What a beautiful cover!
The Olive Grove is a heartwarming story with endearing characters. Certainly a very emotional read.
Leaving the past behind…
Revealing secrets…..
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was invited to read this book by One More Chapter publishing via Netgalley. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to read it. It's one that I probably wouldn't have chosen, but one that I'm so pleased that I did read it.
Eva Glyn writes beautifully, it is very emotional read and I was gripped from the very start.
Croatia is somewhere that I would love to visit. I haven't had a holiday for a long time but I was able to escape via the pages of this book. Eva's writing was very descriptive and evocative.
I think that Croatia is not a common location in fiction. It sounds like a beautiful location, but this book also reminds us that it suffered a terrible atrocity during the War. A war that still haunts its people. Samir was an example of this, and how he still struggles years later.
I admired Antonia for being brave enough to have a new start away from everything that she knew.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I will definitely look out for more books by this Author.

Have you ever had the desire to runaway and start over again?

Realizing she can’t continue her affair with a married man (who also happens to be her boss), Antonia Butler jumps at the opportunity to take a position as a housekeeper for the newly renovated Croatian farmhouse, Vila Maslina. The Croatian island of Korčula is even more beautiful than she could have imagined, and after meeting Damir and getting to know the locals, Antonia is hopeful that she made the right decision.

I really liked Damir. It was clear he wanted to better himself, and after his vision for Vila Maslina came to life, I think he finally saw his true potential. But he struggled with moving on from the horrors of his past, and it began to take its toll on him physically and mentally. Antonia on the other hand, seemed to become stronger and more confident the longer she stayed in Korčula. As her friendship with Damir grew, she and other members of the community expressed their concern for him, and soon it became their mission to help him heal and find answers he never knew were out there.

I truly enjoyed reading this story. It was so emotionally-driven, but also heart-warming in the best possible way. I highly recommend it!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4188878670

Set in beautiful Croatia. Antonia answers a job advert enabling her to leave her past behind and hopefully create a new future. The owner is charming and captivated me. He is also looking for a brighter future. Can they help each other? An enchanting story set in a beautiful place.

4.5 Stars

A wonderfully written and beautifully layered page-turner, Eva Glyn’s The Olive Grove is a compulsively readable tale readers will thoroughly enjoy.

Antonia Butler is on the precipice of great change. When she stumbles upon a job advert for a multilingual housekeeper at a beautifully renovated Croatian farmhouse, Vila Maslina, Antonia realizes that this is the chance and opportunity she has been waiting for for a long time. Not about to let this job slip through her fingers, Antonia heads off to the tiny picturesque island of Korcula where she plans to lay old ghosts to rest and start afresh in a place where she can finally escape her demons. However, her new home is fraught with its own dangers and challenges…

Korcula might be a beautiful island, but it teems with secrets and shadows. The island inhabitants have their own skeletons rattling around in their closets, but nobody is as intriguing or as enigmatic as the owner of Vila Maslina himself, Damir Maric. Antonia finds herself drawn to Damir, but can she trust him? Is Damir somebody she should keep at arm’s length? Or will Antonia end up finding in him everything she has always wanted?

Will Korcula prove to be a safe haven for Antonia? Or will its beauty lure her into a dangerous trap from which there is simply no escape?

Eva Glyn’s The Olive Grove is an emotional and evocative read set in a beautiful part of the world that is so beautifully recreated readers will feel as if they are living and breathing the story alongside her characters. A heart-wrenching, dramatic and hopeful tale about fresh starts, old sins, broken promises and second chances, Eva Glyn’s The Olive Grove is a book that tugs at the heartstrings and will linger in the mind weeks after the last page is turned.

Eva Glyn’s The Olive Grove is an astute, absorbing and poignant novel from a writer with a very bright future ahead of her.

Highly Recommended
From the beautiful atmospheric cover and the intriguing blurb, I knew this was going to be my kind of novel. I was not disappointed. and loved it from the opening page through to its very satisfying ending. There is a strong sense of place in the book and the reader is transported to a country I've visited in the past. By using all the senses and skilful descriptive writing, I was revisiting Croatia again. The characterisation is very strong; the growing frienship between Antonia and Damir as she supports him through conquering his demons from war-torn old Yugoslavia is sensitively done. The characters were in my thoughts long after I finished reading it.
I have no hesitaion in recommending this poignant, emotional novel that tugged on my heartstrings. Congratulations, Eva Glyn.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book was sent to me on Kindle by Netgalley for review. The author is good at the craft of writing. The characters are changing an dmoving with the story. The protagonist is intriguing. However the story moves slowly at times.

