What do you think?
Rate this book
Bloodline
France, 1371. The old Queen of France lies on her deathbed with a secret she will take to her grave: there is one true heir to the throne, one who would have the power to ally France and Scotland. But after her death, all that will be left are a few shreds of evidence revealing the stunning identity of her successor. Flight attendant Skye Armstrong has heard the voice of warning before, and as she's returning home from London, she recognizes the feeling of dread that accompanies her sixth sense. Walking from the airport terminal to get to her car, she pauses in the middle of the road. Her hesitation gives a Good Samaritan the split second he needs to pull her out of the path of a speeding car, saving her life. But her misfortunes are just beginning. When she arrives home, she discovers that Auntie Marjorie has been kidnapped, and cryptic instructions have been left behind: Skye must retrieve the contents of a safe deposit box and deliver it to the captors . . . No police. Her feelings of dread return. What Skye discovers in the bank box is baffling: a single page. The ancient document is certainly valuable, and with no time to lose, she goes to the rendezvous to discover the next step. A cell phone rings beneath a park bench. She answers the call, and on the screen is a picture of Auntie, unconscious. Now the kidnapper demands Skye find two more pages or her aunt will die. What secrets are hidden within the illuminated pages, and who believes they are worth killing for? And what role does the Good Samaritan play in all of it?
256 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2019
25 people are currently reading
284 people want to read
About the author
Kathi Oram Peterson
27 books159 followersKathi Oram Peterson is the Whitney Award winning author of TREACHEROUS LEGACY (2021 )A STRANGER WATCHES (2019), and A FAMILIAR FEAR (2018).
Kathi's heart-pounding suspense novels make readers double check door locks and sleep with a flashlight. Her YA Time Travels bring readers to historical events as if they are there. Her novels have richly-drawn characters and plots that hook readers and make setting the book down nearly impossible.
Keep connected with Kathi--and stay informed about special deals, new released, and other reader perks--by signing up for her newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cE52Y1
Visit Kathi at:
Her website http://authorkathiorampeterson.com/
Bookbub: : https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kathi...
Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/y65rlqtj
Tweeter: https://twitter.com/KathiOPeterson
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kathi-Oram-Pet...
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kathiopeter...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkathip/
Romantic Suspense:
Shifting Sands (2023)
Danger Unknown (2022)
Treacherous Legacy (2021)
A Stranger Watches (2020) Whitney winner
Bloodline (2019)
A Familiar Fear (2018) Whitney Winner
Breach of Trust (2017)
Star Struck (2016)
Deceived (2014)
Wanted (2013)
Cold Justice (2012)
River Whispers (2011)
Novella: An Angel on Main Street (2009).
YA Time Travel Novels:
Reluctant Warrior (2017)-Previously published as The Forgotten Warrior (2009)
Stripling Warrior (2017)
Guardian of the Stone (2017) Previously published asThe Stone Traveler (2010)
Chasing the Star (2017)
Stories included in other books:
A Christmas to Remember (2011)
Life Lessons from Mothers of Faith (2013)
Remembering the Joy of Christmas (2015)
Concept and Biography Books for Children:
I Want to Be a Mathematician Like Archimedes
I Want to Be a Scientist Like Thomas Edison
I Want to Be a Scientist Like Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek
I Want to Be a Scientist Like Alexander Von Humboldt
Tyrannosaurus X 1
How Did the Chicken Cross the Road
Yangshi’s Perimeter
Lightning Bells
The Beginning of Numbers
Kathi's heart-pounding suspense novels make readers double check door locks and sleep with a flashlight. Her YA Time Travels bring readers to historical events as if they are there. Her novels have richly-drawn characters and plots that hook readers and make setting the book down nearly impossible.
Keep connected with Kathi--and stay informed about special deals, new released, and other reader perks--by signing up for her newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cE52Y1
Visit Kathi at:
Her website http://authorkathiorampeterson.com/
Bookbub: : https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kathi...
Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/y65rlqtj
Tweeter: https://twitter.com/KathiOPeterson
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kathi-Oram-Pet...
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/kathiopeter...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorkathip/
Romantic Suspense:
Shifting Sands (2023)
Danger Unknown (2022)
Treacherous Legacy (2021)
A Stranger Watches (2020) Whitney winner
Bloodline (2019)
A Familiar Fear (2018) Whitney Winner
Breach of Trust (2017)
Star Struck (2016)
Deceived (2014)
Wanted (2013)
Cold Justice (2012)
River Whispers (2011)
Novella: An Angel on Main Street (2009).
YA Time Travel Novels:
Reluctant Warrior (2017)-Previously published as The Forgotten Warrior (2009)
Stripling Warrior (2017)
Guardian of the Stone (2017) Previously published asThe Stone Traveler (2010)
Chasing the Star (2017)
Stories included in other books:
A Christmas to Remember (2011)
Life Lessons from Mothers of Faith (2013)
Remembering the Joy of Christmas (2015)
Concept and Biography Books for Children:
I Want to Be a Mathematician Like Archimedes
I Want to Be a Scientist Like Thomas Edison
I Want to Be a Scientist Like Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek
I Want to Be a Scientist Like Alexander Von Humboldt
Tyrannosaurus X 1
How Did the Chicken Cross the Road
Yangshi’s Perimeter
Lightning Bells
The Beginning of Numbers
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
test-read-an-early-draft
February 4, 2019The author of this book is a friend, and we usually meet for lunch from time to time to chat about writing stuff. One lunch, shortly after Kathi recovered from cancer treatments, she mentioned her daughter was taking her on a vacation to Europe. They were planning on London, Paris, and Edinburgh. Kathi said it would be nice to write a book about those places, because then she could call the trip a research expense. I threw out a quest-type story that tied back to the Hundred Years War as an option for a plot that might include France, England, and Scotland. Kathi ran with it and created a story that is so much fun to read! It reminds me of The Da Vinci Code with secret groups, a tie to history, twists and turns, and a lot of suspense. (But this one doesn't have the religious controversy of The Da Vinci Code, and it's clean, so you can hand it to your teenager to read.) Highly recommended for readers looking for a clean, suspenseful story with a hint of romance.
I'm not going to give it a star rating because I read it a while ago (maybe a year ago? six months?) and the version I read was still going through final revisions and editing. But it's 4 or 5 stars, probably my favorite book from Kathi so far.
I'm not going to give it a star rating because I read it a while ago (maybe a year ago? six months?) and the version I read was still going through final revisions and editing. But it's 4 or 5 stars, probably my favorite book from Kathi so far.
February 19, 2019
This book was very interesting. It is full of the history of France and Scotland. The historical characters it centers on is Robert the Bruce and Queen Jeanne D'Evreux. Not only are historical events mentioned but some of the folklore surrounding them.
Skye Armstong is a flight attendant who finds herself in the middle of a mystery when her aunt is kidnapped and she must find three pages of ancient text to free her aunt. It is a daunting task but she has the help of the attractive Scotsman who saved her life more than once in one day.
The setting is from the US to France and then to Scotland. It is a whirlwind journey with the bad guys behind them at every turn. It is hard to know who she can trust and who has her best interest at heart. Kathi Oram Peterson did a great job at hiding the identities of the bad guys. I usually figure things out before the end of the book, but she caught me by surprise with a few of them.
I love history. This book was a great mix of the past and the present coming together. The book contains a little bit of romance. The main focus is on the suspense and finding the clues to get the artifacts together. The book does contain non-graphic violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from Covenant Communications. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Skye Armstong is a flight attendant who finds herself in the middle of a mystery when her aunt is kidnapped and she must find three pages of ancient text to free her aunt. It is a daunting task but she has the help of the attractive Scotsman who saved her life more than once in one day.
The setting is from the US to France and then to Scotland. It is a whirlwind journey with the bad guys behind them at every turn. It is hard to know who she can trust and who has her best interest at heart. Kathi Oram Peterson did a great job at hiding the identities of the bad guys. I usually figure things out before the end of the book, but she caught me by surprise with a few of them.
I love history. This book was a great mix of the past and the present coming together. The book contains a little bit of romance. The main focus is on the suspense and finding the clues to get the artifacts together. The book does contain non-graphic violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from Covenant Communications. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
February 15, 2019
This light suspense has a definite historical feel to it. In fact, it's loaded with history from France to Scotland. Sometimes this became a bit tedious to me and I skimmed because it was so much information just sort of dumped- in a conversational way, but still.
I liked the "on the run" feel to the book. Danger was constant and always right behind Skye and lots of times it was right on top of her, coming from several different sources. It felt like the bad guys were everywhere. And they were! There were a couple twists I didn't see coming, a couple I did. That's the way I like it- knowing some things, but not everything.
I didn't really connect emotionally with the characters or feel of their emotional connections to each other, so from that standpoint the story fell a bit flat for me, but overall this was a good story. I like the concept and the idea of it. I wonder if there will be another book? It felt a bit open ended to me. I would read the next book.
Content: mild violence, mild peril
- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
I liked the "on the run" feel to the book. Danger was constant and always right behind Skye and lots of times it was right on top of her, coming from several different sources. It felt like the bad guys were everywhere. And they were! There were a couple twists I didn't see coming, a couple I did. That's the way I like it- knowing some things, but not everything.
I didn't really connect emotionally with the characters or feel of their emotional connections to each other, so from that standpoint the story fell a bit flat for me, but overall this was a good story. I like the concept and the idea of it. I wonder if there will be another book? It felt a bit open ended to me. I would read the next book.
Content: mild violence, mild peril
- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 11, 2019
I LOVE books like this one. It has a killer plot that will keep you guessing, great characters and it’s just a great book!
Bloodline starts out in 1371, but quickly jumps to the present day. Skye Armstrong is the main character and the reader sees everything through her eyes. This really worked with this book, because, just like Skye, the reader has no idea who she can trust or who she should run from. And Skye spends a lot of time running.
There are so many characters in this one. There’s Skye’s Auntie Marjorie who Skye is super worried about. Jack, the man from the airplane who saves her life at airport. And Professor Sumsion, Auntie Marjorie’s boyfriend. I had no idea who she could trust. There’s always someone after Skye in an almost uncanny way. That really kept me guessing!
This book didn’t take me long to read. That’s probably because I didn’t want to put it down. I guess I was afraid I’d miss something if I did. Plus Skye needed me to know what was happening to her! Make sure to read it, I hope you love it as much as I did!
Bloodline starts out in 1371, but quickly jumps to the present day. Skye Armstrong is the main character and the reader sees everything through her eyes. This really worked with this book, because, just like Skye, the reader has no idea who she can trust or who she should run from. And Skye spends a lot of time running.
There are so many characters in this one. There’s Skye’s Auntie Marjorie who Skye is super worried about. Jack, the man from the airplane who saves her life at airport. And Professor Sumsion, Auntie Marjorie’s boyfriend. I had no idea who she could trust. There’s always someone after Skye in an almost uncanny way. That really kept me guessing!
This book didn’t take me long to read. That’s probably because I didn’t want to put it down. I guess I was afraid I’d miss something if I did. Plus Skye needed me to know what was happening to her! Make sure to read it, I hope you love it as much as I did!
February 12, 2019
3.5 Stars
BLOODLINE is a story full of adventure and suspense as characters raise to find artifacts that hold a long-ago secret. With a motley crew of characters, not knowing who to trust, and a quest to save a loved one's life, this story was entertaining from start to finish.
I enjoyed these characters, particularly the two main ones. The author did a wonderful job of making you distrust basically everyone else. I did suspect one of the villains early on, but it was still interesting to see how everything played out. The romance was on the light side, but had some decent chemistry. The plot kept thing interesting and moving at a steady pace. There also is a nice lead-in to a sequel, which would be interesting.
In the end, was it what I wished for? A very entertaining story. If you enjoy stories like The Da Vinci Code or National Treasure, you will like this story of adventure and danger as these characters travel the globe in search of some hidden artifacts that prove a dangerous secret.
Content: Some violence, but clean.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.
BLOODLINE is a story full of adventure and suspense as characters raise to find artifacts that hold a long-ago secret. With a motley crew of characters, not knowing who to trust, and a quest to save a loved one's life, this story was entertaining from start to finish.
I enjoyed these characters, particularly the two main ones. The author did a wonderful job of making you distrust basically everyone else. I did suspect one of the villains early on, but it was still interesting to see how everything played out. The romance was on the light side, but had some decent chemistry. The plot kept thing interesting and moving at a steady pace. There also is a nice lead-in to a sequel, which would be interesting.
In the end, was it what I wished for? A very entertaining story. If you enjoy stories like The Da Vinci Code or National Treasure, you will like this story of adventure and danger as these characters travel the globe in search of some hidden artifacts that prove a dangerous secret.
Content: Some violence, but clean.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not require a positive review nor affect it in any way.
May 10, 2019
I appreciate all the research that went into this book, but the plot was laughable and the writing was cringe inducing. Like really bad. The accents were weird, uneven, and unnecessary. I kind of can’t believe she has published other books. Covenant needs to up its standards. Books can be clean AND quality. I want to be more scathing than this, but I will hold myself back.
February 10, 2019
No questionable content, just predictable and unrealistic. The characters just don’t have much depth at all.
March 22, 2021
Dnf
I'm just not feeling this
I'm just not feeling this
July 11, 2019
There were a few things I things that I rather enjoyed about this story. The plot, for the most part, was pretty good. It moved quickly and I did want to see what was going to happen next. There were parts that were very predictable and others that were very dry, but it caught me enough that I continued reading.
I love the cover art. It is beautiful and very eye catching. Cover artist... *two thumbs up* Good job.
I did have some problems with this story though, so much so that my husband told me that all I did was complain and I should pick up a new book. The writing style had much to be desired. I felt like it was something I could have done in high school. It was extremely telling and very little showing. I often felt like I in the story, just watching it from a foggy distance. I mean, we are in Paris and traveling through castles in Scotland! There is so much mood that can be developed here. Skye and Jack's feelings could have bloomed more/less depending on where they were at by using the setting as a trigger, but it wasn't. Just the fact that they were walking through cathedrals and tombs and we got so little descriptions. They could have been floating through space for as much description was given with an occasional table or buttress that was flying around (Pun intended). Ms. Peterson missed a lot of opportunities to really develop the story.
I also had a really hard time with Skye in general. For a good 3/4 of the story her internal monologue was how she doesn't know if she can trust Jack for falling for his dreamy eyes. She couldn't make up her mind, like a pubescent teenager. So intense and so angry, but then she'd turn around and check out his jaw or eyes or something that it gave me a bit of whiplash. Jack almost seemed like a MarySue where he was good at pretty much everything or knew everyone and was still the kind, compassionate, hot hunk of man meat. I don't know, there didn't seem to be much to him aside from the MarySue skills he could provide. The romance that was supposed to be blooming between them didn't strike me at all. It seemed like Ms. Peterson tried too hard to get them to work, but there was no real chemistry. Like a Florence Nightingale affect because he saved her over and over again. It was rather obnoxious.
For being a historical suspense I was rather upset that there wasn't more flashbacks to history, which is what the cover kind of told me would happen. Instead there was a lot of historical info-dump. It was bad. Important information to the story, but it was dry. I was very disappointed.
The ending was kind of a let down for me too. Not by much, but I still wanted more. She wrapped it up very quickly when I feel like a epilogue wold have been helpful because we don't know what would really happen after. There was a maybe we could do something, but *shrugs* who really knows? I'd like to have a confirmed "this is what happens."
Ugh, I don't know. I don't think I'd read this again. I don't even know if I'd read anything else Ms Peterson is writing. It's just really strange to me that she has written more books, that this isn't her debut novel because that's what this definitely feels like.
I love the cover art. It is beautiful and very eye catching. Cover artist... *two thumbs up* Good job.
I did have some problems with this story though, so much so that my husband told me that all I did was complain and I should pick up a new book. The writing style had much to be desired. I felt like it was something I could have done in high school. It was extremely telling and very little showing. I often felt like I in the story, just watching it from a foggy distance. I mean, we are in Paris and traveling through castles in Scotland! There is so much mood that can be developed here. Skye and Jack's feelings could have bloomed more/less depending on where they were at by using the setting as a trigger, but it wasn't. Just the fact that they were walking through cathedrals and tombs and we got so little descriptions. They could have been floating through space for as much description was given with an occasional table or buttress that was flying around (Pun intended). Ms. Peterson missed a lot of opportunities to really develop the story.
I also had a really hard time with Skye in general. For a good 3/4 of the story her internal monologue was how she doesn't know if she can trust Jack for falling for his dreamy eyes. She couldn't make up her mind, like a pubescent teenager. So intense and so angry, but then she'd turn around and check out his jaw or eyes or something that it gave me a bit of whiplash. Jack almost seemed like a MarySue where he was good at pretty much everything or knew everyone and was still the kind, compassionate, hot hunk of man meat. I don't know, there didn't seem to be much to him aside from the MarySue skills he could provide. The romance that was supposed to be blooming between them didn't strike me at all. It seemed like Ms. Peterson tried too hard to get them to work, but there was no real chemistry. Like a Florence Nightingale affect because he saved her over and over again. It was rather obnoxious.
For being a historical suspense I was rather upset that there wasn't more flashbacks to history, which is what the cover kind of told me would happen. Instead there was a lot of historical info-dump. It was bad. Important information to the story, but it was dry. I was very disappointed.
The ending was kind of a let down for me too. Not by much, but I still wanted more. She wrapped it up very quickly when I feel like a epilogue wold have been helpful because we don't know what would really happen after. There was a maybe we could do something, but *shrugs* who really knows? I'd like to have a confirmed "this is what happens."
Ugh, I don't know. I don't think I'd read this again. I don't even know if I'd read anything else Ms Peterson is writing. It's just really strange to me that she has written more books, that this isn't her debut novel because that's what this definitely feels like.
March 1, 2019
Bloodline is the newest mystery/suspense novel from author Kathi Oram Peterson. This book gave me great anxiety. It starts in the past in 1371 and then switches to present day. From the beginning, the main character Skye is almost ran down and then she finds out her beloved Auntie Marjorie has been kidnapped. This novel is set up so well that through most of the book you have no idea who to trust. I mean every single person that Skye has "helping" her to find her Auntie and the secret pages from the past could potentially be who is behind the mystery. I felt that everyone had reasons to be the bad guy, even the handsome and mysterious Jack.
Bloodline is not an easy book to put down so I suggest you find some quiet time to just read the whole book in one sitting. There is a lot of action in the book and a blossoming romance but the best part is figuring out all of the clues that are being given. This novel also has a lot of history centering around The Hundred Years War and the royalty of England, France, and Scotland at that time. You could almost call this novel's genre historical- mystery- suspense. You can tell that the author did extensive research as she threaded together the plot. If you like this type of novel you need to read Bloodline. One last note, I LOVED the cover of this novel. It's just gorgeous! Everyone wanted to know what the book was about as I wandered around with it trying to catch a few minutes to keep reading.
This book is good for older teens and adults and has mild violence. Bloodline will keep you guessing and stressing from the beginning until the very end.
