{"title":"Strathavon Saga","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"blood-and-the-barley-book-angela-macrae-shanks-9781999962418","title":"The Blood And The Barley","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Captivating Historical Saga. A Tale of Kinship and Love, Loyalty and Betrayal.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Discovered Diamond and winner of Book of the Year 2018 at Discovering Diamonds (independent reviews of the best in historical fiction).\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of a Chill With A Book Reader's Award.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA 2018 B.R.A.G. Medallion winner (Book Readers Appreciation Group), which tells readers this book is well worth their time and money.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe North-Eastern Highlands, 1780. \u003c\/strong\u003eThe disaster of the last Jacobite Rising has forced many changes on the Highlands and its people, few of them good. Torn from an ancient clan way of life into a harsh world of taxes, rent rises, land reforms and evictions, all that matters to the proud people of Strathavon is holding onto their land and way of life. Only, to do so, they must risk their lives. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMorven MacRae treads a perilous path - whisky smuggler and healer - apprentice to a suspected witch. Her friend and guide Rowena is singled out for extra attention by the authorities, and in particular by the local exciseman who will stop at nothing to have her for his wife. So when Rowena's young kinsman Jamie Innes returns to the glen of his birth, Morven prays he will protect Rowena and all may now be well. \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Only Jamie's path is riskier still - torn between honour and love, he chooses a dangerous course. Jamie is driven by a fierce loyalty to his kinswoman ... or so it seems. And by a desire to belong. Potent qualities, and despite herself, Morven is soon drawn to him. But when it becomes apparent there's a traitor in the glen, Jamie's true motives are less clear. Can she trust him? For this is a mystical land of lore and superstition. A place where loyalties are tested and secrets kept close ... \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e If you are drawn to magical storytelling, vivid characters, and authentic historical settings, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Blood And The Barley\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003ewill resonate with you. A fascinating tale of a lost way of life and a sensitive love story. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e.. .the author's description of the Highlands is so evocative one can almost feel the texture of the heather. MacRae conjures a mystical land of crags and burns, where belief in the old ways still hold and are made plausible by its isolation from what Wordsworth described as the 'getting and spending' of everyday life. This is a well-told tale, and I'd love it to become a saga along Poldark lines. Morven has the makings of an excellent Demelza. The community of the glen, their whisky stills and smuggling born out of necessity make for a convincing backdrop and I look forward to reading more about Strathavon. I recommend \u003cstrong\u003eThe Blood And The Barley\u003c\/strong\u003e to anyone who enjoys family sagas. - \u003cem\u003eJ.G. Harlond, historical fiction award-winning author.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49557788524817,"sku":"GOR009849888","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49725102063889,"sku":"GOR009967362","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50305504018705,"sku":"CIN1999962419VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51418208370961,"sku":"CIN1999962419G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52760183636241,"sku":"NIN9781999962418","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1999962419.jpg?v=1750997448"},{"product_id":"under-a-gravid-sky-book-angela-macrae-shanks-9781999962432","title":"Under A Gravid Sky","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn a ravaged land, can two wounded souls find love?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe North-Eastern Highlands, 1747. \u003c\/strong\u003eIn the weeks following Culloden, a victorious Hanoverian army rampages through the glens, committing atrocities, intent on crushing the rebellious Highland clans. In occupied Strathavon, persecuted families struggle under repressive new laws and rent rises. Five-year-old Rowena loses her mother, while Duncan witnesses the brutal events that make him an orphan. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA sensitive child told she must harden herself, Rowena turns to Morna, the green woman, who takes her on a journey of discovery into the magic of the natural world, passing on her healing skills. But as she blossoms into a woman, Rowena catches the eye of Hugh McBeath, a ruthless exciseman sent to extinguish the scourge of whisky smuggling from the Duke of Gordon's lands. Beguiled, McBeath believes her a witch. Nevertheless, he must have her for his wife. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmuggling illicit whisky has long been a tradition in Strathavon; the fiery spirit brings coin for paying rents. Now smuggling is deemed a traitorous act that helped fund the Jacobite rising. Duncan is the best smuggler the glen has ever seen, but having hidden while his family burned, how can he ever be worthy of tender-hearted Rowena? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRich with the language and lore of the Highlands, \u003cem\u003eUnder A Gravid Sky\u003c\/em\u003e is a powerful portrayal of a land and people in turmoil. 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