The Winter Sea [Paperback]

Susanna Kearsley (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 1, 2010

History has all but forgotten...In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

"Powerful, atmospheric, enthralling, and simply mesmerizing, [The Winter Sea] is one of the best books you'll read this year!"
-Singletitles.com

"Susanna Kearsley's obvious love of history is infectious...The Winter Sea is an acknowledgement that so many of us are haunted by the deeds of our ancestors, perhaps literally..."
-Gail Anderson-Dargatz, international bestselling author of A Recipe for Bees

What readers say:

"Kearsley weaves an airtight spell that alternates and mingles the past with the present... Kudos go to her ending that, believe it or not, had this jaded reader blinking back both tears and smiles of surprise and approval. Well done."

"A perfect concoction of history and romance. Susanna Kearsley has to be one of my all-time favorite authors-she captures the audience's attention from the start."

"The book is so beautifully written the reader will feel they are right there on the northeast coast of Scotland; one can almost taste the salt-laced wind..."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The story was deliciously romantic and the writing style matched the brooding, haunting tale very well. Definitely well worth reading!" - All About Romance

"Kearsley's novel is highly reminiscent of Barbara Erskine's Lady of Hay and Mary Stewart's works: evocative novels that lift readers straight into another time and place to smell the sea, feel the castle walls, see history and sense every emotion. These are marks of a fantastic storyteller. 4 1/2 Stars, Top Pick of the Month" - RT Book Reviews

"The rich history and the historical aspect of this novel made it a book that was hard to put down. " - The Romance Studio

"Skillful writing and research... Readers will not be disappointed in Sophia's enthralling story. Highly recommended." - Historical Novels Review

"Reading this book was pure magic. " - Queen of Happy Endings

"I loved The Winter Sea. It drew me in from the start and I found myself reading faster and faster just to find out what would happen next... " - Starting Fresh

"A creative tour de force... Brilliant!" - New York Journal of Books

"Scotland past and present comes vividly alive in this superior piece of historical fiction - the rugged countryside, salty sea air and rich heritage are the perfect setting for this tale of love, loss and destiny. " - Thoughts From Lady Tess

"This is historical fiction at its best!" - Library of Clean Reads

"Vivid... One of those books that you remember long after the last page has been turned." - Debbie's Book Bag

" A perfect blend of romance, real history and what if... " - At Home with a Good Book and the Cat

"A beautiful work of historical fiction ." - Rundpinne

"The Winter Sea is a beautiful story... It will transport you to another time and place. " - A Buckeye Girl Reads

"This book has everything: historical romance, contemporary romance, rebellion, tragedy. All the good stuff... A+ storytelling!" - Readin' and Dreamin'

"From the moment I picked up this novel I was intoxicated by the idea of finding not just a muse but true love by pure accident.. A book not to be missed." - Pencil Pushers and Ink Splotches

"An excellent "time-travel" story with alternating chapters set in modern time and in the past. I would definitely recommend this book to those who love an epic story rich in historical detail. " - In the Hammock

"A wonderful book to escape into for a couple of days with fabulous characters, and an engaging story." - In Spring it is the Dawn

"A well written, engaging historical novel with a dash of romance... it's a page turner. " - A Work in Progress

"Beautiful, clear writing, a believable storyline, adventure and romance." - Bookfoolery and Babble

"A breathtaking novel... Kearsley's writing style beautifully spells out the mood for this novel. " - Luxury Reading

"One of the most enchanting romance novels of the decade, The Winter Sea will find a home on everyone's bookshelf. " - Romance Fiction on Suite101.com

"Each page I devoured only made me want to read the next one and the next one... highly engaging. " - The Royal Reviews

"Absolutely phenomenal... A stunning, gorgeous and heart-wrenching tale. " - Psychotic State

"The Winter Sea was an emotionally poignant, gripping tale of adventure both in the past and the present with characters full of life, and conflicts that tug at the heart strings. A definite read!" - History Undressed

"If you are a fan of Mary Stewart and Barbara Erskine, this is a must for your bookcase." - Celtic Lady's Reviews

"What a gifted writer Ms. Kearsley is! This is one book that I wish had gone on... T" - Books by the Willow Tree

"This book had it all: romance, intrigue, mystery, historical fiction, kick-ass location, and a storyline that made me not want to put the book down." - Life in the Thumb

"A beautiful and engrossing story... The Winter Sea will appeal in spades to fans of Mary Stewart and Diana Gabaldon. " - Angieville

" I loved how the author wove the past and the present together as Carrie dreamed of the Jacobite invasion, finding inspiration for her novel, and then in her research discovered that her dreams were more than just dreams." - Let Them Read Books

