Scarborough by Ellen L. Ekstrom

When Quinn Radcliffe shows up in a village somewhere in the Cotswolds or Dorset, he knows he's been there before. It's a place out of a Thomas Hardy novel - or the imagination. There's the Curiosity Shop with The Proprietress and her famous guests, the church at the end of the lane, and unbelievable but necessary journeys that test and affirm. Now the conductor of a world-renowned orchestra, Quinn isn't surprised by his surroundings - the love of his life, Alice Martin, told him all about the village but he has always and secretly thought it was the best part of a dream she shared after her life-threatening illness.

Until now. 

There are two sides to every love story. This is the other side of the haunting and poignant romance that began with "Tallis' Third Tune."

Scarborough is the next book in the Midwinter Sonata by Ellen l. Ekstrom.  The first book is Tallis' Third Tune and I'd highly urge you to read that one before you read this one.  That's not to say this book can't stand alone , it can.  But you will get the full experience reading the first one, first.

Scarborough is Quinn's side of things.  In Tallis' Third Tune, the reader was given Alice's take on things.  But things aren't always as they seem and in Scarborough, we get a rounder look at everything as a whole.  Quinn always thought that Alice saw the quaint village with it's dead historians in her sleep, until he finds himself there.  Now it is him that must examine his life's greatest and worst moments, his choices and what is the most valuable.

An engaging and thought-provoking read, Scarborough was a delight to revisit memorable characters.  I really enjoyed seeing a different take on assorted situations and to find out how Alice ended up with Quinn. I highly recommend this series - it's romantic, entertaining, with superb writing and memorable characters that kept me up late into the night, unable to put it down.  

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.