Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this. Just a bit too slow of a start for me and so stopped at about 20 per cent.

This book has a bit of a slow start with some unattractive characters, which almost made me want to give up. But boy, am I glad I persisted. Fairly quickly a certain decision is made and the pace picks up. The reader is transported from the density of London to the caves of Cornwall and the atmosphere improves instantly.
Salty air breezes through the pages. Fresh perspective, new adventure. An old house with a secret history, its owner Olivia with a captivating story to tell and young Rebecca determined to solve the mystery. The characters evolve throughout the story and hold the reader's attention. There are some scary moments where the tension is palpable and some good laughs involving a foul-beaked parrot to even it out.
The Sea Gate is a well crafted good paced read that kept this reader well entertained.

Thank you Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC.

I'm a big fan of full-time stories and I've got to say this has got to be one of the best ones I have ever read!

I was totally captured by this story, it literally sucked me straight in and didnt let me go.

An intense tale told in the present day and during the second world war and told from 3 different POV's.

A tale jam packed full of secrets, mystery, family dynamics, greed, true love, lost love and all with the added bonus of such a marvellous setting.

I adored all the references to different cultures and Faith's which really kept ,y interest piqued.

A truly mesmerising, interesting and engrossing read.

Huge thanks to netgalley and Head of Zeus for the ARC.

This book was so beautifully written. An absolute treat from beginning to end, Who couldn't love cantankerous old Olivia and lovely Becky who decides to go and help out her elderly relative after the death of her mother. This book transported me to one of my favourite locations - Cornwall. this was a sad but ultimately uplifting story with love and family and the secrets of a house at its heart. I loved the way the author wove the strands of current day and past, slowly revealing the story. And lets nor forget Gabriel who adds a touch of humour now and again! This book was a perfect escape from the woes of the world - thoroughly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

This epic story is part love story, family saga and mystery. Rebecca, while clearing out her late mother's belongings, finds a letter from a long-lost relative who lives in an old rambling house on the Cornish coast. The letter is asking for help and Rebecca, who is unhappy and unfulfilled in her life, goes down on a whim to see what needs doing.

The cast of this tale is well drawn and the growing relationship between Rebecca and her relation Olivia is charming, funny and sometimes sad. Like all heroines in creepy old houses Rebecca is quite happy opening old doors and exploring corridors, cellars, attics and other long-neglected parts of the house. There were scenes where I would have been calling for a taxi back to the city, but she is made of sterner stuff. And we are also presented with the usual characters who plainly don't want her there, although she doesn't flinch from carrying on with the task in hand, which is to get Olivia home from hospital.

The story goes back and forth between the present and Olivia's past, and there are some nice twists. The ending brings everything together very (perhaps too) neatly, but overall it was a satisfying and enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the e-book in exchange for a review.

This story is told by two different women.
Rebecca’s mother has just passed away. While she is sorting through things in her mother house she finds letters in the pile of mail from her mother’s cousin Olivia asking for help. Rebecca travels to Cornwall to help Olivia sort out the problems with her house so that she can return there after being discharged from hospital.
Olivia also tells her story of her life the 1940’s and her adventures.
Quite a few funny moments in this book and some good characters.
Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

We meet cantankerous Olivia in the present day when she is 90 and in hospital with a broken leg. She has written to Becky's mother asking (demanding!) assistance to get her large, old-fashioned house up to social services standards so that she can be safely discharged home. Becky, grieving for her mother who has just passed away and seeing the request as an opportunity to escape her current situation, responds in her mother's place and discovers that the house holds both sinister secrets and danger.
By way of a dual timeline we learn Olivia's backstory from when she was 16 years old onward, and the secrets slowly reveal themselves.
This is an engrossing story which contained mystery, love (both lost and found), complex relationships and new beginnings, all intertwined with a characterful house set in beautiful rural Cornwall.
And a special mention has to go to the foul-mouthed parrot who brought unexpected bursts of humour and warmth through his larger-than-life personality.

With thanks to netgalley and head of Zeus for an arc .
Firstly a new Author to me I was taken by the cover of the book and certainly did not disappoint.
With dual time line intrigue in abundance I was totally impressed and captivated its quirky heart pounding but above all a really fabulous story pace of book was also excellent, The parrot gave many a laugh but slightly sinister at times.
I can't praise this SUPERLICIOUS book enough.

Set in Cornwall, with a timeline between the Second World War and the present day, this is an absorbing novel. The well researched period history of the experience of wartime in Cornwall is fascinating,and the central character, Olivia, is unique and rather wonderful. Part murder mystery and part romantic novel I found this book intriguing and impossible to put down!

Many thanks to Net Galley, Head of Zeus publicatons and Jane Johnson for a chance to read and review this wonderful book.

