Such a feel-good love story! The writing was soft and inviting, and the setting felt like a place I never wanted to leave. The characters’ journey to finding each other was both comforting and engaging—perfect for curling up with on a quiet evening.

First off thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC - I cannot find the kindle version of this book - so I have no experience with the audible version.

All thoughts, ratings, and comments are my own.

I think this is a very immersive historical read. Turn of the 1900's in England Ava has run away from home for a broken engagement - that once I heard about her brother Oscar, I kind of had a niggling in the back of my head what was going on - and it came true.

We have also Damien, a young man that has been on the run from his "abusive" father - not necessarily physically but certainly mentally, for the last ten years.

The whole book, we have broken characters that all have to find their way back to normal.

Great ending - :) I do like those - I felt like I was in England in that time frame :)

Ava is a young woman with the ability to use hypnosis to help people go back in their lives to resolve issues from their past. Her mother also had this ability and performed with it at the Penny Farthing Theater. When she passed, Ava was expected to continue her mother's trade. But when Ava's heart was broken she lost her desire to pursue that profession. Damien is a man that has a dark past and is hired by Lillian, the woman who owns the Penny Farthing Theater to help her coerce Ava into continuing working in place of her mother. Ava is also hiding a secret for her brother that Lillian is threatening to expose to keep Ava working. This is a book about a developing relationship between two people trying to deal with their intersecting problems. I really enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this immersive story. I really felt like I was in England!! The characters, the writing, all of it enhanced the beautiful love story and I absolutely adored it. There were times the pacing felt a little slow for me, but it didn't detract from my enjoyment at all! There's something beautiful about broken pieces being put back together better than before, and that's what this story did. Great work!

The Storyteller’s Secret
by Sophie Austin
Pub Date: May 05 2026

I absolutely loved this book. The setting of nineteenth century York is brought to life so vividly, and the Penny Farthing Theatre makes for such an atmospheric backdrop to a story that is equal parts romantic and mysterious.
Ava is a wonderful heroine. A hypnotist who has lost faith in her own gift, she feels real and relatable in a way that historical fiction characters don't always manage. Damien is just as compelling, a man running from his past who finds exactly what he needs when he least expects it.
The slow burn romance between two people who are both hiding from their own memories is handled with such care and warmth. Austin never rushes it, and that patience pays off beautifully.
If you loved The Lost Bookshop or The Keeper of Stories, this one belongs on your shelf.