Monday 8 April 2019

Spotlight & Review: Island In The Sun by Janice Horton



Island in the Sun by Janice Horton

When successful jewellery designer Isla Ashton unexpectedly inherits her eccentric Aunt Kate’s Caribbean island, she is obligated to return to the place she associates with heartache and regret. To where she grew up and fell in love with her childhood friend, Leo Fernandez. Fully intent on selling the island and finally putting the past behind her, Isla is soon compelled to put together the pieces of what really happened on a fateful night ten-years before. She begins to believe that in going to prison, Leo hadn’t only been shielding her from the same fate. She also starts to suspect that her late Aunt hadn’t been entirely honest in sending her away under the guise of recriminations. Who had they both been protecting and why?



This is definitely my surprise read of the year.

Jewellery designer, Isla Ashton's shocked to hear of her Aunt Kate's death and even more so when she has to go back to Pearl Island in the Eastern Caribbean for the reading of the will. It's over ten years since she was on the tropical island which was once her home and not somewhere she ever expected or wanted to visit again. Only on arrival, she seizes a chance to find out the truth about why she was abruptly sent back to England.

Surprise, Leo Fernandez's reaction on hearing Isla is back on Pearl Island and he's determined to show her how he has begun building a business he hopes will impress her. After spending eight years in prison with no contact with her, he hopes she will take a chance on him again. Only she has other plans which don't include him. However, a disaster acts as a catalyst to reveal secrets from the past which will hopefully heal the rift between them. To allow them to move forward...together.

It's so easy to visualise the beauty of the island through Ms Horton's writing style. The descriptions of the scenery, along with a glimpse into the daily lives of islanders, particularly through Kate's journals, depicts a fascinating insight into the lifestyle of the rich from years gone by. Additionally, readers begin to understand the vulnerability and concern of the local peoples when one era comes to an end without a clear cut plan for the new one. Told from three points of view (the third via Kate's journals) I enjoyed learning Isla and Leo's thoughts about their lives, both from their youth and the present date.

Overall, an enticing novel with a stunning backdrop with a narrative full of fascinating facts to fill your head with the yearning of, wishing you are there.

***review copy received courtesy of the publisher via Rachel's Random Resources***


Janice Horton, also affectionately known as the backpacking housewife, writes contemporary romantic fiction with a dash of humour and a sense of adventure. Once her three children had grown up, Janice and her backpacking husband sold their empty nest in Scotland UK along with almost everything they owned and set off to travel the world. Since then they have been traveling full-time and have explored over 50 countries, living out of an apartment, a hut, or wherever they happen to find themselves.

Janice works as a writer wherever she is in the world. When not writing bestselling romantic adventure novels, she writes lifestyle and travel features for her website and her work has featured in national and international magazines like ‘Prima’ in the UK and ‘Friday’ in Dubai. She has also been involved in BBC Scotland’s Write Here Write Now project and has been interviewed on many podcasts and radio shows including Loose Women’s Kaye Adams’ prime time BBC Radio Scotland Show.




2 comments:

  1. Hi Ellesea! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing Island in the Sun and for taking part in my blog tour. I was delighted to read your review and that you would recommend the book to your readers. Thanks again. Janice xx

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  2. Wishing you continued success, Janice. I thoroughly enjoyed Isla and Leo's story. Thank you for stopping by.

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