A beautifully written, atmospheric book…everything about this book is just so perfect. Brilliant… had me eagerly turning the pages as I wanted to know more …….

This book turned out to be a big disappointment for me sadly. I found it very difficult to connect with the character of Leo, who comes across as a self-pitying pathetic woman, for all that she has a very high powered, highly paid job in the City. I could not warm to her at all. One minute she was almost in a state of suspended animation, due to ‘burn- out’, and her broken marriage, unable to stir herself to even go out to a coffee shop. A day later she braved the coffee shop, and agrees to go to dinner with the long -suffering Alej, who was trying to help her, and clearly fancied her- that was flagged up often enough. But then she turned on him like a shrieking fish-wife, swearing and hurling accusations at him for atrocities carried out 70 years ago? Humiliating him in a busy restaurant? A man she’d only just met on her travels to Croatia, who had just given her contacts to help her in her search for her Grandad Guy’s lost love?
To me there was no subtlety in the telling of this dual timeline story. Once again the main protagonist is a woman who is portrayed as a weak soul, at the mercy of her bodyclock and emotions, despite being a high-flyer in her professional life, reliant on a man/ men to provide for her emotional needs and wants.
I have really enjoyed reading several books recently where the female central character is a strong, brave, resolute woman, determined to find a way to succeed in her given task. A woman with a backbone, in other words.
This was not one of them.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title, in return for an honest review.

An Island of Secrets is a dual timeline historical novel that alternates between the 1944 WWll era and 2014. Leo has traveled to Komiza on the island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea at the request of her grandfather Guy to find answers to some unanswered questions he has from the war. I love the detailed description of the island. This book pulled me in from page one. Thanks to author Eva Glyn, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this ebook for review.

1944 and Guy Barclay is sent to Vis as a SOE operative to report on the partisan fighters.
2014 and his grand daughter Leo is suffering from a failed marriage and burn out from her job. Guy asks her to go to Vis to find out what happened to those he left behind.
This duel timeline story kept me reading. Different from most WW2 books because of location and relative peace. Little twists here and there kept the story fresh although I did find the ending a little rushed.
Well worth a read even just for the location.

Having read other books set in Croatia during the war I so wanted this one to be just as good. Sadly I was a bit disappointed. I found Leo to be a bit wishy washy and wondered how someone with such a high powered job could lack such common sense and manage to cope in such a role. She came across as flighty and I did not 'bond' to her.

Grandad seemed a lovely character and it would have been good it more of the narrative had been from the modern day him.

It would have been good if there had also been more from Anka before she died; perhaps she could have shared more with her daughter and Grandson?

I learnt more about the history of the Croatians role in the war although being someone who reads before bed I did find it heavy going at times and somewhat depressing (but then if its the truth then I guess it shouldn't be sugar-coated). Tito is obviously what pops to mind when you think of Croatia although he seemed to be recognised to be very important but then hardly was mentioned.

I was glad Andrej got a happy ending as he was the most likeable character in the book.

Set in beautiful Croatia the novel uses real locations to tell the fictional tale of life and loss during WW2. Written in a dual timeline it is an emotional read with very likeable characters. A novel not to be missed.

Having read and enjoyed 'The Olive Grove' by Eva Glynn I looked forward to reading this book too.

Although this is a work of fiction I like the use of real places. Having toured the region recently, this use of real places helps to give the novel a sense of both geographical and historical reality.

The author has captured the sense of place with her excellent descriptions of the landscapes and the scenery. I really enjoyed the use of the dual timeframe.

I was drawn to this book because of the setting on an Island on the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. I like the way that Eva Glyn slowly develops the characters, whilst at the same time explores aspects of the tragic history of this region prior to Tito's Communist era.

I won't go into detail about the plot out of fear of spoiling the story. Suffice to say that both the historical and fictional aspects of the narrative come together very well.

Finally I give my thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins (One More Chapter) for a copy in exchange for this review.

