Christine Marion Fraser – författare

On a bitter winter night in 1923, farmer Fergus McKenzie loses his beloved Helen in childbirth. Overcome by grief, he shuns his oldest friend, Dr Lachlan, convinced he could have done more to save her. More tragically still, he refuses to see his baby daughter, Shona. Although sympathetic to poor Fergus, the islanders resolve to gather round to give Shona the care she needs, until her father comes to his senses. But as the years pass, Fergus fails to change his mind, until Shona falls in love with Niall, the doctor''s son.

After nineteen years on the mainland, Shona and Niall McLachlan come home to Rhanna with their pretty daughter, Ellie. In the years that have passed, the island has changed, but although tourists abound and some of the beloved old faces are missing, a new generation has taken their place and the friendly spirit of the islanders is as strong as ever.Shona knows that, at last, she has come home, and she has never been as happy . . . until sudden tragedy strikes and it seems as though her return to Rhanna has been blighted. Now she stands to lose everything, and everyone, she has ever cared for . . .

To the warm, tight-knit community of Rhanna, the little island in the peaceful Hebrides seemed remote from the horrors of war. For Shona McKenzie, coming home on leave would give her the chance to recover from the nightmare of the bombing, and from her broken heart. Then the German bomber crashed - and the islanders realized that Rhanna''s lonely beauty gave no protection against the chill reality of battle. They were indeed an island at war. And Shona discovered that not all battles are between nations, the fiercest are those between lovers.

Secure in the loving contentment of her marriage to Lorn, Ruth felt her happiness was complete. And she was thrilled to hear that her oldest friend, Rachel, planned a visit to Rhanna. Now a successful composer and concert violinist, Rachel was coming back to her native island for a summer''s rest. To Ruth''s surprise, Lorn was strangely unenthusiastic about their childhood friend''s return. Rachel''s arrival was to bring Ruth more heartache than she could ever have imagined, and would estrange her from the island community she loved. Yet no matter how far she travelled, the Song of Rhanna would always be calling her home . . .The fifth book in the popular series about Hebridean island life.

The islanders grieved for Mark James, their popular minister, who had lost his family so tragically. They were glad when he found solace in the company of Rhanna''s pretty new young doctor, Megan Jenkins. Recently, however, she has been cool towards him, as if she was hiding some dark secret.The calm of the island was shattered by a fearsome storm; in great peril, the lifeboat took to the sea in response to distress signals from a luxury yacht. On board was a man who held the key to Megan''s mysterious past, and her heart would be torn between this glamorous playboy and the minister who needed her so much. The sixth boo kin the Rhanna series.

Evelyn Grant has started to come to terms with the loss of her first love, Johnny, but the Grant family are overshadowed by the unwelcome reappearance of a figure from Jamie''s past and by the terrible stories of the war told by soldiers returning from the trenches.Among those fighting for King and Country is Gillan Forbes, the son of the big house, on whose friendship Evelyn increasingly relies and who still hopes to win her love. But it is handsome Gordon Highlander, Davie Grainger, who captures Evelyn''s heart, sweeping her up in a whirlwind of passion that takes her to the heights of happiness and to the depths of despair . . . Davie is a dangerous man to love . . .''Christine Marion Fraser writes characters so real they almost leap out of the page...you would swear she must have grown up with them'' Sun

When Jamie King Grant, the travelling man, gives up his wandering life to wed Maggie McKenzie, their small farm is laughingly re-named King''s Croft. There they raise their family - straitlaced Nellie, lovesick Murn, lively Mary - and Evelyn, their youngest daughter.Gifted and loving, Evelyn finds herself torn between two different worlds and two very different men. Johnny Burns, a child of the farmtouns like herself, has been her first love. Gillan Forbes is the son of the big house, and heir to the Lands of Rothiedrum. Neither man makes any secret of his love for her - and the time comes when Evelyn has to make a choice . . .''Christine Marion Fraser writes characters so real they almost leap out of the page...you would swear she must have grown up with them'' Sun

It is December 1922, and the keepers of the Kinvara Light, an impressive lighthouse just off the rugged west coast of Scotland, are home for Christmas after three bleak months away from their families. Robert Sutherland, deputy head keeper, finds little comfort at home: his wife Hannah is embittered by her isolation, by the tragedy of her infant son''s cerebral palsy and by her husband''s long absences. Rob find solace in the arms of Morna Jean Sommero, whose warmth and love compensate for his sterile marriage.Christine Marion Fraser has created a vivid Scottish village and peopled it with memorable characters. The spirited and engaging folk of Kinvara, whose fates are shaped by the harsh landscape and the rugged coast on which they live, will move, entrance, and linger in the memory.''Christine Marion Fraser writes characters so real they almost leap out of the page...you would swear she must have grown up with them'' Sun

It is 1936 and the children of Kinvara are growing up fast. Vaila Sutherland, a born romantic, vows she will never marry until she finds a love as deep as her father''s for her mother. Two young men make a play for her heart - will she choose the right one?Andy Sutherland, Vaila''s half brother, finds new doors opening despite the cerebral palsy that he has suffered since birth; while nine-year-old Essie, the joy of her mother''s life, revels in a world of make-believe and wonder. Cruel Joshua Bowman continues his reign of terror but, as they grow up, his children find ways of thwarting his wishes. When Miriam, too, at last defies him, it has tragic consequences.Heartbreak and horror mingle with tears of joy and, as always, the villagers fight and laugh their way through this enchanting novel, adding many colourful contributions in their unique and inimitable way.''Christine Marion Fraser writes characters so real they almost leap out of the page...you would swear she must have grown up with them'' Sun

It is 1931 and the villagers of Kinvara are welcoming newcomers into their close-knit community. Schoolteacher Catherine Dunbar takes a great interest in the welfare and education of Andy Sutherland, who has cerebral palsy - and comes to have more than a passing interest in his father, Rob. Joshua Bowman is a less popular arrival, as he tries to force his strict principles and beliefs on his neighbours; and his wife Miriam - a native of Kinvara - has a dramatic effect on Johnny Lonely, to whom she was once married.But it is mainly on the children of Kinvara that the novel focuses, as they delight in the freedom and adventure of the beautiful coastal area, and grapple with the first stirrings of young and innocent love.''Christine Marion Fraser writes characters so real they almost leap out of the page...you would swear she must have grown up with them'' Sun

Still wounded by her husband''s affair with Morna Jean Sommero - an affair ended only by Morna Jean''s tragically early death - Hannah Sutherland struggles to make a life for herself in Kinvara''s close-knit community. At least she is coming to terms with the fact that her son, Andy, suffers from cerebral palsy, and is learning to love the boy despite his disability. The rugged beauty of the coast is a comfort and solace to Hannah, but can she reconcile herself to the fact that to Rob, she''s always been second best and probably always would be.''Christine Marion Fraser writes characters so real they almost leap off the page...you would swear she must have grown up with them'' Sun