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Abbey's Tale
An immigrant from Ireland, Jeremy McKetcheon took the place of a wealthy New Englander drafted into the Union Army during the Civil War. Jeremy, terribly scarred by a shell that set fire to his tent, is now a reclusive lighthouse keeper on an island off the coast of Maine. He is haunted by flashbacks of the war, and never expects to find love, understanding, or acceptance.
Beautiful but blind from birth, Abigail Morrison sees the world through the intricate carvings her father brings back from Lighthouse Island when he takes supplies there. She wonders about the artistic carver and why he hides from the world. But when the opportunity arises for her to visit the island, she and her father are tossed overboard in a raging storm. Having seen their distress from the lighthouse, Jeremy attempts a rescue in the frigid waters, and all their lives are changed forever.
Beautiful but blind from birth, Abigail Morrison sees the world through the intricate carvings her father brings back from Lighthouse Island when he takes supplies there. She wonders about the artistic carver and why he hides from the world. But when the opportunity arises for her to visit the island, she and her father are tossed overboard in a raging storm. Having seen their distress from the lighthouse, Jeremy attempts a rescue in the frigid waters, and all their lives are changed forever.
202 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2016
3 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Katherine McDermott
2 books5 followersKatherine McDermott is a retired English teacher who has written two children's books, one a chapter book and the other a picture book. Her suspense romance Hiding won a Daphne du Maurier Award from RWA. Abbey's Tale which is inspirational historical fiction is a sweet love story between a veteran suffering from PTSD and a blind woman. Her non-fiction book, The S.C. Lighthouses contains daring sea rescues and historical picture of the Carolina lights.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 18, 2017
"Does he feel anything for me?"
"Abbey's Tale" is a book about two people who have lost so many things in life and yet they were able to find happiness in each other. Abbey was a lonely girl who lost her parents and was born blind,her only way of seeing the world is through Jeremy's carvings. Jeremy as well has been living a lonely life, his scarred face not only shows all the hardships he faced in the war, but has also kept him isolated, living in a lighthouse to escape from the horrified eyes of those who happened to look at his face. The only person he found comfort to, was Abbey, whose blindness has given her the ability to focus in people's souls and not their appearance.
I really enjoyed the fact that this story was low on drama, Abbey and Jeremy were devoted to each other and always faced together all the dangers that were near them, as well as the objection's that Abbey's family had because of Jeremy's scars. My complaint with this book was the way a lot of things were rushed, from the main character's romance to the scenes that had a bit of action, all of them happened way too fast and weren't described with a lot of details.Thanks to that, i felt that most of the scenes failed to evoked all the emotions which they would have evoked, if they were better paced and more detailed.
*3.5 Stars*
I voluntarily reviewed the free copy that i received via Reading Alley.
December 11, 2016
"Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review"
This book had been recommended by a friend and I was glad when I found it in NetGalley. It’s a story about a lighthouse keeper, an ex-soldier disfigured in the war, with lovely characters - an enjoyable read. The writing is good, the descriptions quite vivid (the settings, the food, people’s habits). The romance is sweet, even if the couple is professing mutual love and deciding on marriage too soon (and unexpectedly) for my taste.
There is a bad guy (why give him POV privilege?) that creates some problems to the couple, besides the heroine’s family initial opposition to the involvement, some adventures, a temptation to a magical cure of a serious and lifelong condition (thankfully, the author doesn’t take that road…).
Living in a country with an extensive coastline and a strong connection to the sea, of course I really appreciated the descriptions of the lighthouse keeper tasks and all the magic and imagery about lighthouses.
I'm grateful to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy.
This book had been recommended by a friend and I was glad when I found it in NetGalley. It’s a story about a lighthouse keeper, an ex-soldier disfigured in the war, with lovely characters - an enjoyable read. The writing is good, the descriptions quite vivid (the settings, the food, people’s habits). The romance is sweet, even if the couple is professing mutual love and deciding on marriage too soon (and unexpectedly) for my taste.
There is a bad guy (why give him POV privilege?) that creates some problems to the couple, besides the heroine’s family initial opposition to the involvement, some adventures, a temptation to a magical cure of a serious and lifelong condition (thankfully, the author doesn’t take that road…).
Living in a country with an extensive coastline and a strong connection to the sea, of course I really appreciated the descriptions of the lighthouse keeper tasks and all the magic and imagery about lighthouses.
I'm grateful to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy.
March 21, 2017
STORY-LINE ABBEY'S TALE BY KATHERINE McDERMOTT:
In Abbey's Tale, author Katherine McDermott created a clean sweet romance. Set in a small fishing village, the community's tight-knit. Jeremy McKetcheon, an Irish immigrant, is the light-keeper for the local lighthouse. Horribly disfigured on one side of his face during the civil war, Jeremy has what we know as PTSD. With nightly nightmares and flash backs of the battles, Jeremy hides on the island with his lighthouse duties and wood craving.
Abigail Morrison, AKA Abbey, blind from birth lives in the main village with her father who is postmaster. Abby lives through the wood cravings her father brings from the lighthouse keeper. Beautiful pieces which expand Abbey's world. Pestering her father to meet the carver who so lovingly creates the pieces, they start journeying across the water just before a storm. As fate would have it, their boat capsizes and Jeremy must do his best to save them. Neither of them knew how a simple trip and an act of rescue would change their lives. My reviews for romance novel, Abbey's Tale, follows.
CHARACTERS, PLOTTING, DEVELOPMENT:
Firstly, let me say, how much I enjoyed this book. In Abbey's Tale we find two needy people who come together to save each other. Jeremy saved her from the sea, and Abbey saved him from himself. Secondly, I loved the fact McDermott gave both of her characters such wonderful personalities and morals.
Jeremy's guilt ridden and Abbey's alone in a dark world; will these two forge a relationship built on caring. Seen as a recluse in the beginning of book, by the end, Jeremy has come out of his shell and facing the world. Abbey's small world of the village, expands as she grows more confident in herself. Seen by the world as disabled, Jeremy sees only the woman he loves and Abbey sees the man who holds her heart.
Giving Jeremy a dog, Bailey, of high intelligence and strength was a skillful stroke by the author as she introduces the early concept of the seeing eye dog. Although seeing eye dogs were not in use in this time period, Bailey instinctively knew how to help Abbey. With varied plots which take the reader from a small fishing village to Boston, the author wove all the threads together to form a solid romance novel. MdDermott also raised the issue of the treatment the Irish received on ships crossing the Atlantic as well as small snips of history on the potato famine in Ireland. I found this very informative.
Furthermore the pace of the story is in line with the length of the book. Every good story need a villain, and of course, McDermott crafted a dilly for her book. You will love to hate him as he is slimy, cruel, and a professional criminal.
Finally in concluding my reviews for romance novel, Abbey's Tale, I found a solid, clean, easy to read, romance. Even though this book begins in 1869, does it brother me that Braille was probably in its infancy, as it did not appear in America until 1860 when it came to the Missouri School for the Blind; not in the least. After all this is fiction book not a history book; an author's allowed leeway in historical facts. Also, I would assume it spread like wild-fire throughout the blind community. Abbey's Tale held my attention throughout and did not lag or bog down. With characters fully developed and believable, I found this a relaxing entertaining read.
ABBEY'S TALE RECOMMENDATION: STARS 4
Finally, I would not hesitate to buy this book for my self or a friend. In addition, I found Abbey's Tale suitable for anyone who enjoys a solid romance story. I hope you have found my reviews for romance novel, Abbey's Tale helpful.
FINALLY PLEASE NOTE:
Additionally, I received this book from the author and chose to voluntarily review the book with an honest review for romance novel, Abbe's Tale. Lastly, book reviews of any novel are dependent on the book review author’s opinion. Consequently, all book reviews on-line and on my blog, are my opinions. In addition, the ARC did not affect my voluntary reviews for romance novel, Abbey's Tale.
April 24, 2017
"Abbey's Tale," is truly a gratifying work of historical fiction and perhaps the novel itself represents the genre at its very best. I was genuinely swept away by the writing of the author, Katherine McDermott as I have not seen such outstanding writing from a writer in such a long time. The writing within this book is enough to certainly recommend the book on the descriptive words alone, however, there is far more to enjoy.
The characters, mostly Abbey, the heroine was a charming, young woman who in many ways put me in mind of Belle, from Disney's classic "Beauty and the Beast." I want to point out that "Abbey's Tale," is nowhere near a beastly tale. I merely read similarities that described Abbey as reminding me of the beloved heroine, Belle. Those same characteristics included Abbey having a yearning for adventure, curiosity into finding out the reasoning as to why the hero Jeremy insisted on being so isolated from the rest of the world and of course her father was an artist whom she cherished. With all of those traits, Abbey's character contained a great deal to favor.
Of course, Jeremy was a hero to adore. I loved how the equal amount of both the darkness, as well as the light suited Jeremy. He battled his inner demons while having to keep ships safe as a keeper of a lighthouse. Jeremy, himself was not a man use to affection or even human interaction after the Civil War left him physically as well as emotionally bruised. I like how well Jeremy was both dark and yet affectionate with Abbey.
My only flaw with this novel is that although the romance was present between the duo I would have liked to have seen a little more of intense attraction. The romance is this book is more modest, I think is the word that would best describe the love between Abbey and Jeremy.
--This review was written by myself as part of my NOR review critique. All copyrights of this review belong to Night Owl Reviews and therefore meets the NOR copyright policy. If you enjoy this review and would like to read more I have provided a link to the full review:
https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Re...
