The Secrets Between Us - Laura Madeleine

 

Description

A gripping mystery with a heart-breaking revelation, The Secrets Between Us is a sublimely satisfying story of lost love, betrayal and the dangers of war.

‘Sublimely satisfying’ Veronica Henry, author of The Forever House

High in the mountains in the South of France, eighteen-year-old Ceci Corvin is trying hard to carry on as normal. But in 1943, there is no such thing as normal; especially not for a young woman in love with the wrong person. Scandal, it would seem, can be more dangerous than war.

Fifty years later, Annie is looking for her long-lost grandmother. Armed with nothing more than a sheaf of papers, she travels from England to Paris in pursuit of the truth. But as she traces her grandmother’s story, Annie uncovers something she wasn’t expecting, something that changes everything she knew about her family – and everything she thought she knew about herself…

Perfect for fans of Kate Morton's The Lake House and Dinah Jeffries' Before the Rains.

Review

This is a dual timeline novel set in 1943 and 1993. I found that I was getting into the story in 1943 and then pulled to 1993, where not so much seemed to be happening. The character Annie in the 90s was a little boring to me. There was so much more action and vigour in the 1943 characters.

The second world war timeline was different than anything I have read about this period before. It certainly opened my eyes to a world in a small village in France I was not aware of. Although not totally historic the author did base the writing on a real village.

I thought that the first half of this book dragged a little. But once the two timelines met I found it much more intriguing and couldn't put it down. This resulted in a satisfying ending which has had me replaying parts of the book to make sense of it all.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the review copy.