This book has to be one of my favourite books in recent times. There are so many twists and turns you have no idea what will happen next - and mirrors the lives of Philip and Maddie. There are regrets and dreams from both sides, and you have no idea until the last pages where they will end.

After reading the acknowledgements that Philip's story was based on historic events, it makes it even more shocking and incredible.

Maddie's story is one that must have happened to many wives in the war, of having to go to a barely known family member after losing everything, and having to start again. Finding out secrets and backgrounds of loved ones, and processing without them being in the frame. The storyline with Nanny. Sutton was not one I expected at all!

Can we have this as a film please?

Read this book over a few days, strong, compelling and engaging characters. I'm a huge fan of Rachel's. Her stories are always so well crafted, draws the reader straight in from the opening pages.

Beautifully written book! Great characters you care about all trying to survive during WW 2. I especially liked Maddie's strength. So many stories, unexpected twists and turns right up to the end.

A fantastic book. A pageturner. The setting was just perfect. The writing made you feel as though you were a character. It has great characters and the story kept me interested

I have read a couple of this authors books and really enjoyed them. Historical fiction is a genre I really like and this one did not disappoint.
I enjoyed the journey Phillip made through France to try to get back to freedom and his life again.
When he reached England it gave a sense of satisfaction.
I would recommend it.

A very interesting book from Rachel Hore. Maddie and her two young daughters were bombed out of their London home during a bombing raid by the Nazis in WW2.
The story tells two stories, of Maddie's relocation to Knygton, her husband Philip's childhood home where she meets his Aunt Gussie and cousin Lyle. Everything is not all it seems when old secrets start to unfold.
We also follow Philip's story from when he is at the Front to when he manages to escape and eventually make his way back to his family.
There are a lot of twists in the book and at the end I had forgotten that Grace was waiting to meet someone.
Would be good to follow up the story from there.
Thank you netgalley for this Arc.
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Another fantastic read from Rachel Hore

I loved this book from start to finish

Maddie and her daughter’s are forced to flee to Knyghton, family home of her missing husband following the bombing of their London home. Maddie, hadn’t even been aware of this side of her husbands family until an album was found in the remains of their bombed out house. With nowhere else to go, her husband missing presumed dead, her and the children are homeless. London is unsafe and so with little choice they make the journey to stay with her husband’s estranged aunt and cousin.
Initially she feels very unwelcome and begins to feel she may have made a mistake, however as time progresses she begins to form bonds with them and they all start to settle.
There are twists and turns throughout this book as secrets begin to unravel.
What has happened to Philip? We discover that too as the story unfolds and I loved the way Rachel develops all of the characters in this book and how they all interact with each other

A story of hope, courage and overcoming adversity and the challenges life throws at you

Highly recommend
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this title

I love a book which draws you in from the very first page.
During the Second World War Maddie and her two daughters are bombed out of their home in London. With her husband Philip missing in action, Maddie has no option but to contact Philip’s family, Great Aunt Gussie and cousin Lyle at Kynghton in Norfolk to ask for shelter.
With different story threads running through, the reader is always left wanting answers, where is Philip, who is Flora? Why has Grace suddenly found an imaginary friend?
This is a great story.

One Moonlit Night is an emotional story about loyalty, betrayal, and the undying hope for reunion in a time of great loss and fear. Through Maddie’s eyes, Rachel Hore has created a captivating journey through a beautiful yet dangerous world.

When Maddie and her daughters are forced to move from their home in London after it is bombed, they arrive in Norfolk at Knyghton—a place full of memories of the husband and father that they are struggling to accept may be gone for good. While there, Maddie learns of a past event at Knyghton, involving Philip, his cousin, and a mysterious young woman, that was kept hidden for many years.

Throughout her journey, Maddie must come to terms with the idea of living without Philip, as well as uncover the truth behind his past.

A deeply engaging novel, One Moonlit Night will draw readers in and leave them feeling emotionally moved by Maddie’s experiences. Hore’s skillful use of dialogue, setting and atmosphere to paint the picture of wartime Britain further bring this captivating story to life. One Moonlit Night is sure to be another instant hit for this highly acclaimed author.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

Personally I felt that this book was old fashioned, I didn't think the plot was very strong and the incident with the nanny was just ridiculous and should have been edited out in my opinion. I didn't care for any of the characters and I found it boring. A lot of readers have given it high reviews though so it might just be that it wasn't suitable for me.

