It is good to read a story with more mature characters. This is a great family drama. Two single people meet and quickly fall into a relationship. Sara is open and has two adult children she is close to however, Bernard is very closed about his family. A secret is revealed and all comes crashing down. I loved this story and it read well with very emotive subjects.

First time I have read a book by this author and really enjoyed this book. A lovely romantic tale about Sara Tempest who is a widow and meets Bernard a widower.

Loved the way the author describes their feelings and relationship with each other and how family issues affected their lives. Really enjoyed the book and didn’t want it to end but it was a great conclusion and I would recommend .

Hilary Boyd has the ability to take a reader on a journey with her books. I could see the house by the sea as it was perfectly described by her. This is a book about lies and love and mending broken ties. Great characters with an equally great setting that I really enjoyed reading. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for the opportunity to review. I really enjoy Hillary Boyd’s books they are real page turners. She makes the characters very real and readable. I liked Sara but found Bernard a strange mix. I didn’t feel he was a man she would stick with and his behaviour towards her was irritating. Good absorbing book.

What a great read. Encouraged by her daughter's ,Sara decides to try online dating and after being widowed for six years finds it terrifying both emotionally and physically. After a few bad dates she meets Bernard by accident and after a few hesitant meetings they seem like they are going to become the perfect couple ,but there are secrets in his past that when he eventually comes clean could tear them apart .Great characters and a beautifully story I really recommend it

Hilary Boyd has a wonderful way of describing her characters that makes you really know and understand them.. This is a lovely book going through every possible emotion. Well done Hilary, I loved it!
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

Sarah and Bernard are two widows who meet by chance in a coffee shop, when she is supposed to be meeting someone else through a dating site! After she spots Bernard she decides to sit down and not meet up with the other man, as they talk they realise there is the spark of something there but neither want to commit to meeting up again... It happens by chance, but there is definitely chemistry there and it isn't long before she moves in with him. She can't understand why he isn't close to his twin children like she is with her daughters.... What she doesn't know is he has a secret that he's being carrying around for 5 years and it's threatening to tear them apart!! When Sarah learns the true extent of the secret will she still want to be with him or not?

Many thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel would love to see it as a film.

Sarah Tempest, 58, has been widowed for six years but still doesn’t feel ready to date again. With the encouragement of her daughters and the assurance that’s she’s just being a wimp, Sarah sets off to meet Colin. Suffice it to say it doesn’t go well though as an added bonus she’s now a burger press expert!!!! After meeting and not necessarily kissing a few frogs she meets Bernard, a widower. The story is told via their alternating perspectives.

This is another good book from Hilary Boyd. The characterisation is very good with Sarah and her daughters and their lovely relaxed relationship being especially likeable. Bernard and his son Adams portrayal is good particularly of the troubled soul of the latter. Initially, Bernard seems very likeable but it becomes clear he’s harbouring something and his mood swings make it hard to get a handle on him. It becomes a rollercoaster ride with a lie of mega proportions at the heart of it all. The dynamics and relationships are done extremely well with this ranging from serious dysfunction to the very touching.

Once things become clear there are some moments of high drama which are full of tension with the things that have been suppressed almost exploding. Talk about cutting atmospheres with knives! It builds well, it’s a compelling read and I especially like how the ending seems realistic bearing in mind the whole saga of Sarah and Bernards relationship.

Overall, this is well written, easy to read and it takes you on an interesting journey of the path of love never running smooth.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to the publishers for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Sara Tempest and Bernard Lockmore meet on an internet dating site. Both are lonely and craving companionship. All seems to be going well and they are both surprised at how quickly they fall in love with each other. When they decide to move in together the natural decision is to share Bernard’s large cliff house. Sara feels uneasy in the house, but she struggles to understand why,,

Sara has a loving relationship with both her adult daughters and finds it difficult to relate to Bernard’s relationship with his twins. As Sara tries to reunite his family she finds many obstacles in her way. The hidden secrets that are uncovered threaten to tear her new found relationship and happiness to shreds.

Can love conquer all ? Or will hidden revelations tear their love apart? I love how Hilary’s characters are usually middle aged and the problems they encounter are explored and portrayed brilliantly.
Relationships are difficult at every life stage but blended families definitely add their own dynamics.

Overall I enjoyed this family drama which explored how lies have consequences which last a long time and can impact lives in many more ways than is imaginable.

I loved this book. I love Hilary Boyd's story telling.

The complexities of beginning again after a lifetime with a spouse now deceased.
Grown up children, family secrets and a past that you were not part of.

Can you ever have a future with a dark secret lurking in your past?

If you have ever read any of Hilary Boyd's previous books then you will love this one.
If you have never read any of Hilary Boyd's books, you could start with this one, and then discover her back catalogue of novels. You won't be disappointed.

