For me this book started a little slowly, but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. Mysterious characters with more to them than they show (looking at you Auntie Phillipa), a missing locket and some heart wrench diary entries all combine to make this story into one that you will really enjoy - just clear your calendar and make sure you have time to read it!

When Irene meets Theodore at a dance in 1942, they are smitten with each other. Theodore is working with the US Air Force, building an airbase across from her father’s farm. But the odds are against them; Theodore is black and the little village doesn’t approve of their relationship. Decades later, Ruby is at the farm grieving her grandmother Irene. While there, Ruby discovers her grandmother’s old diaries and reads that her grandmother treasured a locket from a man named Theodore. But where is the locket? Is someone in the village hiding it purposely?

When I saw this story compared to The Nightingale (which is one of my all time favorites), I knew I had to check it out! And I’m glad I did, because it immediately swept me away into the the story of these two young people. Irene and Theodore’s pure love was doomed from its beginning due to the judgement of those around them. My heart hurt for the, and I was drawn to their story. Told in dual timelines, it was intriguing to learn Irene and Theodore’s story while Ruby discovered her grandmother’s past. This was such a beautiful historical tale of loss and love in the face of adversity. Historical fiction lovers will enjoy this one.

“The Locket” releases September 25, 2023. Thank you to Bookouture for the ARC! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)

“By the age of nineteen, Miss Irene Boulter had learned to keep secrets.”

Let Natalie Meg Evans sweep you away in a compelling story featuring two young people who are driven apart by prejudice, living in a time and place where they couldn’t make their own choices about who and how to love.

Set in Suffolk, 1943 during the ‘friendly invasion,’ Evans tells of the disruption the arrival of the U.S. allies had on Flixfield. This town was chosen as the base for the USAAF, the United States Army Air Forces and the town in the East Anglian countryside had little say in their land being torn up for an airfield and army buildings. As the two cultures of young American servicemen and the local English rural population mixed, conflicts arose in a quaint little town that was completely unprepared for it.

Evans will keep you spellbound with a story centered around a lost locket and a couple who were fighting to keep their love alive while Jim Crow Laws were keeping them apart.

Can unlocking her grandmother’s locket help Ruby unlock her hopes and dreams?

Few authors can immerse me in an era like Evans can - and I love it! I saw myself on the farm, at the barracks, heard the noise of the heavy bombers and felt the unease of the characters as they navigated the social constraints. I learned about light-skirts, the living conditions on the base for all races and Jim Crow Laws. I was reminded of the power of a secret and the cost of maintaining a lie, what it was like to be born in an age of discrimination, and what it must have been like to be of age and yet not in control of who you love and what happens to your body. I can only imagine Irene’s desperation. The tears fell as I read of the irony of leaving her soul in the city of romance.

Calling all historical fiction lovers and those who love a good love story against all odds - this is one you’ll want on your night table!

This is one of the best books I've read all summer. I loved the elements of mystery, history, secrets and forbidden love.

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I love WWII historical fiction and there is no shortage of it out there, which means that a book has to be truly special to impress me. Unfortunately this was just average - the premise was interesting (I like a good "what may have been" and examining missed opportunities and how lives may have turned out had different choices been made) but the writing, character development, dialogue, etc. was just average.

A gripping story of forbidden love between a British woman and an African American soldier. What happened to them is a life of missed opportunities, lies and tragedy. An sad book but one who likes historical fiction will enjoy.