Heart-breaking, poignant, compelling, emotional and a damn fine read!!!
Loved this book so much that I have now purchased a paperback just to have it sitting pretty on my bookshelf.

This was a very intriguing dual timeline WW2 novel based in Australia, and 1987 New York. I enjoyed reading about the romance between main characters, Rebecca and Edward. While I found it a bit hard to get into at first, I was soon swept away by the author's writing and how I grew to care about the characters. I look forward to reading more by Ella Carey.

Thank you for the chance to read this book - thanks to the author. publisher and NetGalley.

I had not read any other books by this author and probably had made an error in requesting this one as I normally don't like novels that are set in America or written in American English.

I didn't mind the dual timeline - but I did find the book so slow and difficult to get engaged with. There were various times in the early chapters when I wondered if I would bother to complete the book - which again is very unusual for me.
But I stuck with it - and of course eventually had read enough to want to know the outcome - though the modern strand was at times, tedious and overstretched.

I'm not sure that this book would make me want to read more by this author. However I did learn about tha Art Movement in Australia in after WW2 which was enlightening.

Please dont let this review put you off though - we all like different things and different ways of writing.

Thank you again to the publisher and Ella Carey

A story with a dual timeline and some very interesting characters. I loved the story set in the past,not so much the one in the present.Although Tess is dogged and determined,very much a modern woman,she didn't draw you as Rebecca does.

I have to start off by saying that I am quite a big fan of Ella Carey. I well and truly fell fell in love with her previous books so I was overjoyed to be asked to be a part of this blog tour!.

Rebecca’s character intrigued me from the start. I adored the strength she had within her that grew as her tale went on, and the artistic side to her was a fantastic addition to an already wonderful character. When she disappears whilst painting on the shore, the story that unfolds as people try desperately to uncover what happened to the young, beautiful Rebecca that day.

This story captivated me entirely from the start. It was so beautifully written it truly touched my heart and I found myself really connecting with the characters as their personalities came through. The setting was brought to life so vividly in my mind, I could picture the beautiful shore …and wished I was there at times.

Moving, compelling and impossible to put down. I couldn’t recommend this book highly enough! It is a story that is, without a doubt going to stay with me for a very long time.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Told over 2 time lines, 1946 and 1986, this is a lovely book about Edward and Rebecca. Absolutely loved their time lines and the unravelling of their beautiful story. Sadly, I can't say the same for Tess in the modern timeline. Her constant doubting of those around her was exhausting and blaming others for her mistakes becomes monotonous. Thankfully other characters make up for this. Enjoyable light read for fans of historical fiction...with some real people in influential parts!!

A dual storyline. 1946, an Australian artist, Rebecca and 1987, a down on her luck editor, Tess Miller. Not sure that this was the book for me. I did like the storyline of Rebecca more than Tess. Just couldn't relate to her. Honestly, except for Rebecca, I did not really like any of the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

A bit of romance added to some mystery added up for an enjoyable novel. Dual timelines, 1947 to the current, make for alternating chapters and an interesting read. I have read other books by this author and have always enjoyed them. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this. I enjoy dual timeline stories and this was cleverly crafted.

In 1946 we have Edward and Rebecca, young talented artists both desperate to escape the confines of their families.

1987 sees Tess, a publisher pushing hard against the glass ceiling as James, a privileged and wealthy co-worker seems to conspire against her.

I did feel that Rebecca and Edward’s story was more rounded than Tess and James, but the whole book was a delight. The plot was well paced and the characters were interesting- particularly the bohemians!

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

Rebecca Swift is a young artist who is part of the modernist movement in 1946 - when she meets Edward Russell it is love at first sight, but Edward is from a very different background to her - part of the Australian aristocracy ........ will she ever be accepted by her family or is tragedy waiting!

Tess Miller is an editor in New York who is distraught because her most famous editor that she has nurtured for the last 3 years has been handed on a plate to the new boy James........and to add insult to injury she has been lumbered with an unknown ancient Australian poet, Edward Russell, who has not written anything for years!

Once Tess starts to receive the manuscripts from Edward however she starts to feel differently and soon realises that the love story is actually his autobiography - his wife is now dead and he has never forgotten his first love Rebecca - but can Tess get him to open up and admit that it is a true story, especially once she starts to uncover long hidden secrets

Another great book by Ella Carey - I loved all of her Paris series and this one did not disappoint either - the two timeframes worked well with the stories alternating between 1946 and 1987 and the book had plenty to keep your interest

1940s Australia, Edward struggles against the constraints of his social class as he pursues his passion to be a writer. He meets Rebecca, an artist, but will they ever overcome their social status differences?  1980s New York, Tess has her prize author taken from her and is handed a manuscript from Edward. Can she make it a bestseller and revive her career?
Secret Shores is a very gentle love story. Edward and Rebecca are both artistic but have to fight class discrimination in 1940s Australia. The aftermath of the Second World War has made Edward re-evaluate his social standing and want to fulfil his passion for writing. He is supported by Rebecca, a struggling artist and they fall in love.
Meanwhile we see Edward again the 1980s as he picks up his pen for the first time in years and decides to share the story of his love for Rebecca. Tess is an editor who wants to make the book a success and investigates how much of Edward's 'novel' is in fact autobiography.
We know from the prologue that there won't be a happy ending for Edward and Rebecca due to an accident. Their gentle love story is written wonderfully against the backdrop of social change and the culture of Australia. Yet it didn't have the passion that would have driven the book and made me engage with their characters better.
I found myself drawn to Tess as she is determined and passionate so I wanted her to succeed and make Edward's book a bestseller to spite her boss. I felt that she was brave at times, and her character could have been from the modern day rather than the 1980s.
Author Ella Carey has done fantastic research into the modernist movement and there are real life characters included in the novel to blur the distinction between fact and fiction.

The emotions that pour out of these pages will enthrall and entice you to read the book all night long! I could not stop reading because I felt for Edward & Rebecca and how they were in a straight laced society that was not ready for their opinions or works of art.

I cannot imagine the torment that they felt when they were treated like pariahs by their own families. Then Edward is forced to make the decision of his life because his father and older brother passed away. Did he choose to be head of this dynasty or walk away and live his own life?

Rebecca knew in her heart what he would choose. The next morning she goes to her favorite painting spot and all that is left by the rock is a pencil. What happened to Rebecca?

The twists and turns now begin and the other characters in the story will now pop up and add to the storyline!

The author has an exceptional creative writing style that will capture you from the beginning because the book doesn’t have any flow problems or your confused on what is the author trying to convey. I wanted to read more and more. I didn’t want to stop and cook dinner!

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read!

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Secret Shores by Ella Carey is a historical saga, told over two timelines, post World War Two Melbourne Australia and 1980s New York. Rebecca Swift is a young artist in 1946 when she meets Edward Russell. It is love at first sight, but he is very much part of the Australian aristocracy, the total opposite of Rebecca. The question is, will she be accepted into his family or not?
In the 1980s, Tess Miller is an editor in New York and is distraught due to everything going wrong and her ending up working with an unknown poet, Edward Russell an older man who hasn't written anything in forever.

As time goes by and she begins to receive his work to read, she realises this is his autobiograply and it reads like a love story. His wife has passed away previously and the memories of his first love , Rebecca, have never faded. How can Tess begin to get Edward to admit this is actually a true story? Then the secrets begin to be revealed, which does not make Tess's job any easier.

I always find an Ella Carey book can transport me to the time and place that the book is set in and a mesmerising read for me. I have loved every single story she has written. She always creates characters that I can empathise with and they are well developed too. A book for any historical saga fans out there.
Thanks to Ella Carey, Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of the book for my review today.

This historical fiction novel covers 1946 - 1987 and travels from Australia to New York to London. It's a story about true love that endures over time no matter the problems that stand in the way.

