★★★
SYNOPSIS:
The Cotswolds, Christmastime 1946: A young widow leaves behind the tragedy of her wartime life, and returns home to her ageing aunt and uncle. For Lucy – known as Mrs P – and the people who raised her, the books that line the walls of the family publishing business bring comfort and the promise of new beginnings.
But the kind and reserved new editor at the Kershaw and Kathay Book Press is a former prisoner of war, and he has his own shadows to bear. And when the old secrets of a little girl’s abandonment are uncovered within the pages of Robert Underhills’s latest project, Lucy must work quickly if she is to understand the truth behind his frequent trips away.
For a ghost dwells in the record of an orphan girl’s last days. And even as Lucy dares to risk her heart, the grief of her own past seems to be whispering a warning of fresh loss.
There are no white shrouded spectres here, no wailing ghouls. Just the echoes of those who have passed, whispering that history is set to repeat itself.
(Taken from Goodreads)
MY THOUGHTS:
This is a charming book set in 1945, in the Cotswolds. You get a real feel of the after effects of the war both socially and economically. Lucy, Mrs P has lost her newly wedded husband to a wartime tragedy, his body lost at sea. With no grave to visit Mrs P finds herself returning to the town of Moreton-in-Marshher where she spent most of her childhood living with her aunt and uncle who raised her. Unfortunately she is unable to stay in her old bedroom as their lodger Robert Underhill has taken residence there. The mysterious Underhill is also employed by her Uncle at the publishing business they own. Due to her aunt's poor health Lucy agrees to take on the role of tea maker and secretary in order to help out and is given the living quarters above the office space.
As the story unfolds you learn that Underhill is also suffering from his own traumas faced during the war. Together, Lucy and Robert take on the editorial role of proofs that are sent in and are soon drawn into the Ashbrook family mystery of a missing girl. Lucy finds herself wrestling with her own ghosts in the hunt to find out what happened to the orphaned girl who seems to have disappeared without a trace.
I loved the way Lorna Gray was able to combine the themes of love, loneliness, trust, hope, tragedy and grief within this novel. Although heartbreaking in places it also has an uplifting feel to it. I was swept along with the story line and felt compassion towards the characters. I loved the advent calendar that featured in the novel and the budding friendship that developed between Mrs P and Mr Underhill. The ending was an unexpected surprise which filled me with hope and joy. A delightful read which I would love to see as a sequel.
Thank you to Lorna Gray, One More Chapter and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book ahead of publication and for including me in the #30DaysOfBookBlogs. It has been fantastic learning more about the other bloggers involved as well as spreading the love of reading and of course sharing our reviews of the novel Mrs P's Book Of Secrets.
AUTHOR:
You can find Lorna Gray:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MsLornaGray/
Twitter: @MsLornaGray
Instagram: @mslornagray
You can buy Mrs P’s Book of secrets is on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mrs-Book-Secrets-Lorna-Gray-ebook/dp/B07SD9X1M6/
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