Kathleen C. Perrin
The Secret of the Abbey
on tour August 14-25, 2017
(historical fiction)
Release date: June 3, 2017
Self-published at Langon House
565 pages
ISBN: 978-0692877975
Website | Goodreads
Source: This book was given to me by France Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
SYNOPSIS:
After unwillingly leaving a comatose Nicolas behind on Mont Saint Michel in 1429, Katelyn Michaels is distraught to be back in the United States in modern times. When a series of remarkable events facilitates her taking up residence on the Mount and reveals why Katelyn was called as a Watchman, her fondest hope is to be reunited with Nicolas, regardless of the circumstances. However, when Nicolas unexpectedly arrives with a new mission for her, Katelyn is devastated to learn that his head injury has deprived him of any memories of their relationship. Nonetheless, she is determined to once again save the Mount—this time in sixteenth-century France amidst violent religious turmoil—and rekindle Nicolas’s feelings for her. The couple’s love and loyalty is tested as she and Nicolas attempt to unmask the true source of the threat¬—their adversary Abdon—sort out their conflicting emotions, and deal with the consequences of an astounding age-old secret.My Review: The Secret of the Abbey begins when The Sword and the Maiden ended. Katelyn is now back in America and in her own time. However, she is heartbroken when her love Nicolas is still in a coma at Mont Saint Michel in 1429. Still, Katelyn manages to carry on with her life until she graduates so she can come back to France and hopefully reunite with Nicolas. However, Katelyn is surprised that her term paper about Joan of Arc has been offered for a publishing deal. The publishing house wants Katelyn to write a prequel about her novel. Katelyn goes back to France to await her next mission. She is crushed when she learns that Nicolas has no recollection of her. Katelyn hopes that when they are reunited Nicolas’s feelings will be renewed. When Katelyn returns to the past in 1577, her enemy is planning another attack on Mont Saint Michel.
It was interesting to see how Katelyn has progressed in the series. I liked learning how going back in time has affected Katelyn. Katelyn has grown to be very mature. However, she seems to be distant from those around her in the present time like her family and friends. She is also heartbroken throughout most of the novel. Despite her emotional turmoil, Katelyn was still a very strong and intelligent character. I found her character growth to be the most interesting part of the trilogy and she was a very complex protagonist.
I found the relationship between Katelyn and Nicolas to be lacking. I really thought Nicolas having amnesia to be unnecessary. We had already established his character and his relationship with Katelyn in the first two books. Seeing him reestablishing his relationship with Katelyn felt redundant. I didn’t like seeing his character growth revert back to the beginning. Also, Nicolas and Katelyn were apart for half of the book, and it felt like their separation could have been more meaningful if Nicolas did retain his memories.
Overall, this book is about loss, love, and duty. Besides Katelyn, the other characters were not developed enough. The story was very slow-going. It takes almost half the book for Katelyn to travel back in time. The Secret of the Abbey was a worthy conclusion to The Watchmen Saga. I did like seeing what happened to Brother Thibault, and it tied up all loose ends. The books are very well-written, and I love learning about 15th century France. Thus, The Secret of the Abbey has enough adventure, action, romance, history, and a touch of mystery that will appeal to any reader. I recommend this trilogy for fans of The Outlander, The Rose Garden, and The Lady of Hay.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kathleen C. Perrin holds bachelor’s degrees in French and Humanities from Brigham Young University and is a certified French translator. Besides being the author of The Watchmen Saga, she has published several non-fiction articles, academic papers, and a religious history about Tahiti. Kathleen has lived in Utah, New York City, France, and French Polynesia. She and her French husband have spent years investigating the mysteries and beauties of his native country—where they have a cottage—and have taken tourist groups to France. The Perrins have three children and currently reside in Utah.
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thanks for your review, and explaining what works and what could be better. Yes, I thought it was a neat conclusion, sad to see Katelyn go though with the end of this series
ReplyDeleteA fascinating story. I will be reading the series as well. Thanks for your review.
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com