I thought The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley was a beautifully written tale of family, love, loss and the forgotten 1708 Jacobite plot; however in hindsight it was a little melancholic for the season and my mood, so while I really enjoyed it, I didn’t end up loving it. I look forward to re-reading it in better more appropriate times.

Another historical romance from a very good author. I’ve read a few of her books now and feel that The Rose Garden is by far my favourite. I’m not a huge fan of books set in 1700s and did feel a little lost at sea in the story line… it’s so hard to get the atmosphere of storylines set so far in the distance. That says she has a lovely style and I do enjoy the narrative. I’m not sure this series is for me but I will look out for other books of hers set in the more recent past.

Reading The Winter Sea again has been a real trip down memory lane for me as I first read this time slip novel back in 2008 when it was first published. I am thrilled to see that it has been reissued with a delightfully evocative cover all ready for a new audience to discover the magic of this talented author's historical fiction.

When best-selling novelist, Carrie McClelland finds that she is lost, in Scotland, on her way to Peterhead, she is inadvertently drawn to the ancient Slains Castle at Cruden Bay. After visiting her friend, and literary agent, Carrie is compelled to return to Cruden Bay where she takes up temporary residence in order to write the novel which is clamouring inside her head. With the pull of history behind her, Carrie finds that the story she sees, and hears, so clearly is that of her ancestor, Sophia Paterson whose involvement at Slains Castle, in 1707, will take her deep into the heart of the first Jacobite conspiracy.

Weaving the history of the time into a creative time slip novel is what this author does best and The Winter Sea has all the necessary ingredients for both an intriguing historical adventure and a poignant love story. Touching on the complex subject of ancestral memory also gives the book an added sense of mystery which runs like a silken thread throughout the novel.

History, betrayal, intrigue and danger all combine to make The Winter Sea an unforgettable novel and a worthy start to the trilogy.

Historical drama and present day merge in this story. Good characters and interesting story. Set in Scotland which is well described.

This was a wonderful read! Evocative and enchanting in equal measures and a wonderful mix of the present and historical!

The story centres around an author, Carrie, who travels to Scotland to get more of a feel of Slains Castle as that is where she's basing her latest novel. But she soon finds that her own life is a little too connected to the past, and starts to uncover a few little secrets that are far from what everyone thinks they know about.

The more time she spends near the castle, the more she feels that there's a little voice inside her begging a different story to be told and, with the help of some very friendly locals, she begins to learn more about the characters involved in the Jacobite rebellion and really gets a sense of what was going on for them all.

We get to learn of the story of Sophia and how she was involved in the drama of the past. They were right in the thick of things at an important time in history, and it was just fascinating to see things unfold and the tensions rise as the drama intensifies

I was enthralled from start to finish as the author had made both timelines equally intriguing. It's a turbulent time in history so it was so interesting to read about it from a different point of view.

A love story combined with an historical element..... Kearsley brings together the past and the present , with twists and turns.....It is evocative and romantic, beautifully written and in depth research,,,, Slain Castle is where this starts the timeline from the past and the present.....
Its a definite good read and highly recommended

This was my first Susanna Kearsley book and I absolutely loooooved it. She writes about Scotland and romance and history so well, I'm desperate for more.

Wow gorgeous story! 1707
An ill-fated expedition for the New World left Sophia Paterson an orphan, cared for by her uncle. On his passing, a distant relative offers what Sophia longs for most: a home. Slains Castle, on the rugged Scottish coast, is much more comfortable than she is accustomed to. But danger is right around the corner, as rebels conspire to bring the exiled James Stewart to Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Present day
Enchanted by the ruins of the castle, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn this all-but-forgotten story into her next novel. Settling in the nearby village, she creates a heroine named after one of her ancestors and starts to write.
Discovering her novel contains more than she researched, Carrie wonders if this is ancestral memory – making her the only living person to know what truly happened all those years ago. With each new chapter she uncovers the secrets of the past in a sweeping tale of love, loyalty and ultimate betrayal.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A brilliant novel which got me engrossed in the plot and characters immediately, the way that the author handles different time periods is nothing short of magnificent. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

1707
An ill-fated expedition for the New World left Sophia Paterson an orphan, cared for by her uncle. On his passing, a distant relative offers what Sophia longs for most: a home. Slains Castle, on the rugged Scottish coast, is much more comfortable than she is accustomed to. But danger is right around the corner, as rebels conspire to bring the exiled James Stewart to Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Present day
Enchanted by the ruins of the castle, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn this all-but-forgotten story into her next novel. Settling in the nearby village, she creates a heroine named after one of her ancestors and starts to write.
The author is the queen of historical novels , and like her others , this one is a joy to read.
I loved both eras and the stories around Spain's castle. The characters Sophia and Carrie are both truly women of their time and would have also fitted perfectly in either. Loved it.