Another stunning book by Karen Swan. I have enjoyed every single book Karen has written from the very first one. Always beautiful locations making me desperate to visit the locations (tricky in 2020!!). Beautifully written visiting complex relationships, dealing with traumatic brain injuries and the impact of these, losing loved ones, and how it influences lives. Absolutely brilliant and I loved everything second of it. Thank you for letting me review this book.

Set in the archipelago of Sweden, Bell is a nanny for a family with twin girls and a boy, it is a job but Bell loves the children without compromise. They spend their summers on one of the small islands a perfect location for swimming and water sports. They are all very happy until Hanna the mother of the family is left reeling when a phone call informs her that her husband has awoken from a coma after 7 years. Where does that leave Max the father of her twin girls, the man who she has forged a new life with, also the consequences for Linus the 9-year-old son are far-reaching and heartbreaking as he has only ever know Max as a father. There are flashbacks throughout the book, their relevance eventually revealed. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it,

Karen’s novels are like a ticket to somewhere hot and exciting! The narrative is rich and inviting, with great characters and a brilliant plot. This is probably Karen’s best book in my opinion.

The setting of this book is the gorgeous country of Sweden which helps lift the story as it is cantered around an impossible situation where there cannot be any winners only heartache and hurt.

Bell is a Nanny to a family in Stockholm that consists of Mum Hanna, her partner Max and children Linus and twin girls. She is happy in her job and often goes above and beyond but what Bell really craves is a family of her own. Her loyalty is tested to the limit when she takes a phone call one morning that changes all their lives. The dynamics of the family are not what they appear to be as Bell discovers that Hanna is married to Emil who has just woken after 7 years of being in a coma and Bell is pulled into a web of secrets and lies.

I really enjoyed the location of this book almost as much as the characters. Emil is a complex one to get to know but having suffered a traumatic head injury and losing 7 years of his life and family, it was never going to be easy. I found Hanna deceitful yet interesting and the children delightful.

My thanks to Net galley for the ARC, this is my own opinion and review of this book.

Loved this story. Full of twists and turns with lots to keep you on the edge of your seat and never quite sure how it is all going to pan out at the end. Worth every moment spent with it, just wished it was longer as I loved it so much!

If you love a thriller/mystery then this could be the perfect Summer read. Full of intrigue and subtly dark this is a romance of a different sort. Keeps you fully engaged from the first to last page - loved it.

Bell has a pretty good life, working as a nanny for an affluent family in beautiful Stockholm. But then everything changes when when she is inadvertently thrown into the middle of a family mystery. Life is about to be very different for all of them, but Bell will realises that in amongst the heartbreak there is always hope...

Wow. What a book. I will admit that I’m a big Karen Swan fan, but this is a great book all on its own. Firstly, the setting. If there’s one thing you’re guaranteed with a Karen Swan novel, it’s a strong sense of place. Each of her novels focuses on different areas of the world, and this time we’re taken to Sweden, specifically Stockholm. I’ve never read a book set here before, and it’s now definitely on my list of places to visit - the architecture and landscape is described so vividly, it’s so easy to visualise and it sounds beautiful!

Now, a book by Karen Swan wouldn’t really be a book by Karen Swan without some romance, and in The Hidden Beach you get a love story like no other, with plenty of emotional twists and turns that really emphasises how life can turn in a second and joy must be found even in the hardest of times.

The Hidden Beach is truly Karen Swan at her finest, and I would go as far as to say that it is my favourite book of hers so far. Before now, I’ve always had a slight preference for her Christmas books, partly due to the magic of the season that she evokes so well. But The Hidden Beach has a magic of its very own, one that makes it highly readable and thoroughly enjoyable no matter what time of year it is. Whether you’re a diehard fan, or a Karen Swan novice, The Hidden Beach is the book for you.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to receive an advance reading copy thanks to Elle at Pan Macmillan and NetGalley. This didn’t affect my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

Bell is working in Sweden for Hanna and Max Mogert as their family nanny. One morning she takes a phone call for Hanna telling her that her husband Emil has woken up from his seven year coma. Much to Hanna’s dismay, Emil is determined to spend time with his son Linus, and Bell is asked to chaperone Linus as he becomes reacquainted with his dad. The story takes us through the summer as Bell is pulled into the ups and downs of the family’s drama and the impact it has on her life.

A well written book with good characters set in a picturesque location which makes for an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for inviting me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I love Karen Swan's books but this one just didn't have her usual sparkle for me. I have no idea why. Don't get me wrong - it's still a good book which flowed easily but there was just something missing.