"Marvelous and flawless... " - Read All Over Reviews

"Beautifully written... A book to be read carefully and savored." - DearAuthor.com

"The Winter Sea is one of those novels that a reader doesn't come across too often." - Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Susanna Kearsley's writing has been compared to Mary Stewart, Daphne Du Maurier, and Diana Gabaldon. Her books have been translated into several languages, selected for the Mystery Guild, condensed for Reader's Digest, and optioned for film. She lives in Canada near the shores of Lake Ontario.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.; Reprint edition (December 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402241372
• ISBN-13: 978-1402241376
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (634 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #85 in Books > Romance > Time Travel
  • #86 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Historical

More About the Author

I write modern gothic novels that blend historical adventure and modern-day suspense with romance and a touch of something spooky, so they don't fit neatly into any category, really...but they're fun to write!

I live on the north shore of Lake Ontario, east of Toronto, in Canada.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#33 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical

#36 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical

#41 in Books > Romance > Historical

#68 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

#33 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical

#36 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Historical

#41 in Books > Romance > Historical

#68 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Historical Romance

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

576 of 587 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A flawlessly crafted novel August 7, 2008

By L. J. Roberts TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

First Sentence: It wasn't chance.

Bestselling author Carrie McClelland comes from France, where she is working on a book related to the 1708 attempted return of James Stewart to regain his throne. On the way to the christening of her friend and agent's baby, she takes a side road and is drawn to Slains Castle.

Deciding to move from France to Scotland, she rents a cottage near Slains and finds her connection to the old castle is closer even than her ancestor who once lived there.

This is not a gothic, time travel or a torrid romance. It is a flawlessly crafted novel set in two time periods with a romantic relationship in each. From the first page, I was immersed in the story. Kearsley's sense of place is evocative; I was with the characters in sight, sound and even smell.

Her characters became real to me. In the present day, Carrie is a wonderful protagonist; smart and independent, as is Sophie in the past. Surrounded by a strong group of supporting characters, I felt I could sit down and have a chat with any of them. The plot is so well done and flows beautifully between the two time periods.

Kearsley is an excellent writer. There is a lot of factual information in the story, but it is incorporated as part of the story and through dialogue; thus never taking you out of the story or causing you to question her facts. After the end of the story, she very clear about what liberties she did take, and those were few. The explanation used for the link from the present to the past was fascinating and one with which I was unfamiliar.

At the same time, there was nothing dry about this book; I did laugh, I did cry, at times, my heart beat a bit faster from suspense and romance and I absolutely loved the endings.... Not normally one to do comparisons but I believe fans of Diana Gabaldon, and Mary Stewart, and others, would enjoy this book; not to mention Ms. Kearsley's existing fans. I wish her books were more frequent but, for another of Ms. Kearsley's books, I'm willing to wait. Read more ›

116 of 122 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Winter Sea January 16, 2009

By Catherine M. Lawler

Format:Hardcover

The Winter Sea is wonderful. It is exactly the kind of historical fiction that I love reading. The story is about a writer in the present time who travels to Scotland and stays at a cottage in Cruden Bay (between Aberdeen and Edinburgh) near Slain Castle to research materials for her novel about the Jacobite uprising of 1708. (King James (Catholic) was exiled from the English throne to France when Mary and William became King and Queen (Mary was James' daughter) at the request of the English people. King James died in France in 1700, but his son James (aka The Pretender) with the help of the French King invaded Scotland to try to reclaim the crown.) This was the period of the first Jacobite uprising, historical materials for which are hard to come by, as there were many cover-ups, betrayals, etc. Ms. Kearsley gets better with each book she writes. I was reminded pleasantly of Lady Dorothy Dunnett's writing style in which fictional characters are interwoven with real people and events. This book was so much like Lady Dunnett's Checkmate, her six book of the Lymond Chronicles, except that Kearsley is so much easier to read. I loved this book.

203 of 220 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars First Contender to the Mary Stewart Throne May 23, 2008

By Diana F. Von Behren TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Susanna Kearsley's "The Winter Sea," is a darn good read. From the opening pages, her words flow like that of an old friend, lulling the reader into a comfortable sense of satisfaction that has one wishing that as the pages turn, more pages will mysteriously appear to allow this particular treat to be savored longer.

In the great romantic/suspense tradition of Mary Stewart--who in my opinion retains the grand old dame seat for positioning her damsels in distress with the most literary language and in magical venues that act as characters while crafting a plotline that withstands the test of time and achieves levels of sophistication and nuance that most of today's writers can't even fathom--Kearsley's heroine finds herself in an abnormal situation but not of the usual predictable formulaic fabrication. Like Stewart's ladies, she possesses intelligence and a degree of fierce tenacity that fits with the sensibilities of the 21st century yet the telling of her tale relies on subtlety to convey that extra oomph that propels this one beyond the ordinary overly sentimental romantic confection that lends to knowing the ending before even reaching the midpoint of its pages.

