The Last Summer

Eighteen year old Effie Gillies has lived all her life on St Kilda; she’s the best climber on the island, as skilled and brave as any of the men. But in matters of the heart, she’s an innocent, and when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time – until a storm hits and her world falls apart.

Three months later, St Kilda falls silent as the islanders are evacuated for a better life on the mainland. With her friends and family scattered, Effie is surprised to be offered a position working on the Earl’s estate, but seeing Sholto in polite society isn’t the reunion she’d hoped for. And when a body is discovered on the abandoned isle a few days later, she wonders if this is really a new beginning – or just an ending she can’t escape . . .

“"I so enjoyed The Last Summer by Karen Swan, which provides fascinating details about life on St Kilda prior to the evacuation of its inhabitants from the island. Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you'll simultaneously want to savour and race through. I loved it and can?t wait for the next in the series!" Jill Mansell "The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I?ve ever read. I truly loved it and am waiting feverishly for the second instalment." Cathy Bramley "A delicious romantic tale of wild 1930s Scotland...perfect for everyone dreaming of summer." Rachel Hore”

'Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you’ll simultaneously want to savour and race through. I loved it' Jill Mansell

'The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I’ve ever read.' Cathy Bramley

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author of twenty-one books and her novels sell all over the world. She writes two books each year - one for the summer period and one for the Christmas season. Previous summer titles include The Spanish Promise, The Hidden Beach and The Secret Path and, for winter, The Christmas Secret, Together by Christmas and Midnight in the SnowHer 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.She is writing a five-book historical series called The Wild Isles, based on the dramatic evacuation of Scottish island St Kilda in the summer of 1930.

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