Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

I am a huge fan of Victoria Hislop and when I read the blurb about this book I knew I was going to enjoy it, but when I kept reading on social media how fantastic this book was, I had to resist the urge to read it straightaway as I wanted to save it for my holiday in Turkey!

Angelika is in the middle of organising her wedding to the lovely Nick when she decides to go to Crete to try to mend the pieces of her broken family. Her mother Maria has had no contact with her mother and brothers for nearly 40 years after she fled Crete one day and never returned and Angelika doesn’t know the reason why.

On arriving on the island of Crete, Angelika meets her Grandmother who is prepared to tell her everything on the promise that she tells her story in a book. Her Grandmother begins her story during the German occupation of Crete during WWII and tells Angelika the atrocious stories of how the Germans treated the local people, including herself and her children and what they had to do to survive those harrowing times.

The author did an amazing job with her research and her attention to detail is second to none. It can be a harrowing read at times, but when you think that a lot of what was written was true, it makes it all the more interesting.

I cannot praise this book enough and just hope that the author writes another book soon. It was a fabulous read and will definitely be one of my books of the year. I read this book on holiday in Turkey and it was just perfect for a summer read. If you haven’t read it yet, why not!!

"London born Angelika has been intrigued by her mother’s secret past and now planning her wedding she has decided to visit the remote Crete village her mother grew up in and left 20 years before, never to return. She meets her grandmother Maria who decides it’s time to unburden herself and tell her story before she dies.

It is the story of the German occupation of Crete during World War 2 of horror, courage, survival, secrets and lies. It is the story of secrets that broke a family apart and of how Maria, her daughter Poppy and granddaughter Angelika can bring the family back together."

I had little knowledge of the involvement of Crete in World War 2 and so was intrigued to delve back in history through historical fiction, which is, in fact, based on the personal story of Patricia Wilson, and this is what inspired her to write the novel in the first place, as we find out in a short additional section at the end of the book.

I found this book to be an amazing incredible journey through history told in such a way that I felt I was actually there going through the terrible times with poor Maria, and her two sons Stavro and Matthia when they were forced to flee their home in the village of Amiras in September 1943 and head to the hills for survival. She is forced to leave without poor baby Petro who had been massacred with all the other men and children by the Nazis in front of her very eyes. Her husband Vassili was away fighting and she was alone, with two children to look after and she needed to keep her children and herself alive despite the hardships that were to come.

When Angelika meets Maria her Grandmother (or Yiaya as she comes to call her) she senses that the old lady needs to tell the story of what happened all those years ago, and she is happy to do so as long as Angelika promises to write it all in a book and publish it after her death, so that people know what the island of Crete and its inhabitants went through.

We flip between present day when Angie is planning her wedding to Nick in London and trying to help her mother Poppy to regain her health and reunite with her Greek family, and Yiaya telling the story of September 1943 when her life changed forever, and this is beautifully done.

I have visited Crete a few times and also most of the other Greek Islands so I already had a sense of the Greek way of life, the smells and sounds, the friendliness of the people and the stunning scenery from the hills to the beaches and the pretty villages dotted around the islands, and these are all described to perfection by the author. The way the story weaves through the horrors of 1943 to Poppy fleeing the island to the present day, I felt like I was sitting chatting with the Greek old ladies who perch on stools outside their homes crocheting lace into tablecloths for future brides, while the men sat in the Kafenion drinking Greek coffee and clacking their worry beads. I could smell the lemon trees and bouganvillia, could imagine eating the olives, rustic bread with feta cheese, followed by baklava pastries drenched with honey washed down with coffee, watching the men in the late evenings dance to Zorba the Greek with their arms over each other’s shoulders.

The story has so much heartache for Maria and her husband Vassili when he returns from the war, as well as Poppy and her bridegroom Yeorgo years later as well as her brothers Stavros and Matthia and other families in the village of Amiras. Secrets are kept, lies are told and misunderstandings abound, which leads to so many years of separation and loneliness. However, in addition to that we have the love story of Angelika and Nick running through the whole book proving that love will find a way to heal things and bring a family together with forgiveness, understanding and hope for the future.

This book is the first I have read by Patricia Wilson, but it certainly will not be my last. A brilliant read for anyone who loves historical fiction, tales with the setting of beautiful Greek islands or just a gentle love story that is based on actual events. My only criticism would be that 472 pages is slightly too long for a light summer read so may put some people off.

