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Katherine Bay Romance #8
Old Secrets
A missing portrait … an abandoned mansion … an unexpected inheritance …
For Elise, her dying grandmother’s request to return a portrait to Drumullen, half a world away from her home, is simple.
Arriving in Katherine Bay, she visits Drumullen and is confronted by a stranger with an uncanny likeness to the man who haunts her nightmares. She flees in terror—and suffers a near-fatal fall that leaves her in a coma. When she regains consciousness she has no memory, nothing except instinct to guide her.
The discovery she has inherited a half-share in Drumullen is both mystifying and frightening.
Ethan Galloway’s return home to Katherine Bay to bury his father is bittersweet.
His beloved Drumullen is derelict. When he discovers his father has bequeathed a half share of the family mansion to a stranger, a woman no-one has ever heard of, it is one betrayal too many.
While inspecting the ruins of his home, he surprises a woman. She flees in terror and falls headlong down a flight of stairs. To his horror, he realises she is the woman who now owns a half-share of his home.
When Elise regains consciousness and it’s clear she’s lost her memory, it’s up to Ethan to help her discover her connection to the Calloway family, and her past.
As they work to solve the mystery, these two loners forge a strong bond and quickly grow close. Then in one horrifying moment, they unravel the family secret buried for close on a century—a secret that holds the power to destroy them both …
For Elise, her dying grandmother’s request to return a portrait to Drumullen, half a world away from her home, is simple.
Arriving in Katherine Bay, she visits Drumullen and is confronted by a stranger with an uncanny likeness to the man who haunts her nightmares. She flees in terror—and suffers a near-fatal fall that leaves her in a coma. When she regains consciousness she has no memory, nothing except instinct to guide her.
The discovery she has inherited a half-share in Drumullen is both mystifying and frightening.
Ethan Galloway’s return home to Katherine Bay to bury his father is bittersweet.
His beloved Drumullen is derelict. When he discovers his father has bequeathed a half share of the family mansion to a stranger, a woman no-one has ever heard of, it is one betrayal too many.
While inspecting the ruins of his home, he surprises a woman. She flees in terror and falls headlong down a flight of stairs. To his horror, he realises she is the woman who now owns a half-share of his home.
When Elise regains consciousness and it’s clear she’s lost her memory, it’s up to Ethan to help her discover her connection to the Calloway family, and her past.
As they work to solve the mystery, these two loners forge a strong bond and quickly grow close. Then in one horrifying moment, they unravel the family secret buried for close on a century—a secret that holds the power to destroy them both …
- GenresContemporary Romance
218 pages, ebook
Published June 30, 2020
12 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Wine
30 books47 followersAfter a lifetime of living in rural New Zealand this has provided a rich base for my stories.
I have always written and for many years freelanced for metroploitan and regional newspapers.
I write romance because I love delving into human relationships. It is these relationships in all their diversity that make the human race so fascinating.
I've been asked why Romance and my answer is always: I write romance because to me first and last, family matters.
Visit my author blog https://shirleywine.com
I have always written and for many years freelanced for metroploitan and regional newspapers.
I write romance because I love delving into human relationships. It is these relationships in all their diversity that make the human race so fascinating.
I've been asked why Romance and my answer is always: I write romance because to me first and last, family matters.
Visit my author blog https://shirleywine.com
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 5, 2020
Another Brilliant Book by Shirley Wine
Spent yesterday reading, the first time for a while where I could just kick back and read, not having to worry about anything else and, boy, wasn’t it worth it. Whilst I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Shirley Wine’s books, her latest offerin, ‘Old Secrets’ held me spellbound from the first page to the last. I highly recommend this book to all readers and if you haven’t read any of Shirley’s books, then pick one up, read it and like me you will be hooked. Brilliant. 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅❤️❤️
Spent yesterday reading, the first time for a while where I could just kick back and read, not having to worry about anything else and, boy, wasn’t it worth it. Whilst I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Shirley Wine’s books, her latest offerin, ‘Old Secrets’ held me spellbound from the first page to the last. I highly recommend this book to all readers and if you haven’t read any of Shirley’s books, then pick one up, read it and like me you will be hooked. Brilliant. 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅❤️❤️
April 23, 2021
A good story, with larger than life characters. Luce has been tasked by her dying grandmother with delivering a painting to a house in New Zealand, but when she arrives there the old mansion is in a state of decay. The door is open, but it seems there is nobody there. She walks up the grand staircase and is amazed to see a painting almost identical to the one she is holding. Someone speaks, and she sees the face she has had nightmares about all her life. She screams and tries to run down the stairs and escape, but trips on the second stair and falls the complete length of the staircase, cracking her head against the banister post at the bottom of the staircase. When she finally comes round in the hospital days later she has serious injuries, including total amnesia, she can remember nothing of her life at all.
Ethan has spent long hours at the hospital. It was him she had seen, but he has never met her before so has no idea why she was so scared of him. He feels responsible. As a young man he had fallen out with his father, and left the country vowing never to return. He has returned now to attend his father’s funeral. His solicitor has tried to find out information about this woman, who is Elise in her passport, and they find out that Ethan’s father had left her his half of the mansion, Ethan had inherited half from his mother.
Elise has a badly broken leg, amongst her many injuries, so Ethan insists on looking after her until she is fully recovered. Small memories of her life start to come, helping to uncover many family secrets and skeletons, they discover they are distant relatives. Despite trying to keep well away from each other their attraction grows and grows. There is a lovely happy ending, but many twists and turns until they can enjoy happiness together. Well worth reading!
Ethan has spent long hours at the hospital. It was him she had seen, but he has never met her before so has no idea why she was so scared of him. He feels responsible. As a young man he had fallen out with his father, and left the country vowing never to return. He has returned now to attend his father’s funeral. His solicitor has tried to find out information about this woman, who is Elise in her passport, and they find out that Ethan’s father had left her his half of the mansion, Ethan had inherited half from his mother.
Elise has a badly broken leg, amongst her many injuries, so Ethan insists on looking after her until she is fully recovered. Small memories of her life start to come, helping to uncover many family secrets and skeletons, they discover they are distant relatives. Despite trying to keep well away from each other their attraction grows and grows. There is a lovely happy ending, but many twists and turns until they can enjoy happiness together. Well worth reading!
June 9, 2021
More mystery than romance🤔
3.5🌟 stars
This story had an interesting pile of family mysteries and secrets but I did not find the romance all that satisfying. There's an amnesiac female lead and a bitter male lead who can't seem to make up his mind to play nice with Elise, the British woman who invaded his home and nobody knows why!
The New Zealand setting actually has little feel for the country or culture; this was a disappointment for me.
The romance is sweet/clean romance, the family history quite complex to unravel.
3.5🌟 stars
This story had an interesting pile of family mysteries and secrets but I did not find the romance all that satisfying. There's an amnesiac female lead and a bitter male lead who can't seem to make up his mind to play nice with Elise, the British woman who invaded his home and nobody knows why!
The New Zealand setting actually has little feel for the country or culture; this was a disappointment for me.
The romance is sweet/clean romance, the family history quite complex to unravel.
April 15, 2021
A very intriguing tale, keeping the reader enthralled throughout, as the mystery of the relationship between Luce (Elise) and Ethan's family is shrouded in the mists of amnesia.
Yes, this is one of those stories that keeps you turning pages well into the night, as you want to know what happens, in the end.
Yes, this is one of those stories that keeps you turning pages well into the night, as you want to know what happens, in the end.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews