The British booksellers A novel of the Forgotten Blitz

Christy Award--winner Cambron's latest is set during the years prior to and during WWI and WWII. In Coventry, England, farmer's son Amos Darby develops a close friendship with the girl in the manor house, Lady Charlotte Tarrington, whom he calls Charlie, and from whom he wishes for more. They are both booklovers, and Amos dreams of running a bookshop. Charlotte is a talented cellist, but her parents don't approve. Forward to 1940. Charlotte married Earl William Holt, as her parents wanted her to, but she is now widowed--he died in WWI--with a grown daughter, Eden, and they are trying to save Holt Manor. She and Amos, who bears physical and emotional scars of the earlier war, own rival bookstores and don't speak much. Now the Nazis have started bombing England, and Coventry won't be spared. Meanwhile, American lawyer Jacob Cole shows up with information about a mysterious shared inheritance, and Eden is intrigued by Jacob and his mission. Cambron presents a psychologically rich and historically vivid inspirational story of courage, sacrifice, and people coming together to preserve their community.

In this memorable blend of romance and WWII history, Cambron (The Paris Dressmaker) chronicles the devastation of the Coventry blitz and its impact on two budding couples. Widowed Lady Charlotte Terrington-Holt and Amos Darby own rival bookshops in 1940 Coventry, England, but put their competing interests aside to offer tea to residents recovering from nights spent in air raid shelters. As they work together, Amos's feelings for Charlotte reignite: he had once hoped to marry her, but then the Earl of Harcourt swept in. Meanwhile, the arrival of Detroit lawyer Jacob Cole adds to the chaos. He's in England to prevent Charlotte's grown daughter, Eden, from claiming a mysterious inheritance left to her in his father's will--but he finds himself taken with the young lady and soon joins the efforts to keep the Holt estate operating while the farm hands are off at war. Both couples hope for futures together--if they can survive the bombing. Cambron brings a great deal of authenticity to her rendering of Coventry's "Forgotten Blitz" (which took place almost 100 miles from London), as the tumult and trauma of wartime make class disparity and past misunderstandings wash away, leaving only authentic emotion. Readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough. Agent: Rachelle Gardner, Rachelle Gardner Literary. (Apr.)