A sweeping, epic, tragic love story set against the gathering storm clouds of WW2 in the gorgeous South of France.



Provence, 1938.





Seventeen-year-old Yvette Barbarin lives on a small rural farm in the lavender-soaked hills above the great port-city of Marseille with her widowed father and her five younger sisters.





When she learns that her father is planning to marry her off to a local farmer, she runs away to escape her fate.





In Marseille, Yvette is bowled over by the magic of cinema, and falls in love with an actor, and experiences the joys and heartache of young love.



But the war clouds are gathering on the horizon, and Yvette's golden Provençal summers cannot last. As she is drawn further into the Résistance movement, helping her own neighbours in the face of great evil, she is pulled further from safety - and the love of her life.





A sweeping historical novel of love, loss, and moving on, set in the gorgeous port city of Marseille, by beloved author Carol Drinkwater.



Readers love Carol Drinkwater's historical fiction:





'I was near to tears more than once and it was a hard book to put down - always a sign of an exceptional novel.' Reader review, 5 stars





'An emotive and captivating tale . . . captured me from the start.' Reader review, 5 stars





'A truly moving story of heartache and love in France.' Reader review, 5 stars





'Terrific read and page-turner. A novel of hope against the odds and a love letter to La Belle France.' Reader review, 5 stars





'Brilliant book both Intriguing, interesting and unexpected.' Reader review, 5 stars



Carol Drinkwater is a multi-award-winning actress and writer, best known for her portrayal of Helen Herriot in the classic BBC television series All Creatures Great and Small. She is the author of twenty-five books, both fiction and non-fiction and including the bestselling Olive Farm memoir series set in the south of France. Her latest TV work is a six-part travel/lifestyle programme commissioned by UK's Channel 5, Carol Drinkwater's Secret Provence. Carol lives with her husband in France.