Instead of the usual potboiler revolving around murder, kidnapping or the plight of a helpless child, Kearsley manages to interject an element of the supernatural into each of her stories. "The Winter Sea" cleverly relies heavily on such a premise--in this case, genetic memory and uncontrolled yet compelling voices from the past--but with such a light and deft professional touch that the reader becomes more absorbed with rather than skeptical of a turn of events more akin to the horror anecdotes of Barbara Erskine than Stewart or Victoria Holt....

Delightfully, Susanna Kearsley utilizes the story-within-a-story technique in "The Winter Sea." Her protagonist, Carrie McClelland writes historical fiction for a living. Like Bram Stoker before her, she draws upon the centuries old New Slains Castle near Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire, Scotland to fire her imagination for a narrative of Jacobite intrigue occurring after the Treaty of Union motivated the exiled `Pretender', Prince James, to attempt an uprising against the English Queen Anne circa 1708. Using the castle itself as the novel's locale, she decides to relate this Stewart reclamation for the crown from the vantage point of Sophia Paterson, an ancestor that she knows little about other than the fact that she appears in the family genealogy as living during the required time period. Hunkered down in a rented cottage in the middle of cold Scots winter, Carrie quickly becomes immersed in not only the novel that seems to be frenetically writing itself, but by her sixty-something landlord, the charmingly quirky Jimmy Keith of the Doric tongue and his two attractive yet different sons, the irrepressible pub-going womanizer, Stuie--so full of himself he can't see what's plainly in front of his nose and the quietly unobtrusive historian Graham and his sidekick canine, Angus, both of whom delight in wild walks along the treacherous seawall that acts as a natural boundary to the backdrop of the North Sea.

As Carrie entwines her fictitious character's life with the real espionage that transpired in and about Slains Castle, she makes a point to authenticate her information with a degree of historical accuracy. When she realizes that much of what she thought of as fiction indeed reflects not just a clever verisimilitude of her own imaginings but actual chronological truth that has remained secret for over three centuries, she investigates the idea that she may be channeling the soul of a woman whose spirit yearns for the ultimate peace found in disclosure.

True to the example of Mary Stewart, Kearsley writes romance with the subtlety of great literature. This is no bodice ripper--so those expecting lurid scenes of eroticism back off and look further--nor is it a feminist manifesto a la vintage Barbara Michaels. Kearsley's protagonists have purpose--goals of their own where the men come on the side as delicious accoutrements to a main course already rich with caloric plot content. In "The Winter Sea," she interjects just the right amount of romantic appeal to both her heroines--these women love with a calm passion that does not belie their strength of character. Their stories unfold in pretty much the same manner that any woman's attraction for her man twinkled into full-fledged existence. She structures a firm base of mutual appeal that hooks into the reader's soul and then buttresses this with silent understanding that all of us recognize as echoing the real deal that we all desire.

Kearsley's men are delectably desirous. Strong and silent, they reflect men that women want by their side. Her manner in presenting the qualities of the two love interests in this tale remind me of what I personally find intriguing about the man in my life--the juxtaposition of his strength and his sweetness. Thank you, Ms Kearsley, for knowing what we women like so well.

Bottom line? I rarely give a book five stars, but Susanna Kearsley's "The Winter Sea" deserves the acclaim for this genre of novel. Reflective of the Mary Stewart School of romantic suspense, Kearsley weaves an airtight spell that alternates and mingles the past with the present in a believable likeable way with a strong locale that acts as a player in its own right. Kudos go to her ending that, believe it or not, had this jaded reader blinking back both tears and smiles of surprise and approval. Well done. Recommended for those readers that wish Mary Stewart had over 100 titles to credit her name.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc" Read more ›

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars On my all time top 10 reads! April 2, 2011

By B. Chandler

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

At my age, I'll just say over six decades, I have read a few books in my time. Some of my favorite books being, West With the Night, by Beryl Markham; Sena Jeter Nashlund's, Ahab's Wife, One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; The Red Tent, Cutting for Stone, The Help, Sarah's Key I could keep going but you can tell the kind of books I like from that sampling. Well I have never been so emotionally involved in a book like I was with Winter Sea. I can hardly find words to tell what a fantastic read this was. All I can say, and I do love to write myself, is that I wish I could tell a story the way Susanna Kearsley does!