– Customer review on 08/01/2012

The first irresistible thing about this book is that it is set in Scotland and some of the characters speak with Scottish accents. In addition, it is a story about a writer, switching between an account of her own life and the historical story she is writing, both set in the same Scottish coastal town.

It is a relaxed and pleasant read, and would be perfect except for the introduction of adult themes, though thankfully there is very little description. There are two relationships: one in the present which involves the fictional author, and the other in the historical novel which she is writing. The couple in the historical novel marry by handfast (which, it is implied, it better than nothing), and the modern day couple don't even mention marriage but start living together a few weeks after they've first met.

At least there is very little detail of their intimacy, which is unusual for a contemporary novel, and scenes are implied but not described. Much more attention is paid to the beautiful landscape and the history it holds, centring around the failed Jacobite plot to return James to the throne of England in place of his half-sister Queen Anne. Such a delight to read.