I was over the moon when my request to read and review this beautiful story was verified. I had to wait only for seconds to download my copy and there it was, a treasure for me to read. My copy came through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Penguin. Thank you so much.
Two lonely middle-aged people, Sara Tempest and Bernard Lockmore, try their chance and enrol on an Internet Dating site. She has lost her husband Pete and he had lost his Finnish wife Lisa. Both are at the same venue, but Sara has agreed to meet a different person. However, they start talking and both feel a fizz of attraction. It was meant to be. They gradually learn more about each other. Both are empty nesters. Sara has two daughters, Joni who lives with her family in California, and Peggy. Bernard has two children as well, Twins Carrie and Adam.
So their romance begins, both enjoy the beautiful summer, the companionship and the love-making. Yes, they are in love, blissed out and so they decide to move in together. The hour long drive to each other’s home is a no-brainer. Bernard has a very commanding house on top of the cliff overlooking Hastings and called The Cliff House. He and his wife were both architects and their house is much bigger than Sara’s, so that is where they decide to settle. One thing puzzles Sara and that is that Bernard is not in regular contact with his twins. She wonders why they are estranged. She and her girls are very close and she cannot imagine a man as lovely as Bernard not bothering about his family. But he is reluctant to talk about the rift. He looks so sad and worried at times but still he won’t open up.
As Christmas approaches Sara asks him to invite the twins to have their Christmas at the Cliff house. By then Bernard has made a desperate confession. Sara had talked about visiting Joni and her family, so that Bernard could be introduced into her family. At last he explained that he had been in a fatal accident almost five years ago, just after Lisa had passed away. It was entirely his fault and he had accepted his punishment, but still he could not go to America.
As Christmas looms ahead Bernard tells Sara that the twins have accepted their invitation. Bernard is so happy and Sara wants to make it their best Christmas ever. Bernard introduces the twins when they arrive on Christmas Eve. Everything is going well. They decorate the tree together just like their family tradition with their mother. Sara can feel tension building up, but nothing prepares her for what happens on Christmas day. The air is toxic and Bernard is furious as a family discussion uproots chaos, heartbreak and heated argument. Will they ever get over the revelations of that day? Sara leaves the Cliff House with her case packed. unable to believe that Bernard has sent her away.
I really loved this engrossing story. Hillary Boyd has a tried and tested infallible formula. She champions the older generation and weaves her story with compassion, empathy and tenderness. Her storytelling is impeccable, exciting and full of heart. As for the storyboard, that is full of action, evenly paced and authentic. She has oodles of talent and uses it to her best advantage. Her characters are brilliantly envisaged, carefully developed, eclectic and relatable. These skills have once again lifted my spirit, charmed me and best of all given me hours of unmitigated pleasure. I loved the themes of love and loss, passion, finding happiness, an aching dilemma, deeply buried secrets and loyalty. I loved the shocks and surprises. I recommend this new novel as an excellent read and award it a well-deserved 5* review.

Another fantastic book from Hilary Boyd. The story of widowers Sara & Barnard kept me turning the pages right up until to the end. A beautiful heartwarming and heartbreaking book. A must read.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoy the style of writing from this author. This was a great read, warm storyline and characters., Would recommend

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance.

A refreshing take on a new relationship for a widow, Sara, who meets Bernard unexpectedly in a cafe, whilst waiting to meet a blind date. The reader learns that Bernard has a hidden secret, and that his marriage wasn't as "normal" as Sara's and his relationship with his children isn't as open or warm as it once was. Bernard's secret has a number of layers which are slowly revealed, perhaps a little too slowly and at times I did wonder if I really cared, especially when his frustrations were directed towards the wrong audience. However, I really appreciated that this book wasn't all flowers, romance and happily ever afters; the author ensures that the characters are exposed to the reader with all of their flaws and vulnerabilities on show. I loved the relationship between Sara and her children, and her Mother in law and really warmed to her honesty.

I was thrilled to receive another of Hillary Boyd's books as I am a big fan of her work and the Hidden Truth was a potentially a great story about a widowers in her kate 50s embarking on love again. When she meet Bernard something is a little off with him and she soon finds out he is hiding a secret. For me as a reader, I found it hard to believe the lovely Sara could fall for a moody, sullen character such as Bernard. I found the character quite off putting throughout the book. The story is lovely and I enjoyed the book but would have like this part to be better portrayed. Can't wait on the next book

Another fantastic read from Hilary Boyd…… Brilliantly written, that kept me hooked from the first page. At times I just couldn’t read quick enough to find out what was going to happen next. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Keenly Observed…
Sara meets Bernard over the course of a Summer and a whirlwind romance follows. Sara, now widowed and alone, is delighted with this charming man. The move into his house is swiftly executed. But, not everything is quite as it seems. A keenly observed slow burn familial drama with an edge of suspense, credible characters and an intriguing storyline.

Another enjoyable read from Hilary Boyd. Sara, in her late 50's has been widowed for 5 years and is now ready to start dating again. She meets and falls in love with Bernard, also a widower, but he is hiding a secret.

I felt that the storyline for this book was good, a life changing incident that affected those involved in different ways. Unfortunately there were some negatives to the novel. The chapters where not a lot happened were too frequent. We didn’t need to have Sara’s every meeting with Precious related word for word or know what her husband, Sammi, cooked every single time.. I was also a bit doubtful about Sara’s nutrition practise. But I won’t go into detail there. At one point Sara and Precious went back to the “office” after lunch, surely not, complementary therapists usually work out of consulting rooms, or a health centre etc. I myself worked as a Nutritional Therapist for a long time, out of different venues, so I felt that some of of the execution of Sara’s job was a little bit out of kilter . Having said that I thought that Adam was very well portrayed in the final chapters, where the book finally came to life. There were some instances where Bernard’s moods and sullennesses made you want to throw him off the cliff outside his house. I’m not sure someone would stick at it like Sara did, even though Bernard was in turmoil, his downtrodden characterisation was just too much. If the book was shorter with less chapters listing the minutea of everyday lifeit would be a big improvement.

Gripped from the start, I liked Sara and was rooting for her. I was drawn in to her relationship with Bernard, and keen to know his secret. If I'm honest, it wasn't as dark as I expected, even with the twist that came later. And although part of me liked him, I also found it hard to see why Sara fell for him so fast - he was whiny and annoying frequently, blowing hot and cold with her. This isn't a thriller type read, more about dysfunctional relationships and the consequences of lying. A good read, nethertheless.