After the death of her young son, during WW2, Esme leaves London and goes to stay with family in Devon, whilst her husband stays working in London.
Esme struggles to cope with her loss and avoids support offered to her.
Her uncle asks her to do some work for him and her life begins to change.
A story of love, friendships and the social rules of the time.

When Esme suffers such a tragic loss her husband Richard doesn't know what to do to help her. He works for the War Office and is never around so sends her to live with her aunt,uncle and cousin Louise in Devon. Nothing interests Esme so she spends her time dwelling on her loss until her uncle mentions that he's been asked by the RAF to put the odd person up overnight and then drive them to an airfield but he's finding it too much along with his work for the home guard.
Esme says that she'll do it and finally it seems the very thing to occupy her along with a new found friendship with the pilot Jack.
As Esme starts to feel better she grows further away from Richard. Will they ever get their marriage back on track while Esme's mind is elsewhere?
Louise is suspicious of her father's activities and confides in Esme who doesn't want to be drawn into spying on her uncle.
I enjoyed reading this book provided by NetGalley in return for an honest review. There was a few twists and turns along the way but I did think one incident was glossed over and recovered from far too quickly. It probably needed to be to get to the conclusion of Esme's story but it felt a bit rushed.
While reading I thought that there must have been a book before this one that I had missed and indeed I discovered at the end that it is book 3 in a trilogy. I wish Net Galley had mentioned this. I will now have to read the first two books as I feel I have missed out on lots of the story .
Anyway good read and I assume the three books together will be just as good.

First off thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an e-arc copy of this book.
And wow what a book it is! I had every feeling possible while reading this book.
We follow Esme and Richard a couple During the Second world war, Esme Travels down To Devon to recover from an unimaginable loss while Richard stays behind in London working Constantly, we See as Esme struggles to cope with the sheer grief and takes on a unpredictable job, and in the end has another loss which hits her hard, but at the same time saves her marriage. We also follow Louise (Esme's Cousin) who appears to worry lots! But her hearts in the right place.
This was such a beautiful yet emotional story, and i really and truly felt for each and every character, i welled up with tears at times, i smiled and cooed when it came to it. It was such an easy read, i really struggled to put the book down. The author has done a tremendous job!
If you can i highly suggest reading this.
Happy Reading!

A war-time will they/won't they romance but with a twist. Esme is married; having lost her 3-yr old son tragically in an air-raid, her husband copes by being even more at work and she is packed off to relatives in 'safe' Devon to 'pull herself together'. Cousin Louise is married but hasn't see her husband for ages, the uncle and aunt have their secrets and Esme wanders around wit little to do. She eventually takes over driving "short-term visitors" to the local airfield where she rapidly recognises what they are - agents of the SOE about to be dropped in France/other occupied countries. She also falls for their pilot. A rather predictable story and for that I would squeeze a 3*. However, the writing is excellent and the portrayal of women's lives at this time wonderful although how annoying and frustrating to someone in the 21st century, even if born in the 1940s! For the writing and contextualisation alone I give it 4*. Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Set during WWII in England (mostly in Devon), Ties that Bind is a beautiful story about loss, love, family, making choices and hope. As a rabid Historical Fiction fan, I seek books with original and unique qualities. This book really comes through as it contains political ripples and espionage, both of which contribute to the story.

Esme must learn to rebuild her life after losing her wee son during a dreadful raid in WWII. Her husband is also working away from home so there are several reasons for her to move to Woodicombe in Devon to live with relatives. Her cousin Louise has worries of her own as her husband is thousands of kilometers away in Canada. Aunt Kate and Uncle Luke are kindness itself but they, too, have secrets. Esme gets involved in several projects after a time and begins to start living again, in different ways than she would have expected and eventually finds her niche as she, like everyone, contributes to the war effort.

Amongst my favourite aspects of this book are the author's gorgeous writing and bits of espionage. Very compelling. The code names are sweet! Historical Fiction, Romance and Women's Fiction readers ought to seek this out. One of my 2022 goals is to read as much as I can by Rosie Meddon.

My sincere thank you to Canelo and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this fascinating book!

Ties That Bind by Rosie Meddon is a great WWII-era historical fiction saga that is full of suspense, intrigue, mystery, and kept me engaged from beginning to end.

This was a unique and interesting novel involving political intrigue, mystery, twists, turns, and also included personal topics of love, loss, devastation, finding onself among the rubble, and finding the inner strength and ability to move onward despite monumental losses and changes.

Louise and Esme are both interesting and complicated female characters. Both are placed in unique and special circumstances that at first seem so different, but really are quite similar. Both have to investigate…both have to make difficult choices. Both have their loyalties and hearts tested.

I enjoyed the twists, pacing, and how it all worked out.

Looking forward to reading more from Ms. Meddon.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Canelo for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 1/13/22.

Ties That Bind by Rosie Meddon

When Esme's past as a secret operative comes calling, she must choose - her husband or her job?

After a bomb destroys Esme’s London home, killing her son instantly, she moves to her old country house in Devon to begin the impossible task of recuperating. Soon she is drawn back into the world of espionage, and as her marriage starts to crumble, a local airman pulls her closer.
An exciting story of Esme who goes from the devastating loss of her son and returning to Devon into going over and above in helping to keep the secrets of war and doing everything in her capability for it to go in Britain's favour.
This type of story has been told many times but the author manages it keep us entertained and keep turning the pages to find out how the fantastic character Esme gets on.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for the ARC. If you love family saga and wartime books you will definitely love this