The Lady of the Loch

This ebook has been sitting on my kindle for a couple of years. I first tried to read it back in November 2023, but ended up DNFing it at 17%. Thinking it may be an issue of me being a mood reader and timing, I decided to give it another go, but despite its beautiful Scottish location, this book fell flat for me and took me forever to get through.

What I liked: It was set it Scotland with a haunted castle and the info dumping of Scottish history taught me a few things.

What I didn't like:

- writing felt very amateurish and repetitive with the long-winded dialogue

- very slowly pace

- Insta-freaking-love in the 1300's - Agnes literally she sees him climbing out of the loch in the buff and they fall desperately in love. Um, no.

- the personality turn-around of Leah from lethargic, no-hope sad sack to 'take charge of a whole castle' kind of woman was frustratingly contrived

- present-day romances didn't add to the story at all but increased the chaotic feel

- flat characters that needed more development

The ending that explains the castle haunting was a nice addition, but didn't make up for the rest of this predictable and long-winded read. 

Sometimes you DNF a book and you try it again and you enjoy it the second time around. This is not that time. Not recommended. 

My Rating: 2 stars

Author: Elena Collins

Genre: Historical Fiction

Type and Source: ebook, Amazon Prime Reading

Publisher: Boldwood Books

First Published: Feb 23, 2023

Read: June 16-24, 2026

Book Description from GoodReads: ‘Although I believe I will die here in this castle, my spirit will never be silent.’

Ravenscraig Castle, Scotland. 1307 - When the castle she works in is sacked by the army of Prince Edward of England, kitchen maid Agnes Fitzgerald manages to escape north of Inverness to throw herself at the mercy of the Lord and Lady at Ravenscraig Castle. Although safe for now, the people of Scotland are fighting hard for their independence, and the threat of the English hangs heavy over the land. But when Agnes spies Cam Buchanan swimming in the loch, her mind turns away from war and towards love. Agnes even dares to dream of a happy future, until she learns that Cam must go and fight alongside Robert de Brus.

Present day - Twins Leah and Zoe need a change, so caretaking at Ravenscraig Castle is the perfect opportunity to get away from it all. Surrounded by rugged Highland countryside, and bordered by a loch, the picturesque setting is everything they dreamed of. But the locals are reluctant to visit Ravenscraig, and there are whispers of ghosts and lost souls. The sisters quickly dismiss such superstition, but soon the overwhelming sadness they feel coming from the tower grows too hard to ignore.

Can the sisters finally right the wrongs of seven hundred years of heartbreak, seven hundred years of betrayal…