This is the summer book of the year.
The writing is really good for a debut book, I loved the characters, storyline and especially the description of Greece.
This is the book everyone should read on this year's staycation as it takes you to places.
I really hope Carol Kirkwood writes another book, I would look forward to reading it.
Thank you NetGalley

I have found in the past that books by celebrity authors can be either very good and well written or so-so but with a good plot. Carol has managed a mixture of everything!
The story line kept me reading because I wanted a HEA but I skipped the romantic parts, they felt too scripted. The characters were sweet but some had backbone, some had to have their own way.
Don't get me wrong, I have read a lot worse and I read to the end with some speed. I think it was the lack of subtlety in the dialogue which I did not enjoy.
I hope that Carol puts pen to paper again.

Perfect romantic escapism. The beautiful settings of stylish Monaco and a little-known Greek island make for a relaxing read. There's love, loss and reconciliation, the importance (sometimes dominance) of family ties and the dawning realisation that fame doesn't always mean happiness unless there's love too. A lovely story.

A young fan of Grace Kelly decides to spend the summer travelling through Europe with a friend before starting Uni, but finds herself in her dream destination, Monte Carlo, having lost all her money and passport. She is befriended by the cook on a millionaire’s “yacht” and is offered a job on board whilst they sail to the Greek Island of Ithios. During the journey she, naturally, encounters the son of the shipping magnate who owns the yacht, Demetrios, and one thing leads to another. On arrival at their destination she is sacked and leaves under a cloud.

Some years later we encounter her as a very successful film actress in Hollywood, but her fame turns to scandal and following the death of her film director husband she retreats back to Europe and eventually returns to Ithios where secrets need to be revealed and life sorted.

For a first novel Carol Kirkwood has succeeded in writing a real page-turner that should prove to be a good 2021 summer staycation read.

A book of romance in Greece.
The first half I gave 2 stars to as totally unbelievable when a young girl backpacking had run out of money so found picking up bruised fruit in the market is offered a job on a multi million pound yacht where the owner falls in love with her and takes her to a party at the royal palace.

The book picks up in the second half and is more enjoyable so gave it 3 star.
Power fantasy books are not for me but loved the description of Greece my favourite place to holiday

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC

reviewed in Goodreads

A long time since I read such a schmaltzy book. A typical easy beach read which was quite a relief after a lot of heavy reading.

I quite enjoyed it though very light and 'chicklit'.

Celebrity written books can be a bit hit or miss but I like Carol so thought I would read her debut novel. I'm glad that I did because I got a summer romance set in Greece and Hollywood. A little slow to get going but it picked up pace and was very enjoyable. Just right for time out in the summer.

Gorgeous escapism!! I feel like I've just had a glorious Greek Island holiday!!
Feel good, enthralling and warm hearted read.
Shauna and her friend Roxy were set for some European adventures before settling down for college and careers. What happens next sets them both up for life! Sun, sea, boats, families....its all in here!
Was gripped from the first page to the last and really didn't want it to finish!
The perfect summer read.
Recommended highly - felt like I'd spent a few days with a familiar friend sharing adventures! Just brilliant.
Thank you for the opportunity to read early NetGalley and HarperCollins- much appreciated.

Thoroughly enjoyed this story and the various twists it had along the way. Easy to read but very hard to put down!

Shauna, who as a young girl meets and falls in love with Demetrios, a Greek millionaire, when working as a chambermaid on his yacht, is now a movie star. After a scandal she looks back to her time on one of the Greek Islands, Ithos, and decides to travel back there with her long term friend Roxy.
An insight into the glitz of Hollywood and multi millionaires, and how it is not as glamorous as it seems. The book certainly brings some of the glamour to life and certainly you can almost feel the sun shining on the island. Shauna comes across as someone still very much in touch with real life, despite her success whilst Demetrios is unhappy despite his apparent ideal life. There are plenty of twists and turns as the story develops and it certainly hooked me and staying up very late to finish it. An ideal book to read by the pool, or in an armchair on yet another rainy British summer. I will certainly be keeping an eye out for any new books from Carol.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

Perfect summer read and brilliantly written. Couldn't put it down. Highly recommended if you're looking for a light hearted summer read.

Some books can touch your heart, take a breath away. Books that must be read and others must know about them. They will remind you in your memory and heart for a long time, and probably not only when you feel the need to return to these brilliantly written pages. Under a Greek Moon is one of them.

As a teenager, Shauna O'Brien was a believer, in dreams, in love... but is it enough to keep her dreams come true? Or her innocent and naive nature will ruin everything as the world is crueller. Besides, the poor and the wealthy never are going in the same direction - do they? Who really is Demetrios Theodosis? What has happened on a small Greek island a long time ago?
''those dreams keep our souls burning brighter'' - does Shauna fulfil her innermost dreams? For what price? You need to find out! I cannot say more, as the plot is brilliantly created and set up between two decades. The book kept me hooked from the first page, and I read it in two days as I cannot stand the unawareness of what will happen next and finding the shocking ending.

