Island of the Swans by Ciji Ware

A Passionate, Flamboyant Duchess and a Cruel Twist of Fate.....

Jane Maxwell, the fourth Duchess of Gordon, was one of the most influential women of her time--a patroness of poet Robert Burns, advisor to King George and friend to Queen Charlotte, the mastermind behind her husband's political success, and a rival of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

Rich in historical detail, passion, and intrigue, Ciji Ware's Island of the Swans paints a fascinating portrait of one of the most celebrated and controversial beauties of eighteenth-century England.

my thoughts:

I spent quite a bit of time savoring this fascinating portrait of the historical figure, Jane Maxwell, (who became the fourth Duchess of Gordon) and I loved every page! Ciji Ware did a wonderful job of capturing the historical and social details of the time period spanning 1760 - 1797 while weaving in the heartbreaking fictional account of her great first love, Thomas Fraser. From beautiful Scottish landscapes to plantations in Maryland, this rich and dramatic tale of lost love and secret longing kept me glued to the pages!

As young people, Jane and her true love, Thomas Fraser, planned to marry....but Jane's ambitious mother and Thomas' godfather, Simon Fraser, have other plans. The Frasers lost their lands and titles after the defeat at Culloden, and the Master of Lovat devises a scheme to train his godson in military skills to receive a commission in the Black Watch -- a regiment sent to fight in the Colonies. Through this maneuver, the Frasers would have influence with the king to get back what was rightly theirs. Declaring their love for each other and dreaming of their future marriage, Thomas leaves for his duty....but fate is cruel. Their marriage can never be and Jane painfully tries to put the hurtful past aside and forge ahead with life. She is indeed a strong and beautiful woman, intelligent and charismatic, and if she had not been deeply affected by her first love, perhaps her marriage would have been a happy and successful one. On the surface, the Duke and Duchess of Gordon seemed to have everything - children, beautiful homes, a prestigious place in society, a comfortable attraction to each other - yet complete peace and happiness eludes them as they are both haunted by ghosts from the past.

The only place that Jane finds a bit of peace and solace is at Kinrara, one of her smaller homes near Loch-an-Eilean:

"....a body of water in the shape of a perfect oval sapphire. A small
green island on which stood a miniature, vine-covered fortress, studded
its center like a precious emerald jewel. Sun poured down on the center
of the loch, leaving the gravel beaches at its edge shrouded in billowing
mist. ....Two large white swans, their necks arching proudly, swam in a
stately procession from a thicket of reeds, encircling the castle walls."


If you'd like to know why this is an enchanting place for Jane, you must read Island of the Swans for yourself...it is not to be missed! It's going right next to A Cottage by the Sea as my favorites from Ciji Ware.



5/5 stars Highly recommended

Title: Island of the Swans
Author: Ciji Ware
Sourcebooks 2010
579 pages
genre: historical fiction

A Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware

"A remote cottage on the wild coast of Cornwall sounded to Blythe Barton Stowe like the perfect escape from the pain and humiliation of recent events in her Hollywood life. But soon she seems to be reliving a centuries-old tragedy, and the handsome owner of the shabby manor house on the hill appears vitally entwined in her destiny. As they unearth one shocking family secret after another, Blythe is forced to conclude that her intriguing neighbor is more than just an impecunious British gentleman bent on saving his ancestral home. And the impeccably honorable Lucas Teague begins to see Blythe as a lifeline in an otherwise bleak existence.

But is the unbridled attraction they're experiencing a dangerous distraction, or could it be strong enough to transcend the insurmountable complexities of time and place?"
(from the publisher)

my thoughts:

A thoroughly enjoyable, complex and emotional story of one woman's journey to escape the pain of her high-profile Hollywood divorce.

Blythe Barton Stowe was a successful partner with her British-born movie producer husband, Christopher Stowe, and enjoyed fame and fortune with their box-office hits. But her world is rocked when she arrives unannounced at her husband's office and finds the cad with another woman....and the identity of the woman is an even bigger shock to Blythe! Devastated by the humiliation of a scandalous divorce and the paparazzi, Blythe escapes to a remote area in Cornwall to come to terms with many painful memories and events in her life. She rents a small cottage on the grounds of a large manor and meets the landlord, Lucas Teague, a man who has his own secrets and pain due to the recent death of his wife. These two have a long and difficult journey to find healing and happiness, but it is a realistic relationship with jealousies and insecurities and it kept me turning the pages to find out how they would work out their challenges.

There is also a timeslip element in this story as the modern day Blythe has visions of an ancestral story from the 1700's of Blythe Barton and her forced and violently unhappy marriage to Kit Trevelyan. The mystery and secrets of her ancestors were very compelling and tied the threads of the present-day story to the past. A Cottage by the Sea was a marvelous tale of betrayals, passion, mystery, family secrets, ancestral history, and romance.

4/5 stars



athomewithbooks.blogspot.com

Title: a Cottage by the Sea
Author: Ciji Ware
Publisher: Sourcebooks
2010
529 pages