Lady Charlotte Terrington and Amos Darby grew up together making mischief in the English countryside. But an aristocrat and a tenant farmer aren't destined to be together at the turn of the 20th century, no matter how much love flows between the upstairs and downstairs of a Coventry estate. In a split-time storyline, Cambron (The Italian Ballerina) brings readers into the nightly bombings of World War II, where Charlotte and Amos are now running competing bookstores and still dealing with scars from their nation's previous war. Charlotte's daughter hires Land Girls in a last-ditch effort to save the family's estate, even as she wonders why the rivalry between her mother and Amos is so intense. When American lawyer Jacob Cole visits with a bombshell announcement, the characters must learn to forgive. VERDICT In this delightful historical romance, with nods to the movie You've Got Mail, readers will be put through the emotional spectrum, all the while rooting for the mismatched couple: now middle-aged and battle scarred, but not without hope for true love.—Christine Barth

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.)

Lady Charlotte Terrington and Amos Darby grew up together making mischief in the English countryside. But an aristocrat and a tenant farmer aren't destined to be together at the turn of the 20th century, no matter how much love flows between the upstairs and downstairs of a Coventry estate. In a split-time storyline, Cambron (The Italian Ballerina) brings readers into the nightly bombings of World War II, where Charlotte and Amos are now running competing bookstores and still dealing with scars from their nation's previous war. Charlotte's daughter hires Land Girls in a last-ditch effort to save the family's estate, even as she wonders why the rivalry between her mother and Amos is so intense. When American lawyer Jacob Cole visits with a bombshell announcement, the characters must learn to forgive. VERDICT In this delightful historical romance, with nods to the movie You've Got Mail, readers will be put through the emotional spectrum, all the while rooting for the mismatched couple: now middle-aged and battle scarred, but not without hope for true love.—Christine Barth