Settlement by Anne Stormont

Val Penny ♦ September 20, 2020 ♦ Leave a comment

Settlement is the second novel in Anne Stormont’s @writeanne trilogy set on the beautiful Scottish Isle of Skye. It is a privilege to be part of the blog tour arranged by Love Book Tours @lovebooksgroup #lovebookstours for this fine novel. Enjoy the tour. Settlement is the sequel to literary romance novel, Displacement, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

The Blurb

Can love truly heal old wounds? Can the past ever be put peacefully to rest? If you like a complex, grown-up romance with lots of raw emotion, dramatic and exotic settings, all mixed in with some international politics and laced with elements of a crime thriller, then this is the book for you. Falling in love is the easy bit. Happy ever after requires work, commitment and honesty. She wants him to be her friend and lover. He wants her as his wife. Can a compromise be reached? Or are things truly over between them? When former Edinburgh policeman Jack Baxter met crofter and author Rachel Campbell at her home on the Scottish island of Skye, they fell in love. It was a second chance at happiness for them both. But after Jack proposes marriage, it becomes clear they want different things. Then, as Rachel prepares to return to the Middle East to work on a peacemaking project that’s close to her heart, and as Jack’s past catches up with him, it seems their relationship is doomed. Can Rachel compromise on her need to maintain her hard-won independence? Can Jack survive the life-threatening situation in which he finds himself? Will they get the chance to put things right between them? Settlement is the sequel to literary romance novel, Displacement, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

The Excerpt

I admit I was an idiot, thinking it was all going to be straightforward and happy ever after, and then reacting badly when it wasn’t. I didn’t read the situation correctly – so much for all my years as a Detective Inspector. I was also dishonest, didn’t have the guts to explain what was wrong when she asked me. But then, I’m sure if you were to ask my ex-wife or any of my ex-lovers, long termrelationships never were my strong point. I may be fifty-eight, but I guess I’m no wiser than an eighteen-year-old when it comes to women.

Our relationship developed slowly. When I first knew her, she’d been sad and a bit lost. Not only had she recently lost her mother, but she was also still grieving the death of her soldier son killed in action a couple of years earlier. But over the months that followed she seemed to find her way again. Going to spend the summer with her brother in the Middle East was a turning point and she came back changed; a new, noticeably different woman.

It was after she got back that we became lovers. It was wonderful at first, but like I say I got things wrong. Rachel continued to change. She moved on and flourished, and all she wanted from me was love and support. But I failed her.

I’ve never loved anyone the way I love Rachel and the one thing I dreaded was hurting her. But I did it anyway.

We both had baggage. The difference was Rachel dealt with hers and moved on. I didn’t.

And now that my past has caught up with me, my biggest regret is I probably won’t get the chance to tell her how I really feel.

I want to say all the things I should have said to her before she left. Things like how much I will always love and admire her, how proud I am of her. I want to tell her she was right about me, and not to waste a minute grieving for me when I’m gone.

The Author

Anne Stormont writes contemporary romantic fiction where the main characters may sometimes be older – but not necessarily wiser.

She hopes the stories she tells will entertain, but she also hopes they will move, challenge and inspire her readers.

She has written four novels so far – Change of Life, was her first. This was followed by the three novels set on the Scottish island of Skye – Displacement, Settlement and Fulfilment which tell the story of Rachel and Jack.

Anne is a Scot, living in the land of her birth. She’s a former teacher and when she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, country walks and gardening – and the occasional pillion ride on her husband’s motor bike. She also loves spending time with friends and family – especially her three grandchildren.

Anne has travelled all over the world and has visited every continent except Antarctica – somewhere she really should go considering her penchant for penguins.

She can be a bit of a subversive old bat, but she tries to maintain a kind heart.

Website: https://anne-stormont.com

Blog: https://putitinwriting.me

Facebook: www.facebook.com/annestormontauthor

Twitter: @writeanne

Buy Link: