Gate to Kagoshima

A young Scottish woman time-travels to the tail-end of the last Samurai era where she encounters unexpected ghosts from the past and her own Japanese ancestry.

Set in the last days of the Samurai, old ghosts and new loves coincide in this romantic timeslip adventure 

The only thing to fear about the past is it may destroy the future…

'Fun, romantic and heartbreaking. Serious Outlander vibes with a fresh new twist.' Pim Wangtechawat, author of The Moon Represents my Heart

A Marie Claire Summer Reads Pick, 2024

2005: While researching her Japanese ancestors, Isla travels from Scotland to Kagoshima. There, a vicious typhoon hurls her through a strange white gate and back to 1877, amid the dawn of the Satsuma Rebellion – the conflict that ended the samurai.

When she meets Keiichiro Maeda, a samurai who introduces her to a way of life only previously encountered in books, Isla begins to wonder if she has found her true home. But as the samurai fight a losing battle, she is increasingly distraught. Should she forewarn Keiichiro and save the man she loves or let him die the glorious death he so believes in, proud to the end that he remained a faithful warrior?

And what will become of Isla? Is she willing to leave the past behind, knowing her future will forever be changed? 

'Refreshingly original... A stunning debut.' Jason Ayres, author of The Time Bubble series