I absolutely loved reading this timeslip novel, it's my favourite genre. The way the story wove around Juliet and Xanthe, 100 years apart, was exquisite and I really hope the author writes more of these well written stories

I'm beginning to think that timeslip novels are just not for me. In concept, it's cool, but for some reason, there's always something that leaves me not-quite-satisfied.

What's there not to love about this story? There's modern-day Juliet (Jude) Stewart inheriting a cottage in a cozy British village giving her enough money to turn her life around and a chance to catch her breath. There's young Lady Xanthe Kearsley in the 1920s torn between her betrothal to horrid cousin Jonathan (who will inherit all her father's possessions due to entailment) and wanting to live her life on her own terms.

Two separate, entrancing stories, connected by space (Winterthorne) and somehow bleeding through time. I should have loved it, but...

In Elaine Chiew's The Light Between Us, I felt I couldn't quite grasp how the two protagonists were connected by time travelling letters with a fancy mathematical theory, so I quite appreciated the simplicity of this connection through time - and even the lack of any solid explanation. There's a mystical quality to how Jude keeps dreaming of Xanthe, and how Xanthe catches glimpses of Jude at odd times.

There's enough in both timelines to keep me going - rooting for Jude as she tries to figure out her future and being angry on Xanthe's behalf because she's stuck in a society with little options. And Jonathan is a manipulative abuser being enabled by Xanthe's parents - there, I said it. You want to believe that Xanthe will overcome, that Jude will somehow find a way back in time to help her...

One little thing that really bothered me was the strange love triangle between Jude and the two men in Winterthorne, where for a moment it was like Jude HAD to fall in love with one or other of them because a woman cannot just be friends with a man!!! Marriott resolves this as part of the plot, but it was just very annoying while it was happening.

The ending itself - and its revelations - felt satisfying to me. Like yes I'm glad it resolved that way.

I want to say I loved this story. And yet... like I said, maybe I'm not configured to really enjoy timeslip stories, the same way time travel and multiverses give me a headache (looking at you, Avengers: Endgame).

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Headline via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A beautifully crafted duel timeline novel which are unlike most books in this genre as Jude the heroine in the current day actually experiences what is happening to Xanthe the heroine in 1924.
It enthrals you from the vert first page. I was unable to put it down and read it in one day.
Cannot recommend it enough.

The prose was beautifully written, not a word out of place, and skilfully crafted – even the rips in the veil between the two time periods, which is something very few writers carry off.
However the story itself was not for me. I do enjoy timeslip novels, especially those with echoes between the narratives, but these were too closely bound together for my liking. So much so that spotting them one after another jerked me out of what was happening on the page. To say more would mean including spoilers and as I am sure many people will enjoy this book, I’ll leave it at that.

This was a gripping, engrossing read. It’s a dual timeline novel where the modern day character relives through dreams events that happened in her village 100 years previously. The focus of her dreams was a woman caught in an intractable situation where she was being forced to marry a person she hated and sought to escape her prospects to find a meaningful life. The modern day character was struggling to come to terms with a string of tragedies but in coming to this village finds healing and wholeness. While there is some speculative science the two tales are woven together in an excellent storyline. The book emphasises the power of love as the driving force behind a satisfying life, something we could all remember.

This was a truly wonderful read full of twists and turns. A brilliant dual timeline story full of twists and turns. Full of emotion which clearly came from the heart of the author. A real page turner which you will feel difficult to put down.

1924, Xanthe is determined to live her own life. 2024, Jude hears she had inherited a cottage from a relative she never knew she had. When reaching Winterthorne, Jude's life mixes with Xanthe's - but how is it happening and why?

I really enjoyed the dual timeline nature of this book, especially when the characters linked through time. It was a unique idea, and I really liked trying to figure out what was happening alongside Jude. It was well written, with beautiful descriptions, very emotive and engaging.

Set over duel timelines a century apart, this is a beautiful story of two women, Xanthe in 1924 and Jude in the present day.

Present Day: When Jude discovers she’s been left a house by an unknown great aunt she goes to the town of Winterthorne to sort out the house. What she finds are answers to questions from her past and a mysterious pull towards the ruins of a stately home.
1924: Xanthe is living with her parents Lord and Lady Kearsley and her awful cousin Jonathon. Her parents want her to marry her cousin (eww) but she cannot put the local gardener’s son out of her mind.

This is a beautiful story that I could not put down. The dual timeline weaves in and out seamlessly and completely draws you in. Absolutely loved it.

With thanks to NetGalley and Headline Publishing group for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The beautiful cover draws you into the book, the enchanting story keeps you there.
A dual timeline novel sees Xanthe in 1924 and Jude in 2024 with a connection through time.
Xanthe is stifled by her family constraints and wishes in wanting to marry her off to the insufferable Jonathon. Her heart is with Tom, but it's an ill-fated love as her family see him as beneath them, his father is the estates gardener.
Jude is alone in the world, with little prospects, until she discovers she's been left an inheritance from a Great Aunt she never knew. The visit to the cottage in Winterthorne brings their lives together.
I loved this book, the writing and story were emotive and captivating. A story of enduring love bringing the past and present together seamlessly.

I tried to get into this but the opening chapter turned me off straight away but I did try to push through. The writing was pretty bad too.

Thank you anyway for giving me the opportunity to read my first Zoe book but it just wasn't for me even though normally I love spilt person storyline.