The characters, mostly Abbey, the heroine was a charming, young woman who in many ways put me in mind of Belle, from Disney's classic "Beauty and the Beast." I want to point out that "Abbey's Tale," is nowhere near a beastly tale. I merely read similarities that described Abbey as reminding me of the beloved heroine, Belle. Those same characteristics included Abbey having a yearning for adventure, curiosity into finding out the reasoning as to why the hero Jeremy insisted on being so isolated from the rest of the world and of course her father was an artist whom she cherished. With all of those traits, Abbey's character contained a great deal to favor.
Of course, Jeremy was a hero to adore. I loved how the equal amount of both the darkness, as well as the light suited Jeremy. He battled his inner demons while having to keep ships safe as a keeper of a lighthouse. Jeremy, himself was not a man use to affection or even human interaction after the Civil War left him physically as well as emotionally bruised. I like how well Jeremy was both dark and yet affectionate with Abbey.
My only flaw with this novel is that although the romance was present between the duo I would have liked to have seen a little more of intense attraction. The romance is this book is more modest, I think is the word that would best describe the love between Abbey and Jeremy.
--This review was written by myself as part of my NOR review critique. All copyrights of this review belong to Night Owl Reviews and therefore meets the NOR copyright policy. If you enjoy this review and would like to read more I have provided a link to the full review:
https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Re...
April 2, 2017
The cover, plot, and setting drew me in. I received this story from Reading Alley in exchange for an honest review.
Blind since birth, Abbey Morrison is confident and proficient in her world, the only world she’s ever known. Despite the family and friendships she has in the small fishing village, and her father’s unfailing love, she is still lonely.
Disfigured and scarred from war injuries, Irish immigrant Jeremy McKetcheon, finds work and solitude in self-isolation as a lighthouse keeper on a lonely island. His only companion is a loyal dog and the periodic visits of the kindly mail carrier, Morrison, from the mainland, bringing him supplies and news.
A tragedy brings Abbey to Jeremy’s isolated island. Soon, romance blooms between the two lonely hearts.
Because this is a historical novel, the author did spend a fair bit of time describing food, activities, and period details, thus creating a developed and believable setting, even if the factual timeline was off a little bit. It’s fictions and she is entitled to stretch dates a small amount for the story.
I enjoyed the language of the Irishman, Jeremy. It felt true to his heritage and made him more dimensional. Likewise with his hobby of carving wood figures. I wish Abbey had more depth to her. She seemed a little too perfect, with her only flaw in that sometimes she made a poor choice.
The pacing, however, was awkward in many places. Sometimes it felt jerky or rushed. Characters spanned large periods of time within the same paragraph, leaving a feeling of leaping forward and missing things. A smooth transition between time could have eliminated this.
The reprobates were believable and thoroughly unlikable, which was the intention. While Abbey didn’t always behave in the wisest of ways, the evil behaviors of the bad guys certainly came across as genuine.
Abbey’s Tale is a good story. It could have been better with more development of Abbey Morrison and better pacing overall and more development between scenes.
Blind since birth, Abbey Morrison is confident and proficient in her world, the only world she’s ever known. Despite the family and friendships she has in the small fishing village, and her father’s unfailing love, she is still lonely.
Disfigured and scarred from war injuries, Irish immigrant Jeremy McKetcheon, finds work and solitude in self-isolation as a lighthouse keeper on a lonely island. His only companion is a loyal dog and the periodic visits of the kindly mail carrier, Morrison, from the mainland, bringing him supplies and news.
A tragedy brings Abbey to Jeremy’s isolated island. Soon, romance blooms between the two lonely hearts.
Because this is a historical novel, the author did spend a fair bit of time describing food, activities, and period details, thus creating a developed and believable setting, even if the factual timeline was off a little bit. It’s fictions and she is entitled to stretch dates a small amount for the story.
I enjoyed the language of the Irishman, Jeremy. It felt true to his heritage and made him more dimensional. Likewise with his hobby of carving wood figures. I wish Abbey had more depth to her. She seemed a little too perfect, with her only flaw in that sometimes she made a poor choice.
The pacing, however, was awkward in many places. Sometimes it felt jerky or rushed. Characters spanned large periods of time within the same paragraph, leaving a feeling of leaping forward and missing things. A smooth transition between time could have eliminated this.
The reprobates were believable and thoroughly unlikable, which was the intention. While Abbey didn’t always behave in the wisest of ways, the evil behaviors of the bad guys certainly came across as genuine.
Abbey’s Tale is a good story. It could have been better with more development of Abbey Morrison and better pacing overall and more development between scenes.
December 4, 2016
A really nice historical read i enjoyed this book,a great read that keeps you guessing a super romance i cant wait to read more of her books
December 5, 2016
Loved it! Beautiful love story!!! Would recommend to others!!!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews