Life and Love in 1830s ScotlandThis historical saga is set in a Scottish fishing village in the 1830's and reflects the living conditions and the morals of the ordinary fisher folk of that time.The novel follows the relationships of Belle, her husband, Jimmie, her daughter Sarah, her mother-in-law, Annie, and the rest of the Watt family.James and Annie Watt are a typical fisher family, and Annie is horrified when Jimmie, her eldest son, brings Belle to the village as his new bride. She makes her displeasure obvious to Belle who struggles to find acceptance in the village. Belle is engaged in a losing battle however, because the villagers regard her as an incomer.Jimmie, anxious to buy his own boat, leaves the fishing village to sail with a whaling ship. The story follows him to the Arctic, and on a whale hunt, before he returns home again.Meanwhile in his absence, Belle has fallen for the charms of Lachlan, the Laird's son, and embarks on a tempestuous affair with him. When Jimmie returns she struggles with her feelings for him and for Lachlan.By this time the women in the village are starting to regard Belle as a Jezebel who will tempt their men away. A mood of hysteria engulfs them and they turn against Belle, in an attempt to force her out of the village.What will Belle do?And will she survive?Review quotesThere is some beautiful poetic writing and the complex life of the heroine, Belle, had me gripped from the beginning. Some of the loveliest writing is in the whaling sequences -one can feel the cold - and among the whalers she creates some outstanding characters – Eileen Ramsay, novelistA Salt-Splashed Cradle drips with historical accuracy, and even the scenes aboard a whaling ship seem to have been recounted directly from an 1800's whaler, almost as if Chris Longmuir boarded those ships and chopped them free from the arctic ice herself – Tim GreatonChris Longmuir's books so far have been mysterious, suspenseful stories concerned with some of the darker depths of human nature. So it's surprising to learn that this latest is a romance. But fans won't be disappointed. Yes, it's a romance but the murkier motives and actions are still in evidence – Bill Kirton, crime writerBeautifully written with deeply enchanting and well drawn protagonists, A Salt Splashed Cradle goes beyond the norms of the historical romance to bring us a story of hardship, love, wanderlust and coming of age. This was a story I did not want to end and I hope the author plans to bring another instalment of Belle's life and loves to us soon – Karen Bryant DoeringChris Longmuir is an award winning novelist as well as an established writer of short stories and articles. Chris is an award-winning novelist and has published three novels in her Dundee Crime Series. Night Watcher, the first book in the series, won the Scottish Association of Writers' Pitlochry Award, and the sequel, Dead Wood, won the Dundee International Book Prize, as well as the Pitlochry Award. Missing Believed Dead is the third book in the series.Chris also publishes a historical crime series, The Kirsty Campbell Mysteries, set during and just after the Great War. This series features Kirsty Campbell, one of Britain's first policewomen. There are currently three books in this series; The Death Game, Devil's Porridge, and Death of a Doxy.As well as the above, she has published two non-fiction books. 'Crime Fiction and the Indie Contribution' which is an examination of crime fiction as well as an evaluation of independently published books in this genre. And 'Nuts & Bolts of Self-Publishing', an in-depth look at self-publishing with step-by-step instructions on how to publish ebooks and paperbacks.Her crime novels are set in Dundee, Scotland, and have been described as scary, atmospheric, page turners. Chris also writes historical sagas, short stories, and historical articles which have been published in America and Britain. However, A Salt Splashed Cradle is the only historical saga
