The Pearl Sister - Lucinda Riley

I'm back with another instalment in my Seven Sisters reviews, which continue to be glowing! This fourth book focuses on the fourth sister, Celaeno or CeCe, whose dependency on her sister Star has run its course. Star has located her birth family and begun a new life, forcing CeCe to do the same against her better judgement. She travels to Thailand for escapism, and meets an elusive and wealthy man who offers her a room and company on her trip. Rebuffed by her sister, CeCe is grateful for the companionship and holiday romance. After recuperating and gathering her wits, she travels on to Australia to investigate the cryptic clue her deceased adoptive father left her, to find out about her birth family.

At this point I'm super familiar with the refrain the novels follow, and Riley has cleverly engineered her series so that we don't need filling in on the premise in each book. Pa Salt's clues come to be expected and of course, a wealth of history and adventure will surely follow! CeCe's story takes her back in time to the early 20th Century, beginning in Scotland and then over to Australia and one of the biggest pearling companies in the country. CeCe's love of art is harnessed and her self-belief grows as she learns about her ancestors.

What I love about these novels is that they're all so different and unique and yet like a familiar, comforting hug. The sisters are each wonderful in their own way and you find yourself in features of each one of them, even in the most unlikely ways. The history woven into each novel is simply spellbinding and I never want the stories to be over. Another top read!