One August Night: Sequel to much-loved classic, The Island

Product Information

Anna is not looking forward to being a mother nor is she looking forward to her sister, Maria, being released from the island. It is Maria's return to Crete that triggers a violent act that will change the lives of the two families forever. Review: Single All The Way by Elaine Spires @ElaineSWriter @rararesources #blogtour #SinglesSeries #SingleAllTheWay November 16, 2023 The author masterfully builds tension throughout the story, creating an atmosphere of anticipation that kept me hooked until the very end. Review: Snowbound With The Brooding Lord by Sarah Mallory @SarahMRomance @MillsandBoon @HarlequinBooks #publicationday #histfic #RegencyRomance #RespectRomFic November 23, 2023

Focusing particularly on the lives of Maria and Manolis in the years that follow, the author takes the reader beyond Plaka, and indeed beyond the island of Crete, as both Maria and Manolis struggle with the legacy of that eventful August night. Feeling she must find a way to repay the good fortune that saw her cured of leprosy and married to Nikos, Maria’s solution involves a breathtaking act of forgiveness. But despite being fully cured, the stigma of her leprosy remains although, as she observes, stigma can be a weapon in the right circumstances. Manolis’s solution is to try to banish the past and the memories that haunt him by seeking a new life away from Crete. One August Night is an intriguing exploration of the complexities of family relationships and their impact on our lives. It was fascinating to see how each character's individual journey contributes to the larger story arc in One August Night.Anna is not looking forward to being a mother nor is she looking forward to her sister, Maria, being released from the island. It is Maria’s return to Crete that triggers a violent act that will change the lives of the two families forever. The beauty of The Island is the way it immerses the reader into the life and world of the Spinalonga colony, its effects on the with leprosy and the communities it impacted. It also drew you into the Cretan culture. However this novel barely touches on the leprosy/Spinalonga - I was hoping to read more about how the advent of the cure and the closure of the colony impacted Plaka (as promised), the cured and the community. Other than a few mentions - it hardly comes up at all, and certainly isn’t a feature of the story. For me, it failed to captivate my imagination and whisk me away to Crete, circa 1950. In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large. Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past’ I read the book in a day and found it difficult to put down but it is best if you come with no preconceptions and enjoy this book for what it is, rather than what you might want it to be. One August Night left me with as many questions as it answered. What became of all the other people on the island? I think there is scope there for several more books and I for one will devour them all. I particularly appreciated the way that the author interweaves themes of identity and self-discovery into the plot.

budget, την ιδανική συντροφιά και μια λίστα με πράγματα που θες να κάνεις και μέρη που θες να επισκεφτείς. Και πράγματι, το πραγματοποιείς το ταξίδι. Και πράγματι, αποδεικνύεται υπέροχο. Και πράγματι, σε σημαδεύει και το θυμάσαι για χρόνια μετά... Review: Single All The Way by Elaine Spires @ElaineSWriter @rararesources #blogtour #SinglesSeries #SingleAllTheWay Review: The Tuscan Orphan by Siobhan Daiko @siobhandaiko @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources #blogtour #newrelease #BoldwoodBloggers #histfic #romance #WW2 #RespectRomFic #TheTuscanOrphan

Praise for “One August Night”

Maybe I’m being harsh in my review, because my expectations were too high and I’m feeling disappointed that this book didn’t deliver (hence the two stars rather one). However, anyone who has read Hislop’s previous novels will have the same expectations of a deep, history rich, evocative story - and this book is nowhere near that league. Anne on #Review: The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood @julietgreenwood @Stormbooks_co @rararesources #blogtour #newrelease #histfic #WW2 #TheLastTrainfromParis Hislop expertly delves into the complex history of a fascinating country in this beautifully written family saga’ The novel, rich in history also confronts the ugly truth of having to use ‘ stigma as a weapon‘ as it explores sexual abuse and the treatment of prisoners. At times it is unsettling to read, but this enhances the subtle, dramatic tension as well as the important messages I felt Victoria Hislop (pictured above) wanted to convey. This makes this novel a very powerful read. Review: Murder at the Matterhorn by T A Williams @tawilliamsbooks @BoldwoodBooks @rararesources #blogtour #publicationday #BoldwoodBloggers #cosycrime #ArmstrongandOscar #MurderattheMatterhorn November 24, 2023