This book takes place mainly in Scotland and follows Gemma Hardy as she navigates through life as a mostly unwanted orphan. She goes from living with her aunt and cousins (who all seem to hate her), to then being treated as a servant at Claypoole, her school. She finally gets a little bit of luck when Claypoole closes and she becomes the nanny/teacher of Nell. When she starts to have feelings for Nell's Uncle, Mr. Sinclair, her world starts to turn upside-down.This book transported me to Scotland and I lost myself in this book. I found Gemma to be a likeable character whom I began to connect with immediately. I rooted for Gemma all throughout this book as she was being put down by her aunt and being bullied by girls at her school and was glad to see some good things actually happen for her at Blackbird Hall. I loved the passion between Gemma and Mr. Sinclair. I was a little dismayed when Gemma left Blackbird Hall but I enjoyed her going on a journey to find herself and ultimately go to university. I was cheering when she found out that she had some family members in Iceland and couldn't contain my excitement when Mr. Sinclair finally caught up to her on the plane back to Scotland. I loved the ending of this book and loved reading about Gemma. I would definitely recommend this book to others.
Denise
This book takes place mainly in Scotland and follows Gemma Hardy as she navigates through life as a mostly unwanted orphan. She goes from living with her aunt and cousins (who all seem to hate her), to then being treated as a servant at Claypoole, her school. She finally gets a little bit of luck when Claypoole closes and she becomes the nanny/teacher of Nell. When she starts to have feelings for Nell's Uncle, Mr. Sinclair, her world starts to turn upside-down.This book transported me to Scotland and I lost myself in this book. I found Gemma to be a likeable character whom I began to connect with immediately. I rooted for Gemma all throughout this book as she was being put down by her aunt and being bullied by girls at her school and was glad to see some good things actually happen for her at Blackbird Hall. I loved the passion between Gemma and Mr. Sinclair. I was a little dismayed when Gemma left Blackbird Hall but I enjoyed her going on a journey to find herself and ultimately go to university. I was cheering when she found out that she had some family members in Iceland and couldn't contain my excitement when Mr. Sinclair finally caught up to her on the plane back to Scotland. I loved the ending of this book and loved reading about Gemma. I would definitely recommend this book to others.
