The USA Today bestselling author of The Gown returns with another
enthralling and royal-adjacent historical novel--as the lives of three
very different residents of London's historic Blue Lion hotel converge
in a potentially explosive climax on the day of Queen Elizabeth's
Coronation.
It is Coronation Year, 1953, and a new queen is about to be crowned. The
people of London are in a mood to celebrate, none more so than the
residents of the Blue Lion hotel.
Edie Howard, owner and operator of the floundering Blue Lion, has found
the miracle she needs: on Coronation Day, Queen Elizabeth in her gold
coach will pass by the hotel's front door, allowing Edie to charge a
fortune for rooms and, barring disaster, save her beloved home from
financial ruin. Edie's luck might just be turning, all thanks to a young
queen about her own age.
Stella Donati, a young Italian photographer and Holocaust survivor, has
come to live at the Blue Lion while she takes up a coveted position at
Picture Weekly magazine. London in celebration mode feels like a
different world to her. As she learns the ins and outs of her new
profession, Stella discovers a purpose and direction that honor her past
and bring hope for her future.
James Geddes, a war hero and gifted artist, has struggled to make his
mark in a world that disdains his Indian ancestry. At the Blue Lion,
though, he is made to feel welcome and worthy. Yet even as his
friendship with Edie deepens, he begins to suspect that something is
badly amiss at his new home.
When anonymous threats focused on Coronation Day, the Blue Lion, and
even the queen herself disrupt their mood of happy optimism, Edie and
her friends must race to uncover the truth, save their home, and expose
those who seek to erase the joy and promise of Coronation Year.
