This wasn’t really for me, I liked the premise and was looking forward to it, but just didn’t do it for me, there wasn’t real character depth or development and the ending wasn’t good at all. It didn’t seem to be very well thought out, sorry.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I liked the idea of this book so when I picked it up to read I had high expectations and I'm delighted to say that SECRETS OF THE MIST by Kate Ryder went above and beyond everything I could have imagined.

When Maddie is on location with work in a picture-perfect Dorset village she is overcome with a feeling of familiarity that throws her because she has never been here before. And when she spots an old cottage that is for sale, she knows that it is waiting for her and only her to buy it. So she does. Maddie quits her job and moves her high-paced city life for the quiet of the countryside and she feels like she is home. But there are moments in the house when she knows that she is not alone and when she starts to have vivid dreams and begins to see apparitions, Maddie knows that the past needs her to finish their story, but what is it? Throw in a handsome tradesman who feels like her soulmate but has a long-term girlfriend, a new job, and an old friend who may need her, and life is anything but dull for Maddie, but can she figure out the past so she can have a shot at real love in the present?

I loved every part of this emotional and beautiful book which perfectly blended the heartache and love from the past with the uncertainty and risk of the present. The characters, the setting, the community all have a piece of my heart and I could not put this book down until I got to the end because it is simply that wonderful and addictive!!

SECRETS OF THE MIST by Kate Ryder is a superb story about love against all odds and I cannot wait to read more from this amazing author.

This is a bit different from my usual type of read; as a skeptic it took me a bit longer to get into it, but it's a good story!

Maddie is a bit of a high-flyer; working for a production company she finds herself on location in Dorset when she spots a cottage for sale, and just knows it's meant for her! Three months later she moves in, and it definitely feels like home, but then there are some strange goings on which puzzle her. When it happens again, Maddie knows she needs to find out more about her new home . . .

I have to say, upfront, that with the first strange occurrence I would have been out of there - at speed. Maddie, however, embraces the situation and as she settles in, making friends and finding work, she begins to explore the history of the area. Cleverly entwining the present with the past, this is a very readable tale. Dorset isn't a part of Britain that I'm familiar with and the author does an excellent job of making the area both interesting and appealing! A truly lovely story and one I surprised myself by enjoying as much as I did, and certainly an author I'll look out for in future. Four shining stars for this one!

My thanks to publisher Aria for my copy via NetGalley, and especially to Vicky Joss for my spot in this Blog Tour. All stated opinions are both entirely honest and completely my own.

I have to admit, this book wasn’t anything like I expected it to be! Completely unexpectedly, I was captured by the story of Maddie and the centuries old cottage in the little village of Walditch. Whilst working in the village, Maddie felt such a strong connection to the Olde Smithy Cottage that she left her London job to move there. After ‘experiencing’ unusual events after she moved in a picture begins to form of what had happened many centuries before in the village, and Maddie’s connection to the cottage and the people in the village become more apparent.

This book is a lovely read in the historical romance genre. I love historical reads and this book certainly does this particularly genre justice! The location was the absolute perfect setting, based in the beautiful County of Dorset. Knowing some of the areas well, it was lovely to read names of places I’ve been to and gave vivid pictures in my mind. The characters fitted into the storyline well and I particularly liked the main character, Maddie. I have to admit though, if I were Maddie, I don’t think I could have stayed in the cottage any longer than a few hours, let alone live there, considering all the weird things Maddie experienced!

The romance element was well written and the modern day story became a romance through time as the book continued! It is a bit of a ‘ghostly’ read, but not enough to ever call it a ghost story or horror read!! It did however make the hairs on the back of my head stand up on end at times, and did make me not want to look in mirrors for fear of what might be looking back! Overall, it was a lovely well-written story with plenty of romance to capture your hearts and enough mystery and suspense to keep you turning the pages to get to the end! I will definitely be looking for more by this author!

