The Golden Hour.

☆☆☆☆

the golden hour.
Beatriz Williams.

Publisher  William Morrow.

Publication Date: July 9,2019.

Genre: Historical Fiction.

Format|Pages: Hardcover|480.

 Source:  Goodreads|Library.

CONTAINS SPOILERS

The Bahamas, 1941. Newly-widowed Leonora “Lulu” Randolph arrives in Nassau to investigate the Governor and his wife for a New York society magazine. After all, American readers have an insatiable appetite for news of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, that glamorous couple whose love affair nearly brought the British monarchy to its knees five years earlier. What more intriguing backdrop for their romance than a wartime Caribbean paradise, a colonial playground for kingpins of ill-gotten empires?

Or so Lulu imagines. But as she infiltrates the Duke and Duchess’s social circle, and the powerful cabal that controls the islands’ political and financial affairs, she uncovers evidence that beneath the glister of Wallis and Edward’s marriage lies an ugly—and even treasonous—reality. In fact, Windsor-era Nassau seethes with spies, financial swindles, and racial tension, and in the middle of it all stands Benedict Thorpe: a scientist of tremendous charm and murky national loyalties. Inevitably, the willful and wounded Lulu falls in love.

Then Nassau’s wealthiest man is murdered in one of the most notorious cases of the century, and the resulting coverup reeks of royal privilege. Benedict Thorpe disappears without a trace, and Lulu embarks on a journey to London and beyond to unpick Thorpe’s complicated family history: a fateful love affair, a wartime tragedy, and a mother from whom all joy is stolen.

The stories of two unforgettable women thread together in this extraordinary epic of espionage, sacrifice, human love, and human courage, set against a shocking true crime . . . and the rise and fall of a legendary royal couple. 

☂

Such a unique, wonderfully written story!



This has been a third book that I read by BEATRIZ WILLIAMS , and it will not be the last one. I did feel the first couple of chapters were a slow start. However, once it picked up the pace, I had hard time setting the book back down, wanting to know what would happen next. I loved that the story took place in different locations and were told point of view from two different women, making it feel as if I were reading two different stories, and in a way, I was. Once I reached the end of the book, I found myself unable to stop thinking about the story. THE GOLDEN HOUR is a book that will stay with you long after you turn the last page. The descriptions in this novel were breathtaking, so vivid that I could picture it all while I was reading it. I had this feeling as if I was there along with Lulu and Elfriede.



I loved both Lulu and Elfriede's stories, though Elfriede's story appealed to me a bit more than Lulu’s. Besides, don’t you love that name? Both of these women went through so much, and I cannot imagine going through what they had to go through. I loved that despite everything that they faced throughout their lives, they kept on going. THE GOLDEN HOUR is everything that I love about historical fiction novels, and I have read quite few this past year, and it became my favorite genre. THE GOLDEN HOUR had everything I love about books and the fact that it had some mystery added to it, making it even more appealing to read. Of course, I loved the ending, the reunion that caused me to tear up a little bit myself. BEATRIZ WILLIAMS knows how to hook you to the story, and it’s clear how much research went into this book. I cannot wait to check out rest of her books. If you love historical fiction with some suspense, romance, then be sure to pick up THE GOLDEN HOUR .