An island castle in Cornwall, a handsome kilt-wearing chef, and a haunting historical legend cook up a deliciously magical and heartwarming new romance from the award-winning author of Compulsion and Lake of Destiny.
Through years of caring for her invalid mother, Emma Larsen had no time to think about a relationship of her own. When her best-friend Treave proposes suddenly after her mother’s … suddenly after her mother’s funeral, though, she agrees to accompany him to a wedding at his family’s island castle in Cornwall to see if they can be more than friends.
Emma falls in love with the wild, granite Cornish coast. The failed romance of Tristan and Isolde hangs over the island and the lost abbey bell is said to ring when wishes will come true. But as tragedy rocks the small community with a tradition of lifesaving that goes back a thousand years, it’s family and the strength of the local women that keep everyone together, and a handsome Scottish chef with secrets and a turbulent past that tugs at Emma’s heart.
Caught between the two men and her own conscience, Emma begins to discover that the roots of childhood fears run deep. And sometimes when danger swirls around us, it’s the courage to face ourselves that requires the most bravery of all.
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I enjoyed the writer’s style and quirky characters. Good sense of place. A sweet romance that could have been longer.
Such a great book! This will immerse you in the Scottish Highlands, and you’ll find yourself questioning all the history you thought you knew. An enriching and entertaining work by the fabulous Martina Boone, who always writes with such passion and conviction.
Lake of Destiny #1 – This story has it all: romance, intrigue, traditions and excitement. Although this book has 338 pages, the pages just flew by as the story progressed. A well written, intriguing suspense with a surprise revealed at the end. The plot is well thought out and the characters are believable and realistic. Not all is sugar and spice, there are some rotten apples in the bunch. The descriptions are so well done the reader experiences everything and easily visualizes the area the story is set. This is my first book by the author and I will happily read anything else she writes. I received this book through the APX website. 5*
Bell of Eternity #2 – After reading Lake of Destiny, I was hooked on this author and had to read more of her books. I contacted the author to review anything she had available. This is a well written, intriguing romance with interesting background material to make the story flow along, while being a substantial read. The interesting characters draw the reader into the story with their actions, reactions and believable dialog. The plot has a twist and turn, also, keeping the reader immersed in the story, along with the author’s gift for descriptions. I’ve always loved books about the Cornwall area, fiction and nonfiction, and this book is among the best of them. It was interesting to learn of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the history behind the volunteers. 5*
Magic of Winter #3 – Another well written, intriguing romance set the Cornwall area with our favorite and not so favorite characters. A second chance at love fraught with problems, both with the romance and a dying father. The characters are well thought out with realistic dialog and a willingness to communicate. The descriptions by the author are vivid and the plot is interesting and both help keep the reader immersed in the pages. I’ve read all three books and while this one isn’t my favorite (it is good), all three were well done and the author is an interesting storyteller. Reading all three in order just makes a continuing story, but they can be read in any order, but why? 5*
Echo of Glory #4 – This story fits well into the series. Complete with history, romance and intrigue. Well written, lovable characters with realistic dialog and a storyline that holds the reader’s attention until the end. Ms. Boone does a great job with her vivid descriptions and the history of the people and times are always an added bonus that strengthens and adds substance to the story.
Anna ran away to the highlands to escape an embarrassing past (losing her fiance and her job) and instead found her destiny. I admired how brave she was choosing to take a temporary job with her aunt in Scotland planning the Beltane Festival rather the less risky option of moving back in with her parents. Connal’s daughter Moira, the May Queen, was so sweet and hopefully even with her palsy. The villagers and Hollywood actors and actresses were a riot putting together A Midsummer Night’s Dream play for the festival. Great clean romance with plenty of drama and romance. Highly recommend.
This was a beautiful story of healing, trusting and learning to love again. Anna Cameron came to Scotland from the states to help her aunt plan a festival for their little village. She also came to heal or to run away, she wasn’t sure which, at first. Newly arrived into town, she met Connal Macgregor after she had almost run he and his daughter over. Her first impression of him was that he was rude and inconsiderate but as she spent more time with him in helping to plan the festival, she began to see that he had been hurt and was like a wounded animal at times. There was an electric attraction between them that neither could explain but Anna was only planning to be in town for a short time and then would be returning to her life in America. That was the right thing to do, right? As more days went by, she wasn’t so certain anymore that she wanted to go home. She felt at home in this beautiful country.
This was a beautifully written story with wonderful elements that added depth to the characters in the story. it was a clean story without sex or language. It made me want to visit Scotland, even more. The description of the scenery and the people there added so much to the story. This is the second of this series that I have read and I enjoyed it even more than the first.