I was very excited to be able to be apart of this blog tour and to be able to review Secrets of the Mist and would like to thank Aria and Kate Ryder.
Secrets of the Mist is a brilliant story that follows Maddie who after visiting Walditch, deep in the Dorset countryside decided to buy a cottage that she feels she has a connection to and move away from London and all that she knows. Maddie has strong emotions and connections to the cottage and strange happenings occur along with visions.
I adored this element to the story and the way the history of the cottage and family who lived there was drip fed to me. It was exciting and kept you wanting more and gave you just enough insight each time to answer questions but also gain more. Secrets of the Mist is well written and captures the story drawing you in completely. I could visualise the settings as the story unfolds. I adored Maddie as a character. Strong, determined and she knew what she wanted and went for it.
As well as the historical aspect to the story there was also a romance which was lovely to read as it come alive. I do not want to give anything away here but I did like certain ways that the romance unfolded. It was beautiful.
Secrets of the Mist is a beautiful tale of past and present coming together showing love truly lasts a whole lifetime and beyond.

I was eager to see where this title lead and will admit to being a bit disappointed. Without giving spoilers, there was a decided lack of conflict resolution. I figured out some of it, but there were supporting characters who had no real purpose in the story. I kept trying to make them fit in the parallel, but to no avail. It was a good read, but not the best I've ever read along these lines.

I think that I can easily add Kate Ryder to my list of amazing time slip romance writers. Wow this book just grabbed me on page one and never let go.

While working in a village in Dorset, Maggie O'Brien assistant is drawn to an historic house called the Olde Smithy. When she sees that the house is for sale Maggie just has to buy it. To the surprise of all her friends and her on-off boyfriend Dan she uproots her London job and life and moves into the house. Immediately after moving in, Maggie, Dan and Maggie's sister Mo have strange experiences and Maggie realizes that the house has secrets waiting to be revealed. Making things even more mysterious Maggie meets Nick a local carpenter and feels an inexplicable connection to him which grows stronger the more time that they spend together, even though he has a girlfriend.

This story just gets more and more spooky as you get further into it. Kate weaves such a realistic and mysterious tale and introduces all the clues to the solution slowly, keeping the anticipation going right to the end. The ending was so unexpected and it gave me shivers.

This is going on my list of my best ever books I was so enthralled by it. If you like time shift stories you with strong and believable characters bound together by love never to be parted, this one is for you.

Quite an unexpected read!! There are certain books which ask to be read at a particular time and moment of life. This was one of them. I tried reading it before when I was going through some mental anguish, and the book did not reveal its secrets to me. It didn't speak to me. Only when I decided to let go of my pain in real life, did the book unfurl and allow me to settle down in its pages. Such is the magic of certain books.

Maddie was restless, but when she visited the village of Walditch, in Dorset, that her soul found a home. Something in her recognized the Ole Smithy house and she bought it. Slowly things started happening, and too many sights and feels of a man appearing in the mist made her realize something more was at play.

My first book by author Kate Ryder was a magical experience of sorts. The book decided when it had to be read. The time slip love story revealed its pain and angst only when the moment was right.

Kate's writing had a haunting timelessness to it in certain sections. There was a feeling that the spirits of the past had gone beyond the words and had seeped into the pages, leaving their mark on them. Love is eternal, and even when the story was fictional, the shadowy whispers of those emotions were left behind, beguiling me to stay lost in its pathways.

The hints of dual timeliness which appeared as the ghosts of the past continuing their circle as they were wont to do added an emotive atmosphere. I wouldn't say I liked Maddie and Nick in their completeness, there was something missing with their characterization, but the story on its whole called to me.

The glimmer of the past love and the aura of the house, which pulled me to read the book, kept me captivated to, eagerly waiting for me to solve its mystery and set it free. That was the power of this book on me. No idea about the how and the why. But its tendrils stayed with me till I finished it. A captivating read.

