July 1981 and Libby has just discovered that her fiancé has been having an affair with her best friend right before their wedding. She immediately flees London to be with those who care about her. Naturally she wants to stop the wedding from going ahead. Her mother Nancy thinks she is crazy. She heads to spend time with Bess and Elfrida who have an interesting relationship. They have been together forever. They have secrets between themselves that have been hidden, but will it all come out in the open.

I really enjoyed this book, I really liked the characters and that the book was set over dual timelines and dual narratives. A good read

The story revolves round 3 characters Libby, Elfrida and Bess connected by a shared history. It meanders across 3 timelines and was difficult to keep on track

Another marvellous book by Erica James. Thoroughly absorbing, well written with good storyline and characters. Loved it!

A secret garden affair by Erica James was the book I chose to hook me quickly and give me a satisfying cast of characters who would jump out of the page and pull me into their lives. What a good choice. Erica didn’t disappoint. I didn’t want a gritty whodunnit so there was just enough intrigue, a few twists and great characters in this. The sibling rifts were well done and credible and the main characters were interesting and likeable. The formula was somewhat predictable but, again, that worked for me. This was a lovely holiday read. Four and a half stars

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this exquisite book. From the very first page, I wanted to know more about Elfrida, Bess and Libby. The back stories of Elfrida and Bess are beautifully bought to life and I could taste the parties they were at. The vivid imagery is sublime and I could not stop reading. I was bereft when I discovered i had turned the last page and could no longer be part of their lives. From the 1930's to 1981 I was swept along. This is a must read and I would love Erica James to write another book detailing what happens to Libby post 1981. Erica James' books just keep getting better and better. Thank you

I loved this one. A dual time-line starts off in 1981 at the eve of Charles and Diana’s wedding. It slips back to 1920’s and gradually goes forward through the years. The story was fascinating and I was sorry to get to the final page. I will remember this book for a very long time. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as other Erica James books I have read, it’s jumping between two timelines had me confusing characters, but I still enjoyed the story.

I always enjoy an Erica James book but didn't think this was one of her best although it was thoroughly enjoyable.
A bit too jumpy from past to present and such different characters I wasn't sure they all went together. However as the story progressed it was easy to see how the main characters fitted together and secrets were revealed to make the ending perfectly logical

July, 1981. The world is working itself into a frenzy in the run-up to the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, but the last thing Libby wants to think about is weddings. Having just discovered, three weeks before their wedding, that her fiancé Marcus has been sleeping with her best friend Selina, Libby heads for the comforting presence of Larkspur House, the home of famous garden designer Elfrida Ambrose and her Libby's great-aunt Bess - the only place where she has ever felt truly at home.

Libby's arrival tips Elfrida and Bess' calm routine on its head, and as she tries to make sense of where she goes from here Libby's unhappiness stirs up the memories of their own painful losses. Perhaps it is time to address the secrets they have been keeping, so they can all find a way to lay the ghosts of the past to rest.

The Secret Garden Affair immerses you in the world of beautiful gardens, and difficult family relationships through the eyes of three women - young Libby who has had her heart broken, and the two characters who have been a steady influence on her throughout her life, Elfrida and Bess. Libby heads to Larkspur House looking for stability as a time when she cannot trust her own feelings, but little does she know that former socialite Elfrida and her close friend (and her former lady's maid) Bess have been keeping secrets from her too.

The story plays out in the present from the point of view of Libby, Elfrida and Bess, while also delving into the past lives of Elfrida and Bess from the time of their meeting in the 1920s. James does a sterling job of dropping little hints about the secrets that Elfirda and Bess have been keeping over the years, but does not reveal the full truth until almost the end of the story. She moves back and forth between the present, where the impact of these secrets has torn family relationships asunder, and evocative episodes from the 1920s onwards that tell of the shared experiences that have bound Elfrida and Bess together.

There are some great characters to get your teeth into in this tale, but my favourites are Elfrida and Bess. A wonderful closeness grows up between them over the years after everything they have been through together, even though they begin the story in very different places socially. Elfrida has always been the unconventional rule breaker, misunderstood by almost everyone except Bess, and their fierce protectiveness of each other is enchanting. Their interactions give rise to many humorous and poignant episodes.

James floods this story with regret and aching loss, exploring how grief and misplaced guilt can divide families, and you feel every heart-wrenching moment with real force - especially the impact of these emotions on mental health. There is a lot of pain being carried around by these characters, and my heartstrings were well and truly tugged, but there is also romance, glamour, friendship and warmth - and over the course of the story the threads come together in forgiveness and hope.

I love how you can feel James' own passion for gardening through this story. There is a wealth of interesting information about garden design, and designers, which I really enjoyed. It also took me right back to the Royal wedding fever of 1981, which I remember well. Setting the story at this time adds a curious level of pathos to everything that is quite intriguing given the hindsight that we now have about the golden marriage that proved to be anything but.

It is always a joy to consume an Erica James novel, and this proved to be the perfect escapist read that hits that emotional sweet spot, tied up with a rich historical drama. I think it might be my favourite of her books yet.

It was so easy to feel emotionally attached to the three lead women in this story. All are very likeable – actually, that goes for the siblings of Elfrida and Bess and Libby’s mum too – even though they are harridans (and yes, they are cold and emotionally unavailable for a reason).

Elfrida’s character is brilliant! She says it how it is and doesn’t let the class hierarchies or expectations of the past hold her back or pigeon hole her. She does exactly what she wants (without hurting others) and breaks the mould.

I loved the sparring between Elfrida and Bess. Despite Bess being a servant, their bond of friendship is enduring. They’ve been through so much together! They have each other’s backs and care deeply for each other.

Sometimes with a dual timeline story you get nudged out of your imagination/concentration but the timeline flipping back and forth through the sixty years in A Secret Garden Affair is done so seamlessly.

The hook is related to what is happening in 1981 and fits perfectly with what we need to know to understand Elfrida and Bess’ experiences that have brought them to where they are in 1981. And how that effects Libby.

In 1981, Libby has the space to step back and reconsider her life. She’s surrounded by love and makes unexpected friendships. I enjoyed seeing her take a stand and grow in confidence.

As you can imagine, the secrets all have emotional punches so be prepared to feel a host of emotions!

I loved travelling around the world in the past with Elfrida (and Bess) as she designs the gardens – the glitz and the glamour and the olde world feel. At home, during the war and afterwards, life is harsh but their indomitable spirits get them through.

Larkspur House felt like a character to me. It wrapped its magic around me (much like it did to Libby and Daniel) and I felt sad when I had to say goodbye.

I feel as if I’ve walked through history in A Secret Garden Affair. This family drama is full of surprises with relatable characters and fabulous settings.

This book was a superb read. I often feel that a book which switches between past and present can be hard going but this was never the case with this one. I was enjoying the book very much when I suffered from a bad dose of conjunctivitis and could not read properly so purchased the audio book to complete the story. The book was very well written with strong characters and excellent descriptions of back stories and locations. It had happy moments and sad ones and as it progressed some of these reached a meaningful conclusion. . The narrator of the audio book was excellent with a calm and easy to listen to voice. Once again, Erica James had produced a book well worth reading or listening to.

The author mentions in her acknowledgements at the end of the book that she is a keen gardener herself and that most definitely comes through in this book. Elfrida is a renowned garden designer and you can tell that the author has put a lot of her own love of gardening into the character. Elfrida is also a tribute to famous female gardeners from past and present such as Gertrude Jekyll and Norah Lindsay. These women were from the norm as they didn’t just potter about their gardens as well brought up ladies were expected to do, but broke with convention and became celebrated for their garden design.

Elfrida is certainly a character who didn’t conform to society’s expectations but carved her own path, whether in the parts of the book set in the past or the relatively more modern 1980s. I thought she was a terrific creation and I loved her feistiness and refusal to do what others expected of her. I particularly liked her friendship with Bess who worked for Elfrida oroginally as a ladies’ maid. The women had shared many life events and were the keepers of each others secrets. They had become so much more than employer and employee over the years and were a huge support for each other.

I really enjoyed the way the book was structured. There were sections set in the very early 1980s when Bess’s great niece Libby has come to stay following her fiancé’s betrayal just before their wedding. In these parts, we follow Libby as she starts to come to terms with what happened and to look forward again. Part of her recovery is trying to create an archive, a legacy of Elfrida’s work in gardens over the years. As she does this, it stirs up memories for both Elfrida and Bess and the story moves back over the years to such glamorous places as the south of France and Italy. Although I enjoyed following Libby and her blossoming friendship with young doctor Daniel, I have to admit that it was reading about Elfrida’s past which really captivated me.

This is a book with strong female characters, long-kept secrets, friendship, drama and love. With this engaging story taking place over 60 years, A Secret Garden Affair really deserves the title ‘a sweeping epic’. With plenty of well developed characters, excellent storytelling and more than a few twists to hold your interest, A Secret Garden Affair is a compelling read.

Something was missing from this story. I wasn't gripped by it. It did seem slow at times. As another reader has pointed out, although Charles and Diana's wedding was mentioned, other than that, there seemed to be very little reference to the 80s. It's definitely not a story which will stay with me, although there was just enough there to keep me reading. It left me feeling a little flat to be honest.

What didn't help, and this is nothing to do with the story, was the poor quality of the ARC I downloaded. The ends of many sentences were misplaced, and there was a watermark repeated at regular intervals, which broke up the print.

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was a fascinating trip into other ages:: the 80s and the 30s. Different women, secrets, friendship and relationship.
There's a the magic of gardening, there's broken hearts, and there's the possibility to mend what was broken.
A moving and compelling read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

I loved the detailed descriptions and layering of the dual timelines of this story. The characters are deep and believable their journeys are wonderful to read. Thank you for this arc

I just loved this story. The characters were so engaging. The timelines are around the 1980s and from 1923 onwards. Libby, Elfrida and Bess are the main characters. Bess is Libby’s great aunt and Bess works for Elfrida but is a long time friend as well. There are so many secrets that are slowly revealed. There is romance and heartache but also joy and happiness at the centre of the book is Larkspur house and importantly its gardens. There are quite complex family relationships with multiple problems. This really was a captivating read that I found difficult to put down. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This enticing cover had me excited to read this new release from Erica James. The books I have read by this author (so far!) have all been really enjoyable, but I found that this one didn’t capture my heart in quite the same way. I wonder if it is because it is a little similar to a recent book I have read: following a family over decades with secrets being revealed along the way.

Set in the 1970s in the summer of Charles and Diana’s wedding, I found it unusual that the ‘present day’ was still fifty years in the past. On reflection, I think this is intended to highlight the limited choices that women still faced with employment. Attending secretarial school and being office assistants was still an accepted role with the men usually in more dominant careers. Being a woman in the 1970s still meant being there for the husband and creating the perfect family home. Therefore, when Libby’s engagement ends along with her self-employed business share with her ex-best friend, she finds herself drawn to Bess and Elfrida, the constants in her life.

Bess, her great aunt, and Elfrida, Bess’s boss, have always lived a life of enjoyment and liberty. Shown through the non-linear flashbacks, I loved discovering what a colourful life these two women have had. Their adventures take them across to Italy and throughout their lives they encounter love and sadness. In the present narrative, they are like two old cronies and I loved the warmth of their friendship, particularly their approach towards Libby: whilst Bess is more mindful of upsetting her great-niece, Elfrida has a bluntness that makes her an even more endearing character.

Seeing these women grow together and Libby’s healing was quite therapeutic to read. Coupled with this, the writer’s descriptions of the gardens sounded amazing and I actually found myself having green-fingered envy! Yet, whilst the grounds that Elfrida has designed seem perfect, life has become the juxtaposition to this.

One of the elements that I struggled to engage with was the connection between Nikolai and Elfrida. I could not get a grasp of the deep relationship that they developed and I think this was because the past narrative was not ordered chronologically. Whilst I enjoyed how the disrupted timeline helped to answer questions raised in the plot, I would have preferred seeing this develop more naturally, rather than jumping around. For me, I could not quite believe the depth of feelings that the two had for one another.

Secondly, I think I missed the magic that other stories from James have given. I really appreciated the Italian setting but wondered if this could have been expanded further. A lot happens at Larkspur House in Suffolk, but I think I craved something more exotic at times, to reflect how colourful Bess and Elfrida’s lives have been. I felt a bit trapped in Suffolk, a bit like Bess does when she falls ill. For me, this meant the story was not as immersive as I had hoped, even though it is still a strong narrative.

This was an interesting story that explores family connections and the true extent that keeping secrets can have. The characters are all very warming and I enjoyed reading about the three women. They have all suffered in their own ways but grow from their experiences – a lesson we can all learn from.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, as I have with other Erica James novels I have read. A lovely, fairly long story but with such wonderful characters that you just wanted to keep reading! The story switched between Libby in 1981 when Prince Charles & Lady Diana were getting married and over 50 years before that with Bess & Elfrida and the lives they led which were so different to Libby's. During the book, you discover how certain tragedies had shaped their lives forever, where opinions had come from and how resentments had built up. I enjoyed the way that the author did not reveal everything at once but that the various strands of each story gradually unfolded. And oh. how I would love to go and stay at Larkspur House - what a wonderful sounding place!

All in all, a wonderful book which I would highly recommend, In fact, I was really sad when I finished it - I felt I had become part of their lives and although it did end with everything tied up, I just wanted to live with them for a while longer!

Thank you to Net Galley & the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

I enjoyed this novel, and found myself wanting to read more to find out what happened next.
Not quite as good as other Erica James novels I've read in the past though.
I did myself confusing some of the characters at times, and who was related to who!