*Review* Treasures of the Lochs by Hunter White

 

Genre: YA Fantasy

Published: September 12, 2023

Pages: 395

A long-lost treasure, a deadly chase, and a magnificent beast of legends

For almost three hundred years, people have searched for one of the greatest treasures in history—the lost gold of the Scottish Jacobites. Following his father’s death and a brazen late-night break-in at the United States Naval Academy, Lieutenant Carter Porter, his life and career in tatters, unwittingly joins the quest.

In Scotland, Hassie Douglass, a spirited young employee of a luxury inn situated on the picturesque shores of Loch Ness, thinks her prayers have been answered when she stumbles across four old gold coins that may be part of the Jacobite treasure. But she can’t tell anybody how she really found them; they would think she had lost her mind. Who would believe she followed a strange, ethereal voice emanating from the loch? Struggling to accept what she heard, she can’t deny that the gold in her hand is real.

The allure of such a valuable cache draws evil, like the moth to a flame. No sooner does Carter receive a strange bequest from his late father and Hassie’s find is publicized than a shadowy, well-armed group of mercenaries attacks each of them. Soon, Carter’s and Hassie’s fates are joined, and their survival depends on solving more than one ancient mystery while facing their worst nightmares.

Blending historical fact and Scottish legend within an action-packed adventure, Treasures of the Lochs is an exciting, powerful story of faith, friendship, and redemption.

I received the audiobook version of this through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This book had a National Treasure vibe to it, but set in Scotland, mostly. The main characters are trying to find a historical, but also mythical, treasure while avoiding people who want the treasure for themselves. Sounds familiar, right? And much like National Treasure there was a fair amount of historical information. As I'm not well versed in Scottish history, I cannot speak on the veracity of that information. There was one rather unexpected twist that I thought was a really nice touch though. 

The narration was solid. The opposite gendered voices didn't come across as caricatures, and at least to my American ear, the Scottish accents for the Scottish characters were well done. 

Overall I give Treasures of the Lochs 3.1785 out of 5 stars because although it was entertaining, it also felt a lot like a story I was already familiar with. - Katie 

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Hunter H. White practices law in Houston, Texas, where he lives with his wife of over thirty years. He has had a lifelong love of creative writing, and publishing this book has been a dream come true.

https://hunterwhiteauthor.com/