I fall in love with the main characters - a mix of innocent and belief, honestly, modesty, and a privilege, power, strongest. The heartwarming moments will take your breath away, and chills run through your body while you uncover the unbelievable twists. I am amazed by the book's layout - how Caron Kirkwood gently jumped decades to show the secrets from the past. The book is divided into three parts, and honestly, I cannot judge which part is the best - all of them I read with enormous pleasure, in the desire to know more.

It is a remarkable debut, and I definitely will observe the following books written by Carol. Well done with this one!

Carol Kirkwood wrote a unique and breathtaking novel. Brilliantly written, easy to read, rich in content and not boring described! This is the must-read position in your library! I fell in love with the Greek island and the magical atmosphere it creates. I highly recommended it.

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, for an ARC of this fantastic novel, in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a sucker for any book set in Greece so was eager to read this debut novel from Carol Kirkwood. I enjoyed the mix of characters and the different relationships as we travel back twenty years to where it all began on the beautiful Greek island of Ithos. This is a heartwarming story that engages you from the first page and I can highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and the author for the chance to review.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a great read - not just a typical holiday romance type of book. The story develops really well and leads to a lovely ending. Great read.

A delightful story of varied relationships in different generations and stages of life. Mainly set in an idyllic Greek island, with hints of USA, England and Ireland. A joy to read with romance prevailing.

A lovely holiday read set in Greece. Shauna went there as a teenager, worked on a private yacht and became romantically involved with a local, but unfortunately her time in Greece came to a sudden end. A little predictable at times, although it was well written and really enjoyable.

I loved this book! It’s a beautiful love story mostly set in what sounds like a beautiful little known (before this book came out) island of Ithos - it’ll be swamped with tourists after reading ‘Under a Greek Moon’! I was enthralled straight away and couldn’t put it down.

I didn’t realise before I started reading it that it was Carol Kirkwood, the weather reader, who had written it and I also didn’t realise till I read the acknowledgments that it is her first book!

It’s simply a book that takes you away on holiday to Greece and also on adventures that involve rubbing shoulders with famous people - movie stars etc. Total escapism! I love a little insight in to how it would be to live how the other half (although I think more accurately 1%) live!! The characters are so lovely, there’s not one I didn’t like - except maybe Shauna’s mum but she’s an old fashioned Irish Mum living in the past and I imagine there are still plenty of them around. There is a little twist in the book but I did guess it long before the reveal but it made no difference. You know how happy you feel at the end of “Mamma Mia” the film? Well, this book does exactly the same - it makes you smile and gives you the feel good factor and goodness knows we need as much of that as we can get these days! It’s just made my week!

My thanks go to Carol Kirkwood, the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced e-reader copy in return for an honest review.

What a magical read and bravo to Carol Kirkwood on her simply enchanting author debut. Hollywood actress Shauna Jackson is broken hearted to discover she isn't just a widow she is also the only mother figure her late husband's illegitimate son has. Reeling from the news of his affair and the demise of the child's mother - she brings the little boy and her best friend to Ithos. Away from the paparazzi Shauna attempts to come to terms with the loss and betrayal. But it isn't the first time she has visited the island, 20 years ago she fell in love with the Greek paradise when her first love, Demetrios, took her to the island - his home. How did they meet and why did she leave? What secret has Shauna been carrying that Demetrios doesn't know about? An exquisite novel which will linger in my heart...I fell in love with Ithos (and Demetrios!).

As a highly regarded British T.V. presenter, Carol Kirkwood deals with spoken language all the time. This book represents her literary debut and is evidence that she writes very well, too. The ‘voyage and return’ trope of the privileged female who has made her success elsewhere but now harbours a yearning to connect with her roots, is familiar, but Kirkwood exploits it in such an engaging way that reading ‘Under a Greek Moon’ remains a pleasure throughout. Kirkwood’s heroine, Shauna Jackson, is a fictional Hollywood actress who returns to the equally fictional Greek island of Ithos. Here, she reconnects with successful entrepreneur Demetrios and meets his strong-willed daughter Ariana. A main readerly aim may well lie in uncovering what secrets from the past Shauna and Demetrios share, but what I enjoyed most were the enigmatic, sparkling descriptions of the fictional island of Ithos, and imagining from which actual Greek islands Kirkwood may have drawn her inspiration. Warmly recommended as an escapist but imaginative new book on the scene. I would like to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC I received in exchange for this free and unbiased review.

Well I can't believe that Carol Kirkwood's first book is so good. I had expected to find it to be a run of the mill story line. It wasn't. I was gripped from very early and read it in just a couple of hours. Shauna O'Brien, a successful actress returns many years later to a Greek Island that she last visited as a teenage backpacker. The story was both unexpected and the twists and turns meant I was hooked. Highly recommended. A good holiday read.