#BookReview SECRETS OF THE MIST by KATE RYDER

ABOUT THE BOOK

A gorgeous timeslip romance for fans of Kate Mosse, Diana Gabaldon and Barbara Erskine.

Maddie is restless in London. She has friends, a job and a sort-of boyfriend, but something in her life is missing. Then she visits the ancient village of Walditch, deep in the Dorset countryside. Something stirs in her, and on a whim she buys a centuries-old cottage and moves there three months later. Her friends think she’s crazy, but for Maddie it feels like coming home.

Late at night in the cottage, Maddie hears strange noises and sees mist gathering indoors and out. When she starts investigating the cottage’s history, she becomes drawn into the tragic story of a family who lived here 400 years ago. Meanwhile, Maddie starts to fall in love with a local carpenter – but he has a relationship already…

Can Maddie solve the riddle of the past? What is her connection with the family that lived there so many years ago? And can she and her true love ever be together?

Previously published as The Forgotten Promise.

PUBLISHED BY ARIA

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

MY REVIEW

This was a lovely time-slip story, recommended by a friend, and I’m very glad she made me pick this up!

Set in the present time and in the 17th century, the story revolves around the Olde Smithy cottage in Dorset, where Madeleine finds herself drawn too while working on a TV show in the area. She’s been looking to make changes in her life, and something about this place feels so familiar to her that she instinctively buys it and her life is transformed!

From vivid dreams to glimpses of figures standing in various rooms, her life becomes a quest to discover more about the history of the house and the area and this leads to some really fascinating revelations and adds depth to the storyline. The past characters have their own interesting story to tell and I loved going back in time to see their lives play out.
I think we’ve all had feelings of being drawn to certain areas, despite never visiting there before, and this book captures that essence of that beautifully.

There’s heartbreaking history that is explored, restless ghosts and a sense of adventure and self discovery for Madeleine and I found it to be a lovely, evocative story

★★★★

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#BookReview Moonlight on the Thames by Lauren Westwood

About the book

Worlds collide when two strangers meet at Waterloo station. It’s a moment they’ll never forget. Perfect for the fans of Milly Johnson.

Christmas is a joyous time, but not everyone is merry and bright. 

Nicola is a rising star at the top of the corporate ladder, but her personal life is a disaster. Her office affair has lost its allure, and the last thing she wants to think about is Christmas. A night of cancelled trains and festive Christmas carols at Waterloo Station is just about the last straw…

Dmitri loves conducting his pop-up choir during the festive season, meeting people, and spreading joy and cheer around London. But he carries deep secrets from his past that robbed him of his dream to become a concert pianist.

Can their hearts and souls be unlocked by music and moonlight and will they discover the healing power of love?

Published by Aria Fiction

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

MY REVIEW

I really enjoyed this story that features 2 characters who aren’t perfect but tragedies in their past explain their insecurities and reluctance to trust people. And they both deal with their pasts in different ways – Nicola is all about work, creating an image that her successful lifestyle fulfills her, whilst having very little belief in herself as she’s treated appallingly by the married man she’s had an affair with for 3 years. And Dimitri throws himself into working with the choir and charity work – putting others before his own happiness at times, despite his sister supporting him to start thinking of himself for a change.

When a chance meeting brings these two characters together, the sparks fly almost instantly but they are so down on themselves as people that they take a while to admit their true feelings and find the happiness they both deserve.

I loved how relatable both characters are in this book and once they’d thrown off their pasts and woke up to their often destructive behaviour, it really brought them out of themselves and let them follow their dreams!

It’s not all a light and fluffy read as some of the things they’d been through are discussed but it still made for a engrossing read and I look forward to reading more from this author in the past.

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