The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick

As one of the Navy’s most skilled mapmakers, Merry knows the very lives of men far away depend on her work in the War Office.

But when a family crisis draws her back to her beloved Cornwall, Merry finds herself working alongside an enigmatic American officer on secret operations spanning the rugged coasts of Cornwall and Brittany which she knows so well.

But not everything is as clear as the maps she draws. As rumours and suspicion swirl around her family, Merry is increasingly drawn to Jake, despite the defences she’s built around her heart. It’s a dangerous time to fall in love when there is everything to lose as the tides of war are rising…

The award-winning author Liz Fenwick returns with a glorious, sweeping novel full of intrigue and passion.

My thoughts:

Thank you to HQ Books for this beautiful hardback copy of The Secret Shore by Liz Fenwick to read and review for the blog tour. The Secret Shore is published in the UK today. I’ve read a few of Liz’s books and you can read my last review here : https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.home.blog/2021/06/11/the-river-between-us-by-liz-fenwick/

So why did I enjoy this book so much that it was given a 5 star review? Well this was one of those books that swept me away into the past and I genuinely didn’t want to put it down, desperately wanting to know what happened next.

Merry is a wonderful main character. A bright young woman who has to work twice as hard to be taken seriously in academia just because she is a woman. She has experienced tragedy in her family life too but now has important work to do to help the war effort.

I loved how Liz wove the story, mixing family issues, social history and new beginnings into a period in history where people were fighting to keep the UK safe and to help other countries reclaim their freedom. This is also a reminder about the beauty of Cornwall and I’m sure that many holidaymakers will be unaware of how it was used during the 1940’s to prepare troops.

I would love to see this book turned into a TV series or film, so that non bookish people could enjoy the rollercoaster of emotions Merry experiences during the story. This is beautifully written book, a reminder of the bravery of the men and women during World War 2. and in my top ten reads of the year. Please add it to your reading lists.

Author Bio:

Called ‘the queen of the contemporary Cornish novel’ by the Guardian, Liz Fenwick is the author of nine books, including the most recent The River Between Us which won the Popular Romantic Fiction Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She lives with her husband and two mad cats near the Helford River in Cornwall. When not writing Liz is reading, painting, knitting, plot walking, and procrastinating on social media.

You can find her on Twitter @liz_fenwick, Instagram @liz_fenwick, Facebook @liz.fenwick.author and TikTok @lizfenwickauthor.

For more information or to join her mailing list visit lizfenwick.com.