Roseanna M. White has a brand new series called The Secrets of the Isles, and the first book has just released. The first book is called The Nature of a Lady, and this story takes place back in the year 1906 on the beautiful Isles of Scilly.
From the Back Cover:
1906
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 onto 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, with 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 uncover ancient legends, pirate wrecks, betrayal, and the most mysterious phenomenon of all: love.
My Thoughts:
I loved the setting for this book. I had never heard of these islands before, so it was fun to learn about a new location. The characters were enjoyable. I loved Lady Elizabeth's fascination with nature, and how her view of plant life gives her a different perspective for all of life. Oliver also has a different view of life from most. While he too sees the beauty of nature all around him, he also has been touched deeply through the pain of loss giving him a different perspective. Each of the characters in this first book, both main and secondary, has great appeal in their backstories which provides for a great story. But in addition to the characters, the tales that are being told about long-forgotten pirates and treasure hunting is a fun added mystery. I enjoyed trying to solve the mystery as I read through the story, and it was satisfying to see it come together at the end. My only complaint is that I usually can read through a book pretty quickly, and this book took me a lot longer to finish. I wasn't speeding through the pages like I have done before with Roseanna's books. However, I would not let that discourage you from reading this novel. I think it has a lot to offer, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in her series when it comes out.
