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The Harp and the Sea

Lou Sylvre (Goodreads Author),

Anne Barwell (Goodreads Author)

3.35 · Rating details · 26 ratings · 21 reviews

In 1605, Robbie Elliot—a Reiver and musician from the Scottish borders—nearly went to the gallows. The Witch of the Hermitage saved him with a ruse, but weeks later, she cursed him to an ethereal existence in the sea. He has seven chances to come alive, come ashore, and find true love. For over a century, Robbie’s been lost to that magic; six times love has failed. When he ...more

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Published July 27th 2020 by NineStar Press

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Jul 26, 2020 CrabbyPatty rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads, mm-fantasy-paranormal, mm-historical, netgalley, ninestar-press, sinfullygoodblog

The authors meld Scottish history circa 1745 and the Jacobite Rebellion with a background of Celtic fantasy. Ian, a burly red-headed Highlander, is sent by his clan's Laird to the Isle of Skye to hide a fortune in gems (intended to fund the rebellion) and keep it safe on the remote island.

In 1605, Robbie was cursed by a witch and doomed to a half-life of mystical sleep on a spectral boat that touches land about every 20 years or so. We gradually learn about the nature of the witches' curse and ...more

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Jul 26, 2020 Elaine White rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, 300-pages-or-more, action-adventure, couple-mm, criminals, fantasy, heat-hot-with-plot, historical, men-in-uniform, pov-3rd-person

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley
Reviewed for Divine Magazine

~

The Harp and the Sea (Magic in the Isles, Book 1)
by Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell
★★★★☆
308 Pages
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: LGBT, Historical, Jacobite, Fantasy, Magic/Curse, Action
Content Warning: graphic violence and battle scenes, implied off-page assault

The Harp and the Sea is the first intriguing novel in the Magic in the Isles series. Full of mystery, action, romance and adventure ...more

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Aug 05, 2020 Mari Cardenas rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-25-stars, action, adventure, angsty, violence, historical, fantasy

4.25 Stars!

One of my first loves when I started reading back in my early teens (a long, looooong time ago, LOL) were historical romance novels by Johanna Lindsey and some other authors, then I stumbled upon Virginia Henley and I fell head over heels for her stories, especially the ones featuring handsome, strong highlanders, heroines that didn't make me want to slap them silly, hot sex and complex storylines, which oftentimes included detailed fights or battles. It's been a while since I've read 4.25 Stars!

One of my first loves when I started reading back in my early teens (a long, looooong time ago, LOL) were historical romance novels by Johanna Lindsey and some other authors, then I stumbled upon Virginia Henley and I fell head over heels for her stories, especially the ones featuring handsome, strong highlanders, heroines that didn't make me want to slap them silly, hot sex and complex storylines, which oftentimes included detailed fights or battles. It's been a while since I've read one of those books, but reading The Harp and the Sea reminded me a bit of that love.

Robbie Elliot was a reiver and a musician, who barely escaped from being hanged when the rest of his clan was sent to the gallows. He ended up training under a witch, who wanted him for her son. When Robbie told her no, she cast a spell on him tying him to the sea and his harp until he found true love, giving him 7 chances to come ashore and find it. He only had one chance left when he came upon Ian MacDonald, a Highlander warrior, who'd been sent by his Laird and uncle to the Isle of Skye to guard something for him in their quest to put the heir to Scottish king back in power, instead of the English king. While his uncle was well aware that Ian prefers lads to lassies, Ian knows it's not something that will sit right with a lot of his clansmen. Finding beautiful Robbie and his harp when he comes ashore seems too good to be true, especially since Robbie appears to be as attracted to Ian as Ian is to him, but Ian isn't certain if he can truly trust Robbie, especially since there are men after Ian and what he's safeguarding.

I really liked both Ian and Robbie. Robbie had been looking for love for so long and had almost given up hope that he would find it. And Ian, well, he'd had a bad experience with his last lover, so he was understandably wary of trusting his feelings for Ian would be returned or when he finally realized that the curse was real, that Robbie wouldn't be snatched from his side by the sea. There's some miscommunication between Robbie and Ian that made me want to slap them both upside the head, but even that was somewhat understandable all things considered. The chemistry and the love between them was palpable, though, and I loved that it worked out in the end.

This book had a little bit of everything, a fascinating storyline with curses, fights, great characters and a lovely romance. The fights and the historical elements woven into the story were a good addition and I loved that Robbie's magic played a big part in it. Overall, this is a book I have no trouble recommending to fans of historical romances with some paranormal elements.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. *** ...more

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Jul 13, 2020 RACHEL REED rated it liked it

This book takes you on a journey of an adventure filled with magic!
Robbie has been cursed by a witch and has seven chances to to come alive and ashore. He has one last chance to fall in love and save his life.
Be ready to embark on a quest of a lifetime with Robbie and Ian and fall in love.

The premise of this story is like the re-telling of The Little Mermaid but if offers so much more.
I really enjoyed reading this one. If you like adventures, curses, magic, ancient gods and and embarking on a q ...more

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Aug 13, 2020 Janie Anderson rated it really liked it

The novel ‘The Harp and the Sea’ by #Lou Sylvre And Anne Barwell is a new wonderful read for us stay at home beach lovers. The story will keep you engaged. My full review is on my Instagram Maddie_approves_book_reviews.

Thank you,
#netgalley,#Lou Sylvre and #Anne Barwell and #Nine Star Press

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Jul 31, 2020 lauraღ rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-romance, fantasy, arcs, lgbtqia

“But this sea of yours… if it tries to take you back, I’ll fight it, I swear, with everything I am.”

Your mileage may vary on this one. An m/m historical Highlander romance with a dash of fantasy/time travel. One character is cursed, and only finding true love will break that curse. There's a strong connection to music and the sea. Those are a lot of things that I personally love and enjoy, so I kinda gave this book a pass in areas where I might not have done the same for another book. And even s “But this sea of yours… if it tries to take you back, I’ll fight it, I swear, with everything I am.”

Your mileage may vary on this one. An m/m historical Highlander romance with a dash of fantasy/time travel. One character is cursed, and only finding true love will break that curse. There's a strong connection to music and the sea. Those are a lot of things that I personally love and enjoy, so I kinda gave this book a pass in areas where I might not have done the same for another book. And even so, I feel like the authors missed the mark in the execution many times.

One thing I can more or less solidly praise is the bare-bones, mechanical writing and style. Just in terms of creating a vivid setting and historical atmosphere, this was pretty well written. There were some really pretty descriptions and turns of phrase, and I appreciate that most of the time, I felt solidly anchored in the time period. It always throws me off when there's something really modern in the prose or dialogue in a historical book, and that didn't happen TOO often here. (It did sometimes.)

The drawbacks are manifold. (Mild story spoilers.)

- The way the story is told. The setup to a story is one of the most important parts, and I really didn't like how it was done here, for either character. For both Robbie and Ian, we're dropped right into the middle of a pivotal point in their lives, which I don't mind at all. But then the story dumps a bunch of exposition on us about how they came to that place, things that happened in the near past, and I'm left wondering... why didn't we simply start the story in those places? For Robbie, during the raids, and for Ian, during his conflict with Campbell. Depending on the way it's written, this might lengthen the time before our main characters meet (which the story doesn't need) but I still think it could have been done in a seamless way that flows.
- It's very lacking in character interaction and character development, and the romance was incredibly rushed. I guess this was an attempt at a fated mates trope. If so, it felt kind of flat. The thing is, at the 33% mark or so, there's a love confession that's honestly really heartfelt and touching, and would have meant so much and packed a harder punch if it had come FAR later in the story. But at 33%, we barely know the characters, the characters barely know each other, and it felt like nothing had been done to actually deserve that kind of mutual declaration of love. I've said it before; love at first sight can be done in a way that makes it enjoyable to read. This wasn't it.
- Some of the finer points of the plot were just... really badly communicated? That could partially be my bad; this was one of those novels where I had a hard time holding on to the thread, and often found myself a bit bored. Several times characters would be talking about something like it was an established fact, and it would be the first time I was hearing of it. And just little things that didn't make sense plot-wise or common-sense-wise. All those moments on the island when they knew they were being pursued, but chose to stay in the same place until the very last moment, and their enemies were upon them. Like... why?

And when it comes down to it, I just didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would when reading the blurb. Others might enjoy it more, especially if the insta-love and plot flaws don't bug you like they did me.

2.5 stars. I waffled a lot on whether I'd round up or down; finally decided on up because I'm still so in love with the idea of this book and what it tried to do. But alas, as I've said. It kinda missed the mark.

☆ Review copy provided via NetGalley. ...more

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Jul 27, 2020 Joyfully Jay rated it liked it

Shelves: sue

A Joyfully Jay review.

3.5 stars

The Harp and the Sea is mostly fantasy, with a few bacon bits of history sprinkled on top and, while Robbie and Ian are endearing, the book struggles to really find its sense of self.

The book offers some vague references to the Scottish Rising of 1745 and Charles Stuart, but it never really goes into much detail about the event itself. It’s almost as if the political and military ramifications of the ‘45 are happening in the ether somewhere. Which is fine and the ...more

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Jul 27, 2020 Maryann Kafka rated it it was amazing

The first time I read Lou Sylvre was 2011 “Loving Luki Vasquez” the first book in the “Vasquez and James” series. In 2012 I read my first Anne Barwell book “Shadow Boxing” from the “Echoes Rising” series. I continued on reading both these authors and recently they collaborated with “Sunset at Pencarrow” a sweet, romantic tale and very entertaining. With “The Harp and The Sea” Sylvre and Barwell are becoming an outstanding writing team. I was so impressed with the research of the 16th and 17th ce The first time I read Lou Sylvre was 2011 “Loving Luki Vasquez” the first book in the “Vasquez and James” series. In 2012 I read my first Anne Barwell book “Shadow Boxing” from the “Echoes Rising” series. I continued on reading both these authors and recently they collaborated with “Sunset at Pencarrow” a sweet, romantic tale and very entertaining. With “The Harp and The Sea” Sylvre and Barwell are becoming an outstanding writing team. I was so impressed with the research of the 16th and 17th century history and mythology of Scotland’s events, places and clans that created this superb novel.

“Sometimes stories exist because some part of them used to be true.”

Robert “Robbie” Elliott was a Reiver, not a very good one, but very talented at playing the harp. Unfortunately, he’s captured during the battle of Border Marches in 1605. He’s up against many dangerous situations; with the Border Marches, King James, dungeon and death. While watching the death of many, men that he didn’t know and some he did, he spies Melisandre, Witch of Hermitage. Robbie has no idea what he’s up against when Melisandre saves his life.

In the year 1744, Ian MacDonald the husky, kilt wearing, Highlander had put himself in a few situations that are looked down upon. His Laird and Uncle Alistair loves his nephew like a son but to help Ian he has a plan. Although, it leaves Ian feeling banished, he goes with the plan and is off to live a lonely life on the Isle of Skye. He does so with a dangerous assignment and that’s to protect the treasure for a Prince.

When Ian eventually saves Robbie and the harp, they find themselves on a dangerous and amazing quest to protect the treasure and to gain freedom and love for themselves.

I don’t often say “I loved the characters” but Ian and Robbie were wonderful. Even though Ian is leery of Robbie he still accepts him magic and all. The romance the authors create for Ian and Robbie couldn’t be more perfect. Not only did the authors create a story with two lovable characters but they transport the reader back to 16th and 17th century Scotland.

When I got to 60% of “The Harp & The Sea” I couldn’t read any further. Sylvre & Barwell made this novel so enticing I went in search of the Scottish clans: Elliott, MacDonald, MacQuarrie, Campbell, MacLeod, with their crests and tartans. Places and events: Duntulm Castle, An Uaimh Bhinn, Manannan mac Lir, Carlisle Castle, Border Marches battle and Jacobite rising of 1745. I went so far as finding a map to locate all the Isle’s: Skye, Staffa, Rum, Man and so many more fascinating things to read about.

I highly recommend this amazing, page-turning tale of: fact, fiction, fantasy, magic, romance, suspense, adventure and action. “The Harp and The Sea” was not what I expected and I thank Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell for surprising me and keeping me thoroughly entertained!

...more

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Jul 29, 2020 Susan Anne rated it really liked it

I‌ ‌received‌ ‌a‌ ‌copy‌ ‌of‌ ‌The Harp and the Sea ‌by‌ Lou Sylre and Anne Barwell ‌via‌ ‌IndiGo‌ ‌Marketing‌ ‌&‌ ‌Design‌ ‌in‌ ‌exchange‌ ‌for‌ ‌an‌ ‌honest‌ ‌review.‌ ‌Although this was more historical and less fantasy than I expected, I did enjoy the story. The authors made the characters of Robbie and Ian well-rounded, with plenty of flaws to accompany their good traits. Not being of Scottish background, the history was all new to me although I kept reading to get more of the magic. What I ...more

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Jul 24, 2020 Dee rated it really liked it

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC
Loved it! Ian is banished by his uncle to Skye to protect the jewels that will support their fight against their enemies. He is hunted by those that do not support his clans fight and is constantly on his guard. But being on Skye is lonely until he comes across Robbie who was cursed by a with over 100 years ago. Robbie has to find true love to be free of this curse and he hopes that finally Ian may be the one to help him. Ian and R ...more

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Jul 27, 2020 Joscelyn Smith rated it really liked it

This was a really wonderful MM re-telling of the beloved classic The Little Mermaid. Ian and Robbie were likable characters and the storyline was wonderfully engaging. The well-written characters and top-notch world building made for a page-turning read.

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley*

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Aug 11, 2020 Mia Kerick rated it it was amazing

With the intrigue of an epic journey, enchantment of a fairy tale, a legendary romance, charming folk tunes of old, and stunning visual depictions—including a rugged Highlander in a kilt, yay—The Harp and the Sea is not a book to be missed. Lou Sylvre and Anne Barwell have created a classic in the MM romance genre; a rare gem in its historical and fantastical elements, lacking nothing in passion, action, and intrigue.

I cannot fathom the research necessary to create a historical novel. (This is ...more

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Jul 31, 2020 Anabela.M. rated it liked it

I've always been fascinated with Scottish clans and their history, and one of the things I appreciated about this book was the cultural and historical atmosphere it offered.

I also liked the rush of escaping the curse, the danger and the use of magic. As for the relationship between Ian and Robbie, I liked them together, although I felt things between them were a bit rushed.

Overall, this was an interesting read, that kept me engaged until the end, intrigued about the happily ever after.

*ARC pro ...more

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Jul 23, 2020 Charlotte rated it liked it

Shelves: coming-out, fiction-historical, historical, homophobia, m-m-romance, paranormal

A historical romance set in the hills of Scotland! I loved the magical elements to the plot... the curse that has made Robbie a slave to the ocean and to finding the love of his life... made for an interesting read. Through a strange twist of fate Ian and Robbie (cursed) end up on the run together.

There are lots of fight scenes in this book, a smoldering sexual relationship between the two main characters. I loved the way that the author translated the Scottish brogue into text... it brought bac ...more

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Jul 24, 2020 Carol rated it it was ok

Disclaimer: I have voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!

The premise of this book had me hooked from the moment I realized it's not straight. It sounded delightfully like a kind of a sailor/pirate story of sorts with witches, curses as ships. It definitely wasn't.

Robbie Elliot, cursed by a witch to spend his life on the sea, only coming ashore from time to time to find true love washes ashore on the Isle of Skye. It's his seventh a Disclaimer: I have voluntarily reviewed this book after receiving a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley, thank you!

The premise of this book had me hooked from the moment I realized it's not straight. It sounded delightfully like a kind of a sailor/pirate story of sorts with witches, curses as ships. It definitely wasn't.

Robbie Elliot, cursed by a witch to spend his life on the sea, only coming ashore from time to time to find true love washes ashore on the Isle of Skye. It's his seventh attempt and he is slowly losing hope but on the island, he meets a handsome Highlander, Ian, who may just free him from the curse.

What I enjoyed about this book was the premise - the curse idea almost feels like from a fairytale and Ian's part of the story with the treasure he was guarding promised some more action. Reading the synopsis I was convinced it would be a straight romance but when I got to Ian's name I immediately decided that I wanted to read it. It just seemed too good to be true.

Another thing I liked is how the Scottish accent was incorporated into the dialogue. I didn't realize at first the book took place in Scotland. Most of the books I read are sadly very American-centric so it was nice to read something with a different setting. It did make it a bit harder to read at times, as I had to process what the characters were saying but once I've gotten used to it, it didn't bother me anymore.

There was, however a ton of stuff that just didn't do it for me.

This book had one of the most underdeveloped and rushed romances I've ever read. The characters are confessing their profound love for each other around 30% into the book after like 2 days of knowing each other. I feel it'd had happened earlier if not for the fact that in the beginning, the book set up their separate backstories that lead to their current circumstances. And maybe I wouldn't even mind it at much if the characters had any kind of chemistry with each other. Sadly from that point, any conflict that arose was just a random drama fuel that didn't have any point or sense because there was nothing to root for between Robbie and Ian. Overall, both of their personalities even separately were one-dimensional and I couldn't bring myself to care for either of them. Didn't help that while Ian was described as muscular, big man, Robbie was long-haired and very passive, often referred to as weak and in need of protection despite his military background. That's just not really what I like in any kind of romance. Power couples all the way.

Another issue was that pacing felt really weird in this book. It was super slow most of the time and had me skim the pages looking for something to happen. It was kind of like reading a draft, I suppose. I think it may be just a me-thing but if I can't connect to the characters or focus on the plot I usually don't like the book as much as I hoped I would.

All in all, this sadly wasn't a book for me. I'm sure others would find much more fun with it though if they don't mind slower going plots. ...more

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Aug 25, 2020 AMHH rated it it was amazing

This novel begins with Robbie in the 1600s, cursed by a witch to drift over the sea until he meets true love to break his curse, and then transitions to more than a century later to introduce Ian, a would-be revolutionary on a secret mission for his uncle, the laird. It’s dramatic and complicated right from the start, and it’s awesome.

The authors do a fantastic job of interweaving two adventures— the turmoil of being caught up in the ancient curse and the mechanisms of the pending modern revolut ...more

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Aug 03, 2020 Amanda rated it it was ok

I thought a historical fantasy M/M romance would be my jam. Perhaps another one will be, but not The Harp and the Sea. Let's put it this way: I got about halfway through and had to put it down for a couple of days. When I came back to it I was completely lost; I remembered that the two main characters had just escaped from a dungeon but whose dungeon, why they were there in the first place, and where they were going had been thoroughly erased from my mind.

Maybe this book won't be so forgettable ...more

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Jul 19, 2020 Cyndi rated it liked it

I had a hard time fully decided how I felt about this book. Parts of it made me want to put it down, but then something really great or cool happened and I was hooked again. I definitely liked Robbie more than Ian most of the time, but I also just enjoy magical elements in stories more so that was probably it. I loved how this felt like a fairytale and a pirate story (it isn't, but that's the vibe). I think in all, I liked it, but it definitely has pacing issues. ...more

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Sep 19, 2020 Coltostallion rated it liked it

I'm generally a big fan of fairy tale retellings, and this story definitely has good bones. There were a few things that stopped it from getting a higher rating though. The biggest issue of which was that it almost read more like a history book. All of the story was there but it just wasn't presented in a super engaging way. ...more

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Sep 21, 2020 A. Lorna Warren rated it liked it

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this book!

This was a quick, easy read with a nice amount of fluff. I didn't fully connect with it- there wasn't enough depth in some places and it always annoys me when the main characters fall in love after two minutes- but over all if you're looking for a quick, cute m/m romance, give this a try! ...more

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Jul 24, 2020 Annarella rated it liked it

Even if it's well written and the world building is interesting I couldn't connect to the story that fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine. ...more

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About Lou Sylvre

Lou Sylvre

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Lou Sylvre loves stories and likes to conjure them into books. When the stories are about love, the sweethearts on her pages are most often men who end up loving each other and likely saving each other from unspeakable danger. As if you’d want to know more, she’ll happily tell you that she is a proudly bisexual woman—a mother, grandmother, and cat-herder (with a dog). Her love of languages is no d ...more