tries not to let her father’s immense wealth get in the way of having a normal life. She has to work extremely hard for it to be that way, of course, but she was always determined to become a doctor and do a lot of good with the opportunities her family’s money provides her with. It was incredibly honourable and it made me really like her. Alex, on the other hand, didn’t seem right for her and I’m not sure I would have acted in the same way as Tara had I been in her shoes. I’m not totally thrilled with how the relationship ended up but if it makes them happy, then I suppose I should be happy for them too. It’s kinda strange how committed we get to these fictional characters and how we feel we know what’s best for them sometimes!

Ultimately, The Secret Path let me down. It is not a bad book and I think Karen Swan’s latest suffered simply from my high expectations. There was too much going on and I didn’t love how the Happily Ever After worked itself out. I know not all of hers will knock it out of the park and it won’t stop me from reading her next book, which will come out near the Christmas season. I wonder where she’ll take us next?! 

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, PGC Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Together by Christmas

I've lost track of the number of Karen Swan books I've read over the years and I know I haven't even read close to all of them! Her latest came out last year and was her traditional holiday offering. Together by Christmas is a story full of secrets and a touch of festive magic that will keep the reader intrigued until the end.

Here's the synopsis:

When Lee first came to Amsterdam, it was with a newborn baby and a secret. Five years later, her life is approaching normal: her career as a celebrity photographer is flourishing, her son Jasper is growing up, and they are enjoying the run-up to Christmas with their tight circle of close friends.
But all this changes one morning when Lee finds a book in the basket of her bicycle – and scrawled inside it, a desperate message. Who left it for her, and why? Lee feels compelled to help and tracks down the book’s author, Sam. With an instant, undeniable connection it seems they might have a shot at a real future together.
Until her past comes calling. As the snow falls and ice thickens on the city’s canals, the secret Lee has never told resurfaces. Suddenly everything she holds dear hangs in the balance. Christmas is a time for being together – but what if the truth means she ends up alone?
Escape to the snow-covered streets of Amsterdam in this deeply romantic read, featuring twists, turns and characters you'll fall in love with.

I knew, despite the title, that this book wouldn't be super Christmassy. Swan's books never really are. They tend to focus on the lead up to the December holiday but the big day itself is a bit of an afterthought. So, when I got overwhelmed with holiday books last year, I made the decision to read this one in early 2021 instead. I think it was actually nicer to read as Amsterdam slowly became covered in snow and ice as it was snowy outside my window here in Ontario in January. As it was, we didn't see much snow in my city until Christmas Day! Lee is an Englishwoman living in Amsterdam and she still hangs onto her Christmas roots even though the Dutch don't put as much emphasis on Christmas. (A fact that was mentioned a few too many times throughout the book. Once was enough.) Instead, they celebrate Pakjesavond and the children wait for a visit from Sinterklaas. I didn't know much about the holiday so it was really fun to learn about it and see it through a child's eyes as Jasper watched a parade, left and received nightly gifts, and waited for the present giving evening.

I would have loved this book if there hadn't been SO MUCH going on. The main plot - what happened to Lee when she was a war photographer in Syria and why her former partner had gone back - was the one I cared the most about (along with her budding romance with Sam...what can I say, I'm a sucker for a Happily Ever After). Unfortunately, it was bogged down by a lot of subplots: photographing top celebrities for a magazine, a photography exhibition featuring domestic assault victims to shed light on the issue, her former partner's pregnant wife, her friend having a crush on their other friend who is clueless and a bit of a womanizer, human trafficking happening too close to home (which I totally called and was just waiting for them to figure it out), Sam's book and marketing campaign, the Elfstedentocht (a long distance outdoor skating event in the Netherlands), looking after an elderly neighbour, and just all the hullaballoo surrounding the holidays. A LOT. It did kind of work together but it felt forced at times and I just found myself waiting for Lee's secrets to finally be revealed since it had been teased through the entire book and I was on edge because her past was...well, brutal.

Lee was an interesting character and one I really liked reading about. I could see how she would be hard to read for some people because she keeps herself very walled off (I don't blame her, given what I was sure she had seen and encountered in Syria). But you could also see what she was like with the people she allowed into her life. Jasper, of course, who was the cutest little guy, but also Mila, Liam, and Noah who were her found family. She was so smart and so talented - it was interesting to read as she worked in her studio on the magazine piece (though I do wonder how professional photographers would have felt at the portrayal).

One, sort of weird, thing that didn't work for me was how Lee called herself "mannish" twice when she was with smaller women. Lee is 5'10", which is, yes, tall but as a 6' tall woman (not living in Amsterdam where there are, apparently, tall people everywhere), I would never call myself "mannish" and it didn't seem to work with what I knew about Lee either. Sure, I feel super tall and large sometimes when I'm with teeny 5' women but I still feel like a woman. A personal quirk of mine, I know, but it stuck out to me. Just like all the winking characters did (do people really wink that much in real life? I think not.) and the fact that Mila wore a "flesh toned" dress. No, she wore a peach or light cream coloured dress that just happened to match her skin tone. 

Even with the issues I had with this story, I was completely riveted. I sat myself down to read on a Saturday afternoon and didn't move until it was done (full disclosure: I had read up to chapter 11 the night before). I was so worried for what Lee had gone through in the past and what Harry, her former partner, was going through in the present. Plus, she clearly had feelings for Sam but refused to allow herself to have a healthy, romantic relationship even though there was something special there. I'm still glad I read it.

Together by Christmas is a book to get into when you want to get completely lost in the story and ignore the outside world. I'd recommend reading Karen Swan's latest novel while it's still wintery (in some parts of the world, anyway). If nothing else, you'll get to do some armchair traveling to Amsterdam!

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributor, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Hidden Beach

When a book can make you forget you're sitting on the tarmac waiting for your delayed flight to take off, it's a good one. That happened to me when I started reading Karen Swan's latest novel, The Hidden Beach. I began reading while waiting for my flight home from London and it kept me company as the boarding time was delayed and then, eventually, as we waited on the plane to be cleared for take off. I legitimately do not know how long we were waiting for...an hour?...because Swan's novel had me so riveted. Definitely a good sign. A note: this flight was back on March 7, just before the world blew up and COVID-19 really started to affect North America. It caused some issues for me but my trip was great and my family and I are still healthy.

Here's the synopsis:

In the oldest part of Stockholm, Bell Everhurst is working as a nanny for an affluent family. Hanna and Max Von Greyerz are parents to 7 year-old Linus, and 5-year old twins Ellinor and Tilde, and Bell has been with the family for over two years.
One early Spring morning, as she’s rushing out to take the children to school, she answers the phone – and everything changes. A woman from a clinic she’s never heard of asks her to pass on the message that Hanna’s husband is awake.
Bell is confused. She clearly just saw Max walking out of the house a few minutes earlier, but the woman mentioned Hanna by name . . .
When she gets hold of her employer, the truth is revealed: Hanna’s first husband fell into a coma seven years earlier, following an accident. But now he’s awake. And life is going to change for them all.

Sounds pretty intense, doesn't it? The synopsis doesn't lie. The story IS intense. It actually got a lot darker than I anticipated but it worked. It exposed characters as being more grey than black and white, which is super realistic even though it's sometimes hard to read about characters who are less than perfect.

I've never been to Stockholm so I couldn't say if the way Swan wrote about it was accurate but I choose to believe it is. I know she travels to every place she writes about and does her research (even if she got some facts wrong about Canada in a book a few years ago...and apparently this Canadian can't let it go *shrugs*). The Stockholm she wrote about, especially the archipelago, was so swoonworthy. It sounded so idyllic and really fit the story Swan told.

The story is told mostly from Bell's perspective. There are a few parts that are told by a man in the past that shed a little bit of light on the current situation Bell and her employers find themselves in. I liked that Bell was the focus of the story or, rather, it was her perspective the reader viewed the story from. She was directly involved in the drama but she was also kind of an outsider. It was an interesting way to do it - and you eventually realize she's way more wrapped up in this family than any of them care to admit.

This is two back to back winners from Karen Swan. I really, really liked The Christmas Party (review here). Her books are hit and miss for me but I always want to try them out because when they're a winner, they're such great stories that you're completely immersed in. It's not that the others are misses, really, it's that the ones that are hits are SO good.

Karen Swan's latest novel, The Hidden Beach, clearly illustrates that humans are flawed. Familial and romantic relationships are really hard to navigate sometimes. The story is sweet and sad and you'll feel all the other emotions while reading it (including serious wanderlust, especially now) but it's worth the heartache.

*A copy of this novel was provided by the Canadian publisher, Publishers Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Christmas Party

You can always find a new holiday novel by Karen Swan on bookshelves come late fall. Personally, I always like them all, but I find some are better than others. This year she’s written The Christmas Party, and I absolutely fell in love with the characters and story she created.

Here’s the synopsis:

When Declan Lorne, the last remaining knight in Ireland, dies suddenly, an ancient title passes with him. But his estate on Ireland’s rugged south-west coast is left to his three daughters. The two eldest, Ottie and Pip, inherit in line with expectations, but to everyone’s surprise – and dismay – it is the errant baby of the family, Willow, who gets the castle.
Why her? Something unknown – something terrible - made her turn her back on her family three years earlier, escaping to Dublin and vowing never to return. So when Willow quickly announces she is selling up, her revenge seems sweet and the once-close sisters are pushed to breaking point: in desperation, Pip risks everything to secure her own future, and Ottie makes a decision that will ruin lives. It’s each woman for herself.
Before moving in, Connor Shaye, the prospective new owner, negotiates throwing a lavish party at the castle just days before Christmas – his hello, their goodbye. But as their secrets begin to catch up with them, Ottie, Willow and Pip are forced to ask themselves which is harder: stepping into the future, or letting go of the past?

The setting of this novel was a big part of why I liked this book, I think. I’ve never been to Ireland (it’s on the bucket list) but, in my mind, it’s a magical kind of place that’s perfect for a holiday story. Add in the fact that the story took place in a "grand" castle (in reality the estate is falling into major disrepair), surrounded by a beautiful landscape and I was in heaven.

The last few novels Swan has written have had a historical part to it with the story being told from a couple of perspectives. The Christmas Party is completely set in the present and I’m pretty happy about that. I was able to stay fully in the story and narrative and was completely swept away.

While there’s only one time period, Swan keeps it from being too one-note by having three narrators – the three Lorne sisters. The perspective is third person so it's not super jarring and it lends itself well to a story where the sisters are so interconnected but also figuring out their own lives. I know I shouldn't pick favourites but, for some reason, Willow's story really resonated with me and I was excited when the story would shift to focus on her.

I knew there had to have been a huge reason for Willow to have left home and Swan alludes to it throughout the novel. I was almost annoyed because I really just wanted to know WHY. But when it's all revealed at the end? It's so explosive and I for sure did not see it coming, even with some of the hints thrown in throughout the novel.

Like most of Swan’s holiday books (and holiday books in general), Christmas is only sort of part of the story. I did absolutely love that there was a Christmas morning scene because it was such a sweet and emotional part of the story and a great way to tie up some of the loose narrative threads. That said, the party referenced in the title doesn't come into play until well into the book (at least halfway, I believe) so don't expect to hear about it too soon into the story.

For those who love holiday novels, Karen Swan has delivered a story that is a festive page-turner. The Christmas Party has a little bit of everything and is definitely a book you should have on hand for the upcoming holiday season!