I loved The Olive Grove, and was thrilled to learn Eva Glyn would write another book set in the Croatia, even more when I realised it was a dual timeline historical novel.
In 1944 Guy, a spy for the British SOE is sent to Yoguslavia. He finds himself in an impossible situation, falls in love, and have to make some hard choices that will change his live. In 2014, his grandaughter Leo is forced to take a hard look at her life and herself, and her beloved grandfather helps her, by sending her to Vis to find out about his time there. Both timelines works beautifully and one couldn't exist without the other. I love that. I know very little about Yoguslavia during the war, apart from Tito and partisans fighting the Nazis, but that was about it. This story is set on the island of Vis, the only part of Yoguslavia that wasn't occupied during the war. So for me that made story even more interesting.
This was one of those books that grabs hold of you. The best kind of books always do. When life interferred and I had to put the book down, I was thinking about it. The last few chapters I read in bed, keeping me up until morning. I simply couldn't put it down.
The story is beautifully written, rich in research and have wonderful descriptions making the island so real. The characters are interesting and credible, struggling with hard choices that affects people for life. An Island of Secrets will stay with me for a long, long time.
Thank you to Netgalley and One More Chapter for this ARC.

The effects of war are far reaching. Besides the obvious, of many people dying in battle, the homeland where the war is taking place is destroyed along with the lives of the residents. Those that do survive, live with the battle scars whether physical or emotional. This is a story of love found and loss during wartime. It is told in a dual timeline, which is not my favorite, but it is exactly how this story should be told.

This book was not an easy one for me to read, but I believe sometimes it is needed to remind people of the devastation of war, so that history will not be repeated. Unfortunately, history is repeated all the time. I enjoyed reading the current timeline much more than the past, but I suppose the current can only be truly appreciated if the past is known.

The author wrote an outstanding book with great character development and fantastic scenery descriptions.

I want to thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley electronically for review. This is a book of historical fiction that reads like a true story. The grandfather wanting to know what happened to the woman he loved...the granddaughter needing a break from her job and her estranged husband...traveling to get answers...meeting a man...friendship...love...romance...the horrors of war...this author is talented and gifted at writing a story that is difficult to put down. The characters are lifelike...could be real...the setting is magnificent...the details so intricate that it is obvious much research has been done...I love the title...An Island of Secrets...that appealed to me from the beginning...and the island does hold secrets...mother and son...son and love...grandmother...grandfather...don't miss this book. I look forward to more from this author.

I absolutely loved us book. A page-turner.

A long time ago, when war was ruining Yugoslavia, Guy who was a British SOE spy, without wanting to had to leave the woman he loved, along with secrets that he couldn’t disclose.

Now, he wants to find out what happened after he left. So he asks his granddaughter to travel to Vis, where he was during WW2.

So, will Leo be able to find answers for her grandfather and what will the place have in store for her?

Will she find that lady that Guy left behind and did he help in saving her?

Highly recommend this book.

An Island of Secrets- Eva Glyn.
I raced through this novel over the course of two days and was thoroughly swept into the story of Guy and Ivka, as well as that of Leo and Andrej. The only drawback being that it ended too quickly and I should have savoured it.
It is written as a dual timeline and is seamlessly woven together as Leo goes in search of answers to outstanding questions her elderly grandfather has about his time in Yugoslavia (as it was) in the Second World War. I found the story of Guy as an SOE on the isle of Vis truly compelling and Eva Glyn writes with a sensitivity and insight that comes across on every single page. She truly bought home the scenes where Guy witnessed the horrors of war and I was totally pulled into the story as he battled with the choices he had to make. From the very start of his first meeting with Ivka I was so invested in their relationship, they seemed like a natural good fit and I couldn't help but respect the courage both of them showed on a daily basis. In fact, all the characters were written in a way that had you aware of their flaws but thoroughly rooting for their success.
But for me the most outstanding element of this fabulous novel was Eva Glyn's way of conjuring the isle of Vis in the reader's mind, she had me there seeing and smelling and feeling the scenery and made me feel that I could truly inhabit her characters world.
Overall, I found this novel to expertly crafted and cannot recommend it highly enough, it is a deeply impactful and emotionally powerful read and the story of Guy and Ivka in particular will stay with me for a very long time.

well written, well developed characters and a compelling storyline with a dual timeline. I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting. I loved the research too. A really enjoyable read.

A rewarding dual time line read with a WWII setting and story that was new to me. Guy who served in the SOE during WWII asks his granddaughter Leo to travel to the small island of Vis to finally answer his questions about what happened to the people and the woman he loved. It's emotional to be sure as Leo meets the people of the island (and finds a special connection of her own). Terrific atmospherics and great characters. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy this for the storytelling.