Sometimes the best way to forget is to start fresh in a new place, with no connections to the past and a bright future ahead.
Antonia Butler is not happy with her life, so she decides to make a rush move and move to a Croatian farmhouse, far from everything she knows, but possibly the best way to heal her heart. But I don’t think she will expect to be part of the community and so involved with the charming characters that live there! Also, the secretive boss, Damir Maric, will make her life more interesting, believe me.
It was not difficult to feel transported to the idyllic island of Korčula while I was reading this book, the details and charming atmosphere make you part of the story and believe in the story.
But this charming landscape will not be isolated from problems or bad memories, because Damir has his own secrets and problems too, and when they will be knocking at his door, the only way to confront them will be asking for help.
This is a well written story, not only about romance but war and pain, but a nice reminder too that it doesn’t matter if your problem is big or small, if you have someone on your side to help with the pain.
Are you ready to discover “The Olive Grove”?

This story was gut wrenching yet lovely all at the same time. I think it painted such a beautiful picture of how war really affects someone and how those triggers and tortures really never go away, but are learned to live with.

It’s hard to put into words how incredibly well written and utterly captivating this story is!

Set on the island of Korčula in Croatia, The Olive Grove is a tale of compassion, friendship and overcoming demons from the past.

Damir’s tale, in particular, is told with poignant empathy and the reader is immediately drawn to his character; both his amiable, hospitable side and the more haunted soul who is troubled by memories of his early life experiences.

As his bond with Antonia grows throughout the story, it is refreshing that the narrative does not force an unlikely romance, but instead allows a solid, trusting friendship to develop, which eventually leads to peace of mind for both characters in their quest to uncover what is really important to them both.

The descriptions of the island, the beautiful villa and the olive press transport the reader to an idyllic location and lends itself to the feel of a summer read. However, the contrast with Damir’s early life in the former Yugoslavia, presented initially in the form of memory flashbacks is expertly handled and gives the reader a realistic insight into the horrors that took place during the war. Despite being such differing aspects of the story, they are woven together perfectly.

A wonderful, five-star read!

With thanks to the author, Anne at Random Things Tours and One More Chapter Publishing for the opportunity to participate in the tour.

An interesting read. Set in Croatia it had great description and was emotionally gripping. A story that stays with you after the last page, a definite recommendation.

This is a book about two people who help each other to move forward in their lives. After an affair with her married boss, Antonia Butler needs a change so she gets a job as a housekeeper in a small boutique hotel in Croatia. There she meets the owner of the hotel, Damir Maric, a young man haunted by his past as a child refugee of war. This book has an interesting plot and characters worth rooting for. Although it is not strictly a romance the story does involve some romance. However, one of the main draws of the book is its beautiful setting. The author does such a great job of describing the environment of the story that you really feel like you are right there with the characters.

Antonia Butler is on the brink of a life-changing decision and a job advert for a multilingual housekeeper at a beautifully renovated Croatian farmhouse, Vila Maslina is one she can't ignore. Arriving on the tiny picturesque island of Korcula, Antonia feels a spark of hope for the first time in a long time. This is a chance to leave her past behind. But this island, and it's inhabitants, have secrets of their own and not-so-distant past steepled in tragedy and war.

This is a moving story that's set in Croatia. Antonia has to leave her daughter behind when she starts working at Vila Maslina. Damir is the owner of the farmhouse and he has a vision to make a better life for himself. He wants to make the family home into a holiday property.

There wasn't a character in this book that I didn't like in this heart-warming read. This is a beautifully written story that's gripping, emotional and captivating. Damir was my favourite character. He had been taken in by his aunt when his mother became a victim of the Croatian war. This is the first book I've read by the author but it won't be my last.

An emotional story set in Croatia with the after shocks of war still reverberating.
Beautifully written with lovely scenery and memorable characters, this novel explores the healing process after turbulent life events.
I was emotionally tired when I finished this book,; one to remember.

This book has a beautiful setting in Croatia and we get to learn much about the culture as Antonia does herself. Damir has lived there since he was a young boy, but his early years are starting to haunt him. Not what I expected, but a pleasant story.

Antonia Butler is at a crossroads Her daughter is embarking on a relationship with her partner, Sara. Antonia enjoys her job but is involved in a relationship with her boss which is going nowhere and she wants out.
she jumps at the chance to move to Croatia to work as Housekeeper at the exclusive Vila Maslina on the lovely island of Korčula.
This island has not to distant history with war and it seems there are secrets everywhere and her boss, Damir Maric, seems to have his own.
Can he find out who he really is and find the peace he looks for.

