A Greek Island Escape by Kate Frost

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

Can a Greek escape be the start of something special?

Xanthe Fox has it all: a famous, drop-dead gorgeous boyfriend, a dream career and bright future – until heartbreak sends her life into a tailspin.

So when Xanthe’s Greek godmother unexpectedly leaves her a villa on the sumptuous island of Kefalonia Xanthe jumps at the chance to put her life in London on hold and escape to the island hideaway to rethink her future.

The break allows Xanthe the time to explore her passions, sift through her feelings and discover more about her estranged Greek family while renovating her godmother’s enchanting Villa Aster.

But not everyone is happy to see her. Unfazed by her hostile neighbours and after making a mortifying mistake with a sexy builder, Xanthe is equally charmed by Kefalonia and a handsome, brooding gardener.

Chasing dreams, taking chances and saying ‘yes’ has the potential to turn Xanthe’s life upside down, but will a summer escape allow her to sparkle once more?

My Opinion

This is only the second book I have read by Kate Frost but it was such a lovely read that I do need to read more. Xanthe has inherited a Greek villa and with that villa comes a lot of family secrets. This was a slow story but it had a great plot. With some great descriptions this will whisk you away to Greece.

Rating 4/5

this book is filled with sunshine and special moments that really make you think about what you really want and go for it.

I loved this it was a sunny sunny book filled with Hope, love, forgiveness and friendships and of course the glorious vistas of Greece. Was a beautiful book and I of course fell in love with Dimitris and his gentle, thoughtful ways and his love of gardens and food. Xanthe was puzzled when her godmother left her her house in Greece and when she went there she was burnt out from a toxic relationship, working long hours and a fraught relationship with her mother.
Her trip heals her soul in many ways. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A Greek Island Escape by Kate Frost is a fun, humorous story with great characters.
The setting of the story is just beautiful.
The cast of characters is delightful.
A very uplifting story with sweet, heartwarming moments.
Kate has a wonderful talent in describing her setting incredibly well, to really help the readers to immerse themselves in the book and feel like they're there with the characters.
The characters are extremely well written as compelling and relatable with a touch of humor as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author as this was my first introduction to her.

Thank You NetGalley and Boldwood Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. Having enjoyed 'One Winter's Night' I was excited to read this. 'A Greek Island Escape' did not disappoint. Frost immerses the reader in Greek life and I was captivated by the setting and the story. I loved this emotive, engaging read and was invested in the characters. I really enjoyed the epilogue giving a summary of a few years to wrap up the story and letting us know where the characters ended up.

I now want to go to Greece...

Quite a nice story. Follows the take of Xanthe, a theatre performer who inherits a villa in Kefalonia from her godmother. I thought it was charming, and i like how the epilogue wrapped up the story at the end and let you know what happened to the characters further down the line. A nice touch. Enjoyable, easy read.

Xanthe, content with her life in London, inherits a villa in her mother's Greek village after her godmother's passing. Uncovering family secrets, she plans to visit, stirring unease in her mother Elina, who had left her past behind. As Xanthe delves into her heritage, unexpected twists and lively characters emerge, including her favorite, Jude. The narrative's vibrancy immerses readers in Agatha's villa and the Greek scenery, leaving them with a smile and perhaps a touch of life envy. The novel's clever twist and vivid descriptions make it an amusing and absorbing read.

Let me start by saying I absolutely love this cover of this book, and wish I could escape to a greek villa all of my own.

This is the perfect book to read on a chilly and wet, spring day in England. I made myself a cup of tea, sat in my comfy chair was transported to the beautiful Island of Kefalonia.

Xanthe Fox has it all: a famous, drop-dead gorgeous boyfriend, a dream career and bright future – until heartbreak sends her life into a tailspin.
When her heart is broken and her life implodes around her, Xanthe is left a villa by her Greek godmother, on the island on Kefalonia. Although they have kept in touch occasionally Xanthe is shocked and decides to use this opportunity to get her life back on track and mend her broken heart and think about what she really wants from her life.

Unbeknown to her, her Godmother has sort of set the hole thing up and Xanthe will learn of family secrets more about her mothers background and choices and eventually find love.

This is the perfect book for anyone who enjoys romance, travel and even a little mystery. This is the first book I have read by the author Kate Frost but it wont be the last. Her writing style really appeals to me and I found myself reading with a smile on my face. The characters are warm and likeable as it the whole description of the beautiful Island and food. I must admit I have always wanted to visit Kefelonia after watching Captain Corellis Mandolin many years ago and this book has just reawakened that dream.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I actually wish I could give half starts as this is a 4.5 for me!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Absolutely loved it! Gave me a warm fuzzy feeling or made me cry. And took me on an emotional rollercoaster.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Really liked it. Will read more by the author and other books in the series.

I love a book which takes you to a beautiful island to escape the dreariness of being in England in the winter! the main character Xanthe was well written and had you rooting for her from the beginning. the story flowed really well and I thoroughly enjoyed it, a quick read to cheer you up is perfect!

Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Xanthe has a dream career with a bright future and a gorgeous husband boyfriend - until her life is sent into chaos following heartbreak.

Xanthe’s finds that her greek godmother leaves her a villa on the island of Kefalonia. She decides to visit the villa and sort her life out at the same time.

Whilst being in Kefalonia Xanthe upsets the neighbours and finds herself in an embarrassing situation with a local builder. Can she win the neighbours over and find the future brighten?

Kate Frost once again does what she does best, takes the reader to a beautiful island to escape from the harshness of life!
The storyline centres around Xanthe, a great performer who is shattered by deception and death. Xanthe decides to visit the villa left to her by her beloved godmother, consider her future and find some closure to unanswered family disputes.
Xanthe has kept in touch with Agatha over the years, she’s not prepared for the challenge of renovating the house and finding journals and old letters. Slowly, as Xanthe becomes a part of the community, answers are revealed and friendships begin to grow.
I enjoyed Xanthe’s journey of discovery, believing that she could find peace and balance with all the important parts of her life. The individual characters all work through important issues, accepting responsibility for the good and bad.

Thanks to Boldwood Books, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a fun, escapist novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this one. All opinions in this review are my own.

What a delightful summer read! This was such a a fun book. Xanthe, a stage actor from London, takes a break from acting to go fix up the Greek Villa that her godmother left her in her will. While there, she finds love and learns what matters to her. She also uncovers some interesting family history. This one is a quick read but has enough depth to be interesting. I would read others by this author and I appreciate the opportunity to review it.

Another beautifully written book by Kate Frost, with a narrative that immerses you in life in Greece. The food, the warmth, the locals are all evoked by the author's descriptions.

Xanthe has inherited a house from her Greek godmother, and being at a crossroads in her life, decides to take a short break there and see where her life will go next.

With family secrets and unfriendly locals, she might regret her decision!

This is a wonderful, romantic read that's perfect for when you're cooped up indoors on rainy days dreaming of the summer. Highly recommend.

A Greek Island Escape
by Kate Frost

A reasonable well written book. Xante has taken a six week sabbatical after a bit of a burnout in her acting career and to look at the villa in Kafalonia left to her when her godmother died. This is the first time she has returned to the island since childhood and the mysterious rift between her mother and her family. There are many reason for her visit and to find answers to many secrets from her past and a family rift.

A beautifully descriptive book that makes you wish you were there though the story is a bit slow in part. Lovely read on a cold wet day wishing for summertime to arrive.

With a bit of mystery and romance, A Greek Island Escape by Kate Frost is about a woman who travels to her mother's hometown to take a break from real life and revamp the villa she inherited from her godmother.

Summary: Xanthe Fox’s godmother Agatha has left her a villa, so she flies to Kefalonia, Greece, to revamp it. There, she meets her neighbour Dimitris, who was very close to Agatha. She also learns more about Agatha and her own family's history.

Tropes/Genres:
• romance
• contemporary fiction
• mystery (family secrets)
• neighbours
• set in Kefalonia, Greece

Review: This story has a nice message, though it was kind of slow in the beginning un about 53%. Using half a book to set the scene seems to be a bit too much. However, I enjoyed the part where Xanthe learned more about her Greek roots, her godmother Agatha, who left her the villa, and her family's history, which her mother kept a secret from her.

The bulk of the drama in this story is misunderstandings. In a way, it's realistic because some people are simply stuck in their bias and are too angry and hurt to care about asking for your side of the story or even believe it anyway. However, it gets boring. I just feel that while the story seems very relaxed, the writing feels choppy.

While Xanthe and Dimitris seem nice, I don't get how Dimitris is 31 and still follows his mother's lead (if she's angry, then he's angry too), and then he suddenly stands up to her later in the book. It feels very unbelievable and kind of... dumb. It feels like an excuse for how Dimitris treated her when they met – to be rude to her just because she made his mother upset despite knowing his mother gets upset at everything so easily. I like how he didn't judge her, though. It's nice that there isn't an unnecessary third-act breakup. Overall, apart from the beginning, they seem fine.

The epilogue is a summary of whatever came after the main story, which is fine. I’m glad that there was a nice ending for the good characters. However, I think it would've been better if the author showed the "after" instead of listing everything.

I think the mystery revolving around Agatha and Xanthe's family made up for the shortcomings of this book, though. It was interesting to read the letters to learn more about Agatha and Xanthe's relationship – they frequently wrote to each other. The family history wasn't very dramatic, but it was engaging enough. That itself, though, is another misunderstanding.

The part about Xanthe rediscovering her Greek roots is also one of the good parts of this story. Her mother tried to cut everything Greek about her away and embrace the British ways, but Xanthe was adamant about learning to read and speak Greek and clung to her heritage. I think that's nice! Perhaps first-generation immigrants like Xanthe can relate to them.

In conclusion, this is a nice casual read for those who like a bit of mystery and romance. A bit. If you're not a fan of situations derived from misunderstandings, I don't recommend it to you – there isn't any miscommunication between the couple, though. It's just the side characters.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the read.

A Greek Island Escape by Kate Frost is full of her trademark romantic adventure, dreamy location, plucky heroine and great supporting cast of characters.

Xanthe is a 30 year old West End actress who takes a 6 week sabbatical to discover the villa her Greek godmother left her in her will. She arrives on the island of Kefalonia with a mix of excitement and trepidation: she's burned out and not sure where her life is going after a recent break up has left her feeling exposed and humiliation. However, the island is not without its pitfalls as well - she hasn't been back since her mother's rift with her Greek family has separated her from the place she spent her childhood summers.

The rest of the novel is a discovery of who she really is and what she really wants. There's lots of lovely description of Greek beaches along the way and delicious food and it made me want to head back to Kefalonia to experience it myself.
Many thanks to the publishers and netgalley for an advanced released copy in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely perfect book to read if you won't be going away this year, the wonderful descriptions of the beaches and surrounding areas, the food & drinks make you feel as if you are there. Xanthe is left a house on a Greek island by her godmother and as she is in need of a break from an ex boyfriend and work commitments it's a perfect time to go to Greece to see the place & decide on its future. Whilst there, Xanthe starts to unfold the mystery of a long standing family fallout as well as discover more about her godmother & just why she was left the house. An enjoyable read that I definitely recommend. Thank you netgalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

Yet another wonderful book by Kate Frost. With loveable characters and beautiful narratives making it a heart warming winter read. Kate's writing can easily transport you to the place she is writing about.

The thought of a Greek Island escape sounded like a holiday to me so just had to read it. And I can say that at times I did feel like I was there, Like I was there on this Greek island and exploring new ways of life and new beginnings.

This is book is an escape and I really enjoyed reading about Xanthe's journey through sunshine, tears, life and so much more. It is a heart-warming story that makes you think of your own life and the things you want to do. A great read that is enjoyable and lovely to read, a book to chill out with and a book that is so easy to read. I sat down with a cuppa and before I knew it I was done. Now I do like a book like that!

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.