Leo's marriage is falling apart and her dying grandfather asks her to go to Croatia to find out about the woman he fell in love with when he was stationed on the island of Vis during the war. I really liked this one. This was written in a dual time line with Guy's point of view during the war, his meeting Ivka and their love story. Leo's story and the search for Ivka is the second. Something I find rare was that both were equally good although I wish that Leo's character and all the characters in her time line like Andrej were more developed. We know Leo desperately wanted a child, it is mentioned often, and her husband was a jerk but Leo was a high powered business woman and at times she just couldn't make a decision. Same with Andrej. He sounded like an amazing guy but they just kept dithering over the smallest things.

There is a strong sense of the place near the sea and Ivka going out nightly to fish for anchovy. Can you smell the sea and the fish? Sitting on the balcony watching the sea sounds idyllic.

I will definitely recommend this one. Oh and why is she named Leo? Was it short for something or a family name or did someone want a boy?

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for providing me with a digital copy.

A dual time novel. Leo travels to Croatia to find out what happened to the lady her grandad guy meet during the war. Guy is sent to Croatia to work with the Partisans. A lovely written novel.

Stunning! Eva Glyn is an author of stature and skill, and I was very pleased to be allowed to read, An Island of Secrets. Beautifully written, wonderful characters all make this dual timeline story a treat!

Wonderful read! The compelling storylines were just that- compelling! I felt I was there. Many thanks to publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a lovely book. Loved how the story unfolded and how it all tied together. Would definitely recommend

I love stories with two timelines. This plot captured me and I didn’t want to let it go. Well written.
Many thanks to HarperCollins UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Leo’s life is unraveling, her marriage is in jeopardy and her job is wearing her down…she really needs an escape. On top of it all, her 93 year old Grandfather has come to terms with his eventual death. As the brutal atrocities of the war and his involvement are being remembered by her Grandfather,he asks her to take time go to Croatia and find out what happened to a woman he fondly remembers. It’s the right time,Leo sets off on a discovery mission,but doesn't have all the facts needed to find the truth.
She wonders how in the midst of war, could love keep people together? Could her grandfather’s transgressions keep him from finding true happiness?
As she moves closer to finding her grandfathers secrets will it impact her future happiness?
Incredible story of WWII in Croatia and the impact on women,families and life in general. The author pulls you in,you can smell the salty air, taste the pastries and coffee and feel the pebbles under your feet as you wander the village.
True page turner!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.

A very moving story.
Took me time to get into it but glad I persevered as really enjoyed it.
The story was told over two time lines WW2 in Croatia and the present with Guy who is now 93 and was a British spy during the war and met his first love Ivka and was forced to leave her there when he was told to leave.
Leo his daughter visits Croatia to find out what happened to Ivka after the breakdown of her marriage.
A very atmospheric story which is quiet an eye opener of what happened during the war.
A lovely romance, well worth reading.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC
Posted to Goodreads

A lovely story based around a little known part of world war two on the unoccupied Croatian island of Vis. Set in present day, Leo goes to the island to find some answers for her grandfather about people from his time there helping the partisans in the war. This is a great story by itself. She also needs time out from her successful career, and not so successful marriage. With the help of a gorgeous local, she finds out the answers for her grandfather and also for herself. Nicely done

Rating: 4.5 Stars

An immersive and enthralling tale from a master storyteller, An Island of Secrets is the latest sweeping novel from fast rising star Eva Glyn.

Seventy five years ago when the world was at war, British SOE spy Guy Barclay had been absolutely heartbroken when he had to leave the woman he loved with every fibre of his being behind in Yugoslavia. Denied a future with the woman who meant the world at him, Guy has never forgotten his soul mate and even all these decades later, as he approaches the end of his days, he is still haunted by memories and persecuted by an overwhelming need for answers. Now, 93 years of age, Guy asks his granddaughter to go to the island of Vis and help him seek the closure he is in desperate need of.

With her city job crushing her spirit and the implosion of her marriage, Leo Holmes needs a break. Knowing that her grandfather does not have long left, she agrees to go to the island of Vis to help solve a mystery that has haunted Guy for years. Renting a villa on the island where her grandfather was stationed during the war gives Leo time to think and reflect about her life and what she wants to do next. As she begins looking into her grandfather’s past, her quest for the truth brings her in close proximity to local Andrej, who kindles something deep within her that she had thought long extinguished…

When Leo had agreed to come to Vis, she never imagined that her journey into the past was going to yield unexpected results not just for her grandfather, but for her as well.

Eva Glyn’s writing is always so vivid and emotive and she writes so beautifully that it’s impossible not to be drawn into her novels from the second the reader opens one of her books. I’ve read many wartime novels lately, but rather than tread familiar ground, An Island of Secrets sheds light on a side of the war that I’ve certainly never come across before.

An Island of Secrets is a captivating yarn about family, impossible choices and the ties that bind us together written with flair, style and heart. A must-read for fans of Santa Montefiore and Dinah Jefferies, An Island of Secrets is a first class tale from Eva Glyn’s very talented pen.

