She has strong viewpoints and I admired how she always stuck to her principals especially when she discovers some shady and underhand things going on in Malta which is where she ventures to when her parents turn their back on her. FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF - The Tea Planter’s Wife, The Sapphire Widow, Daughters of War, and six others. It is clear they have had some adventures overseas in the War and are now exhausted, dirty and injured. Dinah Jefferies has been a favourite author of mine, since 2014 when her debut novel 'The Separation'.

She won’t speak to Florence about certain things but she reveals she is desperate to find her sister who disappeared from Paris many years ago. The air of innocence about her was completely gone and not having her sisters being so reliant on her to provide for the household through her garden meant that she has to change and focus her mind on other things.They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. I felt it sometimes slowed the book down, when I would have preferred a slightly faster pace at times.

To be honest, it did take me a bit of time to settle into the narrative but I did find the overall story rather interesting. I also think that the Maltese scenes suffered from the author being unable to visit during lockdown as I didn’t really get a sense of place which was very vivid in the previous book. Il palazzo segreto è una splendida dimora che unisce il lusso della nobiltà maltese al mistero dell’Oriente. This book is about the rebellious sister, Rosalie, who leaves her parents’ disapproving judgements and Paris behind her, determined to start again in Malta.

Many secrets and lies are exposed through the book and some are resolved but yet the way the book ended has provided plenty of substance and issues to deal with for the final instalment - Night Train to Marrakech. At the end of the first book Florence escaped from occupied France with Jack, including a gruelling walk through the Pyrenees. Tantalising teasers had been ever so briefly mentioned regarding Rosalie in book one and she was a character I desperately wanted to know more about.

Florence can’t look for her aunt yet, her only clue is a faded letter from Malta, and she vanished twenty years ago! The specific reasons for Florence having to leave her sisters and her beloved house in the Dordogne region I won’t go into here for those that may have not yet read book one. Furthermore, Bobby’s role in her life made her character evolve and I was always hoping she would find her happy ever after, particularly as it is clear that Rosalie lost contact with her family, Florence’s mother included.The Hidden Palace is the 2nd in the Daughters of War trilogy by Dinah Jefferies and was an excellent read. This book is mainly about Florence who escaped to England in 1942 leaving her two sisters in France. Definitely recommended if you enjoyed the first book, or if you like historical fiction with a dual timeline. Things for Rosalie are not all smooth sailing and romance, danger, secrets and tragedy all feature for her amidst the street of Valetta. A faded last letter from Rosalie is Florence's only clue, the war an immovable barrier - and time is running out.

Florence soon discovers that the destruction experienced by Malta means that tracing records relating to her aunt or the time she was in Malta is very difficult. I really enjoyed Daughters of War and I was intrigued to see what happened in this book and it did not disappoint. Beautifully written and wonderfully atmospheric, Dinah Jefferies skilfully captures this fragile moment of history in a complex and thrilling tale.Although this book is about how war impacted the island of Malta, the conflict did not heavily feature. The section of the book about Rosalie felt much faster-paced and I was interested in her journey and liked her straight away.