If you read this I highly recommend getting a hold of some eerie gaelic music to listen to while you do (I listened to Loreena McKennitt).

I wanted to like this book better than I did. I really enjoyed the feeling of atmosphere the author conveyed, and the historical and geographic setting. Unfortunately there were just too many things that bugged me.

There are two storylines, one set in contemporary times, one around 800 A.D. It wasn't hard to keep track of them, but the back-and-forth started to get old after a while.

This has some mystical/fantasy elements, which is something I don't really care for in my historical fiction. I can tolerate a touch of that, for atmosphere and such but not when it becomes a main plot-driver, which it ends up doing in the contemporary storyline. I will say I don't think the author took it to the absurd (like the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane), though it was on the edge for my tastes.

A romance storyline takes a prominent place in the contemporary storyline for the last third of the book. This is where it started too lose me. The historical storyline also has a significant romantic element, and I feel that ended up overshadowing the historical aspects of the story. ( )

From the internationally bestselling author of The Dressmaker comes an unforgettable novel about a young archaeologist who unearths ancient secrets, a tragic romance, and Viking treasure on a remote Scottish island.

One warm, rainy summer, Freya Dane, a PhD candidate in archaeology, arrives on the ancient Scottish island of Findnar. Estranged as a child from her recently dead father, himself an archaeologist, Freya yearns to understand more about the man, his work on the island, and why he left her mother so many years ago. It seems Michael Dane uncovered much of Findnar’s Viking and Christian past through his search for an illusive tomb, and Freya continues his work. The discoveries she is destined to make, far greater than her father’s, will teach her the true meaning of love and of loss.

AD 800, and a wandering comet, an omen of evil, shines down on Findnar. The fears of the locals are justified. In a Viking raid, Signy, a Pictish girl, loses her entire family. Taken in by survivors of the island’s Christian community, she falls in love with an injured Viking youth left behind by the raiders and is cast out. Confused and bereft, eventually she becomes a nun, a decision that will unleash tragedy as she is plunged into the heart of a war between three religions. Forced to choose among her ancestors’ animist beliefs, her adopted faith, and the man she loves, Signy will call out to Freya across the centuries. Ancient wrongs must be laid to rest in the present and the mystery at the heart of Findnar’s violent past exposed.

In time the comet will return, a link between past and present. But for these two women, time does not exist. For them, the past will never die. It has waited for them both. ( )

The book links a contemporary archeologist, and the tale of Viking explorers.Freya is following in her fathers footsteps, trying to find out why the Scottish island of Findnar had such a hold on him. Tale flips back and forth between contemporary times and 800's.
A couple of love interests for Freya add another story line (not particularly well done) I got really confused by the use of italics - I wasn't certain if it was internalization or the viking girl Signy taking over Frey's mind in a dream state.
Provided some background of Scottish history, but I don't know if I'd read another book by this author. ( )

Singy and Freya are living parallel lives on the Scottish Island of Findnar, but during different times in history. Singy lived on Findnar during the time of a Viking raid where her entire family was murdered and Freya living in present day came from Australia to her dead father's Island House to finish her PhD in archaeology and to complete his research and to find the many historical, hidden treasures on Findnar.

It was exciting to be with Freya as she uncovered items noted on her father's research cards and items that had been used and left by Singy when she had lived on the island. On the other hand, it was heartbreaking to see the harsh life Singy had lived with the nuns and monks.

Ms. Graeme-Evans did an outstanding job of blending the two stories together. When Freya discovers something from Singy's era, you will be excited because you actually know the real story of the find and want to let Freya know. History buffs will go crazy with the archeological finds Freya uncovers.

The author described the two main characters in detail and as equivalent to each other with their likeness being the island they lived on and the people in their lives. There is even a parallel between their two love stories. The secondary characters are just as fascinating and are vital to the book's awe and storyline and are appealing in terms of their uniqueness.

The cover in itself is intriguing, and once I started reading, it was easy to get absorbed. The storyline and writing style are perfect in all respects, and the lives of Singy and Freya keep you looking for more. The interesting detail on the author’s part and such a marvelous blending of the two eras along with the flawless, captivating storyline that moved from one era to the next will keep you turning the pages and wanting to see more of what was to come.

As the chapters flowed from one character and one era to the other, you will see the similarities in the setting and lifestyle, but of course one is more primitive than the other. I loved how the ending sentence or simply one single word of a chapter was the beginning of the other era in the next chapter. What a beautiful writing style as well as a magnificent book.

Don’t miss this exceptional read that brought past and present together in an unforgettable tale of love, loss, hidden treasures, and discovery. Ms. Graeme-Evans did a remarkable job in this compelling read that will be in my list of favorites because of the history, the mystery, and the added flare of Scotland's magic and its legends and myths. 5/5

I received a free copy of this book from Simon & Schuster in return for an honest review. ( )