The Last Summer: A wild, romantic tale of opposites attract . . .

Description

'The Last Summer is meticulously researched and beautifully told . . . a wonderfully satisfying read: love, passion, drama, violence, menace and peril, and characters you fall in love with . . . Happily, this is the start of a series so your longing for more will be fulfilled.' - Santa Montefiore Summer on St Kilda - a wild, remote Scottish island. Two strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . . Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda but when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time - until a storm hits and her world falls apart. Three months later, St Kilda falls silent as the islanders are evacuated for a better life on the mainland. With her friends and family scattered, Effie is surprised to be offered a position working on the Earl's estate. Sholto is back in her life but their differences now seem insurmountable, even as the simmering tension between them grows. And when a shocking discovery is made back on St Kilda, all her dreams for this bright new life are threatened by the dark secrets Effie and her friends thought they had left behind. Opposites attract in this epic and spellbinding novel, which transports us from the untamed beauty of St Kilda to the glamour and intrigues of high society in the 1930s. The Last Summer is the first book in The Wild Isle series by Sunday Times bestseller Karen Swan, inspired by the true history of St Kilda and its small island community. 'The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I've ever read. I truly loved it and am waiting feverishly for the second instalment' - Cathy Bramley, author of The Summer That Changed Us 'Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you'll simultaneously want to savour and race through. I loved it and can't wait for the next in the series!' - Jill Mansell, author of And Now You're Back 'A delicious romantic tale of wild 1930s Scotland . . . perfect for everyone dreaming of summer' - Rachel Hore, author of A Beautiful Spy

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author and her novels sell all over the world. Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots. The Last Summer is the first book in her five-book historical series called The Wild Isles, based on the dramatic evacuation of the Scottish island of St Kilda in the summer of 1930. It was partly inspired by Karen's Scottish roots: her father's family came from Skye, moving to Fort William where Karen was christened and where many of her family still live. Her childhood memories are full of Christmases, Hogmanays and summer holidays spent in the Highlands.

"This gorgeous story and its unconventional heroine are sure to win hearts."--Publishers Weekly "This series opener features an uncommon heroine and a fascinating historical setting that readers will enjoy."--Library Journal Praise for The Paris Secret: "Behind the locked door are shocking secrets, an unlikely romance, and nail-biting intrigue--it's definitely worth a peek." -- Kirkus Reviews "I loved it. Escaping into a world of art, beauty and heartbreaking history, I was caught on page one and didn't put it down until I finished it." -- Liz Fenwick, bestselling author of The Cornish House "The Paris Secret had me from the moment I started reading. Filled with a smart and sympathetic protagonist, a touch of romance, a smidgen of history, plenty of intrigue and suspense galore." -- Diane Chamberlain, internationally bestselling author of The Midwife's Confession "A former fashion editor, Swan brings an eye for detail to her descriptive prose. Offer this to fans of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series who may be looking for more sophistication." -- Booklist