There’s nothing like a mysterious remote cottage surrounded in Dorset mist to get the reader’s expectations tingling. This was a lovely novel to sink into and to time- slip into. You know sometimes when you see a place and feel you’ve been there before? Or when you go into a house and feel you know it and can sense someone else there, history in its walls perhaps? Well this novel has all that and more. I swear though, that mist really makes it even more mysterious and compelling and I for one would quite like to visit Walditch now where it is set and try to find this (sadly fictional) house.

There’s lots to love: a house with secrets in its walls, a story which quite literally comes out of the brickwork and a woman in the present day with questions which a woman in the past has answers to. The story came alive with its many mystical and supernatural feels and the stunning way that the scenery and essence of the place was evoked.

There was also a nice romance to enjoy and I tell you, at the moment, this was very welcome for me as it felt fresh and different as well as a nice change from crime fiction which I seem to have gorged on lately. I got the chills reading this - so perfect for an autumn read and I swear it got a bit misty outside as I read it.

Spookily good.

This book had me captivated from the start. Whilst I am not always a fan of the first-person narrative, this story was told in such an easy manner. Whilst filming in Dorset, Maddie is captivated by a cottage that she sees. So, taken with the place, she decides to leave her job and buy the place, surprising her boyfriend Dan, with whom she has a casual relationship. Soon after moving in, she begins to have unusual dreams, and sees events, linking her to a family, who lived in the cottage 400 years ago. Somehow, her growing attachment to Nick, the local carpenter, seems intertwined with the family. Together, this leads Maddie, to try and uncover the story behind her cottage, whilst navigating her feelings for Nick.
I thoroughly enjoyed the two main characters and was fascinated with how all the pieces of the puzzle would come together. The secondary characters were also a powerful addition, rounding out the story, and developing the supernatural nature of the book. The historical events were well interwoven into the storyline, adding depth to the book. This is a great novel and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Madeleine O'Brien, a busy assistant director for a media company in London, hopes to find a slower pace of life in the countryside. While working on location in Dorset, she has a strong sense of deja vu when she spots an old cottage for sale which she buys immediately. As she begins to settle in, she hears and sees things in and around the cottage that make her think she may have a special relationship to this home; a relationship that may be hundreds of years old. A new love interest is woven into these experiences that capture her heart and mind.

This story provided a great sense of place; descriptions led me right into the English countryside. Characters were well developed and believable. What I enjoyed most about this time slip novel, that was very different from others, is that it read like a mystery. The mysterious events provided clues along the way that left me trying to figure out what was happening instead of just finding characters in one place, and then another. I will look for more titles by this author.

I was hooked from the very first page. An enthralling read
The words just flowed and it was written in such an easy to read style
I was sad when I finished this book as I wanted more
An excellent book

I appreciated this sweet story and found it engrossing and entertaining.
I liked the plot, the well written cast of characters and the setting.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Secrets of the Mist is my kind of story. I love a supernatural time slip novel. The story follows Maddie an assistant director for a company that makes mini series. She sees a cottage while on location in Dorset and falls in love with it. The cottage seems to call to her. She buys the cottage, quits her job and moves to Dorset. She starts renovating the cottage and weird things start to happen. She see a mist in the cottage, a strange yet familiar man, and has weird dreams. Oh and her friend Dan seems to be possessed by the man she sees in the house when he visits.. While renovating the cottage she meets a local carpenter Nick whom she feels strangely connected to. While bartending at the local pub, she meets an elderly lady who used to live in her cottage. The lady calls her Mary and says she is glad that she has come home. What is with all the weird incidents and her feeling of recognition with Nick? The book is a great timeslip. I enjoyed the historical portions of the book and the mysterious journey that Maddie took me on to find out what or who was haunting her cottage and her life. For fans of a good supernatural time slip. I highly recommend this books

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher Aria for the chance to review this book

I know romance is not my typical genre, but I do love my historical fiction and there was just something about this timeslip romance story that caught my attention. Not only has Secrets Of The Mist a stunning cover, but the blurb instantly intrigued me. And I'm definitely glad I made the decision to read this story, because it was without doubt a beautifully written and poignant read.

