Reviewed by Emma Crowley
A chance encounter is about to change everything for Thea Wynter.
The moment she arrived on the Isle of Skye, life changed for Thea. Running from a succession of wrong turns, she comes to the island in search of blue sea, endless skies, and mountains that make the heart soar. Here, she feels at peace.
As head gardener at Rothach Hall, life is exactly how she wants it, with her days spent working in the glorious clifftop garden and her evenings in the cosy local village.
But an encounter with a stranger from the mainland brings with it an unexpected turn – and only time will tell if he is friend or foe.
It seems that even on Skye, life can catch up with you, and Thea is soon faced with the past she left behind – and with it, the family she’s never met…
Many thanks to Avon Books via NetGalley for my copy of Under a Summer Skye to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Somehow I had never read a book by Sue Moorcroft despite seeing lots of her books around on social media. But now I’ve finally rectified that and what a gorgeous story this was and I know for certain I’ll go back and take a look at some of her previously published books. Under a Summer Skye is the first in a trilogy following three sisters, Althea, Esmerelda and Valentina. This story focuses on Thea and opens with a brief prologue which gives the reader a glimpse into Thea’s life. An incident with a cyclist which wasn’t her fault leaves Thea’s world altered and her tv series, Garden Gladiators comes to an end as does her relationship with camera operator Ivan. Fast forward nine years and Thea is in a very different place. She now calls the remote isle of Skye home and is head gardener at Rothach Hall where her sister Ezzie also works. Here she has found comfort, sanctuary and security but the past is about to come back and bite her and despite her best efforts to avoid it it’s time to face the realities of that incident all those years ago.
Right from the outset there is a lovely feeling surrounding the story. It has such a nice, relaxed pace but yet there is a lot happening, but never did it feel like it was being rushed or situations and details were being glossed over. Both the character and plot development were excellent and you certainly get a lot more than you bargained for with some serious issues being dealt with but in a way that fitted perfectly with the overall tone and feel of the book. The theme of the family unit, the question of identity and how the cult of social media and its vultures can disrupt the life of someone are all explored here and things are slowly revealed at just the right times.
The setting is what makes this book as well as having a well-structured and thought out plot not to mention the brilliant diverse characters. The setting of the isle of Skye and specifically the hall and the surrounding small village was absolutely superb. Everything was so vivid with such evocative and detailed descriptions.Those that are fans of gardening and flowers will love how Thea’s job is described and even I did and considering gardening wouldn’t be my thing that’s saying something. I built up such a wonderful and beautiful picture of the gardens and hall in my head which really helped with my overall enjoyment of the story.
Lately, it’s taken me awhile to settle into books or for the book to find its rhythm and settle down. But right from chapter one I was drawn straight into Theas story as she is forced to jump into the burn (a stream) to rescue a stray dog who is in distress. Through this event she meets newcomer to the island Deveron (Dev) and from this moment the peace and serenity that she has craved and is enjoying is shattered. Dev is handsome and there is a connection there that over the course of the book develops into something more but it’s not without its complications which become more apparent the further you read. She had been expecting a different man to interview for a summer job in the gardens and Dev bends the truth a little bit as to how he came to be there and with very little gardening experience he gets the job. The rescued dog whom Thea names Daisy goes on to be a star of the book and Thea’s love and enthusiasm for the little bundle of fluff becomes infectious. Little Daisy brings Thea new life and excitement and you become eager to see her escapades.
Dev came to the island with one goal in mind. Everything has gone wrong for him. His business, marriage and home are all gone and he is burnt out thanks to the actions of others. He is a journalist specialising in sport but desperate times call for desperate measures and he is forced to write for a seedy celeb website in order to earn some cash. The owner of said website wants an article on Thea who has done her best to stay out of the spotlight and would hate for everything that she has established on Skye to ripped from under her. Dev is torn. On the one hand he needs the money but morally after to getting to know Thea and working in the gardens and seeing the new life that she has created for herself he just can’t do it. I thought OK here is a man with a conscience and for once he is deciding to do the right thing and he is thinking of others and not just of himself. He fell into the job and in doing so met Thea who was getting back to herself after such a tricky time. Who was he to come and disrupt all that?
I was so glad he chose to do the right thing but that didn’t mean his boss was happy nor was the person who wanted the article written. I’m being evasive here because the article forms a big part of the overall plot and to say much more would ruin the story. Suffice to say, I had great respect for Dev because of the decision he took but I just had the feeling whilst reading that said decision would come back to bite him and keeping secrets from Thea perhaps wasn’t the best course of action. But on the other hand did he really have any other choice? Once he arrived and he couldn’t explain the exact truth as to how he came to be there he got in too deep and couldn’t back out without destroying what he had with Thea or ruining the lovely working experience he was having and the new life he was establishing albeit on a temporary basis for the summer months.
The plot could have solely focused on Thea and the article and the story would have been good but instead the author branched out introduced the question of family and this really upped things another gear. This could have come out of nowhere and been very implausible but thanks to wonderful writing that had the reader really caring for the characters and what happened to them this didn’t become the case. My enjoyment of the story only grew and grew when we are told that all three sisters had been adopted by their musician parents. Valentina, who lives and works on the mainland and is a super serious lawyer, meets an old family friend who reveals some startling information about Thea’s birth mother. What Thea learns is very upsetting for her and it sends her off on a whole other trajectory and bang the book takes a different turn and boy was I there for it all. Again this could have dominated the plot and already there was a lot going on but the deft touch of Sue Moorcroft meant everything melded together so well and I loved seeing Thea discover more and battle with her emotions with what she learns.
Thea was a fabulous female heroine. I loved that she didn’t take any messing around from anyone when it came to her job and the love and devotion she had for it was evident for all to see. But on the other hand there was a vulnerability about her that she tried to hide from people and it was clear she had been deeply affected from the events of nine years ago that unless she truly confronted them then she could never move on. I loved how this aspect of the story was there was quite a surprising twist to it and I was kicking myself that I hadn’t seen it coming. It showed how selfless Thea was to still be living with the fallout. At times I thought she was a bit immature in some of her actions and that she over reacted but that showed that she wasn’t all perfect and did have flaws. The troubles that Thea fled from come knocking at her door but will she open it and confront them? You definitely have to read this fantastic book to find out.
Under a Summer Skye was a fabulous and thoroughly enjoyable read and it’s brilliant to know that there is more to come. I’m already looking forward to reading Ezzie and Valentina’s stories and can’t wait for the publication of A Skye Full of Stars. This book is the perfect escapist summer read full of raw emotions, hidden secrets and twists and turns which all made for a great read.
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