An immortal soul. A forgotten curse. A love that rewrites fate.
Once a proud Scottish nobleman, Derek Drummond has spent 124 years caught between day and night, hiding from the world — and from himself. A shadow among shadows, he has watched time unravel, love vanish, and hope fade into myth.
Until Megan MacKenzie looks at him — and sees more than she should.
With haunted eyes and a quiet, stubborn kindness, she stirs the man he used to be. But the past never stays silent. Some curses won’t break. And some ghosts refuse to let go.
Told entirely in Derek’s voice — darkly poetic, sardonic, and painfully human — The Diary of Derek Drummond is a gothic fantasy of redemption and reckoning.
From the storm-lashed cliffs of northern Scotland to the rain-soaked rooftops of London, it is a story of immortality, forgiveness,and the terrifying hope of being truly seen.
If you believe in second chances — even after death — open the diary.
What did I think?
The Diary of Derek Drummond is quite a chunky book with 541 pages but it is written in diary format so it is very easy to read and it's totally bingeable. I absolutely loved it and could easily read it again right now.
We meet Derek Drummond in Scotland in 1897 as an eligible young bachelor who discovers the meaning of the phrase "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and finds himself cursed to live out his days as a raven and his nights as an immortal man. He was cursed by Margaret MacKenzie, the woman he loved, when she found him with another woman and she refuses to see him to let him explain. It wasn't totally his fault, although it was a little bit as he could've nipped it in the bud if he hadn't been enjoying the attention so much.
As the years go on, Derek has a solitary existence but he seems to quite enjoy the freedom of having wings. Maybe this being cursed lark isn't so bad after all...until he meets Megan MacKenzie and falls in love with again. Megan may be the key to unlocking Derek's curse, but he's not sure he wants to give up his immortality.
The story concludes in 2020 and I loved every single page of it. I could have read more as I was completely enchanted by Derek's unique voice that speaks loudly and clearly through the prose. I loved being privy to Derek's innermost thoughts, fears and feelings over the 124 years of the diary.
The Diary of Derek Drummond is faultless and so beautifully written that I felt completely immersed in the story. With curses, romance and immortality, it has the feeling of a fairy tale but it is also thought-provoking and hopeful. It's a haunting and poignant gothic fantasy that is an easy five stars and a very highly recommended read.
I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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