Maresi Red Mantle - Maria Turtschaninoff

I'll start with a quick overview of books one and two of the Red Abbey Chronicles. Book one tells Maresi's story of growing up at the Red Abbey. She arrived there as a young child and though she always missed her family, she loves her friends and the Sisters on the island. Rather than continue with Maresi, book two goes back to the lives of the women who founded the Abbey and how they came together to rescue themselves from a life of servitude to a selfish, cruel man.

In book three we are once again following Maresi and her personal mission to go back to her family and her home village. There she wants to start a school where she can teach girls all the things she has learnt at the Red Abbey. She has quite a journey to reach her home and even once there it is not as easy as she had hoped to fit in and set up the school.

This book is written a little differently to the others, as a series of letters from Maresi back to the the sisters and her friends in the Abbey. I wasn't too keen on this format at first but I soon forgot this as I was completely immersed in the story. 

Though Maresi has to endure many hardships and setbacks, there are some moments of such true kindness that I felt so emotional. Whenever she feels like giving up, the people around her surprise her and remind her of her true purpose. I don't want to give away any spoilers but the resolution scene was so dramatic and described so wonderfully. Plus Karun is like a dream man, so perfect!

I've made a Red Abbey cocktail, adapting the Red Earl by adding strawberries and lemon juice.

Muddle a few raspberries and strawberries in a cocktail shaker, add in 1&1/2 shots of vodka, 1/2 shot limoncello, 1/2 shot lemon juice and a dash of sugar syrup (you can leave out the sugar if you prefer, especially if the fruit is quite sweet). Shake with ice and strain into a glass. Garnish with a raspberry float.