Synopsis
What if the past was trying to teach you a lesson?
Staying alone in the shadow of an abandoned manor house in Yorkshire would be madness to some, but art enthusiast Lissy de Luca can’t wait. Lissy has her reasons for seeking isolation, and she wants to study the Staithes Group – an artists’ commune active at the turn of the twentieth century.
Lissy is fascinated by the imposing Sea Scarr Hall – but the deeper she delves, the stranger things get. A lonely figure patrols the cove at night, whilst a hidden painting leads to a chilling realisation. And then there’s the photograph of the girl; so beautiful she could be a mermaid … and so familiar.
As Lissy further immerses herself, she comes to an eerie conclusion: The occupants of Sea Scarr Hall are long gone, but they have a message for her – and they’re going to make sure she gets it.
Book 3 in The Rossetti Mysteries, Book 1 – Some Veil Did Fall. Book 2 – The Girl in the Painting Book 4 – A Little Bit of Christmas Magic
Kirsty Ferry
Kirsty Ferry is from the North East of England and lives there with her husband and son. She won the English Heritage/Belsay Hall National Creative Writing competition in 2009 and has had articles and short stories published in Peoples Friend, The Weekly News, It’s Fate, Vintage Script, Ghost Voices and First Edition. Her work also appears in several anthologies, incorporating such diverse themes as vampires, crime, angels and more.
Kirsty loves writing ghostly mysteries and interweaving fact and fiction. The research is almost as much fun as writing the book itself, and if she can add a wonderful setting and a dollop of history, that’s even better.
Her day job involves sharing a building with an eclectic collection of ghosts, which can often prove rather interesting.
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Written by Els Ebraert
The third book in the series, but my first one. I did not have the feeling a had to read the two other parts to be able to follow the story here and that is always a good point. I have to admit it made me curious about what happened before.
Is it predictable? Yes, some parts are but I did not mind. The overall story is good and that is what counts. It’s the way that the author takes you to those predictions that makes or breaks a book.
There was one little thing at the end of the book that I did not understand, but maybe I missed something somewhere.
Written by Fany van Hemelen
This is a beautiful romantic and intriguing book. It is all about passion and love but with complications. Lizzy and Stefano are the couples in the present. One day they deeply fell in love but unfortunately the relationship did not have an happy-ending. They have not seen each other for seven years and their hearts were broken when they left..Today they get a new chance to set things right. Stefano has, with his friend and Lizzys brother Jon, a project. Lizzy was invited by Jon and is doing some research of the live of the local Stainless Painters. First Lizzy no longer wants to be a part of the life of Stefano.. Nevertheless the attraction between them is unbelievable. When Lizzy sees a strange things at her house she is afraid and founds protection with Stefano. Lizzy is digging into the live of the local painters group because she loves to know more about the history of the artist community . When the photographer and the art lover discovers at Sea Scar House a beautiful photograph they start a search for the past. Stefano and Lizzy reveal the dramatic life of the “mermaid” Lorelei and Julian. The characters in the two allied stories are so vivid you must to love this book. In the past and in the present both couples just want to find true love but that’s not always easy.
The girl in the photograph is a heartwarming story that has a message that you hopefully never forget: “Remember to truly listen to the ones you love, be the person you really wants to be and live your live with passion”. I didn’t read the first part and the book was now already clear to me. Even so I want to give the advice to read the first book. Why? I think when you read that one the magic will even be bigger! I will read it and maybe I discover more answers …
Written by Lie Frooninckx
This book contains two stories. They both play in and around Scarsdale’s House, Sea Scarr Hall.
It’s the story Lizzy and Stefano now and this of Lorelei and Julian a century ago.
Since you read back and forth about both couples, the stories are a bit difficult to follow, but so beautiful.
Lorelei meets the tenant of the beach house on a ball held by her husband, Lord Scarsdale. Since she was forced into an unhappy marriage, she finds with Julian the freedom she so lacks. For years she has been a model for different painters, likes creating new paintings herself mostly in watercolor, mostly sea views. Because of the attention she gets from Julian, she finds the courage to leave Scarsdale and to start a new life as Laura Cooper, far from her beloved Julian, who was convinced that Lorelei stayed in the fire that broke out in The Hall , the day they both would disappear.
