The Key Inheritance

Ten years after the trip to Scotland that changed her life, Lou is back in the misty, magical country. This time, however, she’s not on vacation: Lou is there to settle some distasteful and depressing family business. When Brian, her old Highland fling, turns up, Lou is forced to wrestle with a past that she thought was dead and buried. As tension between the former lovers mounts, something wicked is stirring in Scotland. Lou must use all her strength to handle the increasingly desperate situation, but will she be strong enough to battle both a vengeful ghost and her heart?

The Key Inheritance is a novella that takes place a decade after the events of The Burning of Isobel Key. This contemporary story crosses into the supernatural as Lou discovers evidence of a long-dead spirit who refuses to rest in peace. Lou may have thought that she was finished with the witch Isobel Key, but her inheritance is more than the young woman can handle alone.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Ten years later, the lovely Scottish Professor MacDonald, who helped Lou exorbitantly, has passed away. Unfortunately, this is Louisa's sole reason for returning to Scotland, at least at first. The country that gave her a family now holds for her an inheritance in Jen McConnel's newly released novella, The Key Inheritance. Along with another mystery to solve. 

Suspicions arise within Louisa when she discovers how much planning the professor was able to do before his death, down to knowing the date that Louisa would arrive in Scotland to take care of his belongings. When Lou stumbles upon a journal, she has a frightening revelation. And it all comes back to one Miss Isobel Key. This plot keeps the story moving along quite quickly which pulls readers in, allowing the previous formed connection with Lou to build. 

In this continuance, readers get a chance to rekindle their connections with Louisa and Brian. Louisa has obviously changed into a woman who understands her beliefs and has continued her study of magic. Flames of her past self still burn within as Lou is still uncertain of what she wants out of life. Readers who bonded with Lou based on her desire to know her past, will strengthen that bond when Lou starts opening herself up to love. 

Brian plays a bigger part in this novel; as it is more about their relationship with a side dish of mystery and ghost stories. He becomes a pillar of Louisa's strength, giving her someone to lean on in hard times. Readers also get a peak at how he was affected by Louisa ten years ago. To say the least, I nearly had to reach for a tissue.

Highly recommended. Promise these will not bring disappointment. Read them. =) 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

The Key Inheritance (The Key Legacy)

The Burning of Isobel Key

Lou is in the middle of a quarter-life crisis. Ever since college, she’s lacked direction, working as a clerk in a local bookstore. But when she quits her job just before the winter holidays, Lou must do some serious soul searching to overcome her fears of straying from the mainstream. On a whim, she accompanies her best friend, Tammy, to Scotland for the winter holidays, but the vacation soon turns into an emotional roller coaster.

When she becomes embroiled in a hunt for information about Isobel Key, a woman falsely accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century, Lou opens up to her intuition and makes a startling discovery about her own heritage.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Jen McConnel brings back the witch hunts with a Scottish twist in her novel, The Burning of Isobel Key. Relatable to the Salem Witch Trials of the U.S., readers will love this historical novel that focuses on heritage and all that entails. 

Louisa is a young woman who doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, which causes her adoptive parents to be a bit pushy. When she escapes to Scotland with her best friend, Tammy, Lou has no idea that her heritage is about to be uncovered. 

Lou is quite a fun character. Whether she's bantering with Tammy, going against her parents' wishes, or delving into the world of magic, she keeps readers intrigued and entertained. Though Lou is unsure of herself and what she wants, she has the desire to find out the answers. Even though it would be going against expectations. Readers will connect with Louisa through her desire to learn about her heritage, her strong demeanor in the face of adversity, and the openness with which she sees the world around her. 

Part of the novel is in the past and focuses on Isobel Key, a Scottish woman who was burned for witchcraft. As the plot pulls the reader forward, Isobel and Lou become entangled. Isobel is a character in which all things are inferred. Readers will see what happened to her, though not experience it themselves. The story that is told about Isobel will allow them to form their own characterization of Isobel, labeling her with qualities that they focus in on. This technique will let readers form the bond they want to with her character. 

The Burning of Isobel Key dips into a variety of genres, with something for everyone to enjoy. It studies paranormal, entices with romance, shifts through history, laughs with comedic intent, and describes the horrors of the past. It truly is a novel for all. Recommended for fast-forwarding through an afternoon, as the book will charm readers into sitting through the spell. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

The Burning of Isobel Key (The Key Legacy)