Book Blurb:
England, 1947. Ellie Montford is sent to boarding school by her cold and distant parents, joining her best friend’s family on their farm for the holidays. She forges a bond with her friend’s brother, Simon, who promises to marry her – but childhood promises may not last…
Sardinia, 1961. Ellie, now a young woman, joins her parents in Cagliari, where her father works for the Foreign Office. Attending classes at the local university she meets Gino, a young professor.
Is he really everything he claims? Or is their love doomed to fail?
Sardinia, 2006. Ellie’s granddaughter Sara is sent by her company to Cagliari. On a night out, she meets Luca, an archaeologist and professor. Their love affair mirrors that of her grandmother and Gino’s from over forty years before.
Their happiness is short lived as Sara finds hints of a long-buried secret which could separate them. Who is Luca, and what is his connection to Gino?
Sara must find the answers before she can find happiness and make her family whole again.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/aZiO
Author Bio:
Lexa is a freelance writer and a try to be poet. She fell in
love with the island of Sardinia in 1972 when visiting
there with her family; and became intrigued with the island's
unique culture and friendly people.
FOR REVIEWS PLEASE GO TO AMAZON.CO.UK
She has been lucky enough to win finalists in the following awards:
THE NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2014
Finalist ROMANCE
THE NATIONAL EXCELLENCE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2014
Finalist ROMANCE
Finalist LITERARY FICTION
Lexa lives in Suffolk with her husband, three dogs, and six geese and enjoys her four sons and their families which include eight wonderful grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
Please feel free to visit her website:
Her first book THE WHISPERING WIND won two FINALIST awards.
Her last book CHILDREN OF THE MISTS was a WINNER OF THE BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2016 for Literary excellence.
Her latest book LOVE IN ANOTHER TIME is also set in Sardinia.
reviews for Love in Another Time Finalist 2023 BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Editorial Review:
“Ellie stood in the doorway of the large late-Victorian mansion watching her mother’s chauffeur climb the broad steps to her new school. He puffed as he dropped her shiny new trunk on the marble floor. After pausing for a moment to catch his breath, he returned to the car and collected her tuck box, which he put beside her bright-red trunk. Ellie had chosen the trunk with her father, in preference to the brown or black ones. Her tuck box was of new white wood with black metal bands, and her name, ELEANOR di MONTFORD, stamped on both in big black letters. Her mother, Isabel, always insisted on the ‘di’, but Ellie left it out, thinking it pretentious.”
It's 1947, somewhere in England. Ellie is off to boarding school. Ellie’s mother is off to a dinner party and so, apparently, cannot stay to settle Ellie in. Ellie’s family dynamics are deftly laid bare in one paragraph. But boarding school makes up for family distance; Ellie is soon reunited with her friend Polly, and sweets are (furtively) on hand. “Love in Another Time” by Lexa Dudley immediately sets the scene and it is one that readers will either be familiar with, or can well imagine. The girls are updating each other about their families, and the reader may expect mundane updates about sibling squabbles and family dinners. But no. Ellie has seen something at home that she should not have, and second-hand embarrassment will carry the reader through several pages.
From those opening pages set in 1947, the story unfolds, then moving to Sardinia in 1961. Ellie is with her mother, and the reunion is not a happy one. Dudley’s dialogue between a critical mother and her newly adult daughter is expert, and may bring a twinge of uncomfortable reflection to many. It is in Sardinia that the story really takes off, because Ellie is faced with a choice, between the dependable Simon and new acquaintance Gino. The choice she makes echoes thorough the entire storyline, as “Love in Another Time” becomes an absorbing historical romance. In 2006 Ellie’s granddaughter Sara is also in Sardinia, with parallels between her life and Ellie’s earlier time on the island. But Sara must unravel family secrets before she can move forward in her own life.
“Monday morning, Sara was up early and standing at the office agency door, waiting for the staff to arrive. Sara introduced herself to them all, explained what she was doing, and went through everything with them. The staff comprised two junior girls, Maria and Olivia, and a young man called Fabio, all of whom ran the office well and were shocked that their boss had left with his secretary. Maria had secretarial experience, so Sara upped her wages and put her in charge. She was more than capable of running the entire operation but was not keen on taking all the responsibility. When Sara suggested she share it with Fabio, Maria agreed. The other junior girl, Olivia, was a little shy, so Sara put her to work sorting out the brochures, making the coffee and greeting clients, whom Olivia would pass on to either Maria or Fabio. Sara knew that Olivia would soon develop skills and would be as confident as the others within a month or two. All that week, Sara saw clients and helped in the office. She had inherited her grandmother’s charm, and her natural way with people always paid dividends.”
Throughout “Love in Another Time”, it is the human relationships that stand out. The author obviously has a deep understanding of human nature, and each conversation is believable and authentic, whether between giggling friends at boarding school or young women on the cusp of marriage and/or adulthood. Ellie is an immensely likeable character, with a sunny nature and none of her mother’s meanness and snobbish behavior. Her friendships are with like-minded people, and the reader will silently support her choices and hope that things turn out the way she wants them to. It is plain too that Sara has inherited many of her grandmother’s good qualities. Other, secondary characters each have distinct personalities and the reader’s sojourn in Sardinia will be filled with diverse friendships and twists and turns. Dudley’s love and appreciation for Sardinia and its history is also evident, as this is transferred to several of the characters.
“‘This is the sacred well of Santa Cristina. I have always loved this place and found it fascinating. It is associated with the moon, and every eighteen and a half years its light falls directly into the well from that hole above,’ he said, pointing to the corbelled ceiling. ‘I may be a man of science, but the ancient people worshipped the sun, the moon, and water. What would life be without them? I believe this is much older than the Pre-Nuragic people and that it was a calendar for predicting the seasons. If you look, the stones are cut so precisely and with such incredible accuracy, it had to be done by skilled engineers. The stones and buildings around the well are not made with the technology the well– makers had. I believe the well-makers could have been from a previous civilisation, but it is impossible to prove.’”
The ending of “Love in Another Time” is a happy one, with some significant twists that readers will find very satisfying.
“Love in Another Time: A Sardinian Saga” by Lexa Dudley is a deeply moving and poignant story of a romance with consequences that echo down the generations. The novel emphasizes the importance of family relationships, and the enduring power of love. The highlight of the narrative is the author’s ability to get to the heart of personal relationships, whether good or bad. The setting of Sardinia is a fitting one given the romantic themes of the book. A memorable read!
*****
"Love in Another Time” by Lexa Dudley receives 4 stars from The Historical Fiction Company
To have your historical novel editorially reviewed and/or enter the HFC Book of the Year contest, please visit www.thehistoricalfictioncompany.com/book-awards/award-submission
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