“Love is easy; it is life that is hard.”

I always look forward to Emma Cowell’s books because they transport me to Greece and tantalize me with everything that I love about the islands.

This time, the focus is on painful endings giving rise to new beginnings and the need for honesty and transparency in all relationships.

Thirty-six years ago, Penny and Ellen came to Greece as 18-year-olds and are now returning for another adventure to recapture their youth. As the story progresses, their secrets unravel, and they discover that honesty with themselves and each other sets them free.

I loved watching these middle-aged women come to terms with what matters most in life and decide what they want from the next chapter of their lives and who they want to include in it.

Without giving anything away, let’s just say that I was captured by a heartfelt story about trust, regret, second chances, once-in-a-lifetime love, the kindness of strangers, the power of being authentic, and the power we have within us to alter our own fate.

If you enjoy stories about new seasons in life and new beginnings, this is one to watch out for. Sometimes life mirrors the rhythm of one chapter closing and another beginning. Penny and Ellen become aware of this rhythm and discover that sometimes change is uncertain, but it also carries promise. I loved watching them step into something new.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Emma Cowell has done it again! Another beautiful destination story set in sunny Greece, full of heartbreak, hope, friendship, love and more.

As lifelong best friends Ellen and Penny agree to 'take two' of their Greek holiday from when they were just 18, they realise that each other's lives aren't quite what they seem. With Ellen rebuilding her life after her husband passed away 2 years ago and Penny living the high life full of charity gigs and extravagant beauty treatments, the two have a lot to learn about each other.

Once they arrive in Greece, Ellen immediately settles in with the sun, the scent of orange blossoms and all the amazing food she'd missed over the last 36 years! And something else... Ellen knows that her summer romance might still be on the island, but she isn't looking for him. She can't bring herself to face the truth of what made her leave, and what stopped her coming back.

The two friends are pulled in different directions on their holiday. In between dips in the pool and evenings sampling all the local food, Penny is off trying to 'live her best life' and Ellen ends up helping a family in need. Through bickering, hard truths and a few slammed doors, Penny and Ellen need to learn how to be each other's friends again as well as owning up to their truths.

Trigger warning for Domestic Abuse. A topic that I usually avoid reading about, but Emma wrote about it so well. Truthfully, brutally but with a purpose.

I really enjoyed this book and only put it down to make myself dinner! It's a really beautiful story and the ending was a pleasant surprise!

Such a lovely read! Romantic and sensuous with gorgeous Greece as the backdrop. So absorbing I devoured it in one happy session. Enjoy!

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was a beautiful read. Cowell perfectly balanced this story of friendship and lost love with her exploration of Ellen's marriage, presenting domestic abuse in a sensitive and heartbreaking way. I was immersed in the vivid Greek setting and was so invested in Ellen's story, the characters were well-written and although Penny was infuriating, Cowell's exploration of her story was skillfully done. A fantastic read; I am looking forward to more by this author.

if you haven't entered the world of Emma and her books then you must immediately. then come back and thank me. she is one gorgeous writer. i smiled so wide when i saw the cover and her name to it. get me in there please. and yes once again she takes me away not only in location but also from the world. once again she delivers the most beautiful book that makes me feel so very much for all the characters. Emma is firmly putting herself with my top authors. and im so glad i found her with my first book of hers when i did.
Ellen and Penny need to reconnect. like really. there lives have taken them in an outward and away from each other direction since that holiday in Greece when they were 18. so is it time to go back there? should you ever go back to somewhere you had a time with at 18, haha? should you ever when there is such a meaning to it? well they do. and you just know there is going to be some emotional moments to come.
i was wary for Ellen from the start. she is not long passed the death of her husband. and that in itself bought way more to her shoulder than it should. but what if facing this past, what if this trip could be just what she needed. so then i was all in, and ready to be right by her side. and thanks to Emma's writing i truly felt i was both in the past and present stories being told. right away you can see how the ripple of things in life can effect us. thats not a weakness. its human. i loved how Emma had that bravery in her but also the vulnerability. shes much older than 18 now. shes ready.
once there you can almost feel her shoulder relax, her jaw release as once again the sun shines away her frowns and the scent around her settles in her bones. its been too long to miss out on this much good food! there is more here though for Ellen. or should we say someone more>? could he be still here. the man that held her heart all those years ago. then man she left...
the two friends come apart and together on their trip. is there an ending in sight for them both with friendship? or just an ending? there more to com for these two. more that needs to come for them both.
Greece and the character take off from the pages. once again Emma writes with such care. her characters what they go through and have been through is done with honesty but never without that care. people go through some things in life that hurt your heart. with the rightness they deserve Emma includes them here. and with the touch they need, honesty but never judgement or just for clicks or "story" value.
the little moments we get, the added details and character make this book all the better. its adds so much depth to the book and also more realism to it. people have often more than one things happening in life. or certainly come along more than one thing at a time even on holiday revisits. and for Ellen and Penny we get to see that. it made it feel more human and rounded out their story and characters all the better. there is so much honesty to humans in the writing i really loved that. the honesty that Ellen and Penny have with each other, have to have with each other sometimes feels as though these are your two friends and you are standing there watching them face it too. there was never cruelty, or bad humans. no choices to be made over bad or good humans between them. i wanted so much for them both to find what they needed to and in different ways. its ok to be different. its letting other be themselves and being there for them knowing we are all different that is so important. but in all the important ways you still align come together and actually people taking on life in their own unique ways, adding it to your is actually what makes so much of life better. the views, the ways, the angles from people you love and who love you can help you see so much more of a wider picture when you need it most.
kindness. kindness is also another thing that seamlessly wove itself through this book. i loved that. it can make the facing of things, the uncertainty and even the dam right hard feel like things you can cope with. support and love are so key in life. oh yeh and also key. good books. good authors. tick and tick here then.

This was such a beautifully written and heartwarming read. I loved the author's previous release and Beneath The Orange Blossom certainly didn't disappoint. The story was beautifully written and easy to follow with good pacing and a great cast of characters. I also loved the place settings in the story. Overall a brilliant novel that I highly recommend to other readers.
💖 Thank you to the author, Emma Cowell, the publisher Avon books and Netgalley for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

How do you review this ace book. You need tissues at time . You will experience all sorts of emotions . The things you do to protect your children. Some great twists . The airport scenes very clever. It covers a very difficult subject well. I loved the homeless woman and her dog. Set in Greece. The two main characters Ellen and Penny were amazing. I loved the magic of the dressmaking . As for John the husband there are no words. Read it . One of my reads of 2026 . Sad happy ending but neat .

While I really enjoyed the setting and story of this book, I felt the writing was weak in places and became a bit trite. I am not sure if this might have been sorted with a better edit as I have read and enjoyed Emma Cowell before. The story was strong though and I do recommend due to that.

"Beneath the Orange Blossom" is a story of re-discovery after a life survived rather than lived. When widow Ellen is invited by best friend Penny to relive their adventures from when they were 18 she is hesitant at first. Thankfully though she changes her mind and they fly off to Greece together for a 2 week break. It transpires that a lot can happen, and a lot change, in a fortnight. Secrets old and new are brought to light and Ellen can finally envisage a new life.

The scent of orange blossom wafts on the warm scented air while reading this emotional story. Evocative and hopeful.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of the book.

I love Greece so another story set in this beautiful country was the perfect read for me.
Ellen was last in Greece over 30 years ago with her friend Penny. Here she fell in love with Andreous and promised she would be back but a sighting at the airport on the way home changed everything.
On her return again with Penny, she discovers that both friends have been keeping secrets and questions their friendship.
This story has some heart wrenching moments that are very emotional but skilfully approached.
Love the title as orange blossom features throughout and just oozes Greece.
My thanks to Net Galley and publishers Avon for the arc it was a delight and pleasure to read