1946 - Rebecca is an artist in Australia. Her mother refused to allow her to paint and she finally left home so that she could fulfill her dream Then she meets Edward, a former WWII pilot who is still mentally dealing with the effects of the war. Even though they are in completely different social classes, they fall deeply in love. Rebecca feels that Edward is the only one who has ever understood her and her need to paint. When Edward has to choose between family and love and he decides that his duty is to his family, Rebecca goes to a cliff overlooking the ocean where she enjoys painting and accidently falls to her death.

1987 - Tess is one of the few female editors at a major publishing house and has worked very hard to make one of their major authors a best seller. When she is replaced by a rich entitled man, she doesn't know where her life will go until her boss asks her to take on a new author who is writing about his time in Australia after WWII and losing the love of his life. As Tess reads his book, she realizes that she has a potential best seller in her hands and that she needs to meet Edward in person.

I loved the way that the author brought together the two timelines and especially liked the ultimate joining of the two stories. The twist at the end was perfect and made the book even more enjoyable. The characters were well written with Rebecca and Edward being my favorites. I didn't always like Tess but understood her need to make her stand in the publishing world that was pretty well closed to women at this time. Overall, it was a great historical fiction novel.

4.5 Stars

Ella Carey truly has the storyteller’s gift and in her latest novel, Secret Shores, she has penned a stirring historical yarn that is perfect for curling up with.

It’s 1946 and although the Second World War might have ended, its devastating repercussions and horrific consequences are still exerting their hold over those who had managed to survive this gut-wrenching conflict. Many of the young men and women who had done their duty for their country had paid the ultimate price for their sacrifice and those who had been lucky enough to survive are mere shells of their former selves. Although the war might be over, young artist Rebecca is still locked in a bitter battle with her overbearing mother who is determined to do whatever it takes to ensure that her daughter does not pursue her artistic dreams.

Rebecca feels trapped by her mother’s controlling ways. Her art is her entire life and she cannot imagine a day going by without losing herself in her work. When she meets a dashing young pilot called Edward, Rebecca falls head over heels in love with the enigmatic man and in him she finds the escape and love that she has been searching for so long but which has eluded her so far. When Edward takes her on a trip to the coast to meet his family, Rebecca is thrilled. She cannot wait to find out more about the man who has come to mean so much to her. However, this trip ends in a horrible tragedy when Edward’s father kills himself, leaving his son distraught and grief-stricken and faced with an impossible choice: his family or the love of a lifetime.

When she had been planning this trip, Rebecca had been so full of hope, but all of her dreams and plans for the future have been smashed into a million tiny pieces. With her life with Edward in jeopardy, Rebecca seeks solace in her painting once again. Going to the shore by moonlight to paint, Rebecca begins to think about her life. But in the cold light of day, she disappears without a trace with only her pencil left behind.

What happened to Rebecca? Will she ever be found? Or will finding her lead the people she left behind to discover shocking truths which they would much rather have kept dead and buried?

An atmospheric and suspenseful page-turner, Ella Carey’s Secret Shores is a beautifully crafted and brilliantly plotted page-turner full of twists and turns, heart-wrenching emotion and intense drama that will delight fans of Lorna Cook and Iona Grey. Ella Carey is a wonderful storyteller who pens evocative, intriguing and compulsively readable novels where the past comes to vivid life leaving readers completely mesmerized by the stories she evokes.

An enjoyable and captivating historical novel about love, lies and loyalty, Ella Carey’s Secret Shores is a compulsively readable tale that is impossible to forget.

In 1987 Tess Miller works for a prestigious publishing company. An author she has nurtured for three years to success is being handed over to another editor, James Cooper, the golden boy of publishing. She takes this badly, feeling cheated and betrayed, and is reluctant to trust anyone again, especially James Cooper. She also resents being handed an unknown author, Edward Russell, to work with. However, after reading part of Edward's novel, she is intrigued by the love story that reads like a memoir. She believes it will be a best seller if only she can persuade the publicity shy Edward to open up and stop resisting her proposals on how to present his novel to the world. Their professional relationship is in danger of breaking down until Tess is given a helping hand by James, a book of Edward's poems to read, through which she gains a better understanding of Edward and his relationship to the woman in his novel.

