Shadows Over The Spanish Sun by Caroline Montague

 

Shadows Over the Spanish Sun by Caroline Montague.

Published 27th May 2021 by Orion.

From the cover of the book:

A country in the shadow of war. A love that burns through the decades...

Mia Ferris's heart has always belonged in Spain. Every childhood summer was spent at her grandfather's hacienda, riding together amongst the olive trees or listening to his stories of the past. So when she learns that he has fallen from his horse, she knows that she belongs by his bedside - even if it means leaving behind her life in London, and her new fiancé.

But as Leonardo fights for his life, and Mia to save the family home from financial ruin, secrets begin to emerge that tell a different story of the past - a terrible history that begins with a boy running for his life over the Andalusian hills, and ends with a forbidden love that only war can destroy...

As Mia untangles the passions and betrayals of the past, everything she thought she knew is turned upside down. Can she heal the wounds of the past, and face the truth of her own heart?

A sweeping novel of passionate love, betrayal and redemption, set against the turmoil and tragedy of the Spanish Civil War.

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There's nothing I love more than the kind of novel that enfolds you in the lives of its characters, carrying you along on the tide of their triumphs and tragedies, loves and losses, so you feel emotionally connected to them and their fortunes. Shadows Over the Spanish Sun is just that kind of book.

We start our literary journey with half-Spanish journalist Mia, whose heart lies in Andalusia at the hacienda of her beloved grandfather Leonardo, even though she is supposed to be preparing for marriage and settling down to life in England with her new fiancé Matt. When Leonardo has an accident that puts him in a coma, while out riding a spirited stallion in the beautiful grounds of his home, Mia knows that her place is at his bedside, even though it means leaving every other part of her life behind - including Matt.

Splitting her time between her grandfather's bedside and trying to keep the hacienda and its estate from financial ruin, Mia begins to learn something of the real history of her family, which differs markedly from the stories she has been told, and she cannot rest until she knows the truth. The story then follows two rich and immersive timelines - one in the present as Mia discovers what really happened in her family's past, and one that takes us back to the bloody days of the Spanish Civil War and a forbidden love story.

In Mia's present, she comes to learn of the family secrets that have been kept hidden for so long, but as the story of Leonardo's past plays out, through the words of her great-aunt and her grandfather himself, she also learns many things about herself and what she really wants. Leonardo's tale is full of tragedy, loss and revenge, both before and during the Civil War years, but is is also full of passion; deep devotion for family, home and horses; and true love that will not be denied - and many of these sentiments are also cleverly reflected in the threads of Mia's story.

This is the best book I have read yet that delves into the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War in a way that lays bare the deep divisions that were created between friends, neighbours and within families as a result of the political lines drawn between the Nationalists and Republicans. Montague brings home the terrible human toll of the violence meted out by both sides and the way its legacy still marks the Spanish people that remember it.  I was very impressed by the way she incorporates every aspect of this terrible time into her story, bringing in some very moving scenes about reconciliation and forgiveness - which again have echoes in Mia's story too. 

Sweeping, in the absolute best way possible, is the only way to describe this beautiful novel. It encompasses so much emotion and historical detail within the rich tapestry of the threads that Montague weaves with her words, and her love for Spain comes across so clearly. I adored every single minute that I spent with the wonderful characters she has created here, and was sad to leave them behind at the end. I cannot wait to give myself a treat by reading her previous two novels, A Italian Affair and A Paris Secret!

Shadows Over the Spanish Sun is available to buy now from your favourite book retailer.

Thank you to Orion Fiction for providing me with a paperback copy of this book, in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Caroline won her first National Poetry competition at 10 years old and from that moment dreamed of being a writer. Her life, however, took a different turn. At 18 she began a law degree but left after a year to marry a country solicitor. When juggling motherhood with modelling assignments became too much, she founded an Interior Design Company working on many projects in the UK and abroad. Her second marriage to the widowed Conroy Harrowby brought four stepchildren into her life, giving her a wider audience for her imaginative bedtime stories. As a family they all live at the Harrowby ancestral home, Burnt Norton, which famously inspired T S Eliot to write the first of his "Four Quartets". At last Caroline has the time to fulfil her dream of becoming a full time author.