"It's 1959 and eighteen-year-old Sophie is determined that now is the time for her real life to start. Her existence in the village of Poynsdean, Sussex, with her austere foster-father, the Reverend Osbert Knox, and his frustrated wife Alice, is stultifying. She finds diversion and excitement in a love affair, but soon realizes that if she wants to live life on a bigger canvas she must take matters into her own hands.
She dreams of escape to Paris, the Wartime home her French mother fled before her birth. Getting there will take spirit and ingenuity, but also offers the chance to discover more about her family background, and perhaps find a place where she can finally belong.
When Sophie eventually arrives in the city of her dreams it's both everything she imagined, and not at all what she expected."
"Paris, 1789. As the shadow of the guillotine falls over a nation at war with itself, three very different women find themselves caught up in the storm of revolution...
In France under the last Bourbon king, the extravagance grows more outrageous and the unrest of the poor more dangerous. Into this ferment are swept the innocent English Sophie Luttrell, visiting France for the first time; the French aristocrat Héloise de Guinot, who hates the man her parents have arranged for her to marry; and Marie-Victoire, the loyal maid who finds herself immersed in revolutionary politics.
They are the daughters of the storm which is sweeping France - and over the world. Three women whose lives will be forever marked by this turning point in history and whose passionate struggle for love, liberty - and for life - will have unexpected consequences."
"Evelyn St. John has been parachuted into France to link up with the Resistance and to work undercover.
Paul von Hoch's brief, as a member of the German Intelligence, is to track down enemy spies.
When Evelyn and Paul meet and fall in love, their feelings for one another are fierce, but can never be uncomplicated.
And when the battle lines shift, and patriotism gives way to deeper truths, they will both face the gravest of challenges.
“An immensely interesting novel. The evocative atmosphere and dangerous exploits keep you turning the pages.” -- Woman's Journal"
"When a choice must be made between love and duty, solace comes in unexpected forms...
Summer, 1929. The Hinton Dysart estate is dying from lack of money, and Kit Dysart, the heir, sees no way out. Then, at his sister's wedding, he meets the vibrant Daisy Chudleigh and her cousin, the heiress Matty Verrall. In love with Daisy but troubled by his family's decline, Kit chooses to marry Matty, though neither Kit nor Daisy is able to forget the other.
When Matty, growing increasingly unhappy in her troubled, empty marriage, decides to re-create the estate's garden, she discovers solace and a gift of which she never dreamt.
A haunting, passionate story played out between three people, Consider the Lily is also a poignant and beautiful novel of England between the wars that propels the reader into its own rich and nostalgic world."
"'Modern marriage and its compromises ... a terrific, compassionate, compelling novel' Daily Mail
Over twenty years of marriage to Max, Prue has remained a busy, contented mother and stepmother. Now, Prue's stepdaughter, Violet, has returned with her new husband from New York and, suddenly, Prue is precipitated into a secret life.
As she moves between a sleepy village in Hampshire and buzzing London, Prue finds herself crossing the boundary between innocence and knowledge, exploring the line between the gluttony and surrender of desire and facing the stark realities that result.
Because while marriage can be a battleground, extraordinary bargains and accommodations are often struck between people who love one another."
"For Kay, living on her husband Bror's country estate, the Nazi invasion is a time of uncertainty. Bror is desperate to preserve the legacy of his home, even if it means co-existing with the enemy; Kay cannot do the same. She is lured by British Intelligence into a world of resistance. Tasked with protecting an SOE agent, Kay learns the art of subterfuge.
Caught on opposing sides, will Kay and Bror find their way back to one another?"
"As the Second World War draws to a close, Intelligence Officer Gus Clifton surprises his sisters when he introduces Krista - the German wife whom he has married secretly in Berlin. Krista is clearly devastated by her experiences at the hands of the allies but Gus's sisters can only see the enemy he has brought under their roof. Haunted by passion and betrayal these damaged souls are propelled towards a spectacular resolution."
