Sophia Taylor isn't sure life is worth living after her husband dies unexpectedly but her friend Anna drags her on a trip to Montenegro. Sophia finds peace and a sense of belonging and impulsively buys an old house in desperate need of repair. Once she moves she slowly start to heal and collects a variety of friends. As she starts repairs she finds a box of letters from a previous owner. A wife writing to her husband who is a prisoner of war on the island of Mamula. As Sophia gets involved in the letters and their translation she discovers a family member to contact so she can return the letters. Sophia grows and becomes involved in life during this book and you can feels her anguish and pain as she slowly lets go of her past and face a new future. The history of the area and the many wars that affected the Balkins is presented in a clear concise method that has me intending to do some research into the area. Looking forward to Ms. Alexander's next book.

I'm going to declare my hand straight away on this one - I loved this book. The modern story is wonderful - with Sophie at its centre, escaping (or perhaps hiding from) a heartbreaking personal tragedy in her ramshackle house in Montenegro, bought on impulse, assembling around her an enchanting cast of friends old and new, all looking for hope and second chances. Sophie's personal sadness is sometimes overwhelming - and so perfectly portrayed - but don't get the idea for a moment that this book is all tears and anguish. The writing is superb - crippling sadness at times, but so many moments of sheer joy (and laughter) as the assembling cast of characters learn about each other and become a "family". Every one of them is a little broken in some way, but as they develop and move forward with their lives you'll find space in your heart for every one, wishing for things to turn out well for them all.

The historical thread to the story - the discovered unopened letters, written by a woman called Mira to her husband Dragan, a Montenegrin insurgent imprisoned by the Italians on the island of Mamula in the Bay of Kotor during the Second World War - provides a fascinating element of mystery and discovery, a powerful love story and a glimpse of a slice of hidden history.

The Montenegro setting is simply perfect - described in loving detail, vividly brought to life with a wealth of background detail, and immediately added to my bucket list as a "must visit" location. There's a real feeling of love in the descriptions - the house and its garden taking shape as we watch, the sights, the smells, the tastes, the warmth and generosity of the people, the challenges of learning the language, the burn from a glass of rakija.

And the author can really tell a story, with humour, immense sadness, emotional complexity, secrets, friendship, love and hope, set against a stunning backdrop, all effortlessly intertwined into a book that totally gripped me from beginning to end. Just gorgeous - do give it a try.

My thanks to netgalley and publishers HQ Digital for my advance reading e-copy.

This is a feel-good beach and summer read. Although the beginning may not appear to invite us in that direction.
Sophie Taylor is a teacher, living in a nice flat in London and with her husband Matt planning a baby.
Then Sophie's life falls apart when Matt suddenly dies of an aneryism.
In shock, Sophie agrees to going on holiday with her friend Anna and her son Tomasz in Montenegro.
Anna appears to want to buy a home in this beautiful part of the world in a village nestling on the waterfront in the Bay of Kotor. Looking through the furniture in one stone house Sophie finds some mysterious letters and with no thought for what she is doing buys the house, giving up her job in London and moving into a new home.
Now this is a plot in which there are many contrived twists. Lonely grief stricken Sophie meets Darko, an attractive local who is a translator and helps her with the contents of those letters. Frank, a brash ex-con who does building work up and down this part of Croatia passes by, moves and and helps with the restoration of the derelict house and the story of Mira, who's letters Sophie has uncovered , link her life to that of a woman whose husband Darkan has been imprisoned in Mamula by the Italian forces who have invaded the country.
When Sophie's friend Anna and son decide to move in wiith her and another stranger, brooding Ton arrives on the doorstep on his motorbike, Sophie's life takes another mysterious turn. This time maybe it will away from her grief.
Easy reading, a tempting travelogue of stunning landscapes along the Dalmation coast and quaint village life mean this is on ex pat who is not feeling the threat of Brexit!
Will there be happy endings under the skies that brood over sparkling seas?
Sit back and soak it in. Should easily be a popular read for many wanting an escape from drab Britain.