Scan barcode
justineb's review
adventurous
medium-paced
3.0
Weak leading woman that made choices that contradicted her character for no reason other than plot. Cute read overall though.
annarella's review
5.0
An excellent mix of romantic fantasy and women's fiction that kept me reading and hooked.
It's poignant, emotionally charged and gripping. You cannot help feeling and rooting for the characters, loved the descriptions of the setting and the vivid background.
The fantasy elements are well woven in the plot and the author delivers a fascinating world building and great characters.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's poignant, emotionally charged and gripping. You cannot help feeling and rooting for the characters, loved the descriptions of the setting and the vivid background.
The fantasy elements are well woven in the plot and the author delivers a fascinating world building and great characters.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
rexiesmum's review
3.0
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for giving me this ebook in return for a review.
This is an interesting and sweet story exploring the idea of motherhood and the very romantic legend behind selkies.
The main character of Effie is very well drawn and her desire to bring up both her son and her foundling daughter are convincing. The central love triangle shows her pulled in vastly different directions as she carefully considers which would be the better choice for her.
This is an undemanding and pleasant read that I would recommend to people who are interested in reading supernatural fiction for the first time as it doesn’t stretch too far from reality.
This is an interesting and sweet story exploring the idea of motherhood and the very romantic legend behind selkies.
The main character of Effie is very well drawn and her desire to bring up both her son and her foundling daughter are convincing. The central love triangle shows her pulled in vastly different directions as she carefully considers which would be the better choice for her.
This is an undemanding and pleasant read that I would recommend to people who are interested in reading supernatural fiction for the first time as it doesn’t stretch too far from reality.
plantybooklover's review
emotional
medium-paced
2.25
I was intrigued by the blurb for this book, but in the end I was a bit disappointed.
The essential plot is that Effie, an orphan who had rushed into marriage due to pregnancy, finds an abandoned infant floating in the ocean. Conveniently, her husband - a good man- if somewhat dull, dies on the same night she finds this child, leaving her free to engage in other romantic adventures, while raising her child and her foundling. Eventually, the child's father arrives (with a conveniently dead Mother), and a romance blossoms. This romance is somewhat complicated by the father being a Selkie and by Effie's choice to entangle herself with a second man, Walter- whom she has known since childhood. In the end there is, unsurprisingly, a happy ending. Effie's wavering between them was- an essential part of this type of romance's storyline, but very annoying to me.
I am not a fan of most romance so it's not surprising that I really didn't love this, as it is essentially a typical harlequin style romance using mythical Scottish Selkies as part of the storyline. The writing is solid, and if one is a fan of harlequin style romances, this may be the novel for them, it just wasn't for me.
The essential plot is that Effie, an orphan who had rushed into marriage due to pregnancy, finds an abandoned infant floating in the ocean. Conveniently, her husband - a good man- if somewhat dull, dies on the same night she finds this child, leaving her free to engage in other romantic adventures, while raising her child and her foundling. Eventually, the child's father arrives (with a conveniently dead Mother), and a romance blossoms. This romance is somewhat complicated by the father being a Selkie and by Effie's choice to entangle herself with a second man, Walter- whom she has known since childhood. In the end there is, unsurprisingly, a happy ending. Effie's wavering between them was- an essential part of this type of romance's storyline, but very annoying to me.
I am not a fan of most romance so it's not surprising that I really didn't love this, as it is essentially a typical harlequin style romance using mythical Scottish Selkies as part of the storyline. The writing is solid, and if one is a fan of harlequin style romances, this may be the novel for them, it just wasn't for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
yati's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
oliviasbookishworld's review
3.0
3 stars
This was an entertaining read but it didn’t live up to its potential, which is a shame. There was a lack of depth, lack of backstory, and too much internal dialogue. Was it a good way to spend a snowy day? Yes, but the wow factor just wasn’t there. And I heartily disliked the love triangle.
This was an entertaining read but it didn’t live up to its potential, which is a shame. There was a lack of depth, lack of backstory, and too much internal dialogue. Was it a good way to spend a snowy day? Yes, but the wow factor just wasn’t there. And I heartily disliked the love triangle.
becxreadz's review
emotional
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Liked
*The selkie love story
*The historical romance
*The mother/ child relationship
*the setting
*Couple had good chemistry
Disliked
*The way Effie strung Walter along even knowing she didn't love him and played with Lachlans feelings knowing she had agreed to marry another man
*The selkie love story
*The historical romance
*The mother/ child relationship
*the setting
*Couple had good chemistry
Disliked
*The way Effie strung Walter along even knowing she didn't love him and played with Lachlans feelings knowing she had agreed to marry another man