The Sicilian Secret by Angela Petch

K WWII.

Lady Joy Harrison is tired of her mother’s self-importance and selfish snobbery. Determined to make a difference in the war, Joy accepts an opportunity to volunteer for the Secret Service. While training, she meets Savio, a handsome British-born Sicilian, and they find a passionate love amid a ravaging war. When a cruel twist of fate separates the young lovers, Joy faces life-changing decisions.

Savio Rizzo was born in England to parents who left their beloved Sicily for a better life. Savio is never accepted as English and longs to return to Sicily, back to his familial roots. When war breaks out, he loses his family when they are separated and sent to different internment camps. Savio tries to escape several times, each attempt failing. When selected to train in the Secret Service, he meets Lady Joy Harrison and finds no escaping their love. But fate had other plans for the hot-tempered Savio.

UK 1970.

Paige was raised from infancy by her Aunt Flo, who she loved dearly. When her aunt dies in a tragic accident, Paige returns to her childhood home. Grieving her loss, she discovers a box with an unfinished note from her aunt that speaks of a secret, a coded letter postmarked in Sicily, and a strange pendant. Leaving her shambled personal life behind, Paige sets off to Sicily to discover the truth behind the mystery her aunt left untold.

Told in dual timelines from several perspectives, author Angela Petch weaves a moving tale of the devastation, profound loss, tribulations, and missed opportunities that families, the young and elderly, and countless amanti experienced in WW2. But it is also a story of heroic courage, loyalty, and deep, enduring love.

Angela Petch is brilliant at rendering historical narratives, capturing the beauty of the Italian landscape with her beautiful writing, and bringing to life with warmth and authenticity characters and enthralling storylines that stay with you long after the last page.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the read of The Sicilian Secret. All opinions expressed are my own.