A beautifully written book set in WW2 but unusually in Croatia. The two timelines worked very well together. There are some quite harrowing parts but also some light hearted ones. The description of the scenery makes me want to visit. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A beautifully woven historical tale about love, loss and discovery. Guy Barclay has had lingering questions for 75 years about the love he had behind during wartime. At ninety three year old he knows his time is waning and if not now than never as he has only so much time left to get some answers that he’s been desperate for for more years than he can count. He enlists his granddaughter to help him. As her life has imploded she decides to pack up her life and head off on a journey to help him discover what happened in his past that he cannot let go of. The story toggles between then and now and is written so beautifully that you will be drawn in immediately. The journey to finding answers, peace and love is truly a wonderful listen.

A great read set in Croatia . Set in two different times, in the second world war and the 2010s , Leo is asked by her dying grandfather to find out what happened to some one he met during the war. Leo is dealing with her own problems but agrees to take a sabbatical and spend a few months on the island of Vis.
The book does not always make for easy reading, especially some of the experiences during the war, but all in all it is an interesting and heartwarming story. A brilliant read for the summer where emotions are well portrayed, the book and characters are likeable and believable. The story is in ways predictable, but none the worse for that.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARc in exchange for an honest review .

What an enjoyable and interesting book. The main characters were interesting and refreshing. The story made me cry and laugh and what more can you ask for than that.

I really enjoy historical fiction, particularly when the present is also included. This book definitely hit the spot for me - great characters, a setting I would love to visit from the descriptions and a love story. Thoroughly recommended.

It seems very fitting to be on the closing end of this particular tour because the story itself was about closure. Don't get me wrong, there are new beginnings aplenty, but while Leo's unexpected mission was to discover herself again as much as it was to help her grandfather, it was also about connecting the dots of his past as he moved towards an inevitable future. No one likes to leave things unfinished, especially with matters of the heart, and Guy's love affair with this one young woman so many moons ago was something for the ages. It was something that they would each carry with them throughout their days, and though their paths each took very different turns, it seems they were never far from the other's heart.

Though a novel that takes place during an actual war, as well as a personal one, while there were many terrible acts witnessed, carried out, and immortalized horribly on the psyche, there were also many moments of beauty and love. There was a complete love affair with the landscape, both then AND now. You could see the cliffside, the cove, and the outlooks as clear as if you were standing next to the characters themselves. There was the love between a man and a woman, both then AND now...though held deeply it developed chastely making their time shared that much more memorable. There was also the love between family members, again...both then AND now...and it felt like a big area explored too. The sisters and their mother back then, Leo and her grandfather as well as Andrej and his mother now. They would all do anything for the others, including sacrifice their own happiness to protect them the best they could. Selfless love...can't get much purer than that.

A great read for Historical Fiction fans as well as Women's Fiction fans due in part to the depth of the relationships explored.

My Thoughts:
If you like historical fiction told over dual timelines you will like this story. When War tears two people in love apart but not forgotten. A now 93 Guy still wants to find the woman he had to leave behind. So he asked his granddaughter to help him. Can some sins from the past be forgiven?

The novel begins in Suffolk, England, where Guy Barclay, a 93-year old WWII veteran and widower is in a care home, reminiscing about missed opportunities in the past. His thoughts and dreams return to a tiny island off the coast of Croatia where he was stationed for several months in 1944 – and where he'd fallen in love for the first time.

Guy knows he is dying, so he sets his granddaughter, Leo, a task: visit the island and discover the fate of several women. But he does not tell her why he wanted to know.

Leo is on the verge of a burn-out. A high-powered city broker, she earns vast amounts of money, but it cannot replace her most heartfelt wish for a child. Yet her husband, Marcus had for years dithered, found excuse after excuse. Now, he accused her of cheating after she'd stopped taking her pill, and left her.

Exhausted, Leo accedes to Guy's wish and takes a sabbatical. She needs a break. When she arrives on the island of Vis, she is too wound up to do much in terms of research, her head full of her own problems, and her desperate wish for a child. At 36, the clock is ticking. Leo goes into meltdown.

In Komiža, a small town on the island, Andrej makes a living in a small tourist shop. He returned after university to look after his widowed mother, but he has yet to find his path in the world. He owns the small fisherman's house Leo rents for several months, and soon Leo realises he could be of help in her research.

Flashback to 1944. Vis is the only Croatian island not occupied by the Nazis. It is therefore a hub for partisans, Croat freedom fighters, and becomes a local point for the Brits and Americans who cooperate with the partisans. Guy is there on a mission – as a speaker of Serbo-Croat, which he'd studied at university – he is there to observe the actions of the partisans and report back. Only his senior officer is aware of his role, a secret that weighs hard on his mind. When he and the British doctor in charge of the only makeshift hospital on the island come across the execution by partisan men of two women up in the hills, they devise a plan to help the women. But it bears a high risk.

All along, Guy falls in love with a local girl, Ivka, but her sister's fate throws their plans of him smuggling her off the island when he finally leaves into disarray.

An Island of Secrets tells a moving, poignant tale of a rarely published side of war. Not everything is black or white. People are operating in grey areas, which may cause big issues when discovered. It also shows how you often had no choice but to acquiesce. Or operate in secret.

