Name: The Golden Hour
ISBN: 9780810992160

Maiya Williams

Now available in paperback, the first book in a thrilling, critically-acclaimed time-travel series

The Golden Hour

Beatriz Williams

The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives and A Certain Age creates a dazzling epic of World War II-era Nassau—a hotbed of spies, traitors, and the most infamous couple of the age, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. 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.

A Novel

Gisela Ayala 

Beatriz Williams does it again. She always writes such rich historical fiction. It completely sucks you in. And for the life of me I will never figure out how she is able to connect stories from different time periods and connect them so flawlessly. She does plenty of research while writing novels and it shows and I always believe those are the best kind of historical fiction books - you get the facts woven into a fictional story that makes the facts all the more emotional and thrilling. 

The royal family is always a hot topic no matter what era. Keep in mind though, the duke and duchess take a backseat to what is the central topic of this novel - what keeps a person going after years of hopelessness and heartbreak, what will you fight for literally in a war or personally in your own home - well, not to be corny but love. 

Side note - I love the descriptions of all the dresses and it makes me want to dress up like the 1940s or 50s and be do some dancing.

Kayla 

I’ve now read two Beatriz Williams books and I have to say they are so good! Lots of juicy drama set in a historical setting. .
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In The Golden Hour, we travel to Nassau, Bahamas in 1941. I love the tropical setting and what I was not expecting was that we would get to see the infamous Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson! Turns out they are acting as governor and we all know they love the drama. Lulu is a journalist who gets an in with Wallis and writes quite favourable articles about them. She meets a British spy while living there are we get to see a greater mystery unfold. .
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We flash back to earlier in the 1900s and meet a woman who is at a psychiatric hospital in Switzerland. We learn how her story comes to intertwine with Lulu’s and a whole host of family secrets! .
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Just like the other book I read, this one was equally as addicting and I could not believe I read 500 pages so quickly! .
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There were some plot points that were not quite as explosive as I would have liked but overall I enjoyed it. I cannot wait to read more by this author. .
.

Heather Margaret

Beatriz Williams, the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives, is back with another hot summer read; a dazzling epic of World War II in which a beautiful young "society reporter" is sent to the Bahamas, a haven of spies, traitors, and the infamous Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The Bahamas, 1941. Newly-widowed Leonora "Lulu" Randolph arrives in the Bahamas 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.

Diana Irimia

Caitlin Hooker

Rebecca

From the New York Times bestselling author: a dazzling WWII epic spanning London, New York and the Bahamas and the most infamous couple of the age, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor

The Golden Hour

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