Bloodline is not an easy book to put down so I suggest you find some quiet time to just read the whole book in one sitting. There is a lot of action in the book and a blossoming romance but the best part is figuring out all of the clues that are being given. This novel also has a lot of history centering around The Hundred Years War and the royalty of England, France, and Scotland at that time. You could almost call this novel's genre historical- mystery- suspense. You can tell that the author did extensive research as she threaded together the plot. If you like this type of novel you need to read Bloodline. One last note, I LOVED the cover of this novel. It's just gorgeous! Everyone wanted to know what the book was about as I wandered around with it trying to catch a few minutes to keep reading.
This book is good for older teens and adults and has mild violence. Bloodline will keep you guessing and stressing from the beginning until the very end.
April 22, 2019
The story idea for this was a creative and there was some great history involved. I struggled with the romance though. It felt forced and like there was a disconnect from the reader. I felt there was more telling of the story, than actually showing and feeling a part of what was happening. I was not convinced there were any feelings between the two main characters. I loved the setting and the journey though.
May 17, 2024
Having the main character going over and over and over (and over) the same thoughts throughout the book is not a style of writing I enjoy. Also, the ending was quite abrupt and went off on a weird political tangent.
February 23, 2019
Intrigue!!!
Skye is a flight attendant, just getting home with time off to spend with her Auntie, when she gets a bad feeling during the later part of her flight home, she calls to check on Auntie and she talks to her but the call ends wrong......Skye hear's voices, and she's very worried. She rushes out of the airport only to be saved from being run over by the good looking guy on her flight named Jack. When she gets home, Aunties gone, Jack appears, and she gets a devastating call, Skye, Jack, and Aunties dear friend Professor Sumsion, who has been like a grandfather to Skye are soon on the run for their lives, and trying to find some ancient vellum writings to save her Aunties life. From the U.S. to Paris, to Scotland. Who is Jack, can she really trust him, she knows he's not being completely truthful,can they find all the pieces they need, who can they trust? The Black Prince is on their trail and always seems one step ahead of them. The vellum writings say their is a rightful heir to Scotland......and people want them destroyed, but what does that have to do with Skye, why does she hear voices? Will they make it in time to save her Auntie. This book had so many fantastic twists and turns with and ending I didn't see 👀coming!!! Fabulous! There's a little romance, a lot of mystery and a fantastic plot! I loved this book, and it's clean but great. Good job Ms. Peterson. Her books are always great and this one does not disappoint.
Skye is a flight attendant, just getting home with time off to spend with her Auntie, when she gets a bad feeling during the later part of her flight home, she calls to check on Auntie and she talks to her but the call ends wrong......Skye hear's voices, and she's very worried. She rushes out of the airport only to be saved from being run over by the good looking guy on her flight named Jack. When she gets home, Aunties gone, Jack appears, and she gets a devastating call, Skye, Jack, and Aunties dear friend Professor Sumsion, who has been like a grandfather to Skye are soon on the run for their lives, and trying to find some ancient vellum writings to save her Aunties life. From the U.S. to Paris, to Scotland. Who is Jack, can she really trust him, she knows he's not being completely truthful,can they find all the pieces they need, who can they trust? The Black Prince is on their trail and always seems one step ahead of them. The vellum writings say their is a rightful heir to Scotland......and people want them destroyed, but what does that have to do with Skye, why does she hear voices? Will they make it in time to save her Auntie. This book had so many fantastic twists and turns with and ending I didn't see 👀coming!!! Fabulous! There's a little romance, a lot of mystery and a fantastic plot! I loved this book, and it's clean but great. Good job Ms. Peterson. Her books are always great and this one does not disappoint.
April 9, 2019
LOVED. LOVED. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!
From the very first page to very end-- I loved it all!
I highly recommend this one!
From the very first page to very end-- I loved it all!
I highly recommend this one!
May 28, 2021
Great story! Totally unbelievable, I totally called a couple of the plot twists way in advance and there were quite a few plot conveniences, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I enjoyed the watered down history lessons woven into it all as well as how important family history can be. Overall it was a fun quick read that helped me not focus on how my family is all fighting off sickness right now and take it easy so I can get better.
February 9, 2019
Amazing! This novel had everything from mystery, romance, and history lessons. It felt like a Dan Brown novel tracing historical events to present day mysteries to be solved. Fascinating.
February 14, 2019
So full of suspense and intrigue and excitement and mystery! I love the connections made between past and present while still remaining in the present for storyline. I wasn't sure what was going to happen from one step to the next and was still turning pages as quickly as I could at the end of the book to solve the mystery right along with the characters.
March 4, 2019
SO GOOD!!! It was hard to put down! Great story. Suspenseful. Mysterious. Twists and turns. Exhilarating!
February 8, 2019
Historical fiction, clean.
April 22, 2019
Oh my goodness Jack is so dreamy and I really like the suspense! the old innocent man turned out to be a double agent BUT had a good heart (not that I didn't suspect him. It was also sad at some point. A must read! The suspense kills me! LOL
July 26, 2019
I adore the book cover! It is gorgeous! It's what caught my eye and made me want to read the book. The blurb on the back....that sounded really fun. But, it didn't pan out. The story needed work. Lots of holes, knew the bad guys way before they came out, unbelievability in the romance, stilted characters. Like another reviewer said, you'd think that there would be history flashbacks judging from the cover. Nope. So much potential for the story and the amazing settings of Scotland and France but I didn't feel these received justice.
