Santorini, 1944. In a hilltop village, where pink blossom hangs over every tiny street, a young woman is forced to make a terrible sacrifice to save a life. Torn between her family and her country, she’ll never breathe a word of her secret love affair, or the betrayal that forced them apart…

Single mother Carrie is heart-sore when she arrives on the sun-drenched island of Santorini with her daughter Nell – her adored uncle Sol’s tattered sketchbook clutched to her chest. Even as they explore the winding cobbled alleys, Nell can’t forgive Carrie for keeping a secret: the truth about her own father. But Carrie hopes that seeking answers to a family mystery will heal their fractured relationship and show Nell that the family she desperately wants has been there all along.

Carrie’s childhood is filled with fond memories of Sol, and the way he’d read with her in his favourite armchair. But she also remembers how he refused to speak about his time in occupied Greece. Carrie is certain Sol was hiding a private pain – and has vowed to find out who the striking young woman with wavy hair is in Sol’s drawings, tucked between the sketches of soldiers and sweeping cliffs.

Asking around the close-knit locals, the elderly women Carrie and Nell meet speak of a brave young woman named Vassia, and a secret allied mission to rid their beautiful island of German troops. But when pressed, they refuse to say more. When Nell finds a letter written by Vassia, the pair learn how Sol was left stranded, fighting for his life, and how Vassia risked everything to save him…

Will unravelling the truth about Sol and Vassia help Carrie and Nell finally come to terms with their own troubled past, and find happiness again together as a family? Or could the truth be more heartbreaking than either of them ever imagined?

A Santorini Secret is an epic tale of love, loss and secrets in World War Two that will sweep you away to the hidden coves and sun-kissed beaches of Santorini.Fans of Victoria Hislop, Fiona Valpy and The Letter won’t be able to put this beautiful book down.

Read what everyone’s saying about Rose Alexander:

‘OH MY BROKEN HEART!!!!!!… Beautiful… Heart-warming… I loved every single minute… Heartbreaking… Deserves a million stars… Absolutely gut-wrenching. I can't even count the number of times I sobbed… My heart was just shattering into pieces.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This is a book you’ll want to binge-read and you won’t want to set it aside for anything!… I was glued to the pages… Phenomenal… Worthy of all the stars.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Had me riveted from start to finish… Had me reading deep into the night with only a few hours' sleep before I put the kettle on again to finish… I cried… I simply couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow... Hit me like a sledgehammer… Devastating… Gut-wrenching… The most beautiful… The most heartwarming… A privilege to read.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Beautiful… unlike anything I’ve ever read before… Entirely consumed me from beginning to end… heart-breaking… powerful… my book of the year. Stunning… Unforgettable.’ Being Anne

‘Took me on a rollercoaster of emotions, and I couldn't put it down… beautiful and emotional… kept me hooked from start to finish… Captivating and heart-warming.’ Kelly Lacey, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I absolutely loved this book… One of the best historical novels that I’ve read… Beautiful… Perfect.’ Monika Reads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Heart-wrenching… emotional… best read with a huge box of tissues handy… will bring a tear to the eye… hard to put down and even harder to forget.’ Bookish Jottings