Winter 1940, Paris. The air is thick with fog the day Cora's train is struck by Nazi bombs, throwing her from her seat as the carriage lurches off the tracks. In that moment, the only thing on her mind is making it out alive to return to the family she left behind...
Bruised and gasping for air, Cora Mayhew struggles to her feet, shaking glass from her hair. Clutching a fine silver locket, surrounded by passengers crying out for their loved ones, Cora knows she must find a way to post the heart-wrenching letter she's been clutching in her hand and get back to her beloved family in America.
For months she's seen the flashes in the night sky and heard the drone of planes. She came to Paris to search for her birth mother - the locket her only clue - and stayed to work for the secret resistance movement, helping others escape the horrors of war. But now, staggering from the wreckage, Cora fears she too should have left Paris sooner.
Just as her spirit starts to slip, a German soldier finds Cora and saves her life. Max Heller is everything a Nazi shouldn't be: kind, good-humoured and selfless. As he helps her plot her escape from France, Cora can't help but fall for him - even though she knows she shouldn't lose her heart to an enemy soldier...
Then the discovery of a devastating secret about her birth mother forces her to confront a painful truth. Max is the only one who can help her, and the contents of her letter are too important not to make it out of Paris. But should she place her trust in the enemy, or go it alone and risk never making it out alive? And does escaping from Paris mean she will never see Max again...?
A heartbreaking story of love, belonging and resilience in Nazi-occupied Paris as one woman searches desperately for the truth in the face of grave danger. The perfect wartime read for fans of The Dressmaker's Gift, The Lost Girls of Paris and The Nightingale.
What readers are saying about Kate Eastham:
'Guaranteed to have you grabbing for the tissues... I had a really hard time putting my Kindle down to do my adult responsibilities... Heart-breaking... Perfection.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This book has everything. It makes you laugh, has you holding your breath and makes you cry. You won't be disappointed!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Get those tissues ready, you're going to need them... I found myself sobbing.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Ensure you have time to read this in one sitting... Heart-breaking' @karen_loves_reading, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Amazing... I was glued to the story until the end!' Nicki's Book Blog, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