February 15, 2019
I loved the idea of this plot. A queen dying with a secret heir to the throne and all that coming to light in the modern era. Having been to many of the sites that were seen in the story in Scotland, I loved revisiting them. She did a wonderful job showing the many political viewpoints that are currently going on in Scotland as well. I enjoyed the story, but I found myself feeling like Skye was too weak of a character for me. She questioned too much after certain characters more than proved themselves, in my opinion. I really had a hard time with her the farther I got into the book. I did really like the twists toward the end and I would recommend it to others. I didn't feel completely done though at the end. I has me wondering if there will be a sequel.
December 31, 2019
This cover gets 10/10 its gerogoues!!!!!
If your looking for a light read about treasure hunt & some romance this is a great read! I was looking for a light read between heavy books so this was perfect!
The two stars is because of the plot and let's just say the main charcters priorities were not straight 🤔 Let's just leave it at that.
If your looking for a light read about treasure hunt & some romance this is a great read! I was looking for a light read between heavy books so this was perfect!
The two stars is because of the plot and let's just say the main charcters priorities were not straight 🤔 Let's just leave it at that.
April 2, 2019
A historical suspense that's filled with history from France to Scotland. Skye is on a mission to save her aunt.
January 5, 2024
I was really excited to read this book because I love royalty history and the espionage and treasure hunt quest sounded like lots of fun. I was disappointed. The core premise of this book makes no sense. The basis of the plot is that Skye, a modern-day American flight attendant, takes a DNA test that reveals her to be the descendant of a French queen who died in the prologue in 1371. This supposedly make her the claimant to the thrones of both France and Scotland, since the French’s queen daughter married a Scottish king. The British government then sends hitmen to kill Skye so she can’t become a rallying figure for Scottish independence.
Obviously France guillotined their king forever ago, so she has no real right to be queen of France, but the book insists that she could be a person of significance to Scotland. The idea that Scotland would care about a random American with no connections to Scotland besides her distant ancestry is really laughable. If Scotland wanted to break away from the rest of the UK, they wouldn’t need to produce their own queen to do it. They could just vote on it, and Scotland does debate whether they should break away all the time. In real life, there are people who are claimants of the thrones of both Scotland and France whose genealogy is publicly known, but nobody’s trying to put them on a throne.
Skye spends the book on a treasure hunt to find documents from the 1300s that the British government thinks will prove her claim to the throne. The British government has therefore kidnapped her aunt and threatened to kill her if Skye doesn’t find the documents. But even if her DNA test named centuries-old kings and queens as her ancestors (I took a DNA test once and they only show your ancestral countries and close living relatives who’ve taken a test with the same company), Skye’s not a historian, so she wouldn’t even KNOW the significance of her ancestry until kidnappers entered her life. It’s bizarre that the government would take interest in Skye and her family unless Skye herself knew/cared about her ancestry enough to rally a political movement and somehow got support.
For most of the book, I thought the author must not have done any research on Scotland and didn’t know about the Jacobite movement. In the 1600s, the Jacobites were a political movement who wanted the house of Stuart to have control of the British throne instead of the current royal line King Charles III descends from. But then towards the end, Skye’s spy love interest, Jack, starts used the word “Jacobite” to describe people interested in using Skye to further Scottish independence. However, the Jacobites were a thing from the 1600s, so this artifact from the 1300s they’re hunting isn’t relevant to the discussion. Couldn’t the book have been about a treasure hunt for some document from the 1600s?
In real life, the descendants of the house of Stuart are relatively easy to find. All the recent claimants are listed on Wikipedia, they’re not trying to seize the British throne, and no one seems to be trying to murder them. It’s not enough to have royal ancestors. You also need people to care about your claim, which Skye herself didn’t even know about. Also, was the British government just watching every DNA testing company in the world, waiting for Skye to get a test?
None of the characters, including those who work for the British government, are aware that Scotland is part of Great Britain. They use “British” as a synonym for English and refer to conflicts between the “Scottish and the British” instead of Scotland and England.
My other problem with this book was that Skye herself wasn’t a compelling character. Usually in adventure stories like this, we get a team of people with specialized skills. She spends the book in the company of a professor who’s The Smart One and a spy who’s The Competent One but she herself doesn’t have any skills or smarts that contribute to the team. I can’t see someone like her becoming a legitimate political threat that any government would worry about, so the premise just falls apart.
Obviously France guillotined their king forever ago, so she has no real right to be queen of France, but the book insists that she could be a person of significance to Scotland. The idea that Scotland would care about a random American with no connections to Scotland besides her distant ancestry is really laughable. If Scotland wanted to break away from the rest of the UK, they wouldn’t need to produce their own queen to do it. They could just vote on it, and Scotland does debate whether they should break away all the time. In real life, there are people who are claimants of the thrones of both Scotland and France whose genealogy is publicly known, but nobody’s trying to put them on a throne.
Skye spends the book on a treasure hunt to find documents from the 1300s that the British government thinks will prove her claim to the throne. The British government has therefore kidnapped her aunt and threatened to kill her if Skye doesn’t find the documents. But even if her DNA test named centuries-old kings and queens as her ancestors (I took a DNA test once and they only show your ancestral countries and close living relatives who’ve taken a test with the same company), Skye’s not a historian, so she wouldn’t even KNOW the significance of her ancestry until kidnappers entered her life. It’s bizarre that the government would take interest in Skye and her family unless Skye herself knew/cared about her ancestry enough to rally a political movement and somehow got support.
For most of the book, I thought the author must not have done any research on Scotland and didn’t know about the Jacobite movement. In the 1600s, the Jacobites were a political movement who wanted the house of Stuart to have control of the British throne instead of the current royal line King Charles III descends from. But then towards the end, Skye’s spy love interest, Jack, starts used the word “Jacobite” to describe people interested in using Skye to further Scottish independence. However, the Jacobites were a thing from the 1600s, so this artifact from the 1300s they’re hunting isn’t relevant to the discussion. Couldn’t the book have been about a treasure hunt for some document from the 1600s?
In real life, the descendants of the house of Stuart are relatively easy to find. All the recent claimants are listed on Wikipedia, they’re not trying to seize the British throne, and no one seems to be trying to murder them. It’s not enough to have royal ancestors. You also need people to care about your claim, which Skye herself didn’t even know about. Also, was the British government just watching every DNA testing company in the world, waiting for Skye to get a test?
None of the characters, including those who work for the British government, are aware that Scotland is part of Great Britain. They use “British” as a synonym for English and refer to conflicts between the “Scottish and the British” instead of Scotland and England.
My other problem with this book was that Skye herself wasn’t a compelling character. Usually in adventure stories like this, we get a team of people with specialized skills. She spends the book in the company of a professor who’s The Smart One and a spy who’s The Competent One but she herself doesn’t have any skills or smarts that contribute to the team. I can’t see someone like her becoming a legitimate political threat that any government would worry about, so the premise just falls apart.
March 15, 2023
This was a gem among the crime novels that I have seen at Deseret Book, mainly because it also had elements of historical fiction—a genre that I treasure.
Summary
Flight attendant Skye struggles to come to grips with her aunt’s sudden disappearance after she herself is rescued by a handsome Scottish stranger. However, after discovering an ancient document in a lockbox that her aunt had left her, Skye finds herself on the run from a hoard of shady characters who seek what is now in her possession. Now with the help of her Scottish hero and professor friend, she must race against the clock to find the two other missing pages of this ancient tome so that she can save her aunt before it is too late. As she does so, she discovers her heritage may be connected to this centuries-old mystery.
Likes
-->Genre. Historical Fiction has always been by bread and butter of the literary world, and this author blends both history and fiction very well in this tale. A lot of the time, historical fiction puts you right in the center of the time-period, but this one stays in modern time for most of the story and does so while still being able to show the history in a non-boring or distant way.
-->Setting. I enjoyed following the characters to famous medieval landmarks, some of which I have had pleasure of visiting myself, so it was a nice callback to those places. Medieval history is something that I have a particular interest in, so it was neat that the characters got to see and learn about specific landmarks while in a high-stake battle.
[Read full review at https://ashleyweaverauthor.com/2022/1...]
Summary
Flight attendant Skye struggles to come to grips with her aunt’s sudden disappearance after she herself is rescued by a handsome Scottish stranger. However, after discovering an ancient document in a lockbox that her aunt had left her, Skye finds herself on the run from a hoard of shady characters who seek what is now in her possession. Now with the help of her Scottish hero and professor friend, she must race against the clock to find the two other missing pages of this ancient tome so that she can save her aunt before it is too late. As she does so, she discovers her heritage may be connected to this centuries-old mystery.
Likes
-->Genre. Historical Fiction has always been by bread and butter of the literary world, and this author blends both history and fiction very well in this tale. A lot of the time, historical fiction puts you right in the center of the time-period, but this one stays in modern time for most of the story and does so while still being able to show the history in a non-boring or distant way.
-->Setting. I enjoyed following the characters to famous medieval landmarks, some of which I have had pleasure of visiting myself, so it was a nice callback to those places. Medieval history is something that I have a particular interest in, so it was neat that the characters got to see and learn about specific landmarks while in a high-stake battle.
[Read full review at https://ashleyweaverauthor.com/2022/1...]
