The Glittering Hour: The most heartbreakingly emotional historical romance you'll read this year - Tapa dura

The epic and long-awaited new romance from the author of Letters to the Lost, winner of the RNA Award. 'Emotionally fraught, evocative and redemptive, The Glittering Hour has been well worth the wait. What a superb novel - Iona Grey really is back with aplomb' Fiona Mitchell, author of The Maid's Room `Poignant, beautiful and sad. A must read!' Katrina Oliver 'Deeply captivating, engaging and so irresistible. I could not put it down!' Petra Quelch 'An enchanting, evocative read' The Sun 1925. The war is over and a new generation is coming of age, keen to put the trauma of the previous one behind them. Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing whose life is dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure; to parties and drinking and staying just the right side of scandal. Lawrence Weston is a struggling artist, desperate to escape the poverty of his upbringing and make something of himself. When their worlds collide one summer night, neither can resist the thrill of the forbidden, the lure of a love affair that they know cannot possibly last. But there is a dark side to pleasure and a price to be paid for breaking the rules. By the end of that summer everything has changed. A decade later, nine year old Alice is staying at Blackwood Hall with her distant grandparents, piecing together clues from her mother's letters to discover the secrets of the past, the truth about the present, and hope for the future. Further praise for Iona Grey: `Captivating characters, convincing and compelling' Fern Britton `An epic story of love and loss that will break your heart' Santa Montefiore 'A beautiful, tender story from a naturally gifted storyteller. A wonderful debut novel and a real weepy!' Lucinda Riley 'A captivating and deliciously romantic tale of life-lasting love that will tear your heart in two' Rachel Hore 'Extraordinarily vivid, compelling and beautifully told' Miranda Dickinson 'Sweeping, wonderful and truly, truly romantic' Julie Cohen 'A moving period love story' Sunday Mirror 'A beautiful love story' Prima 'A touching story that swept me along to its end' Woman & Home 'Tender, heart-rending and utterly compelling' Good Housekeeping

Iona Grey has a degree in English Literature and Language from Manchester University, an obsession with history and an enduring fascination with the lives of women in the twentieth century. She lives in rural Cheshire with her husband and three daughters. She tweets @iona_grey.