In 1946, artist Rebecca Swift's dreams of love and a life free from convention are crashing like the waves of the Australian coast below her. And it's into those roiling waters that she disappears.
Forty-one years later, Tess Miller's dreams are crashing, too. The once-successful New York editor has lost her most prestigious author to the handsome new golden boy of publishing. Meanwhile, she's stuck with Edward Russell, a washed-up Australian poet writing a novel about some obscure artist named Rebecca Swift. But Tess may have underestimated Russell. His book is not only true-it's a searing, tragic romance and a tantalizing mystery set in a circle of post-war modernists. When Tess uncovers a long-hidden secret, she's drawn even deeper into Rebecca's enigmatic life and death.
As Rebecca's past intertwines with the present, Tess finds herself falling for the last man she thought she'd ever be drawn to. On the way, she discovers the power of living an authentic life-and that transcendent love never really dies.
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It was a night for beginnings, not endings. CHAPTER 1, SOUTH AUSTRLIA, 1946
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(@bookouture, 1 December 2020, 320 pages, ebook, #ARC from the publisher via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 12 December)
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The author has become one of my favourite writers over the past few months and I couldn't wait to read Secret Shores. I loved every word and didn't want the book to end. Secret Shores uses the same structure I've come to expect from the author's books; chapters that alternative between now and the past which gradually reveal the links between both. Unlike other books I've read by the author, WWII isn't the backdrop as the historical events are set after the war ends. I loved this book and didn't want to stop reading. I fell in love with everyone. This is a timeless love story that turn me to mush. I loved the characters. I rooted for Rebecca and Edward to get a happy ending. I wanted Tess to stop bring so hard on herself and everyone else. I was 100% invested in Secret Shores. It's terrific.