April 25, 2019
Flight attendant Skye Armstrong’s life turns upside down in a heartbeat, one minute she is returning from London and on her way home, when she hears the voice of warning, she has heard the voice before. While walking to her car, she pauses int he middle of the road. A good Samaritan pulls her out of the path of a speeding car and saves her life. When she arrives home, the worst has happened, her aunt has been kidnapped and she has been given cryptic instruction on how to get her back. Skye must get into a safe deposit box and deliver what is inside to her aunts captors. Skye finds a paper in the bank box and is totally baffled, a single page, a very old document. With no time to lose, she takes the paper goes to the rendezvous point, while sitting waiting, a cell phone rings beneath the bench she is sat on. The kidnapper demands she find two more pages before her aunt dies. Who should she trust? When the Good Samaritan from the airport shows up and saves her again, she decides to trust him and together they go on a hunt for the other two pages.
This was a real page turning, suspenseful read. I loved the characters they were so real, you felt Skye’s love for her aunt, her uncertainty into how to handle the fast paced travel she had to do. I loved the settings of the book, the description of the places they were. You felt like you were right there with them, trying to figure out which way to go next. This book had a few twists and turns and I loved that. Great Read.
This was a real page turning, suspenseful read. I loved the characters they were so real, you felt Skye’s love for her aunt, her uncertainty into how to handle the fast paced travel she had to do. I loved the settings of the book, the description of the places they were. You felt like you were right there with them, trying to figure out which way to go next. This book had a few twists and turns and I loved that. Great Read.
June 28, 2019
Skye seems like a competent adult and is a successful flight attendant. She returns home to find her Auntie Marjorie gone. She receives an email demand that she go to her aunt's safety deposit box and retrieve a page that is there.
Skye encounters a number of people trying to get the page and/or kill her. Jack from her last flight comes to her aid more than once. She is suspicious of him and he isn't telling her the whole truth.
Skye acts quite a bit younger than her age for at least half of the book. I get she is in danger and encountering all sorts of new and scary things, but she acts like a child lashing out at Jack and creating additional problems, which are unnecessary. And who calls their aunt "auntie" once they are an adult anyway?
So there was a good bit about Skye's behavior in the first half of the book that annoyed me. The thing that kept me going is the story was intriguing and I wondered what would happen with Aunt Marjorie. I did see several of the twists coming and I was a bit dissatisfied with the way the story ended after all the drama. Maybe four stars is too high?
Skye encounters a number of people trying to get the page and/or kill her. Jack from her last flight comes to her aid more than once. She is suspicious of him and he isn't telling her the whole truth.
Skye acts quite a bit younger than her age for at least half of the book. I get she is in danger and encountering all sorts of new and scary things, but she acts like a child lashing out at Jack and creating additional problems, which are unnecessary. And who calls their aunt "auntie" once they are an adult anyway?
So there was a good bit about Skye's behavior in the first half of the book that annoyed me. The thing that kept me going is the story was intriguing and I wondered what would happen with Aunt Marjorie. I did see several of the twists coming and I was a bit dissatisfied with the way the story ended after all the drama. Maybe four stars is too high?
September 1, 2020
Twists, Turns, and Trust given in the wrong direction
If you like contemporary thrillers with romance and connections to Scottish Jacobite Lineage, then this will entertain you and make you want to learn more of this history. This book has a definite Da Vinci Code Vibe, with Special Agents, Professional Thiefs, and so much more! Skye Armstrong is such a courageous and smart woman, that faces so many challenges based on a simple DNA test that clarifies her lineage. She meets Jack who is constantly lying to “protect” her from murderous thiefs and kidnappers, but is he lying? “Bloodline” takes you on so many emotional roller coasters, and tricks you into trusting so many different people and theories. I could not STOP listening to this book it was truly so good!
Kathi please please please right a sequel to this book so that we can find out more of the story, and Skye Armstrong’s future.
If you like contemporary thrillers with romance and connections to Scottish Jacobite Lineage, then this will entertain you and make you want to learn more of this history. This book has a definite Da Vinci Code Vibe, with Special Agents, Professional Thiefs, and so much more! Skye Armstrong is such a courageous and smart woman, that faces so many challenges based on a simple DNA test that clarifies her lineage. She meets Jack who is constantly lying to “protect” her from murderous thiefs and kidnappers, but is he lying? “Bloodline” takes you on so many emotional roller coasters, and tricks you into trusting so many different people and theories. I could not STOP listening to this book it was truly so good!
Kathi please please please right a sequel to this book so that we can find out more of the story, and Skye Armstrong’s future.
April 7, 2019
I picked this one up from the library because of the cover. Yes, I did judge a book by it's cover 😆 Look at it.... so pretty! The story itself was overall enjoyable, though I felt a little underwhelmed. The mystery was engaging enough, though I figured out the "plot twist" way early in the story, so the ending didn't pack the punch that it should have. Plus the history was too much at times. It was intersting, but felt too much like an info dump, and I found myself skimming over some parts. The ending felt rushed and way too open. Maybe a sequel is being written? It very much felt like the story wasn't over. Overall, not a bad book, and it was clean - no language, sex, etc. - and that I appreciated.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews