Book info

• Title The Lost Lover
• Author Karen Swan
• Year 2024
• Genre Historical

Young Flora MacQueen has always dreamt of more than life on the small Scottish island of St Kilda. So, when she catches the eye of visiting adventurer and wealthy businessman James Callaghan, her future seems brighter. Winter seas separate the lovers but the island’s evacuation the following summer promises to reunite them – until tragedy strikes. Heartbroken and needing to support her family on the mainland, a chance meeting offers hope. Soon Flora is the toast of glamorous Paris; fame and fortune are hers for the taking. But at a high price. When a scandal erupts back home, she is implicated, along with her friends, Effie and Mhairi. But then a deception comes to light that will change everything...

Thoughts

Three books in and we’re really starting to get to the bottom of the mystery of what happened on St Kilda in the last few months before it was abandoned for civilisation. This time, we revisit some more of the details from the time before, but also follow Flora as she embarks on a new, not-as-glitzy-as-she-hoped life in Paris. I enjoyed this book but for two things - the twist around the dead fiancé was relatively easy to guess, that never sat right with me. And because we’re covering the same ground as before but from a new angle, some of it was quite repetitive. I like learning the new stuff we didn’t know before, but there was dialogue that was exactly the same as before so it felt a bit unnecessary. But a good read and I want to move on to the final book asap.

Rating: 3 / 5