Leo's life is chaos. Her desperate wish for a child is heart-breaking, and she is torn between dreaming of a different future with her husband, or leaving him for good. But then something happens, and the decision is taken off her hands.

Guy is a lovely character with a strong sense of right and wrong, even in war. But even he has to admit to himself that there were situations where your hands were tied. You had to risk position – and even your life – to do the right thing sometimes. A risk very close to the mark. His love for Ivka is real, and their romance sweet despite the dark backdrop and the daily danger they were in.

And Ivka's own dilemma – with a whining mother for whom nothing she did was ever good enough, a father and brother among the partisans on the mainland, and a sister getting caught by Germans – is truly tragic. I felt for her plight. She deserved happiness, with all the darkness around her.

My only issue is with the present-day ending. Leo has her child, but she still works in her high-powered job, leaving another to look after her daughter. After all her fervent desperation, that did not sound right for me. But that's the only thing I wondered about in this otherwise immensely gripping story.

An Island of Secrets sweeps you away from a hectic modern life to the wartime past. The plot is full of clever twists, and the author's research – conducted on site – shines through. I can easily visualise the villages, the coves, and the cave where Guy hides his radio. Ms Glyn has been there, and it shows. This adds a strong sense of realism.

If you love reading sweeping stories of love and war, of hardship with moments of intense happiness, this dual-timeline story is for you. I read it in three days.

I can highly recommend it.

I unfailingly love a story with a dual time thread – but equally enjoy exploring an unfamiliar location, learning something new about the historical background, with an added element of romance only making my pleasure complete. And my goodness, I most certainly enjoyed this one – the most accomplished storytelling, backed up by clear and extensive research into both the setting and the complicated wartime history of the former Yugoslavia, present day and historical threads so perfectly balanced and equally engaging. The wartime romance is absolutely heart-breaking, the one in the present day equally strong and believable. And when I reached the book’s end, it was like emerging from the cinema after watching a particularly good feature film – returning to the real world, blinking into the light, wiping away a tear or two, the story still very much alive in your thoughts and memory, the characters still nestling in your heart.

With her life rather falling apart, Leo travels to Vis – a small island off the Croatian coast – partly to lick her own wounds, but primarily on a mission for her grandfather Guy, now nearing the end of his life. He was stationed there during the war, working for Special Operations, and wants her to find out what happened to the people he grew close to but was forced to leave behind. Struggling with her own pain – she even forgets to take with her the notes she made about important names and places – she finds a friend in local tourist guide Andrej, who aids her with her mission but also helps her focus on her own future and make some decisions about what comes next. And, in the other timeline, we learn a great deal more about Guy’s own wartime experience – his life on the island, his work with and support for the partisans (severely tested when he discovers their particularly shocking actions), his secret activities and his role in liaison, and his developing relationship with Ivka, the young local woman working so hard to put food on the table for her family.

I knew very little about Yugoslavia’s WW2 experience, and certainly nothing about the British involvement in their struggle – and the way the author weaves her research into the story is superbly done, making you feel you’re in the midst of the action, bringing the realities vividly to life with every twist and turn. And I’ve only ever been to Croatia for a brief cruise stop, and never to the islands – but by the time this story drew to an end I felt I knew Vis and the coastal town of Komiža really well, sharing a strong coffee with Leo on the bustling quayside, slithering around the rocks with Guy on his way to his clifftop hideaway. Just sometimes, an author’s research can be a touch too visible and maybe feel a little uncomfortable – in this book, its quite perfectly used both to recreate the wartime setting and Guy’s experiences with total authenticity and to whisk you away to a present day (and particularly beautiful) holiday destination imbued with a fascinating hidden history.

The characters are wonderfully drawn – not just Leo and Andrej, Guy and Ivka, but the whole supporting cast too. Emotionally, the whole book is quite perfectly judged – the romance, particularly the wartime one, is particularly engaging, often joyful, and exceptionally moving and involving, but the moral and ethical issues that surface are also handled with a very sure touch. Guy’s story moved me frequently to tears – and, despite its comparative lightness, I could certainly feel Leo’s anguish too. But despite (quite rightly) not shying away from the harsh realities of the individuals’ experiences, it’s really not an overly heavy read – the writing is so excellent, the romance so all-consuming, that it just sweeps you away into its heart. And what a story – I really felt its every twist and turn, and haven’t felt as immersed and engaged in a long time.

I’ve always been a fan of Eva Glyn’s writing (Jane Cable’s too…), but I thought this book moved her into an entirely different league – I really loved this book, and recommend it most highly.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

An Island of Secrets has a dual timeline that switches between 1944 and 2014. The story follows Leo as she sets off to find out the truth about the past for her grandfather Guy. I really enjoyed the dual timeline because I loved watching what was happening in the past and present.

I did figure out the ‘twist’ before it happened but I still liked how it was done. My favourite character was Guy because he was so interesting and I really loved reading about his past.

An Island of Secrets was a beautiful journey into the unknowns of the past and the present.