CELTICLADY'S REVIEWS: The Storm Sister by Lucinda Riley Virtual Book Tour Review!

Publication Date: March 22, 2016

Atria Books
Hardcover & eBook; 512 Pages

Series: The Seven Sisters
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

Gathered at their childhood home to mourn their father’s death, Ally D’Aplièse and her five adoptive sisters receive tantalizing clues to their distinct heritages. Ally soon finds herself in Norway where she begins to make sense of her elusive past in the second part of an epic new series by #1 internationally bestselling author Lucinda Riley.

Olympic hopeful Ally is in the midst of preparations for one of the world’s most challenging yacht races when news of her beloved father’s death shocks the accomplished sailor. Saying goodbye to the love of her life, a man her family knows nothing about, she rushes back to her family home, an enchanting chateau where she and her five sisters—each adopted as infants—were raised on the shores of Lake Geneva.

When new tragedy strikes on the high seas, pummeling Ally yet again with a terrible and unexpected loss, she turns her back on the water and instead follows her own North Star—an intriguing clue left by her father which leads her to Norway and the promise of unmasking her origins.

Surrounded by the majestic beauty of an unfamiliar homeland, Ally begins to unpack the century-old story of a remarkable young woman named Anna Landvik, a talented singer with an astonishing link to composer Edvard Grieg and his celebrated musical accompaniment to Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play “Peer Gynt.”

Lucinda Riley’s captivating story brings together two resilient women—decades apart—weaving their stories into a moving examination of family, love, and identity.

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About the Author

Lucinda Riley was born in Ireland and wrote her first book aged 24. Her novel ‘Hothouse Flower’ (also called ‘The Orchid House’) was selected for the UK’s Richard and Judy Bookclub in 2011 and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. She is a multiple New York Times bestselling author and has topped the bestseller charts in four European countries.

In response to demand from her readers, she has recently re-written two books from her early writing career when published under her maiden name Lucinda Edmonds – the books are now being published as ‘The Italian Girl’ and ‘The Angel Tree’.

‘The Seven Sisters’ is the first of a unique seven book series based allegorically on the mythology of the famous star constellation.

Lucinda’s books are translated into 28 languages and published in 38 countries. She lives with her husband and four children on the North Norfolk coast in England and in the South of France.

My Thoughts

I am so excited about this series, I get to be in each of the sister's lives for a short time. The first book in the series The Seven Sister's, we learn the death of Pa Salt, the adoptive father of the six sisters. There is Maia D'Apliese, the eldest of the sisters. There there is Ally D'Apliese, the nest sister to be cover in The Storm Sister.

After the death of Pa Salt, at the reading of the will, each woman is given a letter with clues as to their heritage They know nothing of who or where their families are. Maia identity took her to Rio de Janeiro where she found closure and love.

Ally also gets her letter but really has no desire to find out who she is. She is grieving the death of her father and wants to train for the Olympics. She is a highly skilled sailor and that is her life. We meet the man of her dreams and is happy until tragedy strikes her again. To find a focus she finally decides to get on with her life and find out who she is and where she comes from. Her quest takes her to Norway. One of the clues her adoptive father gave her was a book, telling her that is where she will find the answers she is looking for.

The book is very old and is about a young woman named Anna Landvik. Anna lives in the country, wanting nothing more than to spend time with her favorite cow Rose and someday to marry and have a family of her own. A man comes into her life, he has heard that Anna has the voice of an angel and wants her to go to Leipzig Germany. There she becomes familiar with the music of Edvard Grieg and performs in a stage production of Peer Gynt, based on the work of Henrik Ibsen. She becomes very well known for her singing across Europe. She had met a fellow musician, fell in love, got married and then he decided to further his career as a composer, he left for Paris. Anna is devastated by his loss but she does continue on.

Back to Ally meets a few people on the way in her quest for her heritage, people who ultimately help her along the way. What is her connection to Anna Landvik and Jens Halverson, Anna's husband? To Edvard Grieg? That you will have to read for yourself. As an aside the name D'Apliese is an acromyn on the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades, the star cluster that is the stuff of legends.

I love this series so far, so much history and research, it even touches on events of WWII and how it impacted the Halverson family. I look forward to reading the next installment about the next sister Star D'Apliese and what her future holds.

I received a copy of this book for review for my opinion.