1906
Lady Elizabeth "Libby" Sinclair, with her love of microscopes and
nature, isn't favored in society. She flees to the beautiful Isles of Scilly
for the summer and stumbles onto the dangerous secrets left behind by her
holiday cottage's former occupant, also named Elizabeth, who mysteriously
vanished.
Oliver Tremayne--gentleman and clergyman--is determined to discover what
happened to his sister, with the help of the girl now living in what should
have been Beth's summer cottage . . . especially when he realizes it's the
curious young lady he met briefly two years ago, who shares his love of botany
and biology. But the hunt for his sister involves far more than nature walks,
and he can't quite believe all the secrets Beth had been keeping from him.
As Libby and Oliver work together, they uncover ancient legends, pirate wrecks,
betrayal, and the most mysterious phenomenon of all: love.
My Thoughts:
This was a magical story that took me to a place I was not even aware existed. Where you may ask? Why to the Isles of Scilly which is south of another magical place, Cornwall, 28 miles off the shore to be exact.
The year is 1906 and we have Lady Elizabeth, Libby for short, and her maid Mabena, whose goes by a few names (Moon, Benna). Mabena is a native to the islands and went to work for Libby and her family due to her own reasons. Now she has manipulated a visit for her and Libby to visit the islands so that she can find out what happened to her friend Beth.
Beth Tremayne, the vicar Oliver Tremayne's sister, has disappeared. And apparently no one knows where. Oliver, being the big brother, is obviously worried about her and begins searching for her with the help of Mabena and Libby, who keeps getting mistaken for his sister.
Libby is a lady with a scientific mind, which was very frowned upon at the time. Needing the escape as much as Mabena needed to get to the islands, I found the unfolding of their friendship quite interesting as well. One thing that I really appreciate about author White's characters, is that a lot of times her heroines are unique and out of the box for the time period. Most times they do not fit in to their society's norms. Libby was such a one with a soft heart and full of insecurities.
This story was full of the beauty of these one of a kind islands, a mystery, talks of ghosts and fairytales, shipwrecks and pirates. Oliver and Beth's grandmother is quite a woman. She comes off a little mad, but whenever she came on the scene and spoke the things she did, I got goose bumps as she helped a certain love story along. It was almost as though she already lived the future. Throw in another love story and you have an atmosphere of enchantment with a flavor of gothic.
I hope to one day visit that part of the world.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all view and opinions are my own.
About the Author:
Roseanna M. White (www.roseannamwhite.com) is a bestselling, Christy Award-nominated author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. She pens her novels beneath her Betsy Ross flag, with her Jane Austen action figure watching over her. When not writing fiction, she's homeschooling her two children, editing and designing, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of numerous novels, ranging from biblical fiction to American-set romances to Edwardian British series. Roseanna lives with her family in West Virginia. Learn more at www.roseannamwhite.com.
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