“What a page-turner.” – Lili Marcus.It would take two women separated by time to make music with the power to change history.Adeena Stuart and Katharine Carnegie were born nearly three centuries apart. Yet their music and an ancient cello connect them to each other and to a man doomed to die in 1746 after the Battle of Culloden. In Book I of the Song for A Lost Kingdom series, Adeena receives an …
In Book I of the Song for A Lost Kingdom series, Adeena receives an untitled musical score from her dying grandmother in Scotland. When the score is played on the oldest surviving cello ever made in the UK, the music connects Adeena directly to the past as Katharine, struggling to find words to complete her symphonic tour-de-force in the midst of the Scottish uprising uprising against Union with England.
But Adeena is not a scientist or historian. What she wants more than anything is to compose music and to join the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. Just as she is about to realize her wish, she’s lifted away, out of her control, and immersed in her ancient family history. As she is buffeted back and forth between the worlds, she grows to want more of the past, even though the promise of her most yearned for dreams are coming true.
Not even her passionate boyfriend can keep her rooted in the present, especially when another man from the past falls for her and her music. Although unsure whether her time travel is a hallucination, she’s willing to steal a five million dollar cello to get back to the 1700’s.
Song for a Lost Kingdom, Book I, begins a journey of discovery between two women who share the same musical soul and love for the same man.
more
Great, multi-dimensional characters. Interesting plot that kept me thoroughly engaged throughout. Enjoyed every minute of it!
Review: Song For A Lost Kingdom
Cy Young
Ah, yes. Creativity. It takes one to unknown places and unfolds new vistas, amazing insights, and inspiring light.
In “Song For A Lost Kingdom,” Steven Moretti explores these creative phenomena superbly and takes us on a fantastic journey covering two continents and two time periods.
Consider these elements: A talented cellist/singer with a troubled past; her grandmother who has had constant dreams of being contacted by a dead relative; time travel; the 1745 Jacobite uprising; two lovers, one in the 21st century, one in the 18th; the cellist’s history-teacher father; her psychiatrist mother; her best friend who’s also a rival; the theft of a Five Million Dollar cello; various characters who pepper the narrative landscape and give color to the story … and on and on.
Moretti blends these elements seamlessly and makes us somehow believe that the simple act of playing a nearly three-hundred-year old cello with her own composition can transport the cellist back in time to her other self in the 18th century, Catherine Carnegie, who falls deeply in love with James Drummond, a Jacobite devotee of the period.
Adeena Stuart, our protagonist/heroine/cellist, is torn between Drummond and Phillipe, her 21st century investigative reporter boyfriend, as well as her desire to fulfill and fully realize her teenage composition, a song with meaningful lyrics, lyrics she sings before Scottish soldiers in Kinniard Castle on her first transition from the present to the 18th century.
This is a key scene of foreshadowing, as the repeat singing of these few lines becomes a catalyst in the supercharged denouement.
Adeena, a researcher for the National Museum in Ottawa, discovers the priceless Duncan Cello in the Museum’s basement and can’t resist it’s magnetic pull. She picks it up, plays, and is instantly transported back to Kinniard Castle in 1745 where she finds herself playing for a squadron of Scottish soldiers in the Great Hall of the castle, soldiers preparing for a battle with the British. Reason for the conflict: Bonnie Prince Charles is striving to restore the House of Stuart to the throne of England, Scotland, and Ireland in what is known as the Jacobite Uprising of ‘45.
As the narrative spins along, Adeena’s close friend, Tara, begins to suspect Adeena of the theft of the cello, her mother and father fear for her sanity, and Adeena achieves her life-long dream and becomes a cellist for the National Arts Center Orchestra.
The complexity of the story requires a more lengthy review, but suffice it to say that the reader of this superb novel has many surprises in store, many twists that will entice, excellent character development, and a surging dramatic tension that will keep you on the edge of whatever you’re sitting on.
I give Steve Moretti five (5) stars for this immaculately researched history, romance, and action-packed novel that will fascinate, amaze, and entertain.
I await the coming spin-offs with an expectant thrill of anticipation, or a thrill of expectant anticipations, or just a big thrill!
Good and unusual story, interesting angle and likeable characters. The author must have done a lot of historical research. Sort of an Outlander feel, which is fine. I had to look up some of the words used, but they were in the online dictionary, so I was OK with that. I see where someone complained about the language, specifically the ‘F’ word. I don’t remember that being an issue at all, but some are more sensitive the swearing than others. I will read the next book in the series when it comes out.
Fascinating time travel story. Adeena is a talented musician. When she plays an 18th century song on a rare antique cello, she is briefly transported back to 18th century Scotland. I really enjoyed the characters and their realistic difficulty believing what was happening.
Beautifully written. Prepare to be lost in music, history, passion and time travel. Read the prequel first and just keep going..
I’m telling all my friend’s to read this series
Adeena’s life is her music, now and always. Even 300 years ago when she was a different woman, and lived another life. So when a beautiful old cello is placed in her hands she knows it was once hers, in that other life. She can feel the magic of it calling to something deep inside her.
I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. I felt as though I could pass through time with Adeena. The vivid characters and detailed descriptions of places really pulled me in and I allowed myself to become deeply immersed in the story.
Did I mention the music? It is beautiful and haunting. I liked it so much that I would gladly buy a download of that song.
This is the first book in the series but it’s the second one I’ve heard because I got book two first. So this filled in some background stuff for me about events and characters. I seem to be doing this series a bit backwards, so I’m going to see if I can get my hands on the prequel next.
When I read the blurb for Song for a Lost Kingdom, I knew that I had to read this book. Not only was this book set in 18th century Scotland, but it was a time travel/love story. So, I dove right in. I am glad that I read the book, but I wish that Adeena was more likable. I will explain in my review why I said that.
Song for a Lost Kingdom starts slowly. The author chose to focus on building the backstories of the main characters. After establishing those backstories, then the main storyline (well the dual main storylines) took off. I loved it!!
There were times in the book where I wanted to throttle Adeena. Yes, I liked, and yes, I thought she was a strong, capable woman. But she was also self-centered and selfish. She put her obsession with the cello ahead of everything else. If someone other than Lang had noticed that the cello on display wasn’t the real one, Tara would have lost her job. I couldn’t connect to her after that.
I did like the time travel angle of the book. It was different having Adeena go back in time while playing the cello. Her physical body stayed in Ottawa. I liked that the author showed what was happening while she was gone. I liked the contrast. I also liked that it took more effort to pull her back to the present day.
The author was very knowledgeable about the musical angle of the book. There was never a time where I was doubting that he knew what he was talking about.
The 18th-century angle of the book was amazing to read. The research that the author did about Bonnie Prince Charlie, and the events leading up to the battle of Culloden was terrific. Like with the musical angle of the book, I didn’t doubt anything that happened. I also had no problem placing Katharine/Adeena at that time.
The romance between Adeena and Phillipe didn’t give me goosebumps. I could tell, even at the beginning of the book, that they weren’t going to last. I also foretold who Phillipe was going to end up with. Now, the romance between Katharine/Adeena and James gave me goosebumps. Not often that a book can do that to me.
The end of Song for a Lost Kingdom drove me nuts. It ended on a cliffhanger. I had so many questions that went unanswered. Guess I’ll have to read book 2!!
I wanted to like this book. The writing was flawless but I just didn’t like Adeena or care what happened to her. Her behavior was annoying and just didn’t make sense to me – and ultimately, it drove me to simply stop reading at 43%.
Good read!