In 1946, Edward Russell, from a wealthy landed family, is at Melbourne University studying English Literature. At a lecture on Modernism, Edward is invited to a party, a gathering of painters, writers and left-wing intellectuals, where he meets Rebecca Swift, an aspiring young artist. They become part of the Heide circle, a group of artists and writers living and working at Heide, the home of John and Sunday Reed. Despite family disapproval, Edward and Rebecca plan a life together embracing the tenets of Modernism. Unfortunately,on a visit to his family home with Rebecca, tragedy strikes and Edward must decide between the woman he loves or duty to his family.

Since reading her Paris Apartment trilogy, I have become a fan of Ella Carey and her dual time narratives. This time it is the post World War II Modernist movement in Australia that provides the interesting backdrop to a romance in the past which has similarities to the one forty years later between James and Tess. I didn't particularly like Tess and so her relationship with James didn't engage me as much as Edward and Rebecca's. This is just a minor criticism as I did enjoy Tess' tenacity in uncovering what happened to Rebecca, thus providing a happy ending for the elderly Edward.

Secret Shores is another excellent novel from Ella Carey.

The author has become one of my favourite writers over the past few months and I couldn’t wait to read Secret Shores. I loved every word and didn’t want the book to end. Secret Shores uses the same structure I’ve come to expect from the author’s books; chapters that alternative between now and the past which gradually reveal the links between both. Unlike other books I’ve read by the author, WWII isn’t the backdrop as the historical events are set after the war ends. I loved this book and didn’t want to stop reading. I fell in love with everyone. This is a timeless love story that turn me to mush. I loved the characters. I rooted for Rebecca and Edward to get a happy ending. I wanted Tess to stop bring so hard on herself and everyone else. I was 100% invested in Secret Shores. It’s terrific.

The author is an elegant writer (loved her BEYOND THE HORIZON novel), yet I struggled until the last third of SECRET SHORES (released originally in 2017 by a different publisher.)

A dual timeline narrative takes us to post-WWII Australia, where Edward, a poet, and Rebecca, an artist, are drawn to the Melbourne Modernist movement. I found their story heartbreakingly romantic.

We then jump to 1987 NYC, where Tess, a successful book editor, finds that her favorite author has been “stolen” by James, whose father is the best known literary critic in town.

While the Australian characters have warm authenticity as they cope with war’s aftermath, Tess and James lack depth, reflecting the plasticity of an era steeped in glitz and wealth. And I so disliked the endlessly whiny Tess that I almost DNF.

But something prompted me to keep on, and by the last third, I quickly turned the pages as the story flowed, the characters came alive, and the ending stunned me.

It’s too bad. With more judicious editing, SECRET SHORES could have been stellar.

3.5 Stars

Pub Date 01 Dec 2020

Thanks to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#SecretShores #NetGalley

Ella Carey's Secret Shores is told over to different time lines - 1947 and 1987. We learn about a young couples love for each other in 1947, when Rebecca dies. 1987, sees Tess become an editor of a book being written by Edward, so doesn't want the story to be biographical. The characters all depict true life for the 'class' of the time they are living in and the story is one filled with emotion and the feeling of being real. Lovely read.

I sincerely believe this is one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading this year. I'm even considering releasing one of my tightly held five star ratings. I can't say I was surprised by the turn of events and the revelation at the end, but I certainly enjoyed the trip to get there.

Lately, it has become rather commonplace to find books written from differing points of view or from different points in time, but to come across a beautifully-written jewel, such as this, that incorporates both is rare. Even more rare is for it to be so well-crafted that it is heartrending and heartwarming at the same time.

I loved the settings for each of the varying timelines, post WWII modernism and the late '80's when women were still trying to find heir way in the male dominated areas of business. As a book editor, Tess, was the perfect catalyst to uncover the history and great love of her author, Edward's, life. She went at it full-tilt, seemingly with little regard for the impact her actions might have on those involved or how it might change her own situation. Regardless, she pressed forward with good intentions and an open heart. After all, to paraphrase Ella Carey, love is the only thing that matters. Tess finds this to be true for herself as well as Edward.

What a lovely book! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and offer my opinion of Secret Shores.