Ancestor Memories: Book 1
Publication Date: September 24, 2024
In this exciting historical romantasy in the spirit of The Hurricane Wars and The Time Traveler’s Wife—Outlander set in Japan—a young Scottish woman is magically transported to the last Samurai era, where she encounters ghosts from the past, her own Japanese ancestry, and a love that transcends time.
While in Japan researching her family’s history, a vicious typhoon sends Isla Mackenzie 128 years back in time, to the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion. There she meets her ancestors, and a charismatic samurai, Kei, with whom she unexpectedly finds romance.
But, unlike her Beloved, Isla knows about the looming Samurai rebellion—and Kai’s fate. Should she attempt to change history or somehow make her way back to the life she’d had before?
Compulsively readable, historically grounded, and irresistibly immersive, Gate to Kagoshima is an unforgettable tale of duty, and of timeless love.
When a young Scottish woman travels to a Japanese city to learn more about her third-great-grandfather, who is thought to have been a samurai, she ends up back in 1877.
Author Poppy Kuroki takes readers on a fascinating journey through history in Gate to Kagoshima. Not only does the story highlight Isla MacKenzie’s adventures, but the focus is on the rebel samurai warriors who fought against the emperor in the Satsuma Rebellion.
As with any sort of time-travel storyline, the main character goes through a period of denial. However, when Isla is found by the samurai, she is drawn to one of the young warriors and slips into a daily routine very different from her modern lifestyle.
As the storyline explores the lives of the samurai and the strict code of honor guiding their actions, Isla realizes the historic battle will wipe out these fierce warriors in spite of her efforts to warn them.
Isla’s relationship with Keiichirō transcends the boundaries of time, as demonstrated by the author’s well-developed conclusion. Not only does Isla find the answers she seeks about her ancestor, but she also gains an appreciation for the samurai code.
Gate to Kagoshima takes a page out of Japanese history and breathes new life into it with a fictional romance between a Scottish woman and a Japanese samurai.
Poppy Kuroki was born in Scotland and grew up in England. Since 2016, she has been living in Japan, where she works as a writer and freelance editor. She lives in Kanagawa with her son.
