Laura Madeleine

Historical fiction at its very best. As the heat shimmers off the pages, travel back in time to a mystery as exotic as its location.

Set in two different times, told by two very different points of view, it takes us down two different paths, paths that ultimately end up crossing in ways that are both as unexpected as they are satisfactory.

Tangier, 1978 – Samuel Hackett, a down on his luck writer, living hand to mouth as he takes in the local culture whilst waiting for inspiration to strike. As luck would have it, fate steps in and hands him a real life mystery in the form of an old fashioned leather writing case. Needing money fast to pay his rent, his only option is to sell his prized possession, his Hermes typewriter, to his friend and shop owner, Abdelhamid, and it was this friend that sold him the writing case. From that case the only clues he has to go on are the initials A.L that are engraved on the case, a small silver key and a leather tag, both of which were tucked away inside the case and the 50 year old calendar also contained within. With some help from his local friends and a new associate, an English journalist, Ellis Norton, he starts to investigate who the case belonged to, and as he begins to uncover details it fires up his imagination, turning the case and the cases owner into a novel of his own.

1928 – Alejandra Exposita, Ale for short, a young kitchen porter, apprentice chef lives and works at the Hosteria del Potro, doing everything in her power to blend into the background. The other women that work there are paid for more than just serving drinks, so being a young, female virgin is not something she wants the punters to notice. Although life mightn’t be ideal at least she has a roof over her head and food in her belly making her more fortunate than some. That is until one evening an incident occurs at the hotel leaving one of the male customers dead at the hands of the owners daughter. With the finger of blame pointed to her she has no choice but to disappear. Disguising herself as a man, a haircut and change of name, Alejandra is reborn as Alejandro del Potro. And after an encounter with a well healed English gentleman, Arthur Langham, Ale follows him across the boarder and manages to instal herself into his life with a surprising outcome.

As the story switches between Ale and Sam, they take us on their own personal journeys and as each situation plays out it becomes apparent that their stories are interwoven with some surprising turns of events, of which keep you in the dark right up until the very last pages. This is a clever, complex, multi layered historical mystery with characters that come to life off the pages, you can feel the heat simmering as you are transported all the way to Tangier and the unlocking of the mystery surrounding the 50 year old writing case.

This is a must read for fans of historical suspenses, historical romances, women’s fiction or fans of really great stories! So in essence, for everyone!… (mais)

The story is set between two different times, Annie in England in 1993 and Ceci Corvin in 1943 high in the mountains in the South of France.

The chapters flow between Annie and CiCi, each living different lives. Most of CiCi’s story is set in the past when she was a young woman living in Saint-Antoine working in the family bakery. But with the arrival of hundreds of jews and other foreigners being brought to Saint-Antoine her life changes forever.

1994 Annie hasn’t seen or heard off her grandmother for years, an argument between Annie’s mum and her grandmother caused a rift in the family and they have never seen CiCi since that day. Annie’s mum has been unwell and made her realise life can be fragile and short, so she made the decision that she would like to try to find her mother and heal the past. It’s not long until Annie finds her and it is from there the story really picks up.

Annie wants answers about her own past, who her grandfather was, why her Grandmother left such a beautiful place for Paris and London. She knows there are reasons but they have always been a secret only her grandmother knows.

Now that CiCi is an old woman and is not in the best of health herself she is over the moon at being reunited with her granddaughter but she also knows she needs to open old scars and finally share her secrets. She wants to go back to where it all started for her – Saint-Antoine, but not alone. So both women leave Paris and begin a journey that will stay with them forever!

It is so beautifully written that your imagination comes to life, the setting of Saint-Antoine is easy to envisage and you can almost smell the freshly baked bread alongside CiCi.

It is a story about a forbidden love, family, trust, unlikely friendships, heartbreak, the uncertainty of war and of hope!

The closing chapter felt like a sucker punch in the chest from Conor McGregor hahaha, it made my chest constrict and my heart swell, in a good way of course! Beautiful and packed with emotion. The women are crafted flawlessly, so real and easy to like that their emotions flow off the pages and into mine! Even my Ice maiden heart felt its heartstrings being pulled!

I could not have found a more perfect book to end 2017 on!

If you are a fan of Kate Morton then this is a MUST read, you will fall in love with The Secrets between us.

This is the first book you should read in 2018!

Would I recommend this book? Hell Yeah! A million %!

The Secrets between us was published today 1st January 2018 and can be purchased right now from

Amazon UK for the bargain price of 99p ebook! So go grab your copy quick whilst this amazing offer lasts!

Happy reading and Happy New Year
Welcome to 2018
… (mais)

An Echo of Scandal is a story rich with detail and a strong sense of place. I thought it was a fantastic read.

It starts with a murder and so it gets off to something of a flying start. Alejandra is a young woman with no back story and no sense of where she comes from. She lives in a brothel but does not want to end up a whore, and so she learns to cook. She manages to survive doing that until the fateful night when the story begins.

Set mostly in Tangier, the story flits between 1928 and 1978 in alternating chapters. The later story features Sam Hackett, an American writer looking for inspiration and it is a chance find that gives him the spark he needs to write again. How the two stories are linked starts to gradually unfold in the most engrossing fashion to bewitch and beguile the reader with a tale so incredible and so brilliant.

I adored Laura Madeleine's writing for several reasons. First of all, I loved the cocktail recipes at the beginning of Alejandra's chapters. I love to drink cocktails but don't know much about making them and the mention of jiggers and ponies as units of measurement seemed very authentic and so enticing. Secondly, this is a book that puts a lot of emphasis on food and drink and how they can be used to almost spellbind a person. It's a book full of sensations and I just loved the descriptions of the food that Ale was cooking.

But more than anything, this is an author who is able to create an enchanting story that I found myself pulled back into time and time again. It's by no means an easy life for Ale and later for Sam, and the harshness of life and the sharp contrasts in how people lived are portrayed beautifully, along with the streets of Tangier in both time frames. Each time one character's chapter ended I felt reluctant to leave them, every single time! It's a gorgeously evocative book and I thought it was wonderful.… (mais)

f you are looking for a page turner of a book look no farther! I literally could not put Laura Madeline’s The Confectoner's Tale down. This book is full of intrigue, romance, and sweet delicious caramel and chocolate. Seriously find your favorite chocolate truffles while reading this book because it will make you hungry. I couldn’t help but find myself routing for Gui as he made his way through the streets of Paris into the kitchen door of Patisserie Clermont. I was just as intrigued to learn the shaded past of Petra’s late grandfather. Thank you St Martin's Press for sending me this delectable book. Can’t wait for Laura Madelines next book.… (mais)