I’m not sure why I first picked up a Freya North book, but I’m glad I did. It would have been 25 years ago or so and romance wasn’t really my thing then any more than it is now, though I’m happier to admit enjoying a bit of it today. I’m glad to have grown up with these books though. They’ve changed as the author has aged with me. They’ve always had a strong sense of place and characters who make me cry and this is no different. There’s still a romance here though it’s nowhere near as central. This is a wider ranging story than her earlier books, which tended to be tightly focused on a single character. The characters here are drawn back to the island of Harris in the Outer Hebrides, and you can feel the wind and the waves rolling off the page. There are also a load of minor characters here who quite deserve books of their own. Good all round.