*A copy of this novel was provided by Publishers Group Canada in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Spanish Promise

Karen Swan has a lot of novels - and I've read a good number of them. Lately she's had a winter/holiday themed title released near Christmas, as well as a novel released in the spring. The Spanish Promise was this year's spring offering, having been published in March. Even though every single book doesn't completely wow me, I always look forward to reading Swan's novels because the settings are delightful and the stories are interesting. This book was...fine. It wasn't fantastic but it kept my attention enough to want to keep reading until the end.

Here's the synopsis:

Charlotte, a wealth counsellor who knows from personal experience the complications that a sudden inheritance can bring, helps her clients navigate the emotional side effects of sudden wealth syndrome. When she is asked by Mateo Mendoza, heir to a huge Spanish estate, to fly to Madrid to help resolve an issue in his father's will, she's confident it will be straightforward. The timing isn't great as Charlotte's due to get married the following week, but once her client signs on the dotted line, Charlotte can return to her life in London and her wedding, and live happily ever after. Marrying Stephen might not fill her with excitement, but she doesn't want to live in the fast lane anymore - safe and predictable is good.
But Carlos Mendoza's final bequest opens up a generation of secrets, and Charlotte finds herself compelled to unravel the mystery. As Charlotte digs deeper, she uncovers the story of a family divided by Spain's Civil War, and of a love affair across the battle lines that ended in tragedy.
And while she is consumed in the drama of the Mendozas, Charlotte's own tragic past catches up with her, threatening to overturn everything in her life she's worked so hard to build.

I think part of my issue was that I was kind of bored by Charlotte. She had something happen in her past that made her shed her rich girl life but I still kind of felt that she was playing at being average, for lack of a better description. She clearly hadn't dealt with her past trauma and was rebelling against her mother and fiance who wished she would just quit her job, get married, and settle into a housewife role like the good little girl they thought she was. I wanted to see more of a spine from Charlotte - especially when she was being challenged by someone from her past - but I never felt like she truly dealt with her past and embraced a life where she didn't rely on her family's funds.

The story takes place during two time periods. While it was very interesting to read the parts on Spain's Civil War, I think the novel suffered from trying to tell two stories. I imagine Swan probably wanted it more intertwined but it just sort of felt like I was reading two different novels. It wasn't until the very end when you could really feel how the stories came together.

My favourite thing about this book - and all of Swan's previous titles - is that it's set somewhere I've never been before. Granted, I haven't been many places, but Swan manages to really paint a picture for me so it feels like I have been there.

It may seem like I didn't like The Spanish Promise but I did. Karen Swan's latest is one to pick up when you want to escape to another country (unless you, you know, live in Spain) and have a mini vacation. I'd file this one under "borrow" and keep in mind you'll get to learn a little bit about the Spanish Civil War along the way.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the Canadian distributors, Publishers Group Canada. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Christmas Secret

Another year, another Karen Swan Christmas novel! I admit that I don't really consider Swan's winter releases as Christmas books anymore. The holiday might be in the title but it's not really in the story. Now that I'm approaching them that way, I enjoy them a lot more. Swan's most recent, The Christmas Secret, was lovely and is probably my favourite of all of her holiday novels! 

Here's the synopsis:

Alex Hyde is in demand. An executive coach par excellence, she's the person who the Great and the Good turn to when the pressure gets too much - she can change the way they think, how they operate; she can turn around the very fortunes of their companies.
Her waiting list is months' long, but even she can't turn down the highly lucrative crisis call that comes her way a few weeks before Christmas, regarding the troublesome - and troubled - head of an esteemed whisky company in Scotland. Lochlan Farquhar, CEO of Kentallen Distilleries, is a maverick, an enigma and a renegade, and Alex needs to get inside his head before he brings the company to its knees.
It should be business as usual. She can do this in her sleep. Only, when she gets to the remote island of Islay, with the winter snow falling, Alex finds herself out of her comfort zone. Memories she would rather forget come back to haunt her. For once she's not in control, but with Christmas and her deadline fast approaching, she must win Lochlan's trust.
Yet as she fulls ever closer to him, boundaries become blurred, loyalties loosen and Alex finds herself faced with an impossible choice as she realizes nothing and no one is as they first seemed. 

I loved Alex. She was a bit difficult to like and that's why I loved her. I'm glad Swan wrote such a strong, successful, confident woman. Alex kicks ass and takes names and has nothing to apologize for (you don't see Lochlan or any of the other men running Kentallen Distilleries apologizing for being successful now do you?) Even though I liked her right away, the more I learned about Alex, the more I liked her. She starts to let her guard down a little bit and it was so nice to read as she realized that it's ok to open up to others and make friends and lasting connections.

Speaking of Alex opening up...I think the only thing that drove me a bit batty with this book was how long it took to explain Alex's background. I was fine with the other mystery taking awhile to be completely unraveled (I think I had it mostly figured out but it was still a bit of a surprise when it was all unveiled!). I think that was because it was an actual mystery whereas Alex's secret was something that she didn't feel she could or should share, even when she was starting to open up with Lochlan. But the historical secret that impacts so much of present day? I loved it and it added an extra depth to the overall story.

I was surprised at how much I loved the setting of this novel. I don't know why...my family is Scottish so I'm always drawn to books set there. But a story set at a distillery was really interesting. I learned a bit about the whisky making business (and I hope Swan did a lot of research - you know the kind ;) - while writing this book!) but it wasn't so overwhelming that I felt like it was all whisky, all the time. It was unique and definitely one I'll think about for awhile yet.

The Christmas Secret was a really lovely and enjoyable read. I did not want to put it down! I was sad when it was over but Karen Swan wrote such a great story with an ending that left me feeling fulfilled. The last few Swan novels have been so great and I'm really hopeful her next one will be just as fantastic!

*An advanced copy was provided by the distributor, Publisher's Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Rome Affair

I've been reading Karen Swan's novels for awhile now. They're always delightful but the last few have been a bit...lacking. When I received The Rome Affair a few weeks ago, I read the synopsis and thought: yes. This...this sounds really promising. Happily, I was right. Swan's latest book kept me engaged from the first page to the last and I never wanted to put it down. 

Here's the synopsis:

The glamorous capital city of Italy is brought to startling life in The Rome Affair, a compelling summer novel by Karen Swan.
1974 and Elena Damiani lives a gilded life. Born to wealth and a noted beauty, no door is closed to her, no man can resist her. At twenty-six, she is already onto her third husband when she meets her love match. But he is the one man she can never have, and all the beauty and money in the world can't change it.
2017 and Francesca Hackett is living la dolce vita in Rome, leading tourist groups around the Eternal City and forgetting the ghosts she left behind in London. When she finds a stolen designer handbag in her dustbin and returns it, she is brought into the orbit of her grand neighbour who lives across the piazza - famed socialite Viscontessa Elena dei Damiani Pignatelli della Mirandola. Though the purse is stolen, Elena greets the return of the bag with exultation for it contains an unopened letter written by her husband on his deathbed, twelve years earlier.
Mutually intrigued by each other, the two women agree to collaborate on a project, with Cesca interviewing Elena for her memoirs. As summer unfurls, Elena tells her sensational stories, leaving Cesca in her thrall. But when a priceless diamond ring found in an ancient tunnel below the city streets is ascribed to Elena, Cesca begins to suspect a shocking secret at the heart of Elena's life.

The Rome Affair, happily, did what The Paris Secret (Swan's summer 2016 novel) could not. It kept me interested and turning the pages as quick as I could to see exactly how the mystery was going to unfold. Just when you thought you knew how it all turned out, Swan revealed another detail that had you doubting everything. So. Good.

Plus, the actual mystery with all the twists and turns and secrets hidden throughout the years? It will make your head spin at the end. It actually took me awhile of sitting and thinking after I finished it to get a handle on what the hell had just happened and to start to understand the motivation of the characters. I couldn't figure out where Swan was going with most of the story, which was awesome. There was only one thing I had nailed down and that was why Elena had finally decided to have her biography written. The rest? Total mystery.

