Scattered, by Nola Lorraine is a fabulous debut inspirational historical fiction novel.
Set in Victorian-era Nova Scotia, the novel employs quite a few genre elements such as historical, mystery, and romance–something for every reader.
Maggie is on a quest. Her siblings have been sent from England to Canada as part of the Home Children Migrant Scheme and she is determined to find them.
Facing many obstacles, including a shipwreck that leaves her stranded on Sable Island, Maggie is a heroine who has strength, beauty, and determination.
‘She had to get to Halifax. She had to find them. She put her hand to her heart.
Keep Jack and Emily safe, Lord. Keep all of us safe.’
What follows is a tale with many twists and turns. Dashing newspaper reporter, Nash befriends her and helps her in her quest. They are both thwarted at every turn by a villainous nemesis but they never give up.
A romance blossoms between Maggie and Nash, a heroic love interest who is honourable and full of integrity. Romance is never smooth sailing, of course, and the romance has its own twists and turns.
‘She pressed her lips to his,
and he deepened the kiss until there was no doubt
where their future lay.
Side by side.
Breath by breath.
Forever.’
Nola Lorraine creates characters you will care about. Maggie, her siblings, and her love interest all inspired positive emotions.
Nola has done a wonderful job of crafting the pace of this novel–from the start, right through to the unexpected dramatic turn of events near the end of the book–it’s a page-turner.
Although the book does have a Christian influence, the author has handled this aspect with a gentle hand. The faith aspects are woven into the narrative with realism and a sense of hope and faith.
I can’t do this on my own.
Then she heard a voice. I’ll never leave you.
Scattered is a powerful story and beautifully written. There was a lot to love about Scattered. Nola’s writing is compelling and will keep you interested up to the very last page.
Scattered is comparable to When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke and would make a wonderful movie or TV series.
If you enjoy stories with a lot of twists and turns, likeable protagonists, villains you love to dislike, strong family bonds, lost treasure, an historical setting, gentle faith, and a love story, you’ll enjoy Scattered.
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About Nola Lorraine
Nola Lorraine has a passion for faith and social justice issues, and loves weaving words that inspire others with courage and hope. She co-edited the Christian charity anthology Glimpses of Light; and has more than 150 short publications, including fiction, poetry, devotions, true stories, magazine articles and academic papers. She and her husband Tim run a freelance writing and editing business, The Write Flourish, from the home they share with their two adorable cavoodles in southeast Queensland, Australia. Her debut novel Scattered will be released on 20 October 2020. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and Koorong.
To find out more, please visit her author site: https://www.nolalorraine.com.au
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