Lady Elizabeth "Libby" Sinclair, with her love of microscopes and nature, isn't favored in society. She flees to the beautiful Isles of Scilly for the summer and stumbles into the dangerous secrets left behind by her holiday cottage's former occupant, also named Elizabeth, who mysteriously vanished. Oliver Tremayne--gentleman and clergyman--is determined to discover what happened to his sister, and he's happy to accept the help of the girl now living in what should have been Beth's summer cottage . . . especially when he realizes it's the curious young lady he met briefly two years ago, who shares his love of botany and biology. But the hunt for his sister involves far more than nature walks, and he can't quite believe all the secrets Beth had been keeping from him. As Libby and Oliver work together, they find ancient legends, pirate wrecks, betrayal, and the most mysterious phenomenon of all: love.
As one who enjoys botany, I was looking forward to an in-depth look at naturalists of the early 1900's. While it is a subject important to both Libby and Oliver, lets just say the story turned in a different--but plenty exciting--direction: towards local lore and pirates and treasure hunts. I was surprised to discover that the pirate John Mucknell--commissioned by the Prince of Wales in exile himself--is an actual part of the history of the Isles of Scilly (even if the treasure was fiction). As they say, sometimes truth is stranger than fiction!
Oliver is as sweet and kind as can be (when not dealing with his arch nemesis, at least), an excellent match for Libby. Libby lacks confidence early in the book, but she grows more of a backbone as time goes on. If I had a problem with the story, it's that Libby's lady's aid, Mabena, is a supremely compelling character--to the point that she overshadowed Libby, and I wanted to skip ahead to Mabena's parts. A decent portion of the book is from her point of view, and she has a fascinating backstory so at odds with her current appearance and profession. And an equally entertaining romance.
I'm excited to spend more time with the characters! Hopefully we'll be seeing a lot more of Beth and Sheridan and Emily in the books to come. I suspect certain disreputable characters will continue to make life difficult for them as well.
Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.
Secrets of the Isles
1. The Nature of a Lady
2. To Treasure an Heiress
3. Worthy of Legend
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