What an absolutely spellbinding book. The story was captivating and so well written and had me reading well into the night as I was eager to find out what happened next! Thoroughly recommend it. I will certainly be searching for more of her books. Thankyou to Netgalley for allowing me to review it

This is a dual time story with what I would call a time slip element. Not time travel as such but our main character in the present time, Jude finds herself slipping back into the 1920s in the same geographical location as where she is in the present. In some ways it comes over as a type of trance encounter but not quite. At first, I didn’t quite understand what and who was what but once I grasped this, I just went with it and found the tale to be a good one. Not the best but interesting concepts nether less.

The Moonlit Maze is an immersive timeslip novel that weaves mystery, romance, and intrigue across a century. Set in the enchanting village of Winterthorne, the novel slips seamlessly between 1924 and 2024, entwining the lives of Xanthe Kearsley, a young woman constrained by her aristocratic family's expectations, and Juliet Stewart, a modern-day woman who unexpectedly inherits a cottage with ties to the past.

The story unfolds with a gripping dual narrative—Xanthe’s secret rendezvous in the maze on the night of the Summer Ball and Juliet’s arrival in Winterthorne a hundred years later, uncovering the long-buried secrets of the fire that destroyed Kearsley Castle. The mystery element is deftly handled, with a subtle, creeping sense of the supernatural that blurs the lines between past and present. As Juliet’s connection to Xanthe deepens, the novel explores whether history can be rewritten—or if fate is inescapable.

The writing is elegant and evocative, transporting the reader effortlessly between eras.

Slipping between 1924 and 2024 in the village of Winterthorne where the once grand Kearsley Castle had the eponymous maze, the lives of Xanthe and Juliet entwine. There are mysteries, secrets, loss and love  woven together in a way that makes for compulsive reading.

Who doesnt love a mystery with a little romance scattered in for good measure. Set in dual times it follows the story of Xanthe in the 20's and her counterpart Juliet in the present. A gripping read that kept my interest throughout.

Deftly and delicately woven timeslip that immersed me in both timelines and the majestic setting. Beautifully done.

Worked in 2 timelines, this novel had 1920s Xanthe - being pressganged into marrying her vile cousin Jonathan and in modern times -Jude who is having flashbacks and seeing Xanthe’s story unfold.

Twisty and characterful. This was a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy to review.

What a beautiful cover that immediately conveys an enchanted atmosphere, and a promising blurb! I like dual-timeline stories, and I personally really like the era of the 20s and 30s of the last century. So: I was excited! I didn't know the author yet, and I was prepared to be surprised.

First of all: it was great :-) ! What a wonderful, exciting and emotional novel. I really liked it.

This is what it's about: We are in 1924 with Xanthe, the daughter of Lord and Lady Kearsley in Winterthorne. Xanthe is the only daughter, but as a girl she is not the heir; Cousin Jonathan is intended for this....a corresponding marriage is also planned, but Xanthe is a modern young woman with her own ideas about life.... At a summer ball, an accident occurs: while Xanthe is meeting in the labyrinth near the orangery for a secret rendezvous, the mansion burns down completely - but the case is never fully solved....

In 2024, we are with Juliet, also in her early 20s, in London. Juliet, called Jude, has no family left when she unexpectedly inherits a cottage in Winterthorne. She doesn't even know her deceased great-aunt, and is curious about her inheritance. Jude rearranges her life and is fascinated by the history of the place and the great fire of 100 years ago....and she feels a strange connection to Xanthe, who is long dead.

So we have two stories in Winterthorne, which are connected by Jude and Xanthe; and this is where it gets exciting and a mystery element is added, because the two women actually get closer and the boundaries between the ages become permeable. And I thought that was really well done; this is where fantasy comes into play, but this element creeps into the novel and thus gains credibility. Can Jude warn Xanthe about the fire? Is it even possible to intervene in the past? Or is she perhaps just imagining everything?

The protagonists around Jude and Xanthe are also exciting. Of course there is at least some romance, that can't be missed :-) , and an interesting subplot and warning, mini spoiler; there is also a connection between Jonathan in the 1920s and a friend of Jude's in the 2020s. I thought that gave the novel a special touch, I thought it was cool.

There isn't much more to say about the content without really spoiling it, so I'll just say this much: the author has combined mystery, romance, crime and woven big themes like friendship, love, family and self-esteem into a fascinating novel. The result is a book that I couldn't put down and that got me thinking.

I also found the writing style very pleasant. On the one hand, it's super fast and pleasant to "browse through", a real page-turner, but on the other hand it's also eloquent and the language is a little more sophisticated. I'm not a native English speaker, I always notice things like that, the author expresses herself quite elegantly, sometimes I even had to look up a word or two - which rarely happens to me. That's totally fine, don't get me wrong, I generally prefer a more eloquent style :-)

The ending is also surprising. I won't give anything away, just this much: I didn't expect it to be like that and it touched me again!

I was rooting for Xanthe and Juliet and am giving them 5 out of 5 stars! Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Review for my copy of The Moonlit Maze by Zoë Marriott.
Jude is running out of luck, her flatmate is getting married and needs her to find somewhere else, her job is hanging by a thread.
She has no one and nowhere to go until she gets the letter.
All her prayers have been answered, but is anything as good as it seems.
The story flits effortlessly between Xanthe in the early part of the 20th century to now with Jude.
Suddenly their lives are colliding.
A very enjoyable read. Perfect for lovers of Barbara Erskine and Kate Mosse.

This mysterious story had me reading into the night. The romance is so well written. I will definitely read more of her books.