What do you think?
Rate this book
From Away: A Belfort Island Novel
Romance and treasure are not on busy, practical Maura Ballard's mind as anything other than novels and myths. On Belfort Island in Down East, Maine, legends of pirate treasure hidden in the island's tunnels and caves are tools Maura uses to entertain children in the after-school program she runs at the library. As one of the gathering places in the community, she works long hours at the library to ensure the needs of her fellow islanders are being met. In her off hours, Maura enjoys the privacy of her home by remote Rose Beach where, much of the year, her most frequent visitor is a distinctive, friendly seal. When Belfort’s newest police officer, Stephan Kirkland, and his young daughter move into her neighbor’s house, Maura’s life is upended in more ways than one. As she and Stephan fall in love, Maura discovers there are far more secrets on her beloved island than she’d ever believed possible. As they come out into the open, life on Belfort will never be quite the same for anyone in the tight knit community.
405 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 21, 2020
3 people are currently reading
5 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 5, 2021
I loved this book! Read it on vacation in three days on the beach. It had a little bit of everything I love. Mystery, romance, suspense, great characters, and wonder. I don’t normally read fantasy or mythology but this had some of those aspects in it that were intriguing to me. I cant wait to read Jessica Shay’s next book!!!!
October 11, 2020
I loved reading this book. Its a great mix of romance, fantasy and suspense all wrapped into a beautiful storyline. It makes me want to visit Belfort Island!! The characters are warm and inviting, making you, the reader, turn page after page to find out what happens next. I cant wait for the next book to read all about Nick and Liz!!
May 9, 2021
This book has a little bit of everything! Small-town intrigue, mystery, romance, adventure. Like a 90’s Meg Ryan movie mixed with The Goonies. I am excited to know there is a second book in the works.
July 11, 2021
Great romance, great mystery, great characters! Loved this story from the get go. Can't wait for the next Belfort Island Novel. Highly recommend this for a cozy read.
November 6, 2020
A little slow to get going at the beginning, but it only took a couple chapters for me to want to keep reading. THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book!!! It's a great escape from today's world and I am SO looking forward to the sequel already. I adored Maura and loved the strong character she was designed to be, especially at a part that could have turned very melodramatic/over the top but instead felt like the real types of miscommunications that happen in life! Loved it. Highly recommend. An easy read, though it took me a couple of weeks to work in time to read it because of how busy life is these days....very worth it. Will go on my "read again someday" shelf. :)
November 5, 2020
I greatly enjoyed this mystery set on an island in Down East Maine. Living in Down East on an island myself, I can say the author really caught the Down East culture. Adding a bit of romance and Celtic mythology to a mystery filled with lots of local color makes for an enjoyable read. So grab a hot cup of tea Me Hearties, stoke the fire, and enjoy From Away.
December 25, 2020
Loved my escape to the small town of Belfort Island! Shay's prose brought the Island residents to life and the story was captivating. Absolutely loved the Epilogue AND the peek at Book #2.
May 18, 2021
Great story.
This was an excellent first novel by the author. I haven't seen anything else by her.
There are two reason for my 4 star rating.
1. Some of the chapters didn't flow into the next smoothly. This created big gaps in the story.
2. THIS is a HUGE reason, that is completely the FAULT of the editors. Throughout the book there were numerous errors. There were extra words, that appeared to be left in when an obvious edit was incomplete. There were also a few edits that should have been done.
There are quite a few errors at the end of the book , in the short preview of the next book.
I hope that this next book is paid more attention to detail than "From Away" was given.
This was an excellent first novel by the author. I haven't seen anything else by her.
There are two reason for my 4 star rating.
1. Some of the chapters didn't flow into the next smoothly. This created big gaps in the story.
2. THIS is a HUGE reason, that is completely the FAULT of the editors. Throughout the book there were numerous errors. There were extra words, that appeared to be left in when an obvious edit was incomplete. There were also a few edits that should have been done.
There are quite a few errors at the end of the book , in the short preview of the next book.
I hope that this next book is paid more attention to detail than "From Away" was given.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews