Angel Harp

November 15, 2010
Phillips, with more than 50 novels with combined sales of four million, taps into his love for Scotland—where he lives part of the year—for his newest tale. Canadian harpist Marie Buchan, widowed at the age of 34, revives her dream of visiting Scotland. She discovers Port Scarnose on the coast, where she decides to stay for several weeks. Marie's music captures the attention first of young Gwendolyn, then red-haired curate Iain Barclay, and finally Alasdair Reidhaven, duke of Buchan. Mysterious ties bind these three, and then Marie, as she comes to love the people and history of Port Scarnose and Scotland itself. She vows to uncover the mystery that surrounds the town, but fears she may hurt the people she is becoming attached to. Several out-of-tune notes mar Phillips's tale: long coloratura from Marie on matters spiritual and personal; a leitmotif of hard-to-understand Scottish dialect; and adagio pacing throughout. While Marie's musical, spiritual, romantic, and emotional rebirth will draw readers, the tale is long and winding.

February 15, 2011

Marie Buchan, a 34-year-old widow and harpist, longs for change. It comes in the form of a trip to Scotland, where she is drawn into a love triangle involving childhood friends, one a church cleric and the other a duke. VERDICT Phillips (The Shepherd of the Hills) is a prolific author with over 100 titles to his name. That alone will constitute demand for his latest, though the writing is somewhat didactic. Recommend to those looking for evangelical fiction with elements of romance and mystery.

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.