A collection of three novels by Jim Ellis, now available in one volume! One Summer: In mid-20th century Scotland, Nathan Forrest, a gifted jazz trumpeter and devout Catholic, falls in love with Dorothy, a Protestant girl from a middle-class family. Against the backdrop of Westburn's doomed shipyards, they must confront the prejudices and hate of their society in order to be together. But will their love be enough to overcome the religious and social conflicts that threaten to tear them apart? The Music Room: Set in 1950's Scotland, Tim Ronsard is a student at St. Mary's School, feeling unfulfilled and ready to leave. That is until music teacher Isobel Clieshman arrives, a Protestant in a Catholic school. Despite the age gap, Tim falls for her, but it isn't until five years later when they meet again that their romance blossoms. However, with societal prejudices and personal struggles to overcome, their journey towards happiness is a challenging one. Westburn Blues: Dante Rinaldi, the son of Italian immigrants in Scotland, becomes entrenched in his family's homeland during a stranded summer with his grandfather in World War II Italy. As a young adult, Dante fights with a band of mountain partisans against the fascists. His experiences, including a delayed young love and post-war struggles in Scotland, lead him to cross paths with neglected adolescent Chris McCoull, who finds his own romance and purpose while working for a Greek-owned shipping line. This carefully researched and historically detailed novel depicts the Scottish-Italian experience with a cast of colorful characters, from sympathetic to truly evil.

1920's Mexico and the American Southwest hold many dangers, as the last Apache strongholds persist against the foreign invaders. Hard as nails, Confederate serviceman Jock MacNeil receives an unexpected invitation to guide runaways from a reservation to a stronghold in Sierra Madre. Facing both Mexican and American authorities, and the Apache Wars raging around them, Jock witnesses first-hand the terrors of war, and his own transformation from a man of faith to Apache spirituality.

Nathan Forrest is a lapsed Catholic, a welder, an illegitimate son, and a gifted jazz trumpeter. After he begins pursuing Dorothy - a Protestant girl from a middle-class family - they face the antagonism of mid-20th century Scotland. Against a backdrop of decaying Westburn's doomed shipyards and bitter environment, the young lovers seek to escape the contraints of prejudice and hate. But is their love and determination enough to bring them happiness, or will religious and social conflict consume them both?

Jock MacNeil, the eldest son of a Highland Catholic family, leaves school at thirteen to follow his father's footsteps and become a blacksmith. But after a family tragedy changes his plans, Jock joins CSS Alabama and heads to the New World. He befriends the retired Royal Navy Surgeon, James Gunn, and David Llewellyn Assistant Surgeon of Alabama. Living among the seamen, Jock learns how to take responsibility - and how to defend himself.  But can Jock survive the perilous journey, and what awaits him in the Civil War on the other side of the Atlantic?

Dante Rinaldi is born to Italian immigrants in the West of Scotland. Stranded by World War Two in Italy during a summer with his grandfather, Dante grows roots in his family's rural homeland and, as a young adult, identifies with a band of mountain partisans fighting the fascists. Young love delayed and the Rinaldis' struggles in post-war Scotland carry Dante into the life of Chris McCoull: a neglected adolescent who finds his calling and romance while working for a Greek-owned shipping line. Carefully researched and historically detailed, Westburn Blues is a rendering of the Scottish-Italian experience and filled with a cast of colorful characters... from sympathetic to truly evil.

In 1950's Westburn, Scotland, Tim Ronsard only has a few months remaining until he leaves St. Mary's School. Bored and listless, he's anxious to get away. His life changes when a new music teacher is appointed: Isobel Clieshman, a Protestant working in a Catholic school. Soon, Tim's feelings go well beyond a school boy crush, but at 23 years old the teacher is out of his reach. Five years later, they meet randomly and soon, Tim thinks he has never been happier. But amid family issues, war and prejudice, can they find the road to happiness together?