Under a Summer Skye (Skye Sisters, Book One)

 

SUE MOORCROFT

Stats: Kindle Edition, expected pub date 5/23/24

How acquired: Via NetGalley

First line: Thea’s heart tried to claw itself out of her chest as she stooped over the motionless figure sprawled in the road.

(Goodreads synopsis below.)

My thoughts: This is my first time reading Ms. Moorcroft, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I love stories set in small communities, and the setting of the Isle of Skye in Scotland definitely interested me. And just 2% into the story, when Thea witnesses a handsome stranger rescuing a drowning dog, I was hooked.

Often when I read I’ll pause to look up the pronunciation of a word, because even reading silently to myself I like to pronounce things correctly. I didn’t have to worry about that here, thought, thanks to the author who skillfully and helpfully inserted pronunciations, such as Thea remarking to Dev that when she moved to the Island from Suffolk she thought “Sleat” was pronounced “sleet” rather than “slate” (so did I). And most surprising to me was learning that “Loch” is pronounced with a “chh” sound at the end rather than as “lock”! Who knew?! There are also lot of great descriptions of the countryside, the village, the ocean, the sky. And the author is obviously very knowledgeable about gardening, or did some thorough research on the subject.

Thea and her sister both work at a manor home that is partially open to the public, Thea as head gardener, and Ezzie in administration. In her previous life Thea had starred on a reality TV show, until a collision between her car and a bicyclist spun her world into chaos. But she, along with Ezzie, has made a new life for herself in this remote area. When Dev shows up just in time to rescue that dog, Thea mistakes him for a job applicant, and Dev seizes on the idea and runs with it. He’s actually there to try and secure an interview with Thea for a trashy celebrity website, a job he hates but has taken out of financial need. The thought of spending the summer on Skye, working with his hands in the gardens instead, seems like heaven and an opportunity too good to pass up. But the purpose of his original mission has already set wheels in motion, and he spends much of the book trying to do damage control and agonizing over whether or not to confess the truth to Thea. I loved Dev, but at times I wanted to knock him on the head and tell him he needed to come clean. I often had a feeling a dread, for of course the day of reckoning would come eventually.

This was a truly delightful read, that touched on some deep issues, as Thea, who was adopted, also deals with learning who her birth mother is. The secondary characters are not necessarily fleshed out well, but I was so caught up in Thea and Dev, and Ezzie, and eventually Thea’s birth mother, that I didn’t care. And the little dog, Daisy, who is a joyful character in her own right. I gather that the second book in the series will be Ezzie’s story, and I am eagerly looking forward to it.

*Received via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed*

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A chance encounter is about to change everything for Thea Wynter.

The moment she arrived on the Isle of Skye, life changed for Thea. Running from a succession of wrong turns, she comes to the island in search of blue sea, endless skies, and mountains that make the heart soar. Here, she feels at peace.