The Stolen Hours by Karen Swan
A spellbinding historical novel following The Last Summer, from Globe and Mail and Toronto Star bestseller Karen Swan.
A reluctant bride. A forbidden romance. An island full of secrets.
It's the summer of 1929 and Mhairi MacKinnon is in desperate need of a husband. As the eldest girl of nine children, her father has made it clear he can't support her past the coming winter. On her lonely island home of St Kilda, Scotland, her options are limited, but one of the MacKinnons' neighbours has a business acquaintance on the Isle of Harris looking to marry. A plan is hatched for him to chaperone Mhairi and make the introduction on his final crossing of the year, before the autumn seas close them off to the outside world once more.
Mhairi returns as an engaged woman who has lost her heart - but not to her fiancé. In love with the wrong man but knowing he can never be hers, she awaits the spring with growing dread, for the onset of calm waters will see her sent across the water to become a stranger's wife.
When word comes that St Kilda is to be evacuated in August, the lovers are granted a few months' reprieve, enjoying stolen hours together. But come the end of the summer, Mhairi will be separated from her love, her family and friends, and everything will change forever.
Contributor Bio
Karen Swan is the author of twenty breathtaking novels, many of which have topped The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star bestseller charts. She writes two books each year - one for summer and another for the holiday season. Her previous summer novels include: The Last Summer, The Secret Path, The Hidden Beach, The Spanish Promise, The Greek Escape, The Rome Affair, and The Paris Secret. Karen's winter titles include: The Christmas Postcards, Midnight in the Snow, Together by Christmas, The Christmas Party, The Christmas Secret, and Christmas Under the Stars.
Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots.
Karen's historical series The Wild Isle is based upon the dramatic evacuation of Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930. The series was partly inspired by Karen's Scottish roots: her father's family came from Skye, moving to Fort William where Karen was christened and many of her family still live. Her childhood memories are full of Christmases, Hogmanays, and summer holidays spent in the Highlands.
