Friday 27 October 2017

#BookReview A Strange Scottish Shore by Juliana Gray (@JulianaGray) @BerkleyPub

A Strange Scottish Shore by Juliana Gray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Scotland, 1906. A mysterious object discovered inside an ancient castle calls Maximilian Haywood, the new Duke of Olympia, and his fellow researcher Emmeline Truelove, north to the remote Orkney Islands. No stranger to the study of anachronisms in archeological digs, Haywood is nevertheless puzzled by the artifact: a suit of clothing, which, according to family legend, once belonged to a selkie who rose from the sea in ancient times and married the castle’s first laird.

But Haywood and Truelove soon discover they’re not the only ones interested in the selkie’s strange hide, and when their mutual friend Lord Silverton vanishes in the night from an Edinburgh street, the mystery takes a dangerous turn through time, which only Haywood’s skills and Truelove’s bravery can solve…


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I have not read the first book in this series so I was not sure what to expect when I started to read this one. I didn't even know that Juliana Gray is a pseudonym for Beatriz Williams (who I haven't read anything by, but have a couple of books to read). However, I quite liked the beginning of this book which starts off with Emmeline Truelove traveling to the Orkney Islands. That she tends to see her dead father and the late Queen add more intrigue to the story. Then, I discovered that this is not an ordinary historical mystery book. It got time travel! I mean I love time travel and books (and movies) and this surprise delighted me.

A Strange Scottish Shore is a book that surprised me in so many ways. I mean I had never ever read anything before by the author so I hoped this would be a pleasant book to read, I did not expect the story to totally charm me. But, I loved reading the book. Sometimes books can feel predictable, but this one felt delightfully surprising to read. Not that I didn't suspect things, rather that the story took turns that I never thought it would and I felt that the story all the way through kept up that way. Delivering a story that felt refreshingly new all the way through.

This book is one of those that sneaked up on me and I definitely need to get myself a copy of the first book in the series. Emmeline Truelove is fa fabulous characters and I enjoyed her working relationship with Maximilian Haywood and I even loved her "relationship" with Lord Silverton. When I started to read this book did I not read the blurb before. I often do that when I have the book as an ebook so knew very little about what would happen. And, that was just a perk in my opinion. You should try that. Much more interesting to read books that way.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Edelweiss for an honest review!

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