The Last Summer

'The Last Summer is meticulously researched and beautifully told . . . a wonderfully satisfying read: love, passion, drama, violence, menace and peril, and characters you fall in love with . . . Happily, this is the start of a series so your longing for more will be fulfilled.' - Santa MontefioreSummer on St Kilda - a wild, remote Scottish island.Two strangers from drastically different worlds meet . . .Wild-spirited Effie Gillies has lived all her life on the small island of St Kilda but when Lord Sholto, heir to the Earl of Dumfries, visits, the attraction between them is instant. For one glorious week she guides the handsome young visitor around the isle, falling in love for the first time - until a storm hits and her world falls apart.Three months later, St Kilda falls silent as the islanders are evacuated for a better life on the mainland. With her friends and family scattered, Effie is surprised to be offered a position working on the Earl's estate. Sholto is back in her life but their differences now seem insurmountable, even as the simmering tension between them grows. And when a shocking discovery is made back on St Kilda, all her dreams for this bright new life are threatened by the dark secrets Effie and her friends thought they had left behind.Opposites attract in this epic and spellbinding novel, which transports us from the untamed beauty of St Kilda to the glamour and intrigues of high society in the 1930s. The Last Summer is the first book in The Wild Isle series by Sunday Times bestseller Karen Swan, inspired by the true history of St Kilda and its small island community.'The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I've ever read. I truly loved it and am waiting feverishly for the second instalment' - Cathy Bramley, author of The Summer That Changed Us'Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you'll simultaneously want to savour and race through. I loved it and can't wait for the next in the series!' - Jill Mansell, author of And Now You're Back'A delicious romantic tale of wild 1930s Scotland . . . perfect for everyone dreaming of summer' - Rachel Hore, author of A Beautiful Spy

“"This series opener features an uncommon heroine and a fascinating historical setting that readers will enjoy."-- Library Journal”

This sweeping love story gripped us from the start, so we can’t wait for the next in the series. Best historical romance of 2022 Independent
I so enjoyed The Last Summer by Karen Swan, which provides fascinating details about life on St Kilda prior to the evacuation of its inhabitants from the island. Powerful writing and a wonderful premise make this a novel you’ll simultaneously want to savour and race through. I loved it and can’t wait for the next in the series! -- Jill Mansell
The most exciting, enchanting and evocative story of forbidden love I’ve ever read. I truly loved it and am waiting feverishly for the second installment. -- Cathy Bramley
A delicious romantic tale of wild 1930s Scotland . . . perfect for everyone dreaming of summer -- Rachel Hore
A dramatic start to a gripping new series set on the Scottish island of St Kilda. The Last Summer is meticulously researched and beautifully told by one of our most prolific and talented writers. It contains all the ingredients of a wonderfully satisfying read: love, passion, drama, violence, menace and peril, and characters you fall in love with - and some you hate! Happily, this is the start of a series so your longing for more will be fulfilled. Santa Montefiore
The queen of destination books...exciting...beguiling...The first in a new series, we're already looking forward to meeting these characters again . . . Woman and Home
A sweeping page-turner with an engrossing love story at its heart, this is an absolute treat for historical fiction fans. Swan is a superb storyteller. I loved it. -- Eve Chase author of The Glass House  
Vividly drawn and beautifully atmospheric, this is a book to savour. Heat Magazine
Wonderfully romantic and epic in feel, this beautiful historical novel is a fascinating and deliciously escapist read -- Tasmina Perry, author of Guilty Pleasures and Perfect Strangers
What a great adventure! The perfect way to tell the tale of the St Kilda's population in fiction form. History fans will love the fascinating St Kilda detail woven throughout this thrilling romance. Wonderful! -- Jennifer Ryan, author of The Chilbury Ladies Choir and The Kitchen Front
A promising new series from Swan . . . The vivid beauty and danger of St. Kilda only enhances Swan’s effortlessly intricate plotting. Toeing the line between romance and historical fiction, this gorgeous story and its unconventional heroine are sure to win hearts. Publishers Weekly

Karen Swan is the Sunday Times top three bestselling author and her novels sell all over the world. Her books are known for their evocative locations and Karen sees travel as vital research for each story. She loves to set deep, complicated love stories within twisting plots.The Last Summer is the first book in her five-book historical series called The Wild Isles, based on the dramatic evacuation of the Scottish island of St Kilda in the summer of 1930. It was partly inspired by Karen's Scottish roots: her father's family came from Skye, moving to Fort William where Karen was christened and where many of her family still live. Her childhood memories are full of Christmases, Hogmanays and summer holidays spent in the Highlands.

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