Published 16th April 2027 by Sphere.
From the cover of the book:
Mermaids. Monsters. Magic. But this story is no fairy tale...
Kilmara, Scotland. 1725. For fifty years, Iris has accepted the curse that blighted her life. By night, she is a heartbroken woman, destined to walk the misty shores of Kilmara without growing older. By day, she is Moireach, a terrifying monster imprisoned in the murky depths of Loch Moine.
When bodies begin appearing on the shore, the villagers are convinced Moireach is responsible. So a hunter - the rugged, ruthless Henry Carver - is summoned to slay the monster of the loch.
Iris must break her curse before she is killed for crimes she cannot believe she has committed. But as Kilmara's hunt for the monster becomes ever more fevered, she and Henry are drawn together in a dangerous game of impossible attraction.
And when a figure from Iris's past suddenly reappears, she must choose what - or who - she is willing to sacrifice to win her freedom.
Because there is no happily-ever-after when you are the monster.
***********
Kilmara, Scotland. 1725. For fifty years, Iris has been living with a tragic curse. By night, she may walk the shores of Loch Moine in human form, unmarked by the years that have passed, though still plagued with the heartbreak that brought about the cruel twist in her fate. By day, she exists only as rage-driven Moireach, a monstrous creature of legend trapped beneath the waters of Loch Moine.
When mutilated bodies begin appearing around the village, with the hearts torn from their chests, the villagers believe Moireach must be responsible. To placate the villagers, the laird hires a sullen monster hunter, Henry Carver, to slay the monster. Iris now faces an impossible choice: to hide away hoping Henry will not discover her secret, or try to break the curse.
Taking inspiration from her fascination with Han's Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid, Rebecca Templeton spins a dark and delicious retelling that makes the most of its setting in eighteenth century Scotland.
The novel unfurls in misty Kilmara, a placed steeped in folklore and scarred by Laird Crawford's witch-burning campaign, through the perspectives of Iris/Moireach, as she wavers between her two identities; Iris' childhood friend, and sole confidant, Duncan; and the hunter, Henry Carver. The voices of these characters wind around each other, following Iris' quest to break the curse before Henry can slay Moireach; Duncan's desperate attempts to protect Iris; and Henry's single-minded pursuit of the task he has been set. But things are not as straightforward as they first appear.
Iris' quest seems impossible in a land where witches have been burned to ashes, and to delve into magic leads to suspicion and danger. Her only hope is to get closer to Henry, who she feels a strange connection with, even though he has been summoned to kill her - while Moireach fights to gain control. Meanwhile, Henry becomes fascinated with the beautiful, red-headed girl he keeps bumping into at night beside the loch, as he searches for Moireach, and starts to question what he has been told about what is going on in Kilmara. In parallel, Duncan's over-protectiveness, driven by the unrequited love he feels for Iris, warps into obsession.
With dark and delicious, slow-burn loveliness, the threads of the story weave into a spell-bound knot that takes a very enjoyable mix of enchanted fairy tale, heart-rending love story, and rip-roaring historical adventure to unpick. Love, loss, family drama, jealousy, betrayal, and darkness within all have a part to play as the plot builds in pace and tension, and the twists around who are the real monsters in Kilmara come thick and fast at the climax of the tale - many of which had me gasping out loud. Brava, Rebecca!
I alternated between the gorgeous hardback edition, and the spectacular audio book for this one, skilfully narrated by Susie Riddell and Norman Bowman - which I highly recommend if audio books are your bag, as this story is a perfect vehicle for the spoken voice.
Fabulous from start to finish! I cannot wait to read more from Rebecca Templeton!
Lochbound is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Sphere for sending me a review copy of this book.
About the author:
Rebecca Templeton has had a love of books from a very early age, and had lofty childhood aspirations of being a writer, though she ended up joining the legal profession instead. When her husband encouraged her to start writing again, she rediscovered her creative outlet and has not looked back since.
When not writing or working, Rebecca can usually be found crocheting giant blankets, baking, or watching Gilmore Girls. She us also owned by two very energetic children.
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