Lizzy is a free-spirited woman who loves history, especially this from local painters. Seven years ago she was friends with Stef, a very nice photographer. By a misunderstanding she left him and tried to build up a new life. Thanks to her brother and friends, Stef come back, worked hard to get Lizzy back and finally they fall in love again.
Both stories show a lot of similarity, making it difficult to separate the one from the other.
In the end Lorelei / Lizzy and Julian / Stef seem to be so connected that you have to read their stories … wanting or not!
Beautiful story then and now …. highly recommended !!
Written by Kim Claes
The girl in the photograph is a nice romantic book. It reads smoothly and you can relax with it. I always like it when a book tells two (or more) stories; especially when it’s woven in to two timelines.
Here we have the one of Lissy and Stefano, and the tale of Lorelei and Julian. But I must say that I liked the parts with Lorelei and Julian best. I understand it is book two of a series and I didn’t read the others. But I can’t say I missed them, you can fully follow the story as if it was a standalone.
If I’m honest, then I must add; that I sometimes had the feeling that the story is missing something, I feel like the link between the stories should have been more present or elaborated.
Concluding, definitely a book with just enough drama, a little bit of tension and a lot of love. Add it on your never ending reading list.
Written by Patsi Demarsin
I just finished reading this one and honestly, it was not exactly what I expected. It was not bad at all but I had a bit of trouble with the present and the past story. To me they were both good stories but should have been sepparated. Maybe a book with two short stories. First the one of Lorelei and Julian and then the story of Lissy and Stef to end with Lissy seeing what she sees at the end of the book. Now, for me it was a bit unnecessary confusing at times. I was in the middle of Lissy’s story when Lorelei suddenly popped in… At those moments I really wanted to know what would happen with Lissy and couldn’t care less about Lorelei. My solution: I devided the chapters and read the book the way I would have written it. First I read all the chapters about Lorelei and Julian and afterwards I read those that went back to Lissy and Stef. Okay, it was a bit of a going up and down, but it did the trick for me… I just couldn’t put the book down anymore. So, my conclusion : was it good? Absolutly… Once I figured out how I made it work for me. I must admit, I expected more paranormal stuff…
Although this is book number three in the Rosetti Mystery Series it was my first outing with Kirsty Ferry. Happily the Girl in the Photograph worked well as a stand-alone and, if anything, aroused my curiosity about the first two novels.
A double enjoyment for me as Kirsty Ferry has written not one romance but two. The first set in 1905 between Lorelei, Lady Scarsdale and photographer Julian MacDonald Cooper and the other in current time between Lissy and Stef. I loved the way the writer’s voice changed as she moved between the two timelines, from modern to historical and back again. She cleverly ramps up the drama between Lorelei and Julian, only to move back to Lissy and Stef just as you’re wondering what happens next.
It’s a great read, cleverly woven between the two sets of characters. There’s a little bit of everything here. First it’s spooky and dramatic. There’s history too wrapped around a forbidden love affair. In the present, gorgeous Italian photographer Stef has returned to try and make amends for his foolishness nearly eight years ago; something that cost him Issy. But he knows she will need a lot of persuasion before she can ever trust him again. Set on the Yorkshire coast it’s a lovely read which has me definitely on the trail of books one and two!
…The Girl in the Photograph is a touching look at the loves of a couple from the past, and a couple who need to find their way back to each other. I enjoyed both romances, expertly woven together to create a complete picture. The descriptions of the scenery made some scenes come alive before my eyes, something that will always add a special touch to any story I’m reading.
If you are a lover of time slip stories, or mysteries, or simply a very good love story then this is a story that you’ll want to add to your reading list. Hauntingly realistic are the words that come to mind to describe this story. I believe you’ll understand why once you’ve taken the journey with these lovers.
Reviewed by Marsha at Keeper Bookshelf
Read the full review here …
Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous….
This is the third in Kirsty’s Rossetti mystery series, but having only recently discovered this author I was pleased to find it also works as a stand-alone novel. I loved it. Time-slip novels are hard to write convincingly, but hats off to Kirsty Ferry, she weaves the two stories seamlessly together brilliantly.
Her settings are fabulous, her plots well thought out and all the characters were so convincing I fell in love with most of them from the moment I met them. Now I can’t wait to read the other two books in the series!