This is a beautifully written book.
The book weaves two stories together which is very clever writing.
The characters are well developed.
A good book

I have to say that the storyline to this book is a good one, definitely different, however it won’t be for everybody. There’ll be a lot of readers out there that won’t enjoy it for whatever reason and there will also be a few that are outraged/upset by some of the scenes/relations within it despite the story being completely fictional.

The story was very well written, you can tell that a lot of work/research must have been done by the author, given the contents/nature of the topics covered in the story. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the story as much as I would have liked to, but that’s more to do with the fact that I’m not a huge fan or have an interest in such topics as New Testament, missing years of Christ nor Greek/Roman archaeology which meant that I did struggle with those parts of the story, I found myself scrim reading them to be honest.

I did however enjoy the story set in the present day of Laura and James and their ongoing affair, certainly was an interesting one albeit complicated at times. I was saddened by what happened to James mother, certainly wasn’t expecting that. All of the characters were well thought out and developed I thought.

For those readers that have an interest/passion in the topics that I mentioned above, then I have no doubt that this book will be enjoyed by them and that they will find it to be a beautiful read.

Thank you to Netgalley, One More Chapter and Aubrey Rhodes for the opportunity to read this e-copy in return for my honest review. I'm a sucker for a dual timeline so I absolutely adored this book. The story is beautifully crafted and well-researched, it's filled with substance and questions that make you stop and think, far more than your average summer read. Definitely one that I would recommend.

I really struggled to get i to this. Lots of potential but oh so slow and I didn’t really have the attention span to keep on with it.

Laura is brought over from New York to translate an ancient scroll belonging to the owners of a beautiful old house in Cornwall. The whole project is completely secret and as she starts to translate she understands why..... the contents if authentic could shake the whole basis of the Christian religion!

A great story with a very interesting historical aspect, the characters were good as was the mix of history and modern day and I loved the description of the house in Cornwall, one of my favourite places

What a fun, escapist read. What a perfect quarantine read. I really loved this one!

Many thanks to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

A lovely summery romance with a twist. A bit away from my normal genre but no poorer for it. I enjoyed the plot, even though a few of the twists were obvious, and the writing was really strong around the scene setting. It made me wish for France with its scents and food. A good summer read.

Really descriptive and the dual timelines melded nicely. Would definitely be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

A well written story with good characterisation and an intriguing plot.
This is the first book I have read by this author but will certainly read more in the future. A good mix of historical fact and fiction.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a beautifully scripted and worded book that is set in the present but delves into the time of Jesus through the translating of old scrolls by Laura.
This book cleverly weaves itself together to give two stories alongside each other which I loved how the author managed to do this so cleverly.
The characters are likeable and have issues and problems within their lives but which work within the story together as a whole.

I very nearly didn’t finish this. The beginning felt rushed – I hadn’t got to know the characters enough to care much about them before I was plunged into the main story with quite large chunks of the translated codices to wade through.

Laura has studied at The Sorbonne, at Columbia in New York and at Cambridge University. She has both a PhD and a ThD, is fluent in eight languages and an expert in thirteenth century French literature. She has been called for an interview at Provence House, a 26 room National Heritage property, by Camilla Trevelyan de Figueras in order to see if she is the right person to translate some documents. The interview gives the author the chance to give an awful lot of detail in a short space of time. Unfortunately it comes across as pretty unbelievable. Seriously, why would she not be employed by Camilla? There can’t be anyone in the world better qualified.

The rest of the story focusses on the three documents that Laura has been employed (at an extortionate salary) to translate. I won’t give anything away about them, but suffice it to say that the information contained within them will be ‘explosive’ when made public. The chapters alternate between Laura’s current story and the translated sections of the ancient documents.

There is a Priest Hole, a floundering love story which allows for the entry of a love interest and, with the arrival of Carmensina, a character who hates Laura, some additional tension. It’s almost as though the author realised that, up to this point, things were too good to be true.

The last third of the book was paced much better and I’m glad I finished it.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and One More Chapter for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a powerful and intriguing book that held my attention from beginning to end! It is, at times, uncomfortable reading, gives a lot of food for thought, and questions long-standing beliefs, but is Oh so. compelling! I couldn’t put it down, couldn’t stop thinking about it, and it has been the source of much debate amongst my friends and I. This is a book that questions everything, that makes you think, and makes you wonder. It’s so well-written, so descriptive, and so amazing! Very highly recommended.

Thankyou to NetGalley, One More Chapter and the author, Aubrey Rhodes, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of The Secret of Provence House in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
What an incredible read. Such a beautifully written and detailed book
The premise of the storyline was what drew me in initially and I was not disappointed. Very compelling. The characters were well drawn and intriguing. I enjoyed reading this book. 3.5 stars.
Worth a read.

An interesting premise for a book, translator Laura is drawn to a job in England where an old manuscript needs to be translated. Staying in the owners mansion in Cornwall, Laura starts her work, only to find the manuscript has explosive historical consequences, and not everyone will want the results published. Drawn to the owner's married son James, Laura and he start to prepare the manuscript for publication, aware that their lives will probably never be the same again.

Honestly this book wont be for everyone. The contents of the manuscript, though fiction, will shock and outrage many readers. So will the actions of the mainly weak minded characters. The best character by far is the manuscripts owner, Camilla, a feisty seventy year old, the others were mainly dull or nasty. So while I did enjoy this book, I advise caution on the part of the reader going forward.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting read. This is not the type of book that I would normally read but I found it an enjoyable and intriguing story.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I really enjoyed about 75% of this book. It's an interesting idea - a compelling story that wants you to read it all in one go. The writing is also very good. For me, though, the ending felt far too rushed and was disappointing.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

This book is a nice mixture of religion and history. Both stories work together and I enjoyed moving between the two timelines.

I liked Laura and Camilla as characters. They worked well together and I liked the way their relationship and friendship grew and changed.

I will look for more works by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

A great storyline which is engrossing and entertaining, a lovely setting and an interesting cast of characters are the elements that make this novel a very pleasant read.
I loved how the author mixes historical and fictional facts and rooted for the characters.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I loved this book, - engaging characters - especially the protagonist Laura, a beautiful setting and a great mystery thrown in. While I am not a huge reader of historical fiction, I do love history and so the extracts as the translation unfolded I felt were very real and added another dimension to the story.

It had a touch of Dan Brown, but for me, that is only a good thing. I also liked the wider scope as Laura considered each of our own small places within history and within the larger scale of the planet.

The resolution of the book was great and I felt the decisions Laura reached about her future were just right. Yes, it was a romance, but ultimately it was Laura seeking what was right for her and what I loved was that she was excited about her work, not just about the romance playing out.

I was sorry to see the book end, a definite sign that I loved it and it would be great to see Laura move on to her have more translation adventures. I will definitely recommend it!

If you like like a bit of history and religion mixed with present day then this is a novel you will enjoy. It focuses on the story of Jesus as an adult and what happened before his crucifixion. The religious part isn't over-bearing or long it is just perfectly mixed in. The story focuses on the translation of ancient documents and how this affects the main character and her current and new relationships whilst working on this project. I really enjoyed this book.