When a modern, independent woman’s plans collide with an ancient prophecy, her life hangs in the balance.“Some of us just keep our ghosts closer to the surface.”Sarah MacAlpin has plenty of ghosts. Her mother mental illness plagued her early years, and her grandmother who raised her died when she was just eighteen. In spite of her difficult upbringing she’s built a life for herself. One of the … a life for herself. One of the things that still haunts her is a song that her grandmother taught her. Growing up in the Blue Ridge mountains there were plenty of folk songs to learn, but the one Granny taught her was from her home in Scotland, in Gaelic, and unlike any other Sarah has heard.
Her fascination with that song and many others leads her to pursue a career in folklore. While researching her dissertation, she hears another version of her grandmother’s song from a woman in Nova Scotia. Thinking it is the key to her dissertation thesis and her academic future, she pursues that song with the help of a new colleague from Scotland, Dermot Sinclair. Trust doesn’t come easy for Sarah. In spite of her attraction to Dermot, she isn’t sure that he is being entirely honest with her.
But there is something more sinister than the mysterious Scot lurking around Sarah’s life. A series of near accidents and strained relationships have her on edge. She begins to worry for her own mental health as her research progresses, but her life begins to unravel. Can she keep it together long enough to find the source of the song?
Read the first in the series where Celtic legends and modern life blend into an adventure full of celts, cauldrons, mystery and moonshine.
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Wow! What a fabulous read. I love The folklore and the incredibly believable characters. As an anthropologist, I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of Stoddard’s book. The brilliant descriptive style brought everything to life so vividly. I was sucked I to the story from the first page and couldn’t put it down.
What a page-turner! This book is a fun mix of many charming aspects. First, there is Dermot the heartthrob who is pretty much the perfect male specimen. Second, there is a sprinkle of magic (visions, fortune-telling, destiny, type stuff). Third, there’s the whole Scottish element. The River Maiden though has more than charm. It’s also filled with romance and intrigue, secrets and danger. The best part though is at the end when you’re so sad it’s over, you realize there is an entire series left to devour!
Meredith Stoddard weaves the past into the future through Sarah MacAlpin, a current day student of folklore. A combination of Sarah’s childhood and her studies reveal a story from the past that affects her future. The characters introduced during her journey keep the reader wondering what will happen next. The River Maiden is a combination of Gaelic legend with a love story twist. The ending leaves the reader wanting more… and there is more to come as this is part one of a series.
Sarah MacAlpin was raised in the rugged Appalachian Mountains. Her Scottish heritage was always a focal point in her life, as she lived with her traditional grandmother. She spent her childhood surrounded by Celtic legends and and trying to dodge the judgmental townsfolk who looked down on her mentally ill mom. While her upbringing sometimes alienated her from her peers in her youth, Sarah still embraced her culture. A graduate student, she planned on writing her thesis on Scottish folklore. But her musical research brings her to the deviously handsome Dermot Sinclair, who might teach her more than a few scales.
Dermot teaches Gaelic song, and finds most of his pupils completely tone deaf. However, he finds that Sarah sings like a native, and is more than pleasant to look at on stage. But there is more to Sarah than a nice voice and a curvy physic. There are some songs too ancient and magical for Dermot to teach, let alone know, but they dwell within Sarah and the supernatural that lingers around her longs to make itself known.
This book gave me chills, made my heart beat, reminded me of the songs of Scotland and the Gaelic verses I’ve studied, and made me wish for more. The cliffhanger at the end was a killer, but I was lucky enough to recently receive book two, so I can continue the journey of Sarah and Dermot. And, Lord, do I want to continue! This isn’t some heaving bosoms romance where Sarah’s tripping over herself to get at the guy with the hot accent. The characters feel real with carefully worded dialogue that flows effortlessly and a connection that is almost otherworldly.
I highly recommend this book to all lovers of Outlander, who are feeling the effects of “Droughtlander”. The River Maiden gives you enough mystery and romance to keep you reading, all tied up in a neat pale blue cover with a hint of Scottish charm. Really, you guys, I couldn’t find a single thing I didn’t love, and neither will you.
I stumbled on this book quite by happy accident and I was enthralled. This is a compelling story complete with characters with whom you fall in love. The Gaelic tales, history, and folklore are woven beautifully into a deep mystery. The more answers you come across, the more questions result! I am on the edge of my seat for sequels. The best part about this series is the fact each book has a focus on one aspect of the mystery that the main character, Sarah, is peeling back. It is a complete story but the over-arching storyline can continue in each subsequent novel.