Seal Island [Mass Market Paperback]

Kate Brallier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2005

Cecil Hargrave lives in a cramped apartment in New York City, hates her job, and has no close friends. She yearns for something more, but what?

When Cecil inherits a beachfront house and a thriving business on picturesque Seal Island in Maine, she jumps at the opportunity to kickstart her life, despite her reservations about moving to New England. But even if stereotypes hold true and New Englanders are standoffish, she'll have a new career and a gorgeous home.

Much to her delight and surprise, Cecil settles rapidly into small-town life. She makes real friends, plays with the seals who live on the beach outside her house, and meets two very different men.

Tom, a darkly sexy novelist, has returned to his hometown to write. He and Cecil hit it off almost immediately, and their chemistry is explosive -- but Cecil can't seem to stay away from the handsome drifter, Ronan, despite his secretive ways. It's like she's under a spell...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of newcomer Brallier's gentle paranormal romance, Cecilia "Cecil" Hargrave learns that a distant relation, "Aunt Allegra" (in fact her late mother's younger cousin), has bequeathed her a business and a house. Cecil abandons her empty life in Manhattan for Seal Island, Maine, an isolated community rich with intertwining lives and mystical legends of "selkies" who move between seal and human form. While settling in, she discovers that Allegra has been murdered amid mysterious financial dealings. She must also contend with island curiosity and the lure of three very different men: the affable editor of the local paper, a mysterious lobsterman and an odd neighbor whose animal magnetism sweeps her away. Full of expressions like "glory of glories" and "heaven forfend" and oblivious to e-mail, computers and cell phones, Cecil rings false as a contemporary 28-year-old. Instead, she - and the novel - echo the mode of Mary Stewart, whom the narrative mentions fondly. Still, the book's slightly old-fashioned take on love exudes a leisurely and timeless charm.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

A delicious gothic feel permeates this debut paranormal romance set on a Maine island. The loss of both her job and her Manhattan apartment forces Cecilia to visit the home and business that she inherited from Allegra, a cousin she barely knew. A large bloodstain on the floor mars the cozy seaside cottage, but Cecilia admires Allegra's excellent taste in furnishings, clothes, and jewelry. Not only are their tastes similar but Cecilia bears a striking resemblance to the murdered Allegra. She also likes the people she meets on Seal Island, including lobsterman Tom. She befriends a seal that Allegra had raised from a pup and begins an affair with her strange neighbor, Ronan, a young man with a bizarre sexual magnetism. The selkie lore (a seal who sheds his skin to live as a human) is enticing, and Brallier's book-loving heroine is appealing, although all the major surprises are telegraphed so far in advance one wonders why Cecilia is so clueless. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Tor Paranormal Romance; First Edition edition (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765348926
• ISBN-13: 978-0765348920
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,150,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Editing job required for a very good story, March 25, 2005

By 

Tina Myers "book worm" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Seal Island (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is well written, with fabulous descriptions of the beautiful Maine coastline. The characters are well developed, and are easy to like. What this book suffers from is shoddy editing. I found several instances where words are left out, and other instances where the words are mis-spelled. Ms. Brallier, a gifted story teller, deserves to have her publisher put forth more effort in the editing department. Despite the complaint, I would recommend this story as I enjoyed reading it very much. More from this author!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly interesting, but ultimately unsatisfying, March 25, 2005

By 

Mkath - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seal Island (Mass Market Paperback)

She takes the tried and true seelie myth and weaves an interesting tale. The real problem with this book is the length. It takes too long and moves too slowly. By 1/3 of the book you know the bad guy and you know the ending.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great first novel, May 11, 2008

By 

Amy (Montgomery County, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seal Island (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book after reading her second novel "The Boundless Deep. While I enjoyed that book, I loved this one for it's more simplicity. It was an easier read and I enjoyed the characters more. It is dreamy, romantic and suspenseful. This novel was particularly refreshing because it was supernatural, but different from the vampire, werewolve, shift-shaper novels that are really in abundance now.