A secret garden affair (by Erica James)

(Amazon UK link)

I have liked all the books I’ve read by Erica James, since my husband first gave me some of her books over twenty-six years ago. She’s quite a prolific writer of character-based novels, and I usually acquire each one after it is published as a paperback. I was given ‘A secret garden affair’ for Christmas 2023 but had not read it until the past few days, as I was slowly re-reading my collection of Erica James’ books at a rate of about one per month.

The main character in this book is a likeable young women called Libby. She’s in her late twenties, and we meet her on her way to stay at Larkspur House. The novel is set in 1981, so the whole country is obsessed with the upcoming wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana.  Libby is taking refuge after she caught her fiancé in bed with her best friend, three weeks before her wedding. She feels betrayed and deeply hurt, and knows she will be welcomed, loved and not judged by Elfrida and Bess, two women in their late seventies. 

Elfrida is a former socialite, who cares little for conventions. She never married, although she was intimate with several men, and in love with one for most of her life. Unfortunately, he was in Italy most of the time, and was married to someone who was mentally unstable. And - as we learn - Elfrida is quite single-minded; she was never willing to consider giving up her home to live anywhere else. 

Bess started out as Elfrida’s ‘maid’, back in the 1920s. She was always loyal, happy to follow her employer anywhere in the world; after the war, she became the cook and housekeeper for Elfrida, and also her close companion. Bess was married for some years, though now widowed - we learn more about that later in the book. Although she still works hard in the house, she’s beginning to feel her age. 

Libby needs to be active to take her mind off her cancelled wedding. She loves helping Elfrida in the garden, but she also likes organising; she has a tidy mind, and sees that there are many things in the house which need to be done. And she would love to make an album or even a book with some of the photos that are stored in the attic.

Unearthing the photos makes Bess anxious about some long-kept secrets, and brings back some poignant memories for Elfrida. The novel moves almost seamlessly between the present - 1981 - and the past, starting in 1920, gradually jumping forwards to the late 1930s. The ‘past’ segments are mostly told in the first person by a much younger Elfrida, but a few of them give Bess’s viewpoint instead. 

It’s cleverly written, gradually bringing to light the various secrets that the two elderly friends had been keeping, trying to forget. The past is somewhat dominated by Elfrida’s affair which takes place over some decades; but although she had tried to keep that away from the public eye, she’s quite open about it - it’s not one of the hidden things which nobody talks about. 

In the ‘present’ (which is almost historical in itself, set forty-five years ago) Libby makes herself more useful in the household, avoids talking to her former fiancé if she can help it, and tries to persuade her mother that she’s not going to forgive and go ahead. Libby’s mother Nancy is a stressed and quite snobbish person who doesn’t much like Elfrida; some of the flashback scenes demonstrate why. 

It’s a character-based novel of the kind that Erica James usually produces; once again the people are vibrant and believable. If there’s a theme, it relates to the importance of honesty between husbands and wives, and also between parents and children. Both Elfrida and Bess acknowledge that there have been too many secrets, and that the longer they’re kept, the harder they are to bring to light. I thought it was all very well handled; the point is also made that, occasionally, some events or secrets have to be kept forever.

The cover of my book is gorgeous, showing a garden with sumptuous flowers, and a woman in a long dress. It’s not immediately clear from the cover that much of the book is set in the 1920s and 1930s; but, looking at the image now, I assume the picture is of Elfrida. 

If I have a gripe about the book it’s that there’s rather too much detail about plants and flowers. The author is clearly an expert in this topic - a couple of other books of hers have, similarly, given a lot of botanical information, which I mostly skimmed. I’m sure this would be of interest to other gardeners, but it didn’t seem really relevant to the story. However, it’s a very minor point and didn’t at all deter from my enjoyment of the book. Once I was about half-way through it was almost impossible to put down. 

Definitely recommended if you like thoughtful character-based women’s fiction with two different timelines. 

Review copyright 2026 Sue's Book Reviews