Another one of Karen Swan's well written books, great for a relaxing summer read. This book is set in the Swedish archipelago offshore from Stockholm, where many Swedish families escape the hustle and bustle of Stockholm and city life to enjoy the laid back life the summer islands provide. We are first introduced to our main character Bell, originally from England, but living in Stockholm and nanny to three children of a Swedish family. The family spend the summer in their cabin on one of the Swedish archipelago islands, and so as in previous summers, Bell goes along with the family from Mon-Fri to supervise with the children. However, just before they leave Bell takes a phone call one day for her employer, Hanna, which is to make this a summer like no other, and reveal some hidden secrets of Hanna and her past family life. The book is well written with a good pace of events to keep you interested and wanting to know what will happen next. The descriptions in the book of the islands, the landscape and the buzz of summer life really creates a strong image of your mind of such a lovely place to chill out during the summer (so much that it has rather enticed me to want to visit at some point). The dialogue between characters is realistic and helps to build up an image in your mind of who the different characters are, mainly seeing the events through the eyes of Bell, and sharing some of her thoughts and feelings and moral dilemmas of particular events as the story unfolds. The only thing that let this book down slightly for me was little inconsistencies with some events with Bell's close friends, Kris and Marc. Her friends come to visit her one weekend and are excited to reveal the news they are 'moving in together'. The following conversation between Bell and her friends revolves around weddings and where her friends may tie the knot; however, at the very end of the book her two friends then reveal they are engaged, which I felt had already been suggested. Apart from this, the rest of the plot worked well, with occasional flashbacks to help piece some events together, but keeping you intrigued as a reader. A very enjoyable read, one to kick back and read on a summer's day. My thanks go out to Pan Macmillan and netgalley for providing an ARC of this for me to very much enjoy and review.

An amazing story set in Sweden embracing the Swedish way of life. Couldn’t put it down but didn’t foresee the twists within it. Karen Swan at her best

Another good book by Karen Swan. I was expecting a traditional romantic novel, this was that novel but with so many emotional twists in the story it was a little like a mystery story. It was based in Sweden during the 'Midsommer' break and so descriptive that it felt like you were actually there. Somewhere I want to visit when this pandemic is all over.

Bell is nanny to an affluent Stockholm family, father Max, mother Hanna, 10 year old son Linus and 3 year old twin girls Elise and Tilde. She takes a mystifying message for Hanna. It transpires that Hanna's husband Emil has unexpectedly woken from a 7 year coma...

Richly descriptive, I confess that I became impatient during the first part of the story, willing the pace of the plot to quicken. Though predictable, it's a good story, an intense romantic drama in an evidently stunning setting.

A good summer read.

A lovely story- well written with interesting characters and a good, if predictable, plot line. Romantic writing at its best with several themes running through the story. I really enjoyed it - a great summer read!

Karen Swan seems to delight in setting each novel in a different way country and and this time it's Sweden. Her rich descriptions of holidaying in the little islands off the coast make an attractive backdrop to this rather intriguing story of interwoven lives. Although slow to start with, this story turned into a real page turner with a satisfying ending. A great holiday read!

I'm really torn about this book, on one hand I found the beginning a bit slow and I wasn't quite sure where the story was going, but then at about 40% (on my Kindle) the story picked up and I couldn't stop reading to find out what happened.

The story was about Hanna and Max and their three children (10 year old Linus and 3 year old twins Elise & Tilde) along with Bell who was employed as the nanny and looked after the children, and the story revolved around Bell a lot of the time. She may have been 'just' the nanny but she did so much more for the family, and I think they did take advantage of that, but then again she let them.

At the beginning of the book we find out that Hanna's husband, Emil, has been in a coma for 7 years, and a phone call out of the blue from the clinic he has been in gives the shocking news that he has come out of his coma. We also find out that Linus is actually Emil's son, but Linus doesn't initially know this.

Then it jumps six months down the line when the family is off on holiday to one of the Stockholm archipelago islands where they own a house and have always holidayed over the years. So all quite cut off and a real get away from it all sort of holiday. The setting was just fascinating. I'd never even heard of the islands before but after Googling them they look really fabulous and something that bit different. Definitely a place to put on your unusual destinations holiday list. I'm not surprised some families have had holiday homes on them for years and spend their whole summers there. They look beautiful.

This is when the story started picking up a lot. Emil, who has had six months to recover and is doing extremely well, decides he wants his son for the summer, even though he has never spent time with him before, and he is also summering on one of the islands (very rich/his family owns the whole island). Hanna persuades Bell to give up her entire summer, no days off, to go with Linus and be a chaperone. But there's something not quite right with Hanna's easy acquiescence, and whilst Emil initially sounded like a bit of a tyrant there are definitely two sides to the story, and Bell did get a bit of a shock when she saw him and realised she'd met him before.

Over the rest of the story there are lots of undercurrents between Hanna, Max and Emil, with the children and Bell in the middle of it. Emil trying to get to know his son again, his son not really knowing what is going on, and 'poor' Max stuck on the outside. But there was definitely something not quite right, which is slowly revealed as the story goes on.

The only trouble was I didn't really like many of the main characters in the book, especially Hanna, although I did really like Bell's friends, and even Emil's snarky sister, Nina.

So I've got really mixed feelings as I just couldn't warm to the characters, but the story was definitely much more intriguing and interesting in the second half, and quite unpredictable with various happenings when you really didn't know what the final outcome was going to be. It's certainly a book I'll remember though as it was just that bit different.

I loved everything about this story, the setting, the characters, the drama and the suspense. Karen Swan writes a brilliant story and this one is no exception. I was captured from page one and as the story wound up I held my breath, intrigued and captivated.

I loved reading about the Swedish Summer Islands, they sound idyllic and the words whisked me away to their beauty and wildness. I loved the character of Bell, so together but as her story unfurled I got to see her in a whole new light; I so wanted her to find happiness. Emil's character changes back and forth throughout the story and he is hard to understand at times. All the characters are extremely well written and came to life on the page.

This story kept my rapt attention and I really struggled to put it down; at the end I couldn't I just had to know what the outcome of the book was. This is another fantastic read from Katen Swan and a definite must-read story.

Bell is an English nanny based in Stockholm working for the Mogert family of father Max, mother Hanna, son Linus and twins Elise and Tilde. One day Bell answers the phone taking a message for Hanna that makes no sense as the caller tells her to say ‘Your husband has just woken up’. What??? It transpires that Hanna is married to Emil who has just woken from a coma after seven long years. The shockwaves aren’t just felt by Bell but also for the couple as Bell finds herself caught up in the family drama as an angry Emil tries to reclaim his son Linus.

I really like the premise that life can change on a sixpence. It is well written with some stunningly good descriptions of Stockholm but especially the archipelago where many Swedes spend their summers, the lucky things! These descriptions are so vivid that you feel like you are there savouring the wonders and delights of the setting. Note to self: take a trip there one summer! The story has a number of interesting elements such as family and the often complicated dynamics, sadness and loss, friendship and secrets and love and deception. The characters are largely likeable especially Bell and Linus. At times it is emotional whether that’s between the adults or the adults and the children.

There are without doubt some very good sections in the storytelling but it is very slow in places, often ponderous as we get caught up in descriptions often of place. Thus it takes a long time to get to the climax which is good but by the same token it also seems rushed with a couple of things glossed over in haste. I dare say too, that the book is somewhat predictable although I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing as it’s the frequent trademark of a romance!

Overall, it’s a good summer read and a piece of escapism especially if you would love to be transported abroad to a wonderful setting especially as it’s become all too likely we’ll only be able to visit places like the Swedish archipelago in our imaginations!

With thanks to NetGalley and Elle Gibbons at Pan MacMillan for the ARC.

3-4 stars rounded up.

Another brilliant book from Karen Swan. She has the ability to paint pictures with words so that you feel you are there watching the scenes play out. It was a real page turner for me, reading to get to the end and sorry when I did.

Bell is nanny to Hanna and Max's three children, a job she loves. When Bell takes a phone call just before the family leave for their summer home on a Island off the Swedish coast everything changes. Bell's loyalty is pushed to the limit and she becomes very protective of the children, especially the eldest boy. There are twists and turns in the story with interesting supporting characters. If you love a book that is more than a romantic story line this is for you.

Whether Karen Swan is writing about the Scottish Highlands or the Swedish islands, her descriptions are always so very real and obviously well researched.. One feels the grandeur of mountains, the chill of the air, the beauty of forests and the fearfulness of water soaked cliffs.
Bell has been a Nanny for the Mogarts, Max and Hanna, for a couple of years, and looks after Linus and the twin girls. How cleverly Karen draws Linus, a little boy with so many fears and worries.
A phone call one morning turns the world on its head, as a message is left for Hanne from a Dr, who tells her that her husband has come round from a coma. Bell is shocked, not having known that Hanna had a previous husband, or as it turns out, the only husband.
The story develops with some heart rending moments, so very beauitfully portrayed. . I am not too sure about the alnmost complete rehabilitation of Emil, but miracles do happen.
Altogether a book that one cant put down, a book that is well written and thoroughly readable.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book. Anything By Karen Swan is on the top of my reading list.