Books on Tour: Dreams of the Island
Book Description:
Henry McAvoy leaned forward. “I have been looking for an artist just like you—a diamond in the rough, so to speak. And really, Miss Copley,” he said gently, “what do you have to lose?”
1911, Amherst Island, Canada: When a chance encounter takes Ellen Copley away from the beautiful island she has called home since she was orphaned as a child—she believes it is the new start she has been waiting for.
She settles into an exciting, creative new life in Glasgow, feeling like she’s finally finding her independence. And even though she left a part of her heart back on the island, she’s flattered by the attentions of her handsome, charming benefactor, Henry McAvoy.
But tragedy strikes their fledgling relationship, and soon after war looms over Europe. Emboldened by all she has loved and lost, Ellen leaves Scotland to become a nurse on the front line. And, as she finds herself having to choose between love and duty, desire and bravery, her courage is tested as never before.
The war rages on—and familiar faces appear on the front line, including her childhood sweetheart Jed Lyman and his brother Lucas. Coming face-to-face with her past, Ellen will learn what she is made of. But can she finally decide where her heart truly belongs?
This is the second book in the unmissable Amherst Island Trilogy that follows the life and love of Ellen Copley from the magic of Lake Ontario to the bloody battlefields of the First World War and beyond. Perfect for fans of The Oceans Between Us, The Orphan Sisters, and My Name is Eva.
Previously published as On Renfrew Street.
1911, Amherst Island, Canada: When a chance encounter takes Ellen Copley away from the beautiful island she has called home since she was orphaned as a child—she believes it is the new start she has been waiting for.
She settles into an exciting, creative new life in Glasgow, feeling like she’s finally finding her independence. And even though she left a part of her heart back on the island, she’s flattered by the attentions of her handsome, charming benefactor, Henry McAvoy.
But tragedy strikes their fledgling relationship, and soon after war looms over Europe. Emboldened by all she has loved and lost, Ellen leaves Scotland to become a nurse on the front line. And, as she finds herself having to choose between love and duty, desire and bravery, her courage is tested as never before.
The war rages on—and familiar faces appear on the front line, including her childhood sweetheart Jed Lyman and his brother Lucas. Coming face-to-face with her past, Ellen will learn what she is made of. But can she finally decide where her heart truly belongs?
This is the second book in the unmissable Amherst Island Trilogy that follows the life and love of Ellen Copley from the magic of Lake Ontario to the bloody battlefields of the First World War and beyond. Perfect for fans of The Oceans Between Us, The Orphan Sisters, and My Name is Eva.
Previously published as On Renfrew Street.
Author Bio:
Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives.
https://www.kate-hewitt.com/
https://www.facebook.com/KateHewittAuthor/
https://twitter.com/author_kate
Nerdy Mom Dot Com Review:
Dreams of the Island is book two of the Amherst Island trilogy series written by Kate Hewitt. In this installment of the series the reader catches back up with Ellen Copely as a young adult. In the beginning this story seems to catch Ellen in a happy time and a change in life from the first book, The Orphan's Island. Unfortunately, life changes rather quickly for Ellen and tragedy strikes again.
Dreams of the Island opens with Ellen helping Louisa prepare for her marriage to Jed. Ellen has come to aid her friend Louisa in wedding/honeymoon preparations, as bittersweet as it maybe, showing what a mature young woman and friend Ellen has turned out to be. She tries to clear her mind of any feelings she once had for Jed because she realizes that he is no longer available to her. Ellen instead tries to focus her mind on travelling to Glasgow and her upcoming enrollment in art school.
Once in Glasgow, she reunites with the individual that recommended she apply to art school, Henry. Henry is from an aristocratic family that contributes money to the school, so Henry is allowed to be a patron of the arts for the school. Henry quickly falls in love with Ellen to her mortification. She doesn't feel like they are a good match because of the difference in their social classes. Henry eventually convinces Ellen to marry him after he returns from a short trip to America on a very famous ship.
While in Glasgow World War I begins in France and Ellen is urged to use her nursing talents to help the cause. She reports for duty and experiences some amazingly life changing challenges that will shape her for the rest of her life. The pages Kate Hewitt wrote about the war were heart wrenching. She made it a point to the reader that war changes things in every aspect of human life. War is not just felt by the soldiers, nurses and doctors but by the families of those soldiers, nurses and doctors too. World War I left a whole generation of young adults, men and women alike, disabled mentally and physically.
I enjoyed Dreams of the Island and catching back up with Ellen. Even though this is book two of the Amherst Island Series it can be read as a stand alone, as Kate Hewitt is good with filling in the details needed to understand the story. Kate's writing is so realistic that you can almost picture Ellen and the beautiful, selfless person that she is. Instead of having school age problems like in The Orphan's Island she now has very grown-up problems in Dreams of the Island. The same holds true for each book, Ellen is always quick to make a friend no matter the situation because of her non-judgemental character. Ellen is a friend that would be an asset to anyone.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Dreams of the Island for an honest review.
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