The Lady of the Lakes by Josi S. Kilpack

The Lady of the Lakes: The True Love Story of Sir Walter Scott by Josi S. Kilpack
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Source: Received from publisher to review.
Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Description:  One is his first love.
The other is his best love.
Which will be Walter’s true love?

Walter Scott has three passions: Scotland, poetry, and Mina Stuart. Though she is young and they are from different stations in society, Walter is certain their love is meant to be. For years, he has courted her through love letters. She is the sunshine of his soul.

Though Mina shares Walter’s love of literature and romantic temperament, it’s hard for her to know if she truly loves him or if she has only been dazzled by his flattery. When she meets the handsome and charming William Forbes, her heart is challenged. Who will she choose?

But as every poet knows, “the course of true love never did run smooth,” and on a windy morning in the lake country, Walter meets Charlotte.

At twenty-six, Charlotte Carpenter believes she will never find love. After all, she is a Catholic-born Frenchwoman living in London with a family history shadowed by scandal. Though quiet, practical, and determined to live a life of independence, her heart longs for someone to love her and a place to call home.

Passion and promises collide as Walter, Mina, and Charlotte must each decide the course for their futures. What are they each willing to risk to find love and be loved in return?


My thoughts: I love historical fiction. When real people in history are the focus, it makes the book more interesting.


This story is about the romances of Sir Walter Scott. I love to read, so I am familiar with his name, but I was not familiar with his life. I love that this book made him more real to me. He isn't just a name anymore. He was a man with hopes and dreams. At the beginning of the book his hopes revolve around Mina. She was from a "higher" social class than he was. She was the daughter of gentry, while Walter's father was not.

The book simultaneously tells the story of Walter and Charlotte. Walter was in love with Mina and Charlotte was trying to figure out a life that she thought would be spent alone. Both of their stories are interesting. Their struggles and dreams were brought to life for me. Eventually the stories come together as Walter and Charlotte meet and discover unexpected dreams.

This is a clean romance. I love Josi Kilpack's writing. I have loved every book of hers that I have read. I feel that I can't go wrong picking up one of her books!

Purchase Links:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Book Depository * Deseret Book

About the Author: (Taken from Deseret Book)  Josi S. Kilpack is the author of twenty-five novels—including the twelve-book Sadie Hoffmiller Culinary Mystery series—one cookbook, and has been part of several coauthored projects and anthologies. She and her husband, Lee, are the parents of four children.

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