‘Hidden In The Mists’ – written by Christina Courtenay #BookReview @PiaCCourtenay @rararesources

Love is love, whether you’re a Viking of the past or a contemporary woman living on a farm in Scotland

Synopsis

A love forged in fire lives on through the ages

She stared at the man again. Was he real? Her mind returned to the ghostly figure by the shore and to her strange dream. No, he was not a figment of her imagination.

Skye Logan has been struggling to run her remote farm on Scotland’s west coast alone ever since her marriage fell apart. When a handsome stranger turns up looking for work, it seems that her wish for help has been granted.

Rafe Carlisle is searching for peace and somewhere he can forget about the last few years. But echoes of the distant past won’t leave Skye and Rafe alone, and they begin to experience vivid dreams which appear to be linked to the Viking jewellery they each wear.

It seems that the ghosts of the past have secrets . . . and they have something that they want Skye and Rafe to know.

My review

After her marriage fell apart, Skye Logan is living alone on her farm on Scotland’s west coast. Living alone, and on a farm isn’t easy and it’s hard work to make ends meet.
When stranger Rafe appears on her doorstep, looking for work, Skye is wary but the extra hands are obviously welcome.
It’s clear that Rafe is keeping secrets from her, as he is looking to forget about his past, but how can Skye blame him as she is keeping secrets from him too?
And what about those vivid dreams they both suddenly seem to have, about Vikings? Are they linked with the jewellery they both are wearing?
And who are the people in their dreams? What are they trying to tell Skye and Rafe?

In my honest opinion, dual timelines in a story can be tricky. Because if you have a clear link between the two stories, and both stories are equally strong, you can have a great book.
But if you don’t, things may seem farfetched for the readers.
Luckily for us, Christina Courtenay wrote a book which is clearly the former!

The story begins already with a bang. We get to know a young Ottar, who is the son of a Jarl, but his whole family and clan are being slaughtered by a rival group of Vikings and Ottar is taken hostage as a thrall.
Putting myself in his shoes, I could for sure comprehend why he was seeking for revenge for the murder of his family. But it’s also clear he is a smart one, as he doesn’t haste anything and knows he needs to grow muscles and strength and create a good plan that will lead him to success.

I liked Ottar, not because he wants to avenge for what happened, but because despite his past and the way he is treated now, he still is a good young man.
When he meets Asta and starts to interact with her, we see how he wants to protect her from the injustice she is also enduring.
And he knows that Asta, being the daughter of the Jarl responsible of his own family’s death, cannot be held responsible for her father’s acts.

I found it sweet to see how Ottar and Asta were getting closer, developing feelings they didn’t expect.
Especially because Asta is just perfect for Ottar. She is kind, gentle, sweet and caring. And she acts at the best interest of her clan, even when it would have been her right to lead the clan, but that right has been stolen from her.
She also had a perfect sense of what’s right and what’s wrong, and always does the right thing.

So how does this bring us to the present with Skye and her struggles? All because of a piece of jewellery Skye finds on her grounds. Once found, Skye begins to have these dreams about Vikings, obviously related to Ottar and Asta.

I have to admit, if a Rafe would appear on my doorstep, and ask for work, I wouldn’t know I would let him. I am very a very wary and suspicious person, and as Skye is living on her own, on a farm, well, I had bells ringing all over in my head.

But actions speak louder than words, and quickly I started to like Rafe too!
He is the kind of man not afraid of some dirty work (literally speaking, you dirty minded people! 😊) and is eager to learn new things, that Skye shows him.

Also here, it was lovely to see Skye and Rafe growing closer.
Skye is going through a rough patch, with her marriage fallen apart while her husband refuses to sign the papers, and I can only imagine the hardship of running a farm on your own.
Skye and Rafe meeting is exactly what they both needed, for being able to move on with the next chapters of their lives.

Towards the end I was afraid that the perfect ending in my mind would be a wish from my overly romantic heart, as it seemed impossible for both stories to reach that outcome. Because the author managed perfectly to let us sit on the edge of our seat until the very end!

If these both stories would be separate books, standing on themselves, I would for sure enjoy them. But having them merged together, made them even better. Even for me, a sceptical woman who doesn’t believe in the supernatural!

I truly loved reading this story (these stories), as it shows us that no matter what you have planned, love can make you change your plans, and show us another, better outcome for our lives.
It totally, and to be honest – unexpectedly, swept me of my feet, I was totally into the story and I even forgot my wariness towards the supernatural/ inexplicable!