Finally after three months of reading this book I can say that I have finished it. It proved to be very difficult for me to get into this story. I didn't connect or care about any of the characters except Maria. Overall I liked the story but it wasn't what I thought it would be.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC ecopy for my Kindle.
Very interesting historical fiction book about the effects of WWII and the Nazi invasion on the island of Crete.

A huge thank you to a netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this book.

What can I say - if I could I would give this book 10 stars. This has to be my favourite book this year and it's going to take a lot to top it. I haven't read a book that I've enjoyed this much since The Island by Victoria Hislop and Captain Correlli's mandolin. This book is definitely going to stay with me.

I absolutely loved the historical facts (and they are based on true accounts) and love stories in this book.

The descriptions were so well written that you could imagine all the characters and felt as if you were there in Crete with them.

Such a fabulous emotional story. Definitely wish we had picked this as one of our group book club reads.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for their advance e-copy in return for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this novel; set against the Nazi occupation of Crete and a long running family vendetta it seemed to have everything in it I enjoy.

Unfortunately I found I couldn’t engage in either the writing style, or the characters. Some of the details seemed to be just ‘added on’ to spice it up. And the way most of the characters talked to each other seemed unlikely.

The historical aspect could have been done better, and the present descends into farce. Unfortunately it was just not for me which I was disappointed with as there is a lot about the Greek occupation that remains to be told.

Before I read this book I knew nothing about the horrific murders carried out by the Nazis in Crete in 1943. These events are entwined in the story told in this book. It is a beautifully written wonderfully descriptive book about a family over three generations. It is about loyalty, love, and revenge. It had me captivated the whole way through. It is well worth reading. It made me laugh, it made me cry and .I will remember it for a long time.

Island of Secrets by Patricia Wilson is a family drama filled with intrigue. A young girl on the verge of her wedding seeks out her mother’s family in Crete, against her mother’s wishes. Here, she finds superstitions, legends, and a fascinating family history linked to World War II in Crete. The story develops as she uncovers family secrets over time. Overall, I thought this was a good read, but not quite what I expected. I thought this would be a light summer read but it’s heavy topics did not make it a great summer read in my opinion. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it! I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

There are two reasons why I was so excited about this book, firstly it is likened to Victoria Hislop’s The Island which I absolutely adore, then secondly as I love the Greek islands and I am holidaying in Crete later this year, the only decision I had to make was whether to read it now or try and save it as my holiday read. Needless to say I gave into temptation fairly quickly!

Mainly located in Crete this wonderful novel also explores the tragic historical events during WW11 Nazi occupation. Angelika is engaged to the love of her life Nick and her wish is to reconcile her Mother Poppy with her estranged family in Crete before her wedding. There are many complicated reasons why Poppy never talks about the Cretans and is not happy that Angie is delving into her past. As the tale unfolds Angie discovers that a feud between two prominent families in the village where her Mother was born is still on going and some of the villagers are not happy that she is there.

There are lots of characters to get your head round in this book which I did at times find a bit confusing and had to go back and re read some parts but this didn’t spoil this emotional, intriguing saga. Patricia Wilson was inspired to write this debut novel when she unearthed a machine gun in her Cretan garden! Many of the events in this book are taken from real stories told to her by the women of Amiras who have never spoken of their experiences before. I give this amazing book a 4 Star rating and will definitely look out for further books by this author.

This is a beautifully written book, full if interesting characters whose story will tug at your heart strings. I really enjoyed the dual story line, it breaks the plot up to keep interest. This book has something for everyone; it is part historical fiction, part adventure and part romance, all combine to make a brilliant and engaging summer read.
Island of Secrets is an emotional family saga that will keep your attention from beginning to end.

Angie is due to get married to her fiancé Nick and planning the wedding brings back that she has never met her Greek relatives - her mother Poppy is from a small village in Crete and left 40 years ago and has never gone back and severed all ties with her family. Angie is determined to mend this rift although her mother is adamant that she should leave well alone, but totally against Poppy's wishes she books a flight to Crete and goes to find her family

Maria is Poppy's mother and she is dying so when her long lost granddaughter turns up she is delighted and bit by bit she starts to tell Angie the story of her past and terrible times that they had during the Nazi invasion in the war. Gradually Angie begins to understand her mother more and appreciate her choices in life but can she make amends for the past and reunite her with her mother before it is too late?

A great book I loved all of the descriptions of Crete and the life in the small villages under Nazi occupation and the on going family saga with loads of twists to keep you interested - I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author

This story seems to be written by an amateur writer, who tries to tell the story in one breath. As a reader I don’t care about what Angie is doing every step of the way during a day.

