Basic Plot:John McIntyre is a fisherman/taxi-man on a small, remote Scottish island (Hebridean islands). John meets his fare, Nick Kelly in the town of Traighshee and they quickly find a friendship. As they learn more about each other, will these differences be too much and is John willing to risk everything for Nick? Can Nick let go of the past to live for the future?I have read a few of Davitt and Snow’s novels which had a large emphasis in BDSM. In those books, there is a dark intensity there, often following a “traditional” romance formula. So I came to this book with a bit of hesitation, not because I did not like those books, rather that I did not know if that their only style. However, I found this book to be both charming and endearing.The island itself is a character, which can be a challenge for a writer not to overwhelm the protagonists. In this case, the atmosphere of the town of Traighshee explains so much about the background of John that we understand his motivations almost instantly and helps to pull us into the story. By the end of the first chapter I was drawn into story and the slower pace was actually welcoming. Like watching an Emma Thompson Regency period movie, you just sit back and immerse yourself into the culture and environment.I read a review on either Goodreads or Amazon that thought the writing quality was not good enough. Ironically they said that English was not their first language, but I wonder if that was part of the reason that they had difficulties. This book has such a foreign feel to it, this coming from an American. I love finding a book that gives me a taste of a world in which I do not live. Davitt is English, so she brings in her personal background to make a vivid portrayal of the environment and culture. I loved this, but perhaps someone might not like the slower pace. Quite frankly I can think of nothing to improve the book.I found this book because I yearned for a book that was well written, had some sexiness, but was more heartwarming than extreme sex scenes. Laying a Ghost, by Jane Davitt and Alexa Snow has all of these things, but above all it made me think. It made me realize not to give up on myself or my dreams, and anything worth doing will require sacrifice. This is certainly a wonderful book and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