Split between WW2 and modern day this book follows the story of the life of Guy a WW2 Veteran. The young Guy falls in love with a local girl and the older Guy before he dies wants to find out what happened to her post war. With this in mind Guy’s Grandaughter heads off to the island Viz to explore but she then meets a local man. Will they won’t they? Great storyline and the research chapter at the end issue amazing. Thanks Eva and your publisher. Also thanks to NetGalley.

75 years after word war 2 Guy asks his granddaughter to help him find out what happened to the woman he left behind. very enjoyable read

“But was there not more than one sort of courage? The courage to stand up and be counted, to do what was right. Not the sort of courage you required to take a life, but the courage you needed to save one.”

Readers will be delighted to explore a corner of WW2 that hasn’t been written about in British romantic fiction! After really enjoying Croatia in The Olive Grove, I was excited to discover that I was able to stay in this beautiful country for another of Glynn’s exceptional reads! Glynn takes her readers to a tiny Croatian island, Vis, in the Adriatic Sea. This ‘forbidden island’ is the farthest inhabited island, just 38 miles off the Croatian mainland, and has been known most recently for its Yugoslav military base. It’s also the only place in the country which was not occupied by the Germans.

It’s here, 75 years ago, that British SOE spy Lieutenant Guy Barclay was forced to leave behind the woman he loved. War was ravaging Yugoslavia, but his hands were tied and he had secrets to keep - promises of commitment to his country. Now 93, he asks his 36-year-old granddaughter, Leo Holmes, to go to Vis where he was stationed during WW2 and help him tie up loose ends so that he can finally make peace with himself before he passes away. You’ll have to read to find out what Komiža has in store for Leo as she tries to solve the mystery of her grandfather’s wartime past. Can she find the woman Guy had to leave behind? Did he succeed in saving the woman he loved more than life itself?

As always, Glynn’s writing draws me in and allows me to become part of the rhythm of the community and the continuity of the town. She placed me at the shore with Ivka Rajkovic and I could almost smell the catch of the day and hear her stifled giggles as Guy attempted to butcher the Serb-Croat language. I could almost feel the uneven cobblestones beneath my feet as Leo navigated the rabbit warren of narrow streets. Having previously enjoyed one of those tiny cups of strong, bitter coffee, I could almost sip it alongside Leo, taste the flaky Komiška pogača and could definitely feel her frustration at trying to pronounce ‘hvala’ as it didn’t roll off my tongue as easily when we visited, either. The tang of the salty air peppered Glynns words and her wonderfully descriptive sentences bring the landscape, people and food to life. I’m off now to search for a recipe for Croatian Veal Peka…I’m salivating!

With experience on her side, Glynn writes a beautiful romance in both timelines; it felt authentic and was refreshing to have a male point of view. She quickly invites readers to form relationships with her characters, which results in an increased emotional response when they face hardship. My heart almost broke when I read about the ‘penalty’ for breaking the “draconian fraternization rule” and Kata’s demise. Glynn capably places her readers within the history-making days of 1944 and allows them to experience what it was like for people who lived there.

Pour yourself a tiny glass of Rakija (sip, don’t gulp!) and enjoy this 5-star, relationship-driven, WW2 dual timeline wartime love story that will whisk you away to hidden Croatia.

I was gifted this advance copy by Eva Glyn, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Thanks Netgalley and the :Publisher. Not sure what sort of review I could give this, read and skipped so that probably says it all. Sorry

What a beautifully written book where the two timelines blend seamlessly together. Guy’s wartime story showed bravery and cruelty but most of all a determination to make a difference. Leo’s love for Guy took her on a journey to Vis to complete Guy’s story. The description of the scenery and surrounding areas especially the house Leo stayed in made the story so real.

A book I couldn’t put down and one that will stay with me

I loved this book and was captivated from the beginning. A story about a side of war that is seldom covered. It was so beautifully written and clearly well researched. The way it went from one timeline to the other was very clever. The description of Vis and the property that Leo rented made me feel as though I was there. The story of Guy and Leo and the way they helped each other was both touching and heartbreaking. A thought provoking story of family, love and heartbreak.