The Winter Sea (The Scottish series, 1)

Carrie McClelland is a famous author, working on her next piece of historical fiction by living in Paris as she researches the lives of the exiled Stewart king, James II, in his donated court at Saint-Germain. The novel is about the aborted return of James to his Scottish throne in 1708. Carrie makes a trip to Scotland to visit her agent, Jane, and as she is driving to Jane's house, she passes an old ruin of a castle, Slains. She is inextricably drawn to it and meets a handsome man in the parking lot. The man tells her a bit about the castle, and her "spidey senses" regarding her novel's plot are all a-tingle, and telling her that she needs to do more research in Scotland to see why the planned invasion didn't happen.Carrie's new novel just seems to flow out of her, after she moves into a small cottage on the ocean near by the old castle. She's never written this easily before. As she talks to various townspeople about the history of the area, Carrie is suddenly struck by how closely her novel follows the actual history of the era - and possibly her family history? Is Carrie actually writing a novel, or is she recording a previous family member's memories? Can the handsome man she met at the castle be more than a tour guide? Is "genetic memory" actually a thing...?I really like the novel's switching back-and-forth between Carrie's story about writing the novel, and then chapters of the novel itself, set in 1708, about Sophia, a young girl who moves into the castle, Slains, w/ her aunt, the Countess, and watches her cousin's and aunt's machinations to aid the Jacobites in their cause of returning King James to his throne. The further into the book we get, the more chapters are from the novel-within-the-novel set in 1708. This works really well, and I enjoyed this novel so much! In fact, I have Book #2 in this series already ordered. 5 enjoyable stars.

I love historical fiction but this had a pleasant twist. It was like reading two stories in one. I laughed, smiled and cried while reading this book and cannot wait to read the next one.

Interesting story with the author feeling she is not writing a book of her own accord, but from memory. Two romantic love stories occurring at the same time, author and story character. I had to stop frequently and savor the story.

I’m gonna be honest, this book took me MONTHS to get into and I eventually tossed it to the back of my bookshelf after giving up hope that it’d peak my interest. I only recently picked it back up because it fits the cold wintry season we’re in and I love indulging in seasonal things to really enhance my day to day life. I’m so glad I did because I FINALLY understand why this book is so popular! I love to read but as a stay at home mom it’s hard to prioritize sitting down with a book when there are so many things I need to do and so many distractions that pull my focus making it even more difficult for me with my adhd to really get into a book that doesn’t hook me right away. This book was so worth the wait though and I cannot recommend it enough! Susanna does such a phenomenal job at getting the reader to equally invest in both Carrie and Sophia’s storylines. The way the story jumps from Carrie’s pov to Sophia’s is so well done! I found myself hoping to stick with one story line just a bit longer only to feel the exact same way when the story line switched back! It kept me hooked because you’re forced to wait at the perfect moments to see what will happen next with each of the leading ladies! I cannot wait to read more from this author!

This is the second Susanna Kearsley book I have read. I now follow her as an author, as I am books on her books! For over 500 pages, this was a very fast read. She pulls you into the characters and settings, both past and present. Couldn't wait to see how it ended, but also hated for it to end. Can't wait to read more of her books!

Totally wonderful beautiful story that takes place in Scotland in the present as well as in the early 1700's. Not time travel but a totally different concept of looking back at time long gone by. Carolyn McClelland is a successful writer of historical novels and has come to Scotland to get closer to the site of her next novel. She has been in France where King James was exiled and intended to place the novel in that setting, but it was not working. Her hero, Nathaniel Hooke, was not coming to life for her. When she visits her publisher/friend in Scotland she gets a feeling that perhaps she should stay and see if it works better to write in the area of Slains Castle which is now in ruins. Some of the events she plans to write about had taken place there.The beauty of this story is that the chapters about what is happening to Carolyn are written in the first person. We share the beginnings of a personal romance with her as well as her uneasiness about what is happening with writing this book. At times she feels her characters talk to her and it is as if they are writing the story and she is living it. She makes up names for the characters and then research shows that such a person really existed in the time and place that she has placed them in her story. Through this, Carolyn has a romance of her own developing. I had not looked at the reviews for this book before reading it, but early on I thought to myself that the writing reminded me of Mary Stewart's writing. Now I see that others have also mentioned that. I read all of Mary Stewart's books many many years ago and had not thought about them in years. I only felt that way about Carolyn's part of the story but not the book she is writing.The chapters of Carolyn's book (and they are all part of this book) are not written in the first person. The heroine is Sophie, an ancestor of Carolyn's from over 300 years ago. Her hero, John Moray, is not the hero she planned on, but there he was! He looks much like the man Carolyn is falling in love with, but she knows she has imagined him that way because of her feelings for Graham. At first I was really into Carolyn's story and not so interested in the book story about Sophie. I am not sure how far I was into it when I found myself loving the book story and Carolyn's story became more secondary. Good writing by this author, Susanna Kearsley!As I read there were so many questions that both Carolyn and I were trying to figure out. Is what is happening to her some kind of memory in her DNA, is she psychic, are there ghosts? Sophie was her ancestor and she is living in the very place that these things happened 300 years ago. Why and how is she living Sophie's story through writing it and literally seeing the places and the people as it unfolds?This is a true historical novel and it appears to be a very well researched one. It gives the reader a real look into just one small group of people and the parts they were playing in attempting to bring king James back to Scotland in the very early 1700's. It really brings to life the intrigue that must have taken place in those unsettled times, and the characters, who really existed, do come to lifeLast but not least, this is a love story. Two actually. Carolyn's is safe and really a nice pleasant story. Sophie's is not safe nor is it simple. Not a lot of books make me cry. This one did. More than once. It's sweet, beautiful, frightening, tragic, sad - and I am not going to tell you how it ends, but it is with a twist. I had to leave it for a couple of hours about 60 pages from the end, and that was REALLY HARD. I dove back into it the minute I could. If you love historical romances and especially Scotland, you will love this book. It's a real quality read and a beautiful love story. It's not YA, but there is nothing in it that a teen should not read.

Waited for this to download after pre-ordering, only to find it is the book Sophia’s Secret with a different title. And I’ve already got that!

I purchased this book in 2008 when it was titled Sophia's Secret. I do not need two identical books. Exasperated. It should have been declared for readers .

This book is fantastic but the listing does not tell you that it is Sophia's Secret republished with a different title. Once I started to read it I knew it was familiar and did some digging. I have returned for a refund as i don't need 2 copies of the same book!Fabulous read though and highly recommend it.

A must read stunning and moving story brilliantly told by one of my most favourite authors. The characters draw you in from the start and the factual historical details and settings just add to the drama. I cannot recommend this author highly enough.thankyouformanyhours of happy reading with all of your looks so far.

I used to read historical books when I was young but lost Interest .. I nearly didn't purchase this book . However I am so glad that I did. It drew me in quite quickly . In parts it was very sad .It had a superb ending . I am looking forward to reading more of Susanna Kearsley books .I would thoroughly recommend.