Elena was a riveting character. Swan managed to write such a larger than life character without having her become a caricature. Because her life? Was insane. She was a wealthy American heiress who eventually became an Italian princess. She partied with Andy Warhol and was friends with Elizabeth Taylor. How could you not be intrigued? 

Cesca was interesting as well, with her own secret, but she served more as a way to get at Elena's story than another protagonist. That was ok, surprisingly enough. But she was such a wicked smart woman that she did manage to shine enough beside Elena. I do wish Swan had managed to write her as a stronger character with an equally riveting story though. Elena and her long and full life overshadowed Cesca a bit, not surprisingly. Random aside: I appreciated that Cesca was tall (though at 5'10" she's still 2" shorter than I am) because there aren't nearly enough female characters who are that tall. It's a small thing but it's something you notice when you're super tall as well! Plus, the fact that Cesca was a blogger too was pretty cool. Oh, and if you wonder exactly what a barrister is (like I was because I'm not British), allow Google to help: "a lawyer entitled to practice as an advocate, particularly in the higher courts".

The Rome Affair is a great book for the summer because it's such an engaging read with so much depth. Plus, it's based in such an interesting and glamorous city. You might not be in Rome but, sitting on the beach with Karen Swan's latest book in hand, you can pretend to be, at least for a little while.

*An ARC was provided by the distributor, Publisher's Group Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Christmas Under the Stars

Over the years Karen Swan has become synonymous with Christmas books. This year's winter offering is Christmas Under the Stars. A wintery book that's set in Canada? I'm in.

Here's the synopsis:

Worlds apart. A love without limit.
In the snow-topped mountains of the Canadian Rockies, Meg and Mitch are living their dream. Just weeks away from their wedding, they work and play with Tuck and Lucy, their closest and oldest friends. Meg and Lucy are as close as sisters - much to Meg's sister's dismay - and Tuck and Mitch have successfully turned their passion for snowboarding into a booming business.
But when a polar storm hits, tragedy strikes. Alone in the tiny mountain log cabin she shares with Mitch, Meg desperately tries to radio for help - and it comes from the most unexpected quarter, a lone voice across the airwaves that sees what she cannot.
As the snow melts and they try to live with their loss, the friendship Meg thought was forever is buckled by tensions, rivalries and devastating secrets. Nothing is as she thought and only her radio contact understands what it is to be truly alone. As they share confidences in the dark, witnessed only by the stars, Meg feels her future begin to pull away from her past and is forced to consider a strange truth - is it her friends who are the strangers? And a stranger who really knows her best?

I've never been to Banff but it's somewhere I'd like to travel to. If you don't know what that area of Canada looks like, look it up and start planning your trip. So. Beautiful. Anywho...I don't think I've ever read a novel that's set in Banff so I was excited about that. Even though I haven't been there myself, I felt that Swan managed to capture the essence of the city. Apart from a few word choices and terms, it really felt like I was in Canada and I loved that. But those few words and terms irked me quite a bit, unfortunately. Canadians do not use the term "ice-hockey", OK? We call it hockey, full stop. We use Celsius for temperature, not Fahrenheit, and while we're taught metric weights in school now, we tend to use pounds, not kilograms. Here's a big one: Canada has provinces, not states so don't have a Canadian ask someone when they last left the state, please. And yes, I did check my ARC against a finished copy (and you should be glad I did because there were two major mistakes in the advanced copy that were thankfully fixed in the published book). Oh, and my one final annoyance...the characters go to a Stanley Cup quarter final game in Calgary. The Flames are playing against, wait for it, the Toronto Maple Leafs. First of all, the Leafs are sucking so they wouldn't make it to the quarter finals. (OK, so that's just mostly a dig at the Leafs haha) Second, these two teams would not be playing each other in the quarter finals because one is an Eastern division team and the other is a Western division team. Am I reading too much into this? Maybe. But this is a novel about my countrymen (and countrywomen) and I want it to reflect my country properly, you know?

*breathes* OK. Time to be positive because the book had a lot to offer.

This story twisted and turned in so many amazing ways. It wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be and that was amazing. Swan is able to write these heart wrenching, drama filled stories that keep you interested and turning the pages right to the very end. I actually could not believe how the story ended up. I do believe my jaw dropped! 

The book wasn't all about the drama though. There was a romance woven throughout that was so sweet and such a slow burn, which it needed to be. Meg was in no place to start dating but, bit by bit, she realized that maybe she could open herself up to love again. Jonas seemed to be such an incredibly smart and decent man and I really wanted that for Meg.

I really loved that Meg and her sister, Ronnie, rediscovered their bond over the course of the novel. They were close growing up but something shifted as they got older. I'm pretty close with my sister (which I'm sure she'd agree with when she's not annoyed with her big sister haha) so I always enjoy books about sisters. It was great to see Ronnie help Meg emerge a little bit more from her grief when Meg visited her in Toronto.  

I know I'm posting my review after Christmas (and I hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful holiday!) but you can definitely still read this book now that Christmas is over. Even though the holiday is right in the title, it doesn't have any holiday spirit. The book is written so you know what the date is for every chapter. Christmas Day is actually skipped right over. I'm glad I wasn't reading this looking for a festive novel because I wouldn't have gotten it. But it's a wonderful winter read that is perfect for reading by the fire while looking out at the snow. Or, I suppose, giving you a great image of snow if you live somewhere that doesn't get the frosty white stuff (lucky you!). 

It might not seem like it, but I did enjoy Christmas Under the Stars. Karen Swan has written a book unlike one I have ever read before. Even with the few things that annoyed me, the unique story and setting really helped me like Swan's latest novel. 

*An ARC of this novel was provided by Publishers Group Canada in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: Christmas on Primrose Hill

Given the number of books Karen Swan has written and my preference for the types of novels she writes, it's surprising that Christmas on Primrose Hill was only the second book by Swan I've read. I quite enjoyed it!

Here's the synopsis:

On Primrose Hill...
Twinkling lights brighten London's Primrose Hill as Christmas nears - but for Nettie Watson, it's not parties and presents that she wants.
Promises are made
For Nettie, Christmas only serves as a stark reminder of the life she used to have...One day she made a promise to never leave home, and so far she's stayed true to her word.
Promises are broken
Under the glaring spotlight of the world's media, Nettie is unexpectedly caught up in a 21st century storm...Her exploits have made her a global name and attracted the attention of one of the world's most eligible men - famous front man, Jamie Westlake. But now she has his attention, does she want to keep it?

Fairly early on the reader can figure out there's a secret about Nettie's mother...but you don't know what it is and it takes forever for it to be revealed. It. Drove. Me. Crazy. Not only that, but I really couldn't understand why she didn't want anyone to know about what had happened. I suppose I could to a point but...I would think it'd be something she'd want to share with someone she was becoming close with. One of my good friends, and fellow blogger, Natalie of Browsing Bookshelves, enjoyed the suspense though so it's all a matter of personal preference.

I got a huge amount of enjoyment out of the social media/viral video storyline. It was fun to listen to them report how things were going and how much money they were raising. I almost wished the Blue Bunny was real because it'd be pretty amusing to watch the antics Nettie and her team got up to. Social media and the Internet move quickly so the story (sort of...see above paragraph) moved quickly too. The viral marketing part of the story almost went too fast, which was odd considering other parts of the story dragged. I couldn't really keep track of time because everything was happening at a rapid pace.

Time to talk about the romance! While I almost wanted something else to happen (because I'm a sucker for those types of stories), in the end I'm glad it didn't. (Yep. That's vague. But I can't tell you more than that otherwise I'll start spoiling the story.) Average girl meets famous guy is always a fun storyline and I enjoyed reading as Nettie and Jamie's relationship evolved. 

