The Keeping of Secrets by Alice Graysharp

Paperback, 330 pages

Expected publication: September 5th 2017 by Clink Street Publishing

The keeper of family secrets, Patricia Roberts grows up isolated and lonely. Trust no one and you won’t be disappointed is her motto. Three men fall in love with her and she learns to trust, only to find that their agendas are not her own. With secrets concealed from her by the ultimate love of her life, and with her own secret to keep, duplicity and deceit threaten their relationship.

In a coming of age story set against the sweeping backdrop of the Second World War - evacuation, the Battle of Britain, the Blitz, buzz bombs and secret war work - Patricia ultimately has to decide whether to reveal her deepest held secret for the sake of her future happiness. 

 My Thoughts…

WWII is my era.   I love the stories of growing up in the time of the war, how families managed to live through them, how romances came to be, and how people worked to survive and support the efforts of the war    The Keeping of Secrets is that story.   It is a story of Pat being forced to leave her familiar school and go to a “safer” place to continue her learning.   It is a story of falling in love, yet knowing that you want more than just love in your life.    It is a story of second chances and learning to put the past behind you, letting go of your guilt.  

This WWII story tells of living with evacuations, secret war work, and bombings.   While this time is horrific, the deaths, the heartbreak, and the sadness are all truths of the time,  I found myself pulled into the hope that Pat holds out for her future.    She is willing and happy to do what is asked of her to stay safe and to help with the war but her ultimate goal is to make herself happy.    She wants a life that does not rely on a man for happiness, she wants to finish her schooling and find a career.   All of that is not expected or accepted as a wife.   I was in awe of Pat’s strength and determination to succeed in her dreams in a time that women became wives and shortly after widows.  

If you are a World War 2 fan like I am I recommend you picking up your own copy of The Keeping of Secrets by Alice Graysharp.    

Thank you Rachel Gilbey for Authoright Marketing  & Publicity for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts are 100% my own. 

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About the author: Born and raised in the Home Counties, Alice Graysharp has enjoyed a varied working life from hospitality to office work and retail. She currently lives in Surrey. This is her first novel, and the first title in a two book series, she is also already working on a seventeenth century trilogy. Published in the anniversary month of the outbreak of the Second World War and the Battle of Britain

Website: https://www.alicegraysharp.com/