Often when I see a book that promises to be great for fans of much loved authors of mine, my heart does an excited little lurch but typically when I pick up the book I am more often than not left disappointed and confused by the lack of any connection to the authors storytelling or writing style. When Island of Secrets by Patricia Wilson came onto my radar I loved the look of the cover and the sound of the synopsis, I then saw on the cover the sticker advertising " Great for fans of Victoria Hislop". Now I am a huge fan of Victoria Hislop and I have never found another author that I would comfortably say fans of hers would like so I was a little aprehensive but I was eager to see what this book had to offer.
Angie has always been kept in the dark about her mums family but she is now desperate to get to the bottom of why her mum left her family and the little village in Crete where she grew up and in a hope to bring all the family together again for her upcoming wedding she decides to travel to Amiras to meet her family and get some answers but is she really ready to discover the truth?
This book just blew me away and it is worthy of the big statement on that little sticker! I was so captivated by this storyline and I found myself flying through the pages eager to see what revealed next but in the same breathe wanting to savour each chapter as I really didn't want this book to end.
There is so much to love about this book from the stunning traditional setting of the little Villages in Crete which were described so eloquently, the tight knit families who hold such strong traditional family values but right at the heart of it all is the courageous story of such a remarkable woman Maria who is Angie's grandma. Her story tore my heart in two, she was a character who had seen and experienced way to much in life and her desperation as a mother to protect her children and the devastation she was dealing with at the same time was just unthinkable. As Maria was telling Angie her story she told it over a number of days as it was emotionally draining but I was eager to return to her story.
I am ashamed to say that I was ignorant to the atrocious war crimes commited during the occupation of Crete by the German forces in WW2 but after reading this harrowing account it really has encouraged me to find out more.
There are a lot of focused characters in this book but they all moulded around each other really well and they were easy to work out who was who without confusion. There is everything from love to family feuds and secrets to the devastation and loss. The plot is unpredictable from start to finish so I was engrossed and hanging on each and every word. This book will leave a lasting impression on me and will be one that I will find myself recommending to everyone I meet. SO YES fans of Victoria Hislop you will love this book! This will easily be in my top 5 reads at the end of the year.

Angie, a Londoner with Cretan roots wants to reconnect her Mother with her estranged Cretan family after a 40 year impasse. She doesn’t understand how many explosive secrets lie at the heart of this stand-off. The story is told from 2 points in time – the present (and Angie’s impending wedding); and events during and the aftermath of WWII.
The stories of how the Cretans were treated by the Nazis are shocking and the writer uses very direct language to describe this – presumably by intent. This part is fascinating, albeit horrifying and shows Crete as so much more than the ‘holiday island’ we think of today. I like the way WWII and post war Greek/Cretan politics are introduced to the reader in simple terms. And I really enjoyed the convoluted family ‘can of worms’ Angie’s enquiries eventually reveals.
I felt the book divided itself into 2 styles of writing – the important history and the almost ‘chick lit’ type accounts in the present. I didn’t feel these married well, but felt it was as if the author wanted to write about the history, Cretan customs and way of life - and had been ‘advised’ to put some sex in and some light comedy, almost ‘Mama Mia-like’ to get a wider ‘holiday-read’ readership. It’s not a literary read but almost like reading a magazine story – and would be a fantastic screenplay (with lots of the descriptions being immediately visual, rather than detracting from the pace of the story).
A few times I felt logic had to be suspended e.g. (concerning a long-running vendetta between families): “When I saw you close up, so beautiful, the double of your mother, I realised revenge was stupid, so I came and shook your hand”. It’s lucky Angie was blessed in the looks department then; if ugly, or had no resemblance to Mum, what then? – vendetta fully continued??
I can really understand why the author wanted to document the stories she heard while living in Crete. They should never be forgotten; I also enjoyed reading about Cretan traditional family celebrations - but I didn’t want to hear repeatedly about the food at crucial points of the story when there’s such an important history to be told! (Maybe this just shows how eager I was to get on with what I felt was the ‘proper’ story!) Angie irritated me when she kept repeating questions she wanted answered – I didn’t need this repetition, I knew what she wanted; it was precisely what I wanted to know too!
To sum up – this book made me feel I want to find out much more about Crete and its immediate history. I didn’t enjoy the ‘light chick-lit ' parts much, but maybe that’s how you get a wider readership and get classed as a ‘holiday read’. I think that anyone that takes this on holiday to Crete (or near) will appreciate their surroundings in a much deeper manner - and that, I feel is positive.

