England, 1940. Dearest Ruby, you must have heard the news by now. The very worst has happened. Our countries are at war. What can I do? How can I stop this nightmare from happening? One day soon we’ll be together again. I swear. I love you. E. x

Present day. Ruby Summers has lived an extraordinary life. Now, at ninety-six years old and living in a quiet countryside retirement home, Ruby may be an elderly lady, but her memory remains perfect.

She remembers the summer in rural Norfolk eighty years ago when she fell in love with Edmondo, and the stolen moments spent in the orchard dreaming of their future. But tears fill her green eyes when she also remembers the September morning they embraced as they listened to war being declared on the wireless. As her village turned against Edmondo and his Italian family, Ruby knew she would be forced to make an impossible choice – one that would lead to a betrayal her heart never recovered from, and an earth-shattering secret she has never shared…

But when lonely Ruby decides to take part in a letter-writing scheme for the elderly, and single mother Cassie replies, she realises this could be her chance. Her last chance. By revisiting her past, can she finally share the secret that has haunted her for all these years? And will her unexpected connection with Cassie unearth truths even Ruby never knew were hidden – or will it tear both their lives apart?

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About the author

Sarah Mitchell grew up in Norfolk and studied law at Cambridge University. She practised as a barrister in London for nearly 20 years before turning to writing. Her debut novel, THE LOST LETTERS, was inspired by her parents’ and grandparents’ experiences in the Second World War and her desire to explore the heartbreaking impact of the war on women and children. By contrast, THE COUPLE is a dark psychological thriller that twins themes of right and wrong with the age-old complication of an all-consuming past love. Sarah and her husband now live in beautiful North Norfolk with three almost-grown-up children, two extremely affectionate dogs and a horse called Joey.

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Author Link

Twitter: @SarahM_writer

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Book Link

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Letters-Stranger-Absolutely-heartbreaking-wartime-ebook/dp/B0BMM4Y4DX/

Whatever you think you know… you’re wrong.

Following a whirlwind four-month romance, lawyer Claire and hotel entrepreneur Angus are engaged to be married. Happy and successful, and ready to start their new life together, Claire and Angus find what they believe to be the perfect home.

But when Claire meets Mark, the man selling them the house, he looks eerily familiar. He looks exactly like the man she loved five years ago, the man she couldn’t bear to lose.

As Claire finds herself irresistibly drawn to Mark and crosses lines she never thought she’d cross, Angus’ behaviour becomes increasingly suspicious. Soon Claire doesn’t know whether she can trust Mark, Angus… or even herself.

 

 

My review

Well, well, what was this all about? I felt like I got a bucket load of information thrown at me and I had not the slightest idea what was going on. I could not imagine where it would all lead to and I wondered how this was going to come together.

The author played a game of table tennis and I was the little ball going to and fro between past en present.

Little by little every small bit of information became connected to the next one and I saw the light! At least I thought I did, but I had not taken the curveballs into consideration.

I love it when the chaos turns into orderliness. When you thought, in the beginning,  some of the details did not add anything, afterwards you have to admit they had to be there indeed.

This story had a slow take off but it certainly picks up speed towards the end.

The male characters were not very likeable, but they were perfect for the role they played, because nice men don’t get involved in this kind of dodgy activities, don’t they?

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the idea behind it was original. 4 stars.

Thank you, Sarah Mitchell, Bookouture and Netgalley.

 

About the author

Sarah grew up in Norfolk and studied law at Cambridge University which led to a career as a barrister, working mainly in the field of human rights. After nearly twenty years she was tempted off-track by a creative writing course at the Open University and fell in love with making up stories instead of constructing arguments. Three years later she completed, with distinction, an MA in Creative Writing – Prose Fiction at the UEA.

Now she lives in Norfolk again, this time with her husband and three almost-grown-up children, where she combines writing with some legal work – and thanking her enormous number of lucky stars.