Book Review | Secrets in the Sky

Book Review: Secrets in the Sky by Pauline Wiles

Title: Secrets in the Sky

Author: Pauline Wiles

Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction

Source: ARC from CLP Blog Tours

Published: February 26, 2015

How far should you go to keep a secret?
No-one ever accused Sophie Campbell of being a coward. From caving trips to rooftop pranks, it appeared nothing could hold her back, especially once she landed a dream job promising travel all over the world.

But Sophie’s jet-setting lifestyle is not what it seems and she’s been spending more time in the quiet English village of Saffron Sweeting than she cares to admit. When her beloved Great Aunt Wol dies suddenly, Sophie loses one of the few people who truly know her. As friends, family and an old flame gather for the funeral, questions soon follow. Worse, Sophie finds herself increasingly attracted to the man most likely to expose her secrets. Can she manage to guard her past, yet finally follow her long-held dream?

Featuring both new and familiar characters, this stand-alone romantic comedy is set two years before Saving Saffron Sweeting. With side helpings of British tea, cake and wit, Secrets in the Sky explores how finding the courage to be yourself can be the toughest challenge of all.

Book Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Why I Read This Book: I signed up to participate in the blog tour for Secrets in the Sky through Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours because the story sounded interesting and entertaining.

My Review: 

The novel begins with a young woman named Sophie mourning the loss of her beloved Great-Aunt Wol. After Wol dies, Sophie’s life seems to spiral out of control. She’s been living her life in the shadow of a big secret and it’s quickly catching up to her. Will she be able to find her way out of the mess that she’s created for herself? As it begins to get in the way of her friendships and relationships, and a possible new love interest, Sophie realizes that she may need to come clean about some of the secrets she’s been harboring.

It took me a while to get into the story and it was a bit of a slow read for me, but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next. It was a wonderful novel filled with themes of love, loss, lies and trust. Trusting in yourself to know what you want out of life and love. Allowing yourself to acknowledge when you are afraid of something and having the courage to face and conquer your fears. Being brave and taking the steps to live the life you want. Moving past loss and letting go of secrets, lies and painful memories.

I wasn’t particularly fond of Joey’s character, which I believe was the author’s intention. On paper he seems like he would be a lovely guy, but I hated the way he manipulated Sophie and tried to profit from her inheritance. Unfortunately, I suspect there are quite a few men in this world that aren’t as lovely as they seem and I enjoyed the way his character was portrayed. There were quite a few scenes that had me chuckling to myself and a few scenes that left me with teary eyes. There were interesting characters, but my favorite one was Tom and the way he was developed and written into the story. I loved the friendship that blooms between Sophie and Tom and knew that something wonderful could happen with the two of them. I was anxiously waiting for Sophie to realize the one major truth that she couldn’t seem to admit to herself and I was completely satisfied with the final outcome of the story. I loved the epilogue and where her life ends up taking her after she learns to let go of the secrets and lies that were eating away at her guilty-conscious.

I recommend Secrets in the Sky to anyone looking for a women’s fiction novel filled with real-life situations and issues, with a good dose of romance thrown into the mix that will warm your heart and charm your senses.

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Memorable Moment:

Because every moment you’re apart, you think you’ll die from the seconds ticking by until you see them again. Because when they smile at you, you feel like your feet lift off the ground. And when – when you actually get to hold them, it’s not just your feet. Your whole body’s flying.

About the Author – Pauline Wiles

Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Author Bio:

British by birth, Pauline Wiles is now a contented resident of California, although she admits to an occasional yearning for afternoon tea and historic homes. Her work has been published by House of Fifty, Open Exchange and Alfie Dog Fiction. Her first novel, Saving Saffron Sweeting, was a quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and a number one Kindle bestseller. When not writing, she can be found getting the steps wrong in a Zumba class or calculating how many miles she has to run to justify an extra piece of cake. Her ambition is to sell enough books to cover the cost of flying herself and a reader to London for tea.