I am huge fane of dual-time stories, the magical weaving of 2 different time lines bringing the past and present to collide with secrets, mystery, family dynamics, and of course if there is a rambling house involved, my joy has no bounds, it is so amazing to be lost in a different era. This is my first book by Jane Johnson and she has successfully managed to create a silken web of intricate story-telling that leaves a reader mesmerized.

I am LOST, LOST in Chynalls and the beautiful Cornwall and the lovely quirky cantankerous Olivia. How can one not fall in love with a 90-yr old woman who is hell bent on never letting go and is rude and bossy all the way thru.

Losing her mother to cancer and fighting her own personal health battles, Rebecca has not found it easy. Left to sort out the mails after her mom’s funeral, Rebecca comes across a letter from an elderly cousin Olivia who needs help in getting her house in order so that she can continue living there. Feeling bold and wanting to take some responsibility, she arrives at Chynalls and finds Olivia in the hospital and the porch literally crumbling to dust in front of her and a swearing cursing Gabriel the parrot to take care too. Having her task cut out, Rebecca takes up the challenge but finds out what a daunting task that she’s put herself thru especially with barely managed finances adding to the woes.

Secrets emerge slowly as the story follows Olivia and her war-time struggles, her secret love, her passion in panting and photography, the Sea Gate with its intricate carvings and the secret tunnel that hides more than it reveals. Thru’ Algeria, Morocco, France and England, and the different cultures and religious faiths the author keeps the reader enthralled and spell bound. There is something about cancer and its effects that always leaves a lump in my throat but Jane Johnson has wonderfully interlaced the story positively with love and strength.

There’s so much in the story that no amount of words in the review is gonna be enough, suffice to say that It was a beautiful journey, and I loved it and for that Thank You Jane Johnson.

This is a well-written Cornish set book with 2 interweaving narratives, one in the present day and the other in WW2 As this is Cornwall there has to be an artist, smuggling and locals who like to look after each other, sometimes to the detriment of incomers. There are some lovely characters, both good and evil, whose backgrounds, motives and true colours are gradually revealed. Recommended.

A mystery that had my heart pounding. The story moves between wartime Britain and current day in a beautifully descriptive way, this was a superb read and I can't wait to see more from Jane Johnson.

Becky has to return to Cornwall to clear out a relative's house. When she gets there, she sees that Chynalls, the house, is rather ramshackle. There's an added problem as her relative Olivia who is there to help is in hospital. While Olivia is recovering, Rebecca uncovers many secrets back in the house......

The house is at the centre of the story as we go back in time to 1943 when Olivia is a young girl. This is when we meet he rmum and dad, and evacuee Winnie and her five year old girl Mary. In the present day, Becky is sorting out the house so that Olivia may return. Flash back to 1943 and we see Olivia and Mary take the story thread on here...

This is a lovely slow read where the two stories float together, away from each other and then back again.It's nice and slow, paced to perfection and Olivia's story in particular is very interesting. It's all wrapped up very nicely with a good ending. Unexpected and immersive.

A nice story to linger with

This is a fascinating book set in Cornwall during the last two years of World War II. Dual timelines make an interesting story, as Olivia’s life is chronicled in this time period. Rebecca responds to an urgent call for help from her mother’s cousin. While Olivia is in the hospital, Rebecca uncovers many secrets in her home. Well written, with a surprise ending, I recommend this book to anyone. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Head of Zeus Publishers. All opinions expressed are my own.

Beckys mum has recently died, and as she is clearing out her home, she comes across a desperate letter from an elderly relative, asking for help. On the spur of the moment, Becky goes off to Cornwall to see what she can do to help. When she arrives at the house, Chynalls, the place is ramshackle, in need of renovation, and her relative, Olivia Kitty, is in hospital.

Olivia is 15 in 1943, living at Chynalls, with her mother. Her father is in the navy, and has just returned to his unit. Her mother is called to work in London, for the war effort, leaving Olivia in the care of Winnie Ogden, an evacuee recently arrived with a 5 year old girl, Mary.
The two stories run parallel, with Becky trying to sort out Chynalls so that the elderly Olivia can move back into her home. In 1943, Olivia ends up alone at Chynalls, apart from the child Mary.

The story centres on Chynalls, and its mysteries. The stories work very well, and it is well written. I found it a bit slow going to start with, and I felt that I wanted Becky to have a bit more backbone, however, as the story went on, I found myself really getting into the twists and turns, but still found Olivias story more interesting. However, the unexpected twists towards the end were excellent. Well worth reading.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review

Such a beautiful story mesmerising book. I adore Cornwall, so love getting lost in books set there. Becky and Olivias stories kept u hooked to end. Very well written.

An old house called Chynalls two women Rebecca and Olivia come together to rebuild the house and bring it back to life.While Olivia is laid up in hospital Rebecca gets on with ripping the house apart only to uncover a mystery. a very enjoyable book i can highly recommend.5*

A different story with two strong women at its heart,an old house and an old mystery . Thoroughly enjoyed it.