The Locket – Blog Tour

England, 1942. ‘It has to stay secret,’ he whispers, placing the locket around her neck. ‘If they find it, they’ll send me away.’ As she holds the locket, glinting in the moonlight, she can’t hold back the tears. ‘I just wish we didn’t have to hide…’

When farmer’s daughter Irene meets Theodore at a village dance, sparks fly instantly. The war has brought him all the way from Louisiana to build a US airbase just across her father’s fields, but as they sway together, there is nothing else in the world. Only his gentle touch and his deep brown eyes.

But being together comes at a price. As Theodore is Black, the might of the US Air Force is against them, and all the members of the little village community disapprove of their relationship. And they will all go to terrible lengths to tear the two young lovers apart…

Decades later, heartbroken Ruby is back at her family’s crumbling farmhouse for the first time in years, after the loss of her beloved grandmother Irene. The roof has fallen in, family photographs are damaged – and her grandmother’s jewellery is nowhere to be found.

When Ruby uncovers her grandmother’s waterlogged diaries, she discovers that Irene treasured one piece of lost jewellery above all. A locket from a man called Theodore. And the missing locket holds the key to unravelling a heartbreaking secret that changed her grandmother’s life…

Is someone in the village hiding the locket to keep the truth about Irene and Theodore buried? And can Ruby find a way to honour her grandmother’s memory – or in digging up the pain of the war, will she tear her family apart?

An absolutely breathtaking World War Two story about the power of love in the face of adversity, and how the tragic consequences of war can echo through generations. Fans of Fiona Valpy, The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See will be addicted to this incredible read.

This is an emotional and heartbreaking historical fiction that I have read.

Heartbroken Ruby returns back to her grandparents’ farm house after her grandmother Irene passed away. While going through things, Ruby comes across Irene’s diary that described the life Irene had during the World War II.
In 1943, Irene, daughter of a farmer meets Sergeant Theodore Robinson and immediately the sparks fly between them. However, Theo is Black while Irene is White British and it was a time when Jim Crow laws are full in force and segregation is common back then. Irene is madly in love with Theo until she finds out that she was carrying Theo’s baby.

This was a very realistic historical fiction and the author must have done tremendous research about that certain era–the time as I mentioned earlier when segregation between white people and blacks are full in force. I actually enjoyed Irene’s part but I also liked Ruby in the story. Irene is a courageous and brave woman who would defy at any odds and culture to be with her true love and because of that Irene, Ruby and Will are like my favorite characters in the story. The writing is well written and mesmerizing and the author did a good job of drawing the reader into the story, making them feel like they are also a part of the story. The story is divided into present and past dated 1943. It was really interesting to read about what life was like back then. Overall, this is an emotional and heartbreaking story that will make you cry–worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Many thanks to Bookouture for making me a part of the blog tour. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Natalie is a RITA nominated, USA Today Bestselling author of six novels: The Dress Thief, The Milliner’s Secret (re-titled “The Girl who Dreamed of Paris”), The Wardrobe Mistress, Summer in the Vineyards, The Secret Vow and The Paris Girl that feature sisters, Katya and Tatiana. Since then, Natalie has released Into the Burning Dawn and The Italian Girl’s Secret, books set in the lucious Bay of Naples during the second world war. Now, the latest novel is available and it is called The Girl with the Yellow Star. The story takes place in Cornwall on the glorious north coast, and is a heart-wrenching story of loss, love and challenging choices.

Visit her website at https://www.nataliemegevans.uk