Love Rachel's books. Again we are in the war and a lonely widow is trying to solve the mystery that surrounded her husband's childhood and why he didn't want his wife to know the truth. Slowly but surely with the help of family and neighbours she not only fins out what happens but finds peace for her and her son

One Moonlit Night by Rachel Hore another NetGalley read. Maddie and her two daughters are forced to leave their home after it is bombed during the blitz in London. Maddie is also led to believe that her husband Phillip is dead, fighting in the war. Maddie has no choice but to move to where her husband grew up, of which she knows nothing about and where the past is shrouded in secrets. I love reading g Rachel Hore books and although this wouldn’t be one of my favourites of hers, the talent in her writing and the way it jumps of the pages is as always a pleasure to read. You can’t help, especially in current times, think about what people are currently going through during war and those of our relations before us. This story will tug at every emotion. Rachel Hore envelopes you in this story and it’s characters, that you get so immersed, that you almost forget what made the characters get to where they are and then the author drops little details such as ‘they hung up their gas masks’ and it pulls you right back in with a powerful wow, it’s thought provoking, makes it real, more than a story and like with everything in this book makes it so atmospheric. Use always the characters such as Maddie are strong and what Phillip goes through although a work of fiction, can sadly only but ring true for many in wars past and present. However for me, as much as I loved this book, the story seemed to loose it’s way a little in the middle, which made it harder to read and it just seemed to drag. Looking back I don’t necessarily think all parts of the story were needed or added anything to the outcome, had I not thought this it would have definitely been a five star read. If you are a fan of Rachel Hore it’s definitely worth a read if you are new to the author, she’s written better but I don’t think you can ever be truly disappointed reading one of these authors books. For me this time it’s a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read.

When the family home in London is bombed in the early 1940s, Maddie and her two young daughters take refuge in Norfolk, in the country house where Maddie’s husband Philip spent the summers of his childhood. But Philip is gone, believed to have been killed in action in northern France. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Maddie refuses to give up hope that she and Philip will some day be reunited.

Something happened at Knyghton one summer years before. Something unresolved, that involved Philip, his cousin Lyle and a mysterious young woman named Flora. Maddie’s curiosity, which turns to desperation to find out the truth, is shut down at every turn. No one will speak about it, and no one will reassure Maddie that Philip will ever return to Knyghton.

This is a stunning depiction of life during the war, for those left behind in England and also the men who faced the battle fields.

Multi layered, with themes of betrayals and secrets and the all enduring love between a husband and wife separated by war, it’s an absolutely compelling and evocative read.

So much more than just a war time story, this is a novel of hope, long buried secrets and also of strength and courage.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review

What a wonderful book. I think this might be her best. Atmospheric and original, page turning and romantic. Also unpredictable, which I loved. I never knew if Philip was a baddie or if Lyle was. I didn’t know which she’d end up with. The ending was perfect.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I liked the characters in this book: Maddie was a (mostly) strong female whose husband was missing, presumed dead, her children demonstrated the difficulties of moving away from their home when bombed out, the Fleets were struggling to maintain their employer's large home and Aunt Gussie was alternately lucid and locked in the past. I thought the detail was interesting and enjoyed reading it, including the passages about Philip, but the mysteries within (was Christine too helpful? who was Flora and what happened to her?) were a little too slow to unfold, nothing really happened until 2 thirds of the way through this lengthy drama. In contrast, the final few pages were full of something miraculous to save the day which was almost too pat to be credible, as though the author thought "I've got 10 pages left to give a happy ending". Overall though I definitely enjoyed this book and would read more by this author.

One Moonlit Night is an enthralling novel set predominantly during the Second World War. Maddie’s home in London is bombed and she is forced to move with her two young daughters to her husband’s family home, Knyghton in Norfolk. Philip is currently missing in action in France and Maddie desperately tries to remain positive that he is still alive.
Their welcome at Knyghton is not as Maddie would have hoped, and she is also curious as to why Phillip never spoke of his upbringing here. As secrets are revealed and relationships grow, Maddie learns of a terrible family tragedy explaining why Phillip has never returned here with his new family.
I was soon completely absorbed in this book and while there are two main storylines, several other threads also kept me intrigued and surprised. Highly recommended.

Life can turn on a sixpence and that’s what happens to Maddie and her two small daughters in the Blitz. ‘One Moonlit Night’ by Rachel Hore doesn’t start with a glimpse of the main character’s ordinary life before the change happens. It starts with a shock… a family made homeless by a bomb.
Alone in the midst of chaos, her husband Philip has been missing for ten months since the British army’s retreat from Dunkirk, Maddie takes Sarah and Alice to Knyghton in Norfolk to stay with Philip’s elderly Aunt Gussie. Maddie is caught in limbo, unable to grieve for Philip, unable to make decisions, not accepting his probable death, while living in an isolated country house – where Philip spent his childhood – which is the focus of long-held rumour and superstition in the nearby village.
Trying to make a living as a book illustrator, Maddie is seldom without a pencil and paper. But when she draws the face of an unfamiliar young girl, enigmatic, mysterious, she doesn’t know where her inspiration came from. Instinctively she keeps her drawing secret, not wanting to upset the fragile atmosphere at Knyghton. A secret is being kept, by Aunt Gussie, Philip’s cousin Lyle who runs the Knyghton farm, by family retainers, the Fleggs, and Maddie is sure it surrounds this mysterious young woman.
Bookended by a Prologue and Epilogue both set in 1977, Hore tells the stories of Maddie and Philip during World War Two with a flashback to their meeting in 1934. Many of the book’s themes are established in this pre-war section. Wild animals, painted by Maddie, but shot by Philip; children raised while parents are absent; the sharing of some secrets and the keeping of others. It is a complex, emotional story as Maddie, who flees to Knyghton seeking sanctuary instead finds unexplained silences, whispers and rumours she fears are aimed at Philip. Meanwhile Philip, having survived a massacre of British troops by the German army, attempts to find a way home. Philip’s sections are tense, forlorn and at times hopeless, a vivid portrayal of soldiers fleeing through Occupied and Vichy France.
This is a slow-burning story which rewards the reader’s perseverance as tension in the final third picks up and Maddie finally finds some answers. It’s a book which rewards further reading as layers of information, missed on first reading, become significant.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

Rachel Hore is an expert at historical fiction, especially during the war years and this new novel is no exception. I was immediately swept into the story as Maddie and her two young daughters are made homeless by the bombs falling in London.
Her husband Philip as been reported missing in action and so she finds herself with no choice but to move her young family to her husband's family's house in Norfolk. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Maddie refuses to give up hope that she and Philip will some day be reunited.

As she begins to discover more about the family her husband has kept at arms' length, she feels more and more conflicted about the history he has never shared with her.

The novel takes many twists and turns but always keeps the reader guessing, not falling into the trap of a predictable story!

The only thing I wasn't sure about was how the novel was 'bookended' by the prologue and epilogue. Overall, a really good read. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest reveiw.

Another great story set during World War 2 when Maddie and her daughters, Grace and Sarah are bombed out of their home in London and find a folder belonging to Philip her missing husband - belived to be dead. She learns about a family home where he would spend his summers called Knighton which is a manor house in Norfolk. So she leaves the kind neighbour's home where she has been staying and goes off to Norfolk with the children where she is welcomed by an ancient aunt of Philip's called Gussie and a strange distant cousin called Lyle and a housekeeper and her husband called the Fliggs. Gussie with her little dogs is the only welcoming member of the household but slowly the housekeeper realises that Maddie is going to help with housework and is not an extra burden. There is a dual story also being told that of Philip who has survived some terrible incidents and is now trying to get back to Britain and how kindly people risk their lives until he can escape. The descriptions of how he survives a series of encounters with the Nazis and is at times betrayed by those who he thought were helping brings alive that terrible period. Meanwhile Maddie discovers a mysterious girl called Flora who is buried in the local graveyard and how she senses her presence in the room where she is illustrating children's books. Add to the story a Polish widow called Anna and her son, as well as missing treasure and a touch of romance and you have a novel that keeps the reader enthralled to the final line.