Secrets Of The Mist is set in a little Dorset village, Walditch, and the author does a fantastic job describing the setting of both the village and its surroundings. The story really came alive for me that way and the Dorset setting is one of the reasons I enjoyed this story that much. Another reason is the historical and timeslip aspect of Secrets Of The Mist. The historical elements are cleverly woven into a contemporary romance story and this adds that air of mystery and a hint of the paranormal to the story. Like Maddie, we have no idea what exactly she is experiencing in the cottage or how it could relate to the present... Through Maddie's experiences with the 'happenings', we slowly get to build a picture of the past and what happened in the 17th century. The historical element was one of my favorite aspects of this story.

Then we have the characters... Things can be said about certain actions and behavior, but I actually liked both Maddie and Nick. Quite a few less important characters are likewise charming, but those two really stood out for me. Their development is without doubt interesting albeit a bit predictable. That said, I could have done without the love triangle and I did find Dan to be highly annoying and unlikeable... But the Dorset charm and mystery around the past made up for this feeling. The writing is solid and made it really easy to full immerse myself into this story. And despite the predictability of certain aspects of the plot, a love triangle and a few disagreable characters, I can't deny this is a wonderful read fans of both contemporary romance and historical romance will appreciate.

Would like to thank the publisher's and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
It's a romantic story linking people from their past lives to the present in the English countryside.Liked the character's although not to much he main one ,Maddie seemed a bit slow on the uptake,that Nat already had a girlfriend,but still she went ahead,some of the character's did not play a big part in the novel such as Sara,more needed to be written about her,after all she had been his girlfriend for a long time and here is where the story falls short.Other characters introduced into the story needed more work,Lucy,Betty ,Charles they were only used as promps, each could have been developed more to entwine with the past..
All in all a pleasant read.

This is a lovely romance in a gorgeous setting with a supernatural twist. I love stories with a paranormal element so jumped at the chance to read this. For me this was the perfect length, and I adored the setting; the beautiful old cottage in Dorset to which Maddie feels linked. After experiencing strange dreams and visions, Maddie is determined to find out more about the house and its long-forgotten secrets.

The only thing that irked me about this book was Maddie's behaviour at times; even though I liked her as a character, her attempts at getting with Nick knowing that he has a girlfriend made me dislike her a little. She came across as bitchy. It seemed as though every man she met wanted to sleep with her, and every woman was instantly jealous of her. Which got very annoying, very quickly.

Overall, this is a nice, romantic read with a historical element, and a captivating mystery.

Had a hard time finishing this one despite the short length. The writing was stiff while the characters were dull and dim. Maddie especially seemed blind to anything happening around her.

Maddie getting involved with Nick despite him having a girlfriend, as well as Maddie happily getting intimate with Dan while his girlfriend (however nasty) slept in the next room was rather tacky overall. Poor Dan got a bad ending as well.

Overall this plot was not well thought out. The dialogue was stiff and unnatural.

Secrets of the Mist is an engaging paranormal/ time-slip romance set in rural England. I really enjoyed it. It was written in a very colloquial style which I liked but I'm not certain that everyone would. The romance was light but engaging and it wraps up in a satisfying way, though a bit quickly. I would recommend it to fans of Kate Morton, Susanna Kearsley or Nicola Cornick.

Secrets of the Mist is a well crafted story of past lives and present lives that intersect in an old cottage in Dorset. The cottage seemed to call to Maddie the first she laid eyes on it. Once she has moved in she begins to see a male form accompanied by a swirling mist. Then there are the very vivid dreams, the box found in a previously walled up space, and the former owner who calls her Mary. Maddie is determined to find out what secrets her new home holds, and readers will become engrossed in Maddie’s journey. The author has created an interesting cast of characters to sometimes support, sometimes hinder and sometimes confuse the heroine. I can’t say more lest I give spoilers. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.