• Home
  • About Me & Review Policy

The Quiet Knitter

Just a quiet knitter with an addiction to books

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« #Review Have You Seen The Sleep Fairy? @AuthorightUKPR @Authoright @gilbster1000
#Review The Absent Man @REnright_Author #IndieReads »

#Review Beneath The Water by @SarahRPainter @EmmaFinnigan #LakeUnionPublishing @annecater

March 6, 2018 by The Quiet Knitter

Beneath the Water Cover 2

** My thanks to Anne Cater and Lake Union Publishing for my copy of this book and for inviting me to be part of the blog tour **

 

Description:

Munro House is the new start Stella needs. But it will also draw her back to a dark past…

Devastated by a broken engagement, Stella Jackson leaves her old life behind for a new start in rural Scotland. But when she arrives in the remote coastal village of Arisaig, nothing is what she expected.

At the edge of Arisaig sits Munro House; grand, imposing and said to be cursed by a string of tragic deaths. No less intriguing is its eccentric and handsome young owner, Jamie Munro, who hires Stella as his assistant while he pursues a seemingly impossible aim. Working through the great house’s archives, Stella soon finds herself drawn in by a cache of increasingly erratic letters from a young Victorian woman about her husband, Dr James Lockhart, a man whose single-minded ambition has strange parallels with Jamie’s.

Just as Stella begins developing feelings for Jamie, she discovers that the connection between the Lockharts and the Munros could have sinister repercussions for them both. She’s finally found the life she wants to live—but is it all an illusion?

My Thoughts & Review:

Beneath The Water was a book that jumped out at me when I read the burb, perhaps it was the promise of mystery set in the Victoria era…I’ve been on a historical fiction hunt recently.

The parallel timelines of the plot run alongside each other, although there are several chapters where the modern day thread of the plot is the only one being narrated.  The action from the Victorian era comes in the form of letters between a newly married young woman and someone she holds very dear, her sister.  Jessie Lockhart regales her sister with snippets from her early days as a married woman, asking advice and generally asking after family back home.  Initially I did wonder how this would tie into Stella’s tale and what connection it all had with the big house in Arisaig.

Stella’s story was one of heartbreak and rebuilding, leaving life behind her in tatters she heads north to the highland village to visit friends from her university days.  Determined to clear her head and get over the trauma of a breakup she quickly falls in love with the picturesque village.  The details about the setting were superb, readers could conjure such clear images of the village and the local pub, the local shop and the big house.  The details about the Scottish weather were very authentic (yep, I’ve been up that way and can confirm that the weather can be as unruly and harsh!).

I found it hard to connect with Stella at times, granted the more I read about her the clearer my understanding of her thinking became.  She does develop throughout the book, growing in confidence and trusting her own instincts but I couldn’t help feeling that she was sometimes using excuses too often.  Whilst she wasn’t my favourite character, she did make me think and wonder how I would react in her situation.  The same could be said for another prominent character, Jamie Munro was another character that I wasn’t entirely sure of.  His mannerisms and attitude were not the most endearing and at times I really disliked him but the author has a great way opening a character up and revealing things that change your thinking.

I would have loved to read more of the Victorian story, it almost fascinating me more than the mystery and intrigue of the modern day plot.

Overall an enjoyable read, well written and well thought out.

You can buy a copy of Beneath The Water via:

Amazon UK

 

Follow the blog tour:

Beneath The Water Final BT Poster(1)

 

Advertisements

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Posted in book review, Uncategorized | Tagged Beneath The Water, Lake Union Publising, Sarah Painter | 2 Comments

2 Responses

  1. on March 6, 2018 at 1:58 pm The Quiet Knitter

    Always Anne x


  2. on March 6, 2018 at 1:28 pm annecater

    Thanks for your Blog Tour support Kate x



Comments are closed.

  • Annual Bloggers Bash 2018 Award

  • Annual Bloggers Bash 2017 Award

  • Fab Blogs to Follow

    • The Auld (Woolly) Alliance
    • Put it in Writing
    • bibliobeth
    • Not Another Book Blogger
    • BookBum
    • Broadbean's Books
    • Audio Killed the Bookmark
    • Me and My Books
    • The Beardy Book Blogger
    • Book lovers' booklist
    • Rosepoint Publishing
    • Crime Thriller Fella
    • juliapalooza.com
    • A Knight's Reads
    • Letter Twenty
    • On The Shelf Books
    • Gem's Quiet Corner
    • donnasbookblog
    • Creating Perfection ~ Freelance Fiction Editor
  • Goodreads Shelf

  • Professional Reader Challenge Participant Reviews Published 2016 NetGalley Challenge 100 Book Reviews Frequently Auto-Approved 80%
  • Archives

    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • July 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • January 2013
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • June 2012
  • Privacy notice

    The Quiet Knitter does not share personal information with third-parties nor do we store information we collect about your visit to this website for use other than to analyse content performance through the use of cookies, which you can turn off at any time by modifying your internet browser’s settings. Content from this blog cannot be published on any other websites or media without our permission. We are not responsible for the republishing of the content found on this blog on other websites or media without our permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice.

  • Advertisements

Blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


The Auld (Woolly) Alliance

When a Scottish Knitwear and Toy Designer and a French Compulsive Knitter Meet...

Put it in Writing

The Blog & Website of Anne Stormont Author: Writing, Reading, Reflecting

bibliobeth

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” - Cicero

Not Another Book Blogger

Reading, Writing, Drinking Tea

BookBum

A friendly space for all mystery, crime & thriller lovers

Broadbean's Books

Welcome to my blog where I share my thoughts on books.

Audio Killed the Bookmark

Two Girls Who Love To Read Spreading the Love For All Things Bookish! 💕📚🎧

Me and My Books

Books, book reviews and bookish news.

The Beardy Book Blogger

Reading and Reviewing Books - May Contain Beard: "From Tiny Book Blog Buds Shall Mighty Book Blogs Grow" - TBBB

Book lovers' booklist

Book news and reviews

Rosepoint Publishing

Book Blogger, Book Reviewer, Book Promotion

Crime Thriller Fella

Crime reviews, news, mayhem, all the usual

juliapalooza.com

Books, bakes and bunnies

A Knight's Reads

All things bookish

Letter Twenty

it's all about the tea

On The Shelf Books

A bookblog for readers

Gem's Quiet Corner

Welcome to my little corner. Grab a cup of tea, find your happy place and join me to talk all things books...

donnasbookblog

Creating Perfection ~ Freelance Fiction Editor

Delicately balancing the voice of the author with the needs of the reader

Cancel
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: