Worked in 2 timelines, this novel had 1920s Xanthe - being pressganged into marrying her vile cousin Jonathan and in modern times -Jude who is having flashbacks and seeing Xanthe’s story unfold.

Twisty and characterful. This was a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the copy to review.

What a beautiful cover that immediately conveys an enchanted atmosphere, and a promising blurb! I like dual-timeline stories, and I personally really like the era of the 20s and 30s of the last century. So: I was excited! I didn't know the author yet, and I was prepared to be surprised.

First of all: it was great :-) ! What a wonderful, exciting and emotional novel. I really liked it.

This is what it's about: We are in 1924 with Xanthe, the daughter of Lord and Lady Kearsley in Winterthorne. Xanthe is the only daughter, but as a girl she is not the heir; Cousin Jonathan is intended for this....a corresponding marriage is also planned, but Xanthe is a modern young woman with her own ideas about life.... At a summer ball, an accident occurs: while Xanthe is meeting in the labyrinth near the orangery for a secret rendezvous, the mansion burns down completely - but the case is never fully solved....

In 2024, we are with Juliet, also in her early 20s, in London. Juliet, called Jude, has no family left when she unexpectedly inherits a cottage in Winterthorne. She doesn't even know her deceased great-aunt, and is curious about her inheritance. Jude rearranges her life and is fascinated by the history of the place and the great fire of 100 years ago....and she feels a strange connection to Xanthe, who is long dead.

So we have two stories in Winterthorne, which are connected by Jude and Xanthe; and this is where it gets exciting and a mystery element is added, because the two women actually get closer and the boundaries between the ages become permeable. And I thought that was really well done; this is where fantasy comes into play, but this element creeps into the novel and thus gains credibility. Can Jude warn Xanthe about the fire? Is it even possible to intervene in the past? Or is she perhaps just imagining everything?

The protagonists around Jude and Xanthe are also exciting. Of course there is at least some romance, that can't be missed :-) , and an interesting subplot and warning, mini spoiler; there is also a connection between Jonathan in the 1920s and a friend of Jude's in the 2020s. I thought that gave the novel a special touch, I thought it was cool.

There isn't much more to say about the content without really spoiling it, so I'll just say this much: the author has combined mystery, romance, crime and woven big themes like friendship, love, family and self-esteem into a fascinating novel. The result is a book that I couldn't put down and that got me thinking.

I also found the writing style very pleasant. On the one hand, it's super fast and pleasant to "browse through", a real page-turner, but on the other hand it's also eloquent and the language is a little more sophisticated. I'm not a native English speaker, I always notice things like that, the author expresses herself quite elegantly, sometimes I even had to look up a word or two - which rarely happens to me. That's totally fine, don't get me wrong, I generally prefer a more eloquent style :-)

The ending is also surprising. I won't give anything away, just this much: I didn't expect it to be like that and it touched me again!

I was rooting for Xanthe and Juliet and am giving them 5 out of 5 stars! Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Review for my copy of The Moonlit Maze by Zoë Marriott.
Jude is running out of luck, her flatmate is getting married and needs her to find somewhere else, her job is hanging by a thread.
She has no one and nowhere to go until she gets the letter.
All her prayers have been answered, but is anything as good as it seems.
The story flits effortlessly between Xanthe in the early part of the 20th century to now with Jude.
Suddenly their lives are colliding.
A very enjoyable read. Perfect for lovers of Barbara Erskine and Kate Mosse.

This mysterious story had me reading into the night. The romance is so well written. I will definitely read more of her books.

This is a beautifully written book. The descriptive passages are so captivating the book is an absolute joy to read. More than your usual timeslip novel. Highly recommended. Looking forward to more from this author.

I enjoyed the book although it took me a while to really get into it. Juliet or Jude as she liked to be called has a tragic past when her mum dies and is desperate to find a way of improving her life when she is unexpectedly left a cottage by an aunt she didn't know she had. Moving from London to Dorset seems ideal until she starts exploring the area and learning of the tragic story of the burnt down manor house behind her cottage. Mysterious gifts start appearing on her doorstep and strange noises from the forest have an unnerving affect especially when dreams from the past frequently as though she is the tragic Xanthe telling her story of what happened. Two local men Aron and Nick are gradually drawn into the story until tragedy almost strikes again. Realization gradually dawns when Jude decides to stay and finally explores the cottage for clues as to her background and why events happened as they did.

I am torn between a 3 and 4 star rating for this book.
It has a gripping beginning, with a dual timeline where both main characters are introduced in intriguing and instantly likeable ways, I certainly felt drawn to unearth what would happen to both of them and find where their stories are connected. This was the area that I found a little disappointing as the ending wasn't as explanatory as I'd hoped and also I felt I had to reread chunks to grasp what was happening. The conclusion is dramatic, emotional and with a mystical air but I just felt I needed more of the dots connected clearly.

Split between two separate timelines that are interlinked. Both stories were well developed and I enjoyed following Xanthe and Juliet’s journeys however was disappointed by the ending.

‘People aren’t what you can see on the surface. Every one of us is a whole universe, galaxies and worlds and colliding stars hidden under the skin.’

What a beautifully written and unique story this is. The characters jumped off the page for me. The setting was vividly and beautifully described. The prose was evocative and I felt truly transported. The blurb really caught my attention but I wasn’t expecting the unusual direction the book took at all. This is a duel timeline storyline which is easy to follow. Both timelines are well written and I found the storyline engaging, perfectly paced, thrilling and really, quite magical. I couldn’t put it down.

I was reminded of ‘Shadows in the Moonlight’ by Santa Montefiore. The storyline is not the same but it evoked similar feelings for me when reading.

I was delighted to be approved by NetGalley for an ARC of this lovely book. Thank you to them and Headline Books.

Set 100 years apart. Xanthe in 1924 and Juliet in 2024. Juliet is left a cottage in Winterthorne by a great aunt she didn't know anything about. She goes there and weird things start to happen.

I really enjoyed this book and the dual timeline and story was done really well. I really also liked the hint of the ending that things were not quite as they seemed - cleverly done! Engaging read and I would look out for this author again.

I really enjoyed this tale of parallel lives - Xanthe in 1924 and Jude in 2024. They could not be more different - Xanthe the only child of Lord and Lady Kearsley and Jude, an orphan, prickly and defensive. They are drawn together when Jude inherits a cottage from an aunt who she has never met and explores the ruins of Xanthe’s home.

A fire destroyed the ancestral home on the night of the summer Ball in 1924 and the body of Xanthe is never found. Jude starts to experience flashbacks and dreams about Xanthe’s life and finds herself drawn into her story.

Meanwhile in 2024 she finds herself encountering Nick and Aiden and learning about their back stories and traumas.

As she is drawn into Xanthe’s story, Jude wants to intervene to stop the terrible outcome. However, someone in 2024 wants her gone and she does not know why.

An absorbing mystery with an unexpected ending.
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Not what I was expecting at all, better in so many ways! I really enjoyed this book, the storyline was back and forth between past and present, but so interesting, and Jonathan was a vile character; he made me feel uncomfortable through the page!
Highly recommend this one and will definitely look out for more by this author in the future!

A lovely book. I’m not one to give spoilers so won’t go in to detail other than to say you get two stories, which eventually and satisfyingly come together. The two female protagonists are both very likeable and other characters are well described and easy to envisage. Both stories are equally engaging and enjoyable. The writing is descriptive, atmospheric and beautiful, you can readily picture everything. It’s not often I give a maximum rating but the only fault I have with this book is that I did not want it to end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review and my sincere thanks to the author for such an exquisite book and for the hard work you put in to it over so many years.

Timeslips? Fated lovers? Long-hidden secrets? This book has it all, and I enjoyed every moment of it!

I loved the premise of this book – I loved the small, seaside village of Winterthorne – I loved Xanthe and Jude, the heroines of this story – but most of all I loved how the author wove their stories together. I sometimes find with timeslip novels (or novels that follow two protagonists) that I have a favourite, and I want to “get back” to the other part of the story. With this novel I was hooked throughout, and I think that’s because the writing was just masterful – and the characters were so well fleshed out. Every scene was another piece of the puzzle, another clue for the reader to try and solve – and I found myself staying up WAY past my bedtime for “one more chapter… no maybe TWO more chapters…”

An enchanting read!

I really enjoyed this. A castle given to a woman and there's a maze and secrets within its walls. There's some novels that are just so atmospheric and this is one of them. I was transported to the story and felt I knew the characters and cared for them. I love a dual time line and this was done really well. Oooh and that cover!!!!

Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk for a copy of this book in return for an honest review

Amazing, and in totally unexpected ways. I thought this would be an interesting story going by the blurb, but I wasn't prepared for the brilliant direction it took - no spoilers, you just have to read it!

Xanthe and Jude are fantastic characters to read. They both give the reader an insight into their lives, which then forms the backbone of the story.
Around them, the story becomes stimulating and engaging, with the result of it being incredibly hard to put down. I wanted to read it all in one sitting, but that sadly was not possible, so I had to read it whenever I could. I did, however, make excuses so that I could get back to it quickly. The pages kept on turning as I became more invested.
I couldn't describe what I liked best about this story - it was all so fascinating and very well presented.

How I loved this book… it made total sense when I read that it took the author 10 years to write it, as each line is considered and beautifully crafted. I think this is one of the best paragraphs I have read in any book, ever,
“People aren't what you can see on the surface. Every one of us is a whole universe, galaxies and worlds and colliding stars hidden under the skin. You don't have to understand what someone else is going through to have compassion. Stand up for yourself, yes, one hundred per cent, but be kind too. Give people the benefit of the doubt if you can. One day you might need it too.”

A novel to keep on your bookshelf and read again and again.

THE MOONLIT MAZE is a sweeping dual time story based on an intriguing premise – that different periods of time might be occurring simultaneously. And that occasionally we could somehow pull aside the veil that separates us from other eras and experience them for ourselves. This book kept me spellbound throughout as the two heroines – Xanthe in 1924 and Jude in the present – battled to find love (not just the romantic kind), acceptance, happiness and contentment. To be allowed to live their lives on their own terms, and to learn to accept that which they had no power to change. Xanthe (who is autistic and not like everyone else) has struggled all her life to fit in, while Jude has had to fight her way back from the brink due to grief and losing everything and everyone she loved. The two stories were emotional and atmospheric, and the setting – a little Yorkshire village on the coast – was perfect for the Gothic feel of these tales. Highly recommended for fans of slightly spooky, mysterious and thought-provoking reads that keep you on the edge of your seat!

I was drawn to this book by the title and beautiful cover. It didn’t disappoint. I’m not usually one for books that flit back and forth between time but this one flowed beautifully between the two and I had no trouble keeping up. There was plenty to keep the pages turning, and I didn’t see the end coming.