Waiting on Wednesday: At the Water's Edge

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where she spotlights upcoming releases.

This week I am waiting on. . .

At the Water's Edge
By: Sara Gruen
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Release Date: March 31st, 2015

This book had me at the line "Think Scottish Downton Abbey." in it's synopsis. Actually, it had me at "by Sara Gruen," because I count Water for Elephants among my favorite novels.

So when the opportunity to read an advance copy of Sara Gruen's newest book came up, I leaped at the chance. Almost literally if you count me jumping out of my seat to run to the laptop. ;) I think there was less than 5 minutes between Andrea alerting me to the copy and me requesting it.

And I'm happy to say it did not disappoint. Two pages in I think my Goodreads status update was: "Oh, Sara Gruen, how I've missed you!" If you love historical fiction and romance, add this to your Amazon/B&N/Indiebound shopping cart ASAP.

Check out my review of At the Water's Edge!

Summary via Goodreads

In her stunning new novel, Gruen returns to the kind of storytelling she excelled at in Water for Elephants: a historical timeframe in an unusual setting with a moving love story. Think Scottish Downton Abbey.

After embarrassing themselves at the social event of the year in high society Philadelphia on New Year’s Eve of 1942, Maddie and Ellis Hyde are cut off financially by Ellis’s father, a former army Colonel who is already embarrassed by his son’s inability to serve in WWII due to his being colorblind. To Maddie’s horror, Ellis decides that the only way to regain his father’s favor is to succeed in a venture his father attempted and very publicly failed at: he will hunt the famous Loch Ness monster and when he finds it he will restore his father’s name and return to his father’s good graces (and pocketbook). Joined by their friend Hank, a wealthy socialite, the three make their way to Scotland in the midst of war. Each day the two men go off to hunt the monster, while another monster, Hitler, is devastating Europe. And Maddie, now alone in a foreign country, must begin to figure out who she is and what she wants. The novel tells of Maddie’s social awakening: to the harsh realities of life, to the beauties of nature, to a connection with forces larger than herself, to female friendship, and finally, to love.