Wow wow. This book got me from the start and kept me with it until the end. Based on historical post Bosnian war in the early 90’s this story follows Antonia a women escaping England and her boss and Damir a man who got separated from his mother during the war and is setting up a B&B decades later. Can Antonia help him with his war torn nightmares and help find his mother? Who will fall in love with who?
Thanks to the author Eva , her publisher and NetGalley

On the face of it, this looks like a familiar story- a woman leaving home to escape a stagnant love affair and finding peace in a bucolic location with a man who has a troubled back story. Yes, that's the outline but this novel is about so much more. Antonia is a mature woman with an immature daughter. Her affair has blown up and the idea of being a housekeeper in Croatia seems like an opportunity to cleanse. Damir, the owner of the holiday villa, is in his 20s and he's had a tough life, having been orphaned in the war. This isn't a dual time line but his story is told in bits and pieces. These two become friends, banding together for the future of Damir's property and for themselves. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a very good read.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

“Hooked from the beginning”..

Getting away from a her relationship with her boss whose married, Antonia accepts a job as a housekeeper at Vila Maslina, on the Croatian island of Korčula.

Damir, is her new boos whose young and puzzling. As he aunt has passed away, he’s updated the home that he inherited on the olive grove.

Whilst working for her new boss, she becomes more self-assured and is also able to let her daughter have space to grow, whilst she’s able to feel like part of the local community.

The story felt really real, describing the outcome of the disagreements in Croatia and how the people were treated during the war. Damir, whose father was a Croatian but his mother was a Bosnian, was a casualty of this, he was cared for by his aunt, and buried the memories he had of the war. But, uncovering something in the attic, brings those memories flooding back and he can’t decide how to deal with them.

You find yourself turning the pages, reading how Antonia and the community help Damir make peace with his past and members move forward makes.

Highly Recommend This Book

A strong sense of place is something I always look for in a book – I’ve only visited Croatia as a quick stop-off while on a cruise, it’s always been a holiday destination I’ve liked the look of, and if the sea is really as enticing as it looks on that wonderful cover I think it’s about time to make next year’s booking. This book really brings the destination – the island of Korčula – vividly to life, while providing a strong reminder about the troubled recent history of the countries that made up the former Yugoslavia.

But I’m jumping ahead – the book’s focus at the start is Antonia, one of those more mature characters I always enjoy, feeling less than comfortable with her life. She’s embroiled in an affair with a married man, and it’s a slightly grubby life that she really doesn’t want any more – he’s also her boss at the holiday company where she works, and that makes breaking things off many times more difficult. But it also provides a chance of escape – Villa Maslina is a new property on their books, the owner familiar to her, and when she finds he needs a housekeeper for the villa she decides it’s just the opportunity she’s looking for. The only downside is leaving daughter Honey behind – but perhaps it’ll give her rather immature daughter the opportunity to take more responsibility for her own life, allowing some breathing space to work on her less-than-stable relationship with her girlfriend, enabling her to make some decisions about her own future.

In Korčula, we meet the villa’s owner, Damir – a young man with a vision and a desire to better himself, beginning with creating a holiday property to be proud of from the home where he grew up. He’s immediately extremely likeable, and the friendship between them grows – but he’s a very troubled man, unsuccessfully having tried to move on from memories of his past, and those night-time horrors are now beginning to impact his waking hours. The shadow cast by those wartime experiences is a long one – and through their time together Antonia and Damir support and help heal each other, with an intriguing mystery to be resolved before he can achieve anything like peace of mind.

Despite the difference in their ages, I’d rather expected the friendship to deepen into a romance – but that would have only muddied the waters, detracting from the book’s themes and focus, and the romantic flurries that do feature involve others rather than the two main protagonists. There is a particularly strong supporting cast – and visitors from Antonia’s previous life to add texture and maintain that link with “home” – but the enduring impact of the book lies with Damir’s wartime experiences.

The book doesn’t become a dual time story, and I thought that was a choice that worked particularly well – instead, we’re offered glimpses of his past, images that sear themselves into the memory, powerful and affecting, building empathy for this young man and the traumatic events he experienced while still a child.

The story-telling is excellent – and every emotional touch extremely well-judged. I particularly liked Damir’s passion for restoring the old olive press in time for the harvest, all linked to his more precious memories of being provided with a safe home where he felt loved – beautifully done. The book’s pace is steady, with few fireworks in the present day story, but that was something I enjoyed – Damir’s emotional journey and the search that underpins it provides more than enough narrative drive to keep the pages turning. Antonia’s experiences give the story particular appeal for an older reader – that minefield of families and caring, life’s possibilities and the way she responds to them, all with particular authenticity, easy to identify with.

I really did enjoy this one – and must say that those comparisons with other authors in the book’s description are entirely justified. Filled with emotional complexity, coupled with a captivating story – I couldn’t have asked for more, and highly recommend this book.