Blog Tour Book Review: A Summer of Secrets, by Alice Ross

One long hot summer. Secrets never stay buried for long…

Portia is determined to restore Buttersley Manor, her family’s crumbling ancestral home, to its former glory. Yet she has a feeling that there are a few forgotten skeletons in the dust-covered cupboards.

Jenny has put her life on hold for far too long. It’s time to finally start living and to dig up those hopes and dreams she’s kept hidden all these years – but is she brave enough?

Rich is happily married with a beautiful wife and lovely daughter. In fact, his world is perfect until a very unexpected consequence of his past walks through the door…

Joe would like nothing more than to travel back in time to when he and Gina were happy. But is it too late to rescue what they once had?

One thing’s for sure, nothing’s ever quite what it seems when it comes to life in the country!

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Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for A Summer of Secrets!

A Summer of Secrets is the second of Ross’s ‘Countryside Dreams’ series set in the small town of Buttersley, but if – like me – you haven’t yet read the first instalment, this reads perfectly fine as a stand alone book.

The story follows the lives of four Buttersley residents; Portia, who’s returned to the town following a family tragedy; Rich, who’s perfect life gets turned upside down by some unexpected news; Joe, who struggles to work out what’s best when he reconnects with his ex; and Jenny, who’s entire life has been ruled by her mother.

I love books with the narrative told by various characters where their lives are interwoven, and Ross has done this brilliantly, where the story flows seamlessly between perspectives. There is also a lovely mix of both male and female voices, which she has pulled off wonderfully.

Alongside these four characters, we meet many other colourful residents, all adding their own flavour to Buttersley town, creating a wonderful sense of community and making me want to get to know all (well, most!) of them better.

It’s a light and enjoyable read, where each storyline managed to keep my interest from start to finish, with some lovely little twists along the way. I certainly now plan to read the first book in the series and look forward to the next instalment.

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