The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan

The Summer Skies by Jenny Colgan
Publisher: Avon Books
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, Women’s Fiction
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Morag MacIntyre is a Scottish lass from the remote islands that make up the northernmost reaches of the UK. She’s also a third-generation pilot, the heir apparent to an island plane service she runs with her grandfather. The islands—over 500 dots of windswept land that reach almost to Norway—rely on their one hardworking prop plane to deliver mail, packages, tourists, medicine, and the occasional sheep. As the keeper of this vital lifeline, Morag is used to landing on pale golden beaches and tiny grass airstrips, whether during great storms or on bright endless summer nights. Up in the blue sky, Morag feels at one with the elements.

Down on the ground is a different matter, though. Her grandfather is considering and Morag wonders if she truly wants to spend the rest of her life in the islands. Her boyfriend Hayden, from flight school, wants Morag to move to Dubai with him, where they’ll fly A380s and say goodbye to Scotland’s dark winters.

Morag is on the verge of making a huge life change when an unusually bumpy landing during a storm finds her marooned on Inchborn island. Inchborn is gloriously off-grid, home only to an ancient ruined abbey, a bird-watching station, and a population of one: Gregor, a visiting ornithologist from Glasgow who might have just the right perspective to help Morag pilot her course.

A woman trying to chart her own path.

Morag knows what she wants in life—to get the heck away from the Scottish winters and find the sun and warmth of Dubai. But she can’t control the circumstances and ends up on an island. The writing was good and the story interesting, but it did take a while to get moving and was a slow start. I did like the characters, though and the journey of her coming into her own. I liked that she had to go on the journey and how she did it. It was fascinating and uplifting, too.

If you’re looking for a good romance with a great journey, then give this book a try.