Their friendship was so endearing as the devastation both women have experienced even though they were from different walks of life the one thing they could rely on without any hesitation was each other. I have always enjoyed Erica James's novels - I've found her characters to be well-drawn and warm, realistic and intriguing.

Published by HQ Stories in Hardback and eBook on 30th March 2023 and in Paperback on 14 September 2023.In 2006, Erica won the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Romantic Novel of the Year Award for her book, Gardens of Delight.

As she does this, it stirs up memories for both Elfrida and Bess and the story moves back over the years to such glamorous places as the south of France and Italy.The protagonist of this novel is Libby who seeks refuge, after learning that her fiancé has cheated on her, with her elderly relative Bess and Bess’ lifelong friend Elfrida, whence we encounter secrets, deception, heartbreak, loyalty and love. There were sections set in the very early 1980s when Bess’s great niece Libby has come to stay following her fiancé’s betrayal just before their wedding. Yet, whilst the grounds that Elfrida has designed seem perfect, life has become the juxtaposition to this. Although I enjoyed following Libby and her blossoming friendship with young doctor Daniel, I have to admit that it was reading about Elfrida’s past which really captivated me.