Thanks to Bookouture Books for my gifted ebook in exchange for my review on the tour.
AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
France, 1944. In an opulent hotel room above the streets of Paris, a mother sobs and clutches her twin daughters tight. A German officer says, ‘Give me the emerald, and I will only take one of your children. The choice is yours.’
AN UNBREAKABLE PROMISE
Five-year-old Nina weeps for her sister. But a warm, familiar hand strokes her golden hair. ‘The jewel, the Emerald Lake, it brings people together. You will find her.’
THREE GENERATIONS OF SECRETS
South of France, present day. Fleur arrives at a beautiful villa by the sparkling Mediterranean, devastated at the loss of her grandmother Nina. She has no other family. Why did Nina never tell her she owned this place? Then, tucked away in the villa, she finds a faded missing poster showing a little girl, blonde hair tied with red ribbons, holding a message: Do you know my twin sister?
The accompanying newspaper clippings about jewellery auctions throughout the years tell Fleur that answers lie in the replica emerald ring that Nina wore every day, now adorning her own finger.
Local gem expert Nicolas is the only one who can help find the truth. But as they uncover a heartbreaking story of a family torn apart by war, the pair face danger from an unexpected place. And Fleur must ask if her grandmother kept her secrets for a reason…
An absolutely devastating, epic and unforgettable read that will sweep you through the generations and whisk you away to the cobbled streets of Paris and the turquoise waters of the South of France. Anyone who loves Rhys Bowen, Fiona Valpy or Lucinda Riley will be utterly captivated.
My Review
The Emerald Twins is a historical fiction novel. It’s set during the Second World War and the present day. It’s most definitely a heartbreaking but at the same time uplifting book.
We are introduced to Fleur, a young woman whose grandmother, Nina,has passed away. She is distraught because Nina was her mother figure due to her mum passing away after she was born. Fleur is engaged with everything set in stone, well, until Fleur discovers she now owns a cottage in France. She goes there, and she stumbles on a box of memories. It is much more than that…as she finds out.
Alongside this, the reader is transported back to the time of the second world war. We learn of twins who are split up in France by the Nazi’s. What follows is a heartbreaking story through the years.
I easily become invested when I’m reading a book. The Emerald Twins had me invested much more than usual. I had those pages turning so fast that I thought my Kindle would need replacing! Rich in heartbreaking historical detail and vivid characters, this was my favourite historical fiction read of the year.
The sadness I felt when reading about the Nazi regime and their Lebensborn programme. The kidnapping of children, raping of the women. I felt the rage of injustice with every word I read! Helen Fripp is one of my top go-to historical fiction authors. This book just further proved why!
Buy Link
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0F2WS6SWNsocial
Author Bio
Helen Fripp is fascinated by history and by women who have made their mark against all the odds. To her, the past really is another country, where the architecture, art and customs of the time are sumptuously and lyrically evoked and where her female characters rail against the social constraints to which they are subject. Epic in scope, but human in scale, the motivations, flaws, loves and everyday lives of her characters are what Helen loves to imagine and create, against sweeping historical backdrops.
Helen lives in Bath, but will find any excuse to take off and research a captivating location or person for her next story. She has worked in Paris and spent a year with her family in a fishing village in South West France.
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