Secrets of a Winter Escape – Sue Moorcroft

Published By: Renegade
Pages: 448
Released On: 05/11/2026

Christmas should be the most wonderful time of year. But for Erin, who’s just lost the job that she loves, it’s anything but. Down on her luck, the only gift she wants is escape…

So, Erin returns to Lake Como, home to the pensione she inherited from the grandmother she never met. The city sparkles with the magic of the season, and the guests provide a welcome distraction from the life that Erin has left behind.

As the snow begins to fall, Erin finds herself staying in the room next door to Caleb, an injured footballer who’s eager to avoid the prying eyes of the press. With emotional baggage bigger than his suitcases, he’s a complication that her bruised heart doesn’t need. But when Caleb lights Erin up like Como’s illuminations, will she admit that all she wants for Christmas is him?

*****

Thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review and spot on the book tour.

This is book two in The Italian Legacy series, the first being Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse, which I absolutely loved. But even before I started this one, I knew I’d love it even more because it’s set around winter and Christmas, which is my favourite time of year.

After reading the first one, I liked Jade so much that I didn’t necessarily feel a story by the other sisters was needed. However, from the very first page you understand why she’s chosen to do so, and it’s really effective.

Whilst the trilogy belongs to these three sisters, I do like the appearances in this one of the male characters. Particularly Caleb, he was a delight. He’s moody and impatient but he’s also hurting and you’re just willing him on.

I read this at the tail end of October where it had got quite cold and there was Christmas music on the radio (don’t judge me), and whilst it would be an enjoyable read all year round, there was something magical about reading it whilst tucked up under a blanket in the cold.

I mean, do we know how it’s going to end? Mainly, yes. It’s that kind of happily-ever-after type book (that’s not really a spoiler, more of an expectation), but I don’t mind that. I want happiness to happen, I want happy endings, and it’s a fulfilling thing when it does actually happen. It also means I can focus more on the intricacies of the rest of the story rather than searching for half hidden clues or a big twist that will come in the final quarter.

I won’t spoil what they are, but it does touch on some serious subject matters, things that sadly most readers will be able to identify with. They’re not over the top and they don’t bring the story down, but it makes it real. Combined with the happier moments, it feels familiar and very human.

I would say you could probably read it as a standalone and still get a lot out of it. But having read both of them, I’d highly recommend reading them in order. You get to know the characters and their situations in a far deeper way and it means you’re more invested in the overarching story.

Book one is Jade’s story; book two is Erin’s story; so I’m assuming book three will be about Rosalie, the third sister, and I’m already excited about it.

Once again she’s depicted Italy in all its beauty. I’ve never been to Lake Como but I have been to Lake Garda and it’s just magical, so that’s what I imagine when I’m reading this.

The chapters are a bit long for me but that is 100% a personal taste thing, because I like short chapters, but it didn’t affect my rating of the book.

It’s got everything I loved from book one, and she’s thrown in Christmas, with all the wintery weather, decorations, the warmth and cosiness of the season. Simply magical.