I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately, I had mixed feelings about this. I learned a lot about both the culture of Crete and the Nazi occupation on the island. The voice of Maria did a wonderful job sharing her horrific experience trying to save her boys from being killed. My struggle was with the present day story. It was very repetitive and definitely became too over dramatic for my tastes. And all the pandemonium and interruptions surrounding the wedding were so hard to believe and reached the point of being comical. 2.5 stars rounding up to 3 for the historical factor which I enjoyed.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to review this.

Island of Secrets, the début novel from Patricia Wilson, certainly lived up to its title as this is an incredibly well told story of one family's struggle for many years to bury the events of the past and keep them hidden all within the confines of a small island. I love historical fiction and even more so when it has the time slip element and this was here in abundance in a book that I could hardly bear to leave out of my hands until I had read to the very last word.

Patricia Wilson has brought to light an event in the history of Crete that I had never heard of and I'm sure many others would not have either. Yet for the residents of Crete and in particular the small rural villages where the atrocities took place this awful period will never be forgotten and though they say time is a great healer I don't think it is at all easy to come to terms with something so brutal and horrific or to forgive those who committed such unspeakable horrors.

Island of Secrets was a brilliant book that left me surprised that this was the author's first book so deft was Patricia at telling the story in a way that drew you in from the opening chapter and made you want to keep rapidly turning the pages to discover all the answers and see how everything all joined up. The tension increased chapter by chapter and even in the final few pages you never knew what was around the corner, I literally couldn't put the book down and was disgusted when I had to do so in order as the outside world was calling. It was very difficult to leave Angie, Poppy and Maria behind even for an hour or two so caught up was I in their story that I rushed to get things done in order to return to the island and read on. This was a beautifully crafted novel where the author put everything into it's writing to produce a simply stunning read that will stay in your head for days and you will struggle to forget everything you have read.

The story focuses on three very very strong, courageous, brave and determined women who sacrifice everything in the name of family. They take you on a journey that is absorbing, haunting, tense and powerful and bring alive a story of the German occupation of Crete during the war which leads to so much heartbreak and many secrets whose affects are felt for several generations. It's clear right from the beginning Patricia Wilson put a lot of time and effort into her research and having lived on the island she was well placed to tell this story. It really came across that she wanted to bring a point in history alive and to the forefront of reader's minds. What struck me given so many books in the historical fiction genre have been written over the years about World War Two is that a new element has been written about and how the war touched every corner of the world no matter how large or small the place may have been. I felt I had really travelled back in time and I was there alongside each of the characters at various pints as they battle through many struggles and hardships but all in the name of love and unity.

Angie, the youngest of the women featured in the story, is on a journey to discover the truth regrading her family. She is just about to marry her beloved Nick but feels there are lots of unresolved questions she so desperately wants the answers to. What exactly happened to her father? Who are the relatives she has never met or spoken to and why? Why did her mother Poppy leave Crete forty years ago never to return or to interact with her family more or less pretending they never existed? What could have caused such an upheaval and estrangement from the ones you love? I asked myself this question so many times as I was reading and although we got some answers as the story developed I never could quite put my finger on the final reasons. What could have been so catastrophic to make someone endure so much loss and hurt for long without some form of reconciliation?

Angie travels to Crete and the small village of Amiras in search of answers and in doing so hopes to find out more about her heritage and the father she never knew even though Poppy still holds him in such high regard. Angie is doing all this against her mothers wishes. Poppy refuses to come with her or even make phone contact with her mother and close family members. To be honest I thought Poppy was quite selfish, that is until the final truth emerged. Family is so so important and vital to one's being that how could you suffer forty years without any contact treating them as if they were all dead? Why couldn't she provide any sort of answers to Angie instead becoming ill and cut off when ever the subject was broached. I felt she should have been there alongside Angie as she travelled to Crete and again what ever the reason for her opinions and viewpoints I hoped it was worth her apparent lack of care and interest. The big reveal regarding Poppy and her separation from her family could have been such a let down or far too easy to guess but thanks to the astonishing writing of the author none of this came to pass. It was all so believable and realistic but just utterly utterly heartbreaking. When Angie reaches her grandmother Maria's house even though she has never met her before she is welcomed into the arms of the family. Although not all family members and village residents want Angie here stirring up memories of Poppy because in doing so past events will come bubbling up to the surface - events which many have spent years pushing firmly deep down to the recess of their minds.

