An Island of Secrets

“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.