The royal Windsor secret A novel

Christine Wells

Book - 2023

"Cleo Davenport has heard the whispers: the murmured conversations that end abruptly the second she walks into a room. Told she was an orphan, she knows the rumor-that her father is none other than the Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne. And at her childhood home at Cairo's Shepheard's Hotel, where royals, rulers, and the wealthy live, they even called her "The Princess." But her life is turned upside down when she turns seventeen. Sent to London under the chaperonage of her very proper aunt, she's told it's time to learn manners and make her debut. But Cleo's life can't be confined to a ballroom. She longs for independence and a career as a jewelry designer for Cartier, but she cannot m...ove forward until she finds out about her past. Determined to unlock the truth, Cleo travels from London, back to Cairo, and then Paris, where her investigations take a shocking turn into the world of the Parisian demi-monde, and a high-class courtesan whose scandalous affair with the young Prince of Wales threatened to bring down the British monarchy long before anyone had heard of Wallis Simpson"--

Saved in:

1st Floor Show me where

FICTION/Wells Christin
1 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
1st Floor FICTION/Wells Christin Checked In
Subjects
Genres
Historical fiction
Romance fiction
Novels
Published
New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers [2023]
Language
English
Main Author
Christine Wells (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
342 pages ; 21 cm
ISBN
9780063268241
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Set during the two world wars, Wells' latest (after One Woman's War, 2022) stars Cleo Davenport, who was raised by her guardian at Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo. Cleo has two goals: to find the truth about her parents and to become a jewelry designer. Cleo is surprised to learn that when she's sent to London to prepare for her debut into society, Brodie, the hotel's stable boy, who's been her loyal childhood companion, is coming along to attend Oxford. Then she learns not only that her mother might have been an infamous Paris courtesan but that her father might have been Edward, the future king of England. Cleo's search for the truth takes her from Cairo to London, Paris, and the glamorous French Riviera. But WWII intervenes, and she fears not only that she will never learn her parents' identity but that she will lose Brodie. A sweeping, glamorous, romantic, poignant, adventure-filled novel about one young woman's search for her roots in a changing world and the value of pursuing one's goals while recognizing the importance of loyalty, friendship, and love. A fine choice for historical-fiction fans.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.