The Winter Sea

By: Susanna Kearsley

Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor

Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

History has all but forgotten...

In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth-the ultimate betrayal-that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her...

Please note: This novel has also been published under a different title: Sophia's Secret.

Please note, this title is the original recording, which is now known as Sophia's Secret

©2010 Susanna Kearsley (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Romance, 2012

"Rosalyn Landor provides delightful Scottish accents for many of the characters Carrie meets inside and outside her novel....Landor adds a poetic edge to her storytelling while at the same time giving a dreamy aura to the historical side of the story." ( Audiofile)

Amazing Read

I was recommended this book when I'd said I enjoyed Historical Romances. I must say I wasn't disappointed. It does grab your attention and keep you wanting to read more and not miss even a small detail. The narrator Rosalyn also does a wonderful job with the different voices and puts quiet a bit of emotion into her readings.
If you are looking for heady mind boggling sex then this is not the book for you.
It was full of romance and very subtly done so you can listen to the book even with toddlers in the back while on a long drive. I was so taken by Susanna Kearsley that I went ahead and bought the rest of her books on audible and listened to them too. All of which have proved to be just as entertaining.

WONDERFULLY REFRESHING- EXCEPTIONAL STORY & TWIST

I absolutely LOVED this book!!!!!! I love Diana Gabaldons Outlander series and although this is not directly related. it was just as perfectly written and narrarated!! Wonderful book-- two books for the price of one in this audo book! Must buy to understand! :-)

Great book, great narration.

This book was captivating - very well written and excellently narrated. I highly recommend it. The characters were engaging and full of life. The story line was intriguing and moved seamlessly between two time periods. I couldn't wait to see how it would end, yet didn't want it to be over. I look forward to more books by this author and will be looking to see what other stories this narrator has read. Well done!

I liked it

A little slow to get into the story but once there, I was hooked. I loved the historical facts that I did not know about - the story was interwoven with the history. The narrator's performance of the various Scottish accents was good. Recommend this book.

Scottish Beefcake, or Haggis Crumpet, as it might

I just finished listening to yet another work of historical fiction, Susanna Kearsley’s The Winter Sea, about the failed Jacobite rebellion of 1708 (charmingly read by Rosalyn Landor, whose Scottish and American accents are very convincing). This book, not QUITE such a bodice ripper as those of Diana Gabaldon–well, bodices are ripped but not in such riotous detail and on so many occasions–is filled with fascinating details of absolutely terrible times. How the Jacobites persevere again and again, and fail again and again–whether due to malign fate, foreign plots, or simple ineptitude–does make for a gripping yarn. Part of the plot rests on our heroine’s having lost her parents to the Darien Disaster–the ghastly expedition to Darien, in Panama–a catastrophic failure which not only cost over 2000 lives but which bankrupted most of the Scottish nobles. Well known, I’m sure, in Scotland, but completely unknown to me.
The story is pleasing, the plot interesting–AND it manages to end happy by means of a truly ridiculous plot twist, which I appreciate.
And meanwhile,WHAT IS IT with these Scottish dreamboats, gracious me! This book has THREE of them–2 modern brothers (one more beautiful than the other), and the historical bloke, with all those muscles, those piercing eyes, and that gentle grace.
Then there is of course Gabaldon’s gorgeous Jamie, soon to be gracing the silver screen.
Quote: “I talk to you as I talk to my own soul,” he said, turning me to face him. He reached up and cupped my cheek, fingers light on my temple. “And Sassenach,” he whispered, “Your face is my heart.”
GACK.
Still, I’ll admit I read two of the books. My husband and my brother read more. They are not ill written, there is often interesting historical detail, and, there is a LOT of sex in them.

But really, the king of these adorable Scotsmen is Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond–the astonishingly beautiful, intelligent, sensitive, learned, musical, agile and muscular hero, who also speaks many languages and has an excellent understanding of mathematics– oh my! The happy hours I spent, entranced, listening to this gorgeous story! I still remember the terrible let down, as I was walking up from the subway to Friendship Heights, and hearing those grim words, “The End”. Sigh.

OH MY.....

Oh my........this is a WONDERFUL book! I am an avid "Outlander" fan and am now a Susanna Kearsley fan also. I wish you had more of her books to listen to. I love the style she wrote this book........jumping back and forth between centuries. Such an easy listen and emotional roller coaster. I could have just wrote this review with four words.....I LOVE THIS BOOK ! I want MORE!

Great book if you LOVE history.

I downloaded this book based on the reviews comparing this to a Diana Gabaldon book - it is actually a kinder, gentler version of her books. Kearsley does a good job of making history come alive with all the human elements- but if you do not enjoy history, this is not for you. On the other hand, if you do enjoy history and a good story, enjoy.

Lovely Dual Storyline Romantic Tale

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. The characters were realistic, the plot was interesting, the romance (especially the historical one) was lovely, and the narrator was excellent.

Would you be willing to try another book from Susanna Kearsley? Why or why not?

Yes. I appreciated the research, and the prose was lovely.

Have you listened to any of Rosalyn Landor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to any of Rosalyn Landor's other performances, but I will be seeking them out. I really liked her performance in this book. Her voice acting and accents were good (as far as I could tell), and her male voices didn't make me cringe.

SOPHIA'S SECRET

Why hasn't it been pointed out anywhere that this is the exact same book as Sophia's Secret. I have purchased both and am very disappointed that I got one book for the price of two.

A Good Historical Novel with a Little Romance

What made the experience of listening to The Winter Sea the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed going back and forth in time. The author did a great job making the transitions easy to follow. All the main characters were interesting and easy to like.

The narrator was great. I thought that she made the story come alive and did not over act or go too fast. She was skillful in her inflections of the different voices and I was comfortable with her pace as she sucked me into the story's rhythm.

Any additional comments?

There was history, suspense and a bit of romance . It was a great listen.
The story was not so complicated that is was hard to follow, but interesting because of the two stories one in the present and one of the past. The author did a wonderful job tying them together.