The Firebird (The Scottish series, 2)

I have read quite a few books by this author and have enjoyed all of them. This one may be one of my favorites. The author always uses some sort of ESP (Extrasensory perception or sixth sense) to go back in time and in this story it is mainly through Psychometry, (to see something from having touching an object) and it also involves some other forms of ESP. The story althought encompasses other characters from previous books she has written : Anna, from Winter Sea and Rob, from Shadowy Horses. You do not have to have read those books to read and enjoy this story, although they are very worth reading and I think you will wish you had. This Story goes between present day England, Scotland, Belgium and then Russia and also those same places back in the 1700's. A lot of research of Scottish and Russian history went into the making of this story and many of the characters are true to history, throwing in fictitious ones to create a fabulous story. Nicola Marter, a young woman who works for a Russian art gallery in London, who while there one day, meets an older woman who brings in a small bird sculpture called a firebird, supposedly given to her ancestors by the Empress Catherine of Russia, but she had no paper work to prove it. When Nicola touches the bird, she sees a fleeting image of (a young girl, Anna and the Empress in a conversation). and since she is going to Russia for an art show, decides to see what she can discover about the bird and the two women she saw in her image. Knowing that her abilities are not as strong as she would like, she goes to see her old love interest , Rob McMorran (from Shadowy Horses) who lives in Scotland and who has a very well developed sense of ESP. This is a great story of their reunion and being able to use their abilities together to delve into the past and bring this story to life. Well written, with a lot of great descriptions of the scenes, people and places they see and go to. The author says this about her type of stories: "I write modern gothic novels that blend historical adventure and modern-day suspense with romance and a touch of something spooky, so they don't fit neatly into any category, really...but they're fun to write!" Normally the word Gothic novel would have kept me from reading her books, but the ESP part attracted me and I am so glad I discovered her work and look forward to her next one.

I'm ashamed to admit that I'd had this book sitting around in my TBR pile for more than a year. I began to read it that year-plus time ago but kept putting the book aside in order to read something else. This was unusual for me since I'm a longtime Kearsley reader and fan. I've now managed to read the complete book and have to say my first impression of the present-day protagonists, which was what turned me off this book, held to the very end. I still didn't like them very much, especially Nicola, who has that woo-woo ability to see into the past that all Kearsley's modern-day heroines have but is reluctant to use her abilities, and this reluctance was alienating her love interest Rob, who was the little boy with supernatural abilities in The Shadowy Horses . In general, I'm not big on supernatural elements in my novels but I have never been bothered by it in Kearsley's work...until this one. However, I've decided to round up my 3.5 stars to 4 anyway because the historical portion of this book, the story of 1700s Anna, daughter of Sophia and John Moray of The Winter Sea was very compelling. I very much appreciated the way Kearsley integrated real characters and events from the period into her fictional story. Do read the section "About the Characters" at the end of the book to learn more about them and the times. This is an interesting and well written tale about 1700s Jacobites, spies and double dealers, and St. Petersburg during the time of Tzar Peter and Tzarina Catherine. Many characters from THE WINTER SEA make their appearance here to great advantage. I only wish that Kearsley had decided this time around to do without the supernatural element and had just written a straight historical fiction work, without the present-day supernatural tie-in.

Are you looking for a book to sweep you away? This is a very engaging story with a contemporary romance, loads of history (including a mystery and another love story) and paranormal elements of clairvoyance that can cross time periods. The first book of this loosely tied series was set in Scotland at Slains Castle in contemporary time and at the time of the Jacobites. Our mystery begins when a Scottish woman brings a carving of what she says is a firebird for appraisal to Claire’s firm. Her family legend is that it was given to an ancestor named Anna by the Tsarina Catherine. The historic portion of this book follows closely in time as it tracks the life of Anna, the daughter of the historic couple in book one. It is still dangerous to be a Jacobite. This story does not stay in Scotland though. It follows Anna as a child in hiding and in exile across Europe to Russia with different protectors. The history of the period is so closely woven into the story that its presence enriches the story instead of bogging it down with unnecessary details. The writing is very skillful as the author moves gracefully between the two time periods and the different sets of characters. The romance is romantic, but chaste. There are emotional moments that are moving. This book is the second in a series and it makes sense to read them in order even though the story would in its main part stand alone. Reading the first book would give you the foundation of the history of the Jacobites, and the story of Anna’s parents and why they gave her up to a foster family. If you have read the first book, the finale of the second is more emotionally powerful. Bottom line: loved it.

I’m new at reviews. So, this is what I have to say. Great characters and story that covered so much of history and painting a picture of another time in history. I recommend it highly.

A bit of mystery, a bit of history and a bit of psychic. I really enjoy mystery books that go back in time. This one is set in today but has episodes in historical Russia and Scotland. I found it a lovely read. I would definitely read more by this author.

First of a continuation. She's😀 a great author and combined some history with fiction. I loved this book.

I am glad I followed some others’ recommendations regarding the order of stories where characters already known, get somehow together in this tremendously entertaining story. Loved it!

I was quite astonished when I learned that Rob McMorran (the shadowy horses) was one of the leading characters. The shadowy horses is by all means my fav book and altough I was hoping to find a hint how Davy and Verity are doing in the future I loved to see how the little boy with the sixth sense had turned out. And after settling in with the first pages I could not stop reading. When you also read Sophia's secret you will be even more captivated... The characters are well drawn and easily loved by the reader. Romance is an impotant part of the book but never too gooey. the historical part is more than well carved out, giving a lot of background knowledge. Places of the plot are always described thouroughly so sometimes you feel like being inside the book yourself, witnessing the story. I even had tears in my eyes at some point... if you aim to read the book, you mighf think about starting with the shadowy horses and sophia's secret, as you will see the book through different eyes...

I have never read one of Kearsley's books before and I am so glad that I chose to read The Firebird. The story flits between present day with Nicola Marter and Rob, two psychics with an interlinked history, who chase down a wooden carving called the Firebird on a journey that takes them into the past circa the time of the Jacobites and across countries to unravel the tale. In previous reviews I have seen people state that there was too much detail, that they flicked through to reach the present day story and that they couldn't continue to read this book. Well, in my opinion, those people are missing out! All of the detail was necessary to build up a rich and vivid picture of landscapes, both past and present, and the author brilliantly intertwined the two stories along the way. I do agree (ever so slightly!) that towards the end of the book the story of the present day felt a bit left behind and wasn't visited so frequently until, all of a sudden, we were back in present day and the events that had built up nicely along the way reached a sudden climax. Although this was not a bad thing, I personally would have liked to have been eased back into the present day story after being in the past for a fair few pages, just to re-jog my memory and strengthen the attachments I had made with the present day characters. However, I was so enjoying the characters in the past that I didn't feel sad we had stayed with them for so long, either! I think a great novel grips you and you form bonds with the characters and for an author to illicit this feeling in both the past and present sections of the book I believe it shows a great talent. The story was wrapped up nicely and there were no loose ends- it was a very satisfying finish to the novel! In reading the author's note at the end of the book I must also comment on how well researched and detailed this story is and I couldn't believe so much was based on true historical facts and people. A lot of time, effort, research and love went into the making of this book and I will 100% read more from this author- I look forward to doing so immensely!