The Hidden Palace: the most spellbinding escapist historical novel of WW2 Malta from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller (The Daughters of War, Book 2)

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Ebooks fulfilled through Glose cannot be printed, downloaded as PDF, or read in other digital readers (like Kindle or Nook). But the war was still going, although it was at its last, and it would be a year before Florence, accompanied by Jack, as his occupation saw him able to work in the area, could go, first to Sicily then on to Malta. Florence and her aunt Rosalie have a lot in common, both have experienced heartache, and are attracted to men who are very similar. Her younger sister Rosalie had run away from France many years ago and the last she'd heard of her, she'd been in Malta. In the latter years of WW2 and following its end, Florence is reeling from the war and a secret about her own past she has uncovered.

Florence Baudin had escaped France, thankful for her life, but sad to be leaving her sisters, Helene and Elise. This book is about the rebellious sister, Rosalie, who leaves her parents’ disapproving judgements and Paris behind her, determined to start again in Malta.Jefferies does not provide clues as to how the story will unfold and I liked how I could not predict whether Florence would be able to fulfil her mother’s wishes.

I’m just sad to leave Florence and co behind but I’ll be ready and waiting come August 2023 to discover lots more from the Baudin sisters. La giovane Rosalie è invece fuggita a Malta dalla Francia a causa di un grave scandalo familiare e ora, sotto la falsa identità di Riva Janvier, lavora come ballerina in un locale di dubbia moralità. The specific reasons for Florence having to leave her sisters and her beloved house in the Dordogne region I won’t go into here for those that may have not yet read book one. I think I cared more for Rosalie’s narrative and was keen to see how she would stand up against the shadier characters that she meets on her journey.

She won’t speak to Florence about certain things but she reveals she is desperate to find her sister who disappeared from Paris many years ago. My mum and my aunt have been telling me for years how wonderful an author Dinah Jefferies is, so I was thrilled to be able to read her latest novel – The Hidden Palace. Historical fiction fans and of course like me long time fans of Dinah Jefferies will love every moment of this book. I had no problem reading this book as a standalone novel but I would recommend reading Book 1 Daughters of War first. But with it comes with a knowledge of how the darker side of Malta operates and this causes Rosalie’s life to change, for the better, as she grows more worldly and caring.