The Light Over London

The Light Over London

Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly

Reminiscent of Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, this sweeping, entrancing story is a must-read for fans of remarkable women rising to challenges they could never have predicted. It's always been easier for Cara Hargraves to bury herself in the past than confront the present, which is why working with a gruff but brilliant antiques dealer is perfect. While clearing out an estate, she pries open an old tin that holds the relics of a lost relationship: among the treasures, a World War II-era diary and a photograph of a young woman in uniform. Eager to find the author of the hauntingly beautiful, unfinished diary, Cara digs into this soldier's life, but soon realizes she may not have been ready for the stark reality of wartime London she finds within the pages. In 1941, nineteen-year-old Louise Keene's life had been decided for her—she'll wait at home in her Cornish village until her wealthy suitor returns...
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The Whispers of War

The Whispers of War

Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly

The start of World War II looms over three friends who struggle to remain loyal as one of them is threatened with internment by the British government, from the author of the "sweeping, stirring" (Kristin Harmel, internationally bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amélie) The Light Over London. In August of 1939, as Britain watches the headlines in fear of another devastating war with Germany, three childhood friends must choose between friendship or country. Erstwhile socialite Nora is determined to find her place in the Home Office's Air Raid Precautions Department, matchmaker Hazel tries to mask two closely guarded secrets with irrepressible optimism, and German expat Marie worries that she and her family might face imprisonment in an internment camp if war is declared. When Germany invades Poland and tensions on the home front rise, Marie is labeled an enemy alien, and the three friends find themselves fighting...
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The Last Dance of the Debutante

The Last Dance of the Debutante

Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly

The author of the "sweeping, stirring, and heartrending" (Kristin Harmel, author of The Room on Rue Amélie) The Light Over London returns with a masterful, glittering novel that whisks you to midcentury Britain as it follows three of the last debutantes to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II.When it's announced that 1958 will be the last year debutantes are to be presented at court, thousands of eager mothers and hopeful daughters flood the palace with letters seeking the year's most coveted invitation: a chance for their daughters to curtsey to the young Queen Elizabeth and officially come out into society. In an effort to appease her traditional mother, aspiring university student Lily Nichols agrees to become a debutante and do the Season, a glittering and grueling string of countless balls and cocktail parties. In doing so, she befriends two very different women: the cool and aloof Leana Hartford whose apparent perfection hides a darker...
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The Governess Was Wild

The Governess Was Wild

Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly

Travel through the English countryside in this third delightful historical Regency romance in the Governesses series by award-winning author Julia Kelly!When Lady Margaret Rawson is caught trying to elope with the thoroughly unsuitable James Lawrence, Lord and Lady Rawson decide it's time to send their daughter away from the temptations of London. The job of delivering the headstrong girl to the family's isolated Yorkshire estate naturally falls to her governess, Jane Ephram. It should be an easy task, but with the wild Lady Margaret, nothing ever goes according to plan. To make matters worse, Lord Rawson has made it clear that if anything happens to his daughter along the way, Jane will be dismissed without a letter of reference. When Jane finds Lady Margaret's inn room empty and the charming Sir Nicholas Hollings's horse missing one morning, she must embark on an adventure of her own with the devilishly handsome baron. Will Jane and Nicholas find Lady Margaret, the scheming...
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The Governess Was Wanton

The Governess Was Wanton

Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly

Follow three best friends who navigate love and independence as governesses in Regency England in this delightfully charming installment in the Governesses series.Mary Woodward, a young veteran governess, has one job: guiding a young debutante through her first season in high society. And up until now, keeping her fous and avoiding temptation has been easy. But never before has the father of her young charge been as devilishly handsome as the single, wealthy Earl of Asten.... Convinced to risk it all, Mary let's herself enjoy one night of magic at a masked ball in Asten's arms, but will they both regret everything when the Earl learns her true identity?
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The Allure of Attraction

The Allure of Attraction

Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly

The lyrical and enchanting Matchmaker of Edinburgh series returns with this third novel following a Scottish matchmaker who uses her uncanny ability to craft perfect matches—no matter what the couple may initially believe. Lavinia Parkem, the most talented dressmaker in Edinburgh, has never forgotten her first love: Captain Andrew Colter. They were meant to be married years earlier but when Andrew's ship was wrecked in the Caribbean her parents forced her to marry another. Andrew may have survived a shipwreck to find fame and fortune at sea, but he never fully healed after Lavinia's abandonment. Instead, he dedicated himself to the navy—and secret missions for the foreign office. Nearing retirement and back on British soil, he's given a new assignment—infiltrate the home of a wealthy banker who's suspected of being behind a plan to assassinate the Prince of Wales. But to do that, Andrew must recruit and turn the woman the banker once wooed:...
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The Taste of Temptation

The Taste of Temptation

Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly

Travel back in time to Scotland with bestselling author Julia Kelly for this delightful second installment in her latest historical romance series, The Matchmaker of Edinburgh series. Accomplished matchmaker Moira Sullivan knows that sometimes, the most unlikely pair can be the most entertaining.Only desperation could have driven Caroline Burkett to her brother's home in Scotland, but desperate is exactly what she is. After suing her former fiancé for breaking their engagement and causing a scandal in the papers, her only hope of starting over is to enlist the help of Edinburgh's famous matchmaker, Moira Sullivan. Born to a butler and maid, Jonathan Moray fought hard to find his place in Edinburgh society. Now a powerful newspaperman, he can make or break a person's reputation with his headlines, but Jonathan knows his success isn't guaranteed. He needs salacious stories to keep his readers enthralled, and Caroline's story is just the sort to sell papers in...
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The Last Garden in England

The Last Garden in England

Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly

From the author of the international bestseller The Light Over London and The Whispers of War comes a poignant and unforgettable tale of five women living across three different times whose lives are all connected by one very special garden.Present day: Emma Lovett, who has dedicated her career to breathing new life into long-neglected gardens, has just been given the opportunity of a lifetime: to restore the gardens of the famed Highbury House estate, designed in 1907 by her hero Venetia Smith. But as Emma dives deeper into the gardens' past, she begins to uncover secrets that have long lain hidden. 1907: A talented artist with a growing reputation for her ambitious work, Venetia Smith has carved out a niche for herself as a garden designer to industrialists, solicitors, and bankers looking to show off their wealth with sumptuous country houses. When she is hired to design the gardens of Highbury House, she is determined to make them...
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The Playground

The Playground

Julia Kelly

Julia Kelly

Eve is putting her life together again.Her partner has walked out on her. She's moved into a tiny flat on the outskirts of Dublin. She has no job. But she does have her beloved baby daughter—and there's a little playground across the street.It's a tired spot for teenagers and tramps, but Eve is determined to make this new life work. Alongside her interfering lodger and a group of local mums she swings into action to make the playground the heart of the community.But not all games are innocent—and not all friends are true. When a terrible accident is blamed on her, Eve must forge her own independence—and realise that the playground is not a place to hide from adulthood.
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