Bit by bit Maria begins to tell her own story and although it is not immediately connected to that of Poppy's it certainly needed to be told. I could sense Angie's increasing worries that Maria would never get to the point and explain what happened to make Poppy flee and to be honest I felt the same given how Maria felt her time to leave was near. If Maria had not been able to tell her story this book would not have been the exceptional read that it was. It couldn't have been left out at all as it only helped to build the bigger picture and explain all the family connections and feuds.Vendettas can last for so long and why and how major events in the past certainly shape the people we are today. As Maria's story unfolds I quickly became oblivious to everything around me and it only mattered that I kept rapidly turning the pages so tense and powerful and heart wrenching was the writing. A quiet September morning in Amiras disrupted by the arrival of the Germans changed the lives of its residents forever.

The scenes that followed were incredibly hard to read but I am glad that the author spared no details because these events did happen and shouldn't be trivialised in any way. These people were witness to an almost unspeakable event that was conducted with such malice and intent and it is horrific that such a thing happened. I loved reading Maria's story and the further it developed it demonstrated her tenacity and strength when everything around her was falling to pieces yet the love of a mother and family were what got her through although she is still haunted by it right up to the present day. As Angie heard Maria's story I felt she changed too but in a good way. She realised although there was no father figure in her life growing up her mother Poppy did the very best she could for her at all times and the way she acts now and the distance between Poppy and her family is there for a reason. She begins to question has she gone too far stirring up old memories? But once one opens the flood gates one must let everything spill forth until some sort of resolution and acceptance can be found.

Often in books with a dual time frame one storyline or the other can suffer or be weaker than the other but in the Island of Secrets both were as equally strong and as riveting. Yes when we left Maria's story in 1943 I was reluctant to return to the present and vice versa but that is only because I was so captivated and enthralled by everything that I was reading. As Angie uncovers the mysteries of the past,the people she meets in modern day Amiras each have their own part to play and story to tell. They are all connected in some way to what happened to Poppy and not one character can be under estimated and those that make brief appearances or seem to be inconsequential well don't under estimate them.

I will admit there were numerous characters to keep track of and to determine how they all connect to Maria and Poppy's family and I became slightly confused but I suppose that was partly because I was reading so fast so eager was I just like Angie to see the secrets exposed and deeply held resentment and hurt dissipate. The shocks and revelations kept coming the nearer we got to Angie's wedding to Nick and the tension increased a gear. The reader never knew what awaited them on the next page and I was shocked by the final revelation when the truth finally became apparent.

Patricia Wilson deserves great praise for weaving such a fascinating, gripping story that left me gasping in horror at times with tears in my eyes but also a deep respect for the characters and their story. I'm sorry I read it so quickly because I know now I will never experience that feeling of reading such a wonderful book as this was for the first time again. Island of Secrets is a moving, emotional, engrossing story that was written with such intensity and honesty and I loved every minute of it. It's already one of my books of 2017 and I am so glad to have discovered the writing of Patricia Wilson and hope there is many more books to come in the future if they are anything of this calibre I really can't wait.

Absorbing and thought provoking.
To say I enjoyed reading this book would be wrong given some of the subject matter. If you are excepting fluffy chic lit this is not what you get.
The harrowing historic story was upsetting but it was also interesting to learn something of the WW2 history of Crete.
Loved the characters and I will remember this story for some time. Well done for a first novel Patricia and I look forward to reading more of your books in future.

I received this ARC from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Angie is marrying Nick, the love of her life. Angie wants to return to her birthplace of Crete with her mother and finally meet her grandparents and extended family, but her mother is violently against returning home saying the family is cursed.

Grandmother Maria recounts the family history to Angie and as each layer of tradegy and war violence are unwrapped throughout the book the story slowly unravels.

3☆

Oh......... how I enjoyed this book. I was lucky enough to win a copy for the lovely people at Readers First and sorry to say that it took me a bit to get around to reading it.

The original synopsis reminded me of The Island by Victoria Hislop (this is also mentioned on the front of the book) which I had read some years ago but had very fond memories of.

The story is mainly set in Crete where the author, Patricia Wilson had lived and I adored her descriptions of this throughout the book. It starts with a woman, Angelika eager to meet her family that her mother Poppy had run away from to England and had been estranged from for nearly 40 years as she is due to marry.

Angelika meets her grandmother Maria for the first time and we are transported back to the Second World War and the German occupation of Crete through the memories of Maria. This storyline was so well written and utterly heartbreaking but it is a story that needs to be told to find out what happened all those years ago to Poppy, Maria and the rest of the family.

A brilliant debut novel that I just couldn't put down.