While the novel doesn't have too much to do with Christmas itself, you get the gear up/hype of the holiday season as well as some Christmas magic (not literal magic...it's not that kind of story). The holiday hints were subtle - markets, ice skating, tree decorating - but perfectly paired with the overall novel. It's one of those Christmas stories that should leave you with many warm fuzzies when you've finished it.

I'm quite happy I have more Karen Swan books to catch up on because I don't want Christmas on Primrose Hill to be my last. Swan writes engaging, sweet, emotional, and funny stories. You may be done with your Christmas reading now but I think you should still pick this one up and carry on the festive spirit for just a few more days.

Merry Christmas!

*An ARC of this novel was provided by Publishers Group Canada in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Summer Without You

Guys, I am kicking myself for not reading Karen Swan's The Summer Without You last summer when it was sent to me. I could have been recommending this novel to people for a whole year! Especially those who have been looking for vacation or beach or honeymoon reads. The shame! I'm glad I finally did read it because I freaking loved it.

Here's the synopsis:

Rowena Tipton isn't looking for a new life, just a new adventure, something to while away the months as her long-term boyfriend presses pause on their relationship before they become engaged. But when a chance encounter at a New York wedding leads to an audition for a coveted houseshare in The Hamptons - Manhattan's elite beach scene - suddenly a new life is exactly what she's got. Stretching before her is a summer with three eclectic housemates, long days on white sand ocean beaches and parties on gilded tennis courts. But high rewards bring high stakes and Rowena soon finds herself caught in the crossfire of a vicious intimidation campaign. Alone for the first time in her adult life, she has no-one to turn to but a stranger who is everything she doesn't want - but possibly everything she needs...

I would say that The Summer Without You is the perfect summer read. At first glance it could seem like a total fluff book (which you all know I love) but there's so much more to it. I don't want to give much away because I think it's nice to be surprised but I will say there's an intense end to the novel that I didn't see coming. This book is perfect for your next vacation or beach day because it has a great setting (Hamptons, anyone?) and a completely engaging storyline. 

So here's a bit of a problem for me with this book. Swan, the author, is English, as is Ro, the main character. I've read a ton of English books so I know a few phrases and words that are unfamiliar to some Canadians and Americans. That's not the issue...the problem is when the American characters are using British phrases. It happened a few times throughout the book but the one instance that really stuck out for me was when one of the roommates used the term "torch" when they were out at night. An American would not use "torch", they'd say "flashlight". It's not a huge deal but it was still a wee bit of an annoyance. (Note: While the copy I read was an ARC, I did check a final copy of the novel and this error was not caught in the final editing process.)

I really liked reading about Ro and her roommates. The story wouldn't have been as fun or enriching had it not been for her roommates. They were all so smart, fun, and sweet (in their own ways) that I found myself wishing for Happily Ever Afters for all of them (as you do when you're reading a novel like this!). I liked that all of the characters who were introduced had an important part to play in the plot. There was a lot going on, and much that you don't even realize is important, so having unnecessary characters would have been annoying. Every character had a journey to go on and I loved that. I almost wish that Swan would take us back to the Hamptons to revisit some of the characters, especially Hump, because I don't feel like everyone's story is finished. 

Emotions run high in this novel and I appreciated how Swan wrote the story so I was feeling everything the characters were. Though I was feeling some annoyance at Ro because she hadn't clued in to what had really happened with someone and I hated how she was jumping to conclusions. Actually, Ro kind of annoyed me a lot throughout the book. Her behaviour was questionable at the beginning and I wasn't really sure how I was going to feel about her. Once she started to live her own life, things started to change for the better, thankfully!

I loved The Summer Without You for so many reasons. Karen Swan has written an emotionally engaging novel that is so much more than its cover suggests. It'll hook you like it did me - I couldn't stop thinking about it! You need to pick up a copy and add it to you beach bag! 

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*