Drifting Dawn

Scottish Isles Series, Book 2

De: Samantha Young

Narrado por: Shane East, Mhairi Morrison

After eighteen years, I’ve come home to the Scottish island of my childhood. It’s the place I vowed I wouldn’t return to so I never again had to see the man who broke my heart into a million pieces.

Yet family has inevitably brought me back, and avoiding my ex, Quinn McQuarrie, is proving impossible when he insists on digging up the past every time we meet.

Quinn is now a single dad, the local contractor, and the person the entire town is rooting for to get his happily ever after. The problem is, he wants me to be his HEA, and I just want to move on. When Quinn sees my plans to save the town’s volunteer lifeboat service as an opportunity to work together, I’m stuck with him. And, unfortunately, I soon realize there’s no denying that the chemistry we share has only grown more intense with the passing of time.

I know Quinn wants more than just a physical relationship, but it’s all I can promise with so much hurt and distrust between us.

However, when strange disturbances escalate to harassment, our lives are turned upside down, and Quinn proves he will do anything in his power to protect me. Even if it means losing each other before we ever get our second chance…

©2026 Samantha Young (P)2026 Samantha Young

Another great Samantha listen!

This second chance romance was everything I wanted and more. Great performances and story. Highly recommended.

Loved it!!

What a great addition to the Scottish Isle’s series!! I loved this one so much!! It has everything I love in a romance book! Second chance, small town, single dad and suspense!!

I was addicted to this one immediately!! I felt all the feels while reading this one! I felt like this was a realistic portrayal of a couple getting their second chance. I loved watching Quinn and Taran find their way back to each other.

I always want to hop on a plane and go to Scotland after I read a book by this author! She creates these worlds that you just want to be a part of. This book is no different. Her writing really makes the books play out like a movie in my mind.

I did an immersive read on this one. The narrators took on an incredible story and made it that much better! Oh how I got lost even more in the story. They made things come that much more alive for me. They were fantastic!

I was definitely not ready for this book to end. It could have been so much longer and I would not have complained one bit! I definitely got attached to the characters!

I will just be over here patiently waiting for the next book!

FMC is a not my favorite

normally I'm all about the angst in this author's books but I could not stand Taran for most of this book. the performance was great but I still could not get on board with the FMC. She acted like she was the only one hurt in the initial breakup and it was almost childish the way she couldn't see past her hurt when he was hurting just as much if not more.

Second Chance, Zero Growth

I was genuinely looking forward to Drifting Dawn, but the further I got into the book, the more frustrated I became; primarily because of the female lead, Taran.

From the moment she returns home, everything feels centered around her perspective, her hurt, and her version of events, without much willingness to truly reflect on her own role in what happened. What made this particularly difficult to get past is that Taran was the one who initially broke up with Quinn. She chose to leave, to prioritize university and her life elsewhere, while Quinn was the one putting in the effort—traveling to see her, trying to maintain the relationship.

Yet years later, she frames the narrative as if she was the one abandoned. That disconnect is where I could no longer empathize with Taran, her emotions or what she was going through.

There’s a consistent pattern where Taran jumps to conclusions, rewrites history to fit her feelings, and refuses to fully hear Quinn out. When Quinn explains what happened- that he had a drunken night, didn’t remember it, and then stepped up when a pregnancy resulted, his reasoning is grounded in responsibility and a desire to be better than his own father. That’s a mature, selfless decision. But instead of trying to understand that perspective, Taran reduces it to: he chose someone else over her. That conclusion feels not only unfair, but deeply lacking in self-awareness.

What made it more frustrating is that even nineteen years later, she’s still holding onto that same narrative without any real growth or reflection. There’s little acknowledgment of the fact that:

1. She ended the relationship
2. She created the distance
3. And she wasn’t the only one who was hurt

It often feels like she sees herself as the sole victim, which makes it hard to empathize with her.

Her behavior throughout the book also leans heavily into emotional immaturity. She avoids difficult conversations, reacts defensively, and defaults to anger instead of communication. Even when Quinn opens up and shares his side of the story; honestly and vulnerably, she responds with hostility rather than understanding. At times, her reactions feel more aligned with a teenager than an adult woman revisiting a past relationship.

There’s also a noticeable double standard in how she views boundaries and jealousy. She expects Quinn to adhere to rules she herself didn’t follow, which further adds to the sense of imbalance in her character.

Quinn, on the other hand, was the standout for me. He’s grounded, emotionally mature, and consistently shows up with honesty, patience, and care. As a single father, a hardworking contractor, and someone who takes responsibility for his past, he feels layered and believable. He communicates, he tries, and he puts in the effort; even when it’s not reciprocated in a meaningful way.

This ultimately led me to question the central relationship. I really struggled to understand what Quinn saw in Taran, especially given how closed off, reactive, and, at times, unappreciative she was toward him. He goes out of his way to support her, protect her, and be there for her, yet she often responds with sarcasm, defensiveness, or emotional distance.

Moments like her avoiding him after he opens up, sneaking out instead of communicating, or even ending things over text only reinforced that sense of immaturity. It felt like she was unwilling or unable to meet him at the same emotional level.

More than anything, I think what was missing for me was growth. Taran carries a lot of hurt, which is understandable, but she never truly does the work to unpack it in a way that shows meaningful self awareness or change. Without that, her actions felt repetitive and frustrating rather than compelling.

In the end, I didn’t connect with her, and because of that, I couldn’t fully invest in the romance. Quinn deserved a partner who could meet him with the same level of emotional maturity, accountability, and openness and I just didn’t feel like Taran got there.