Another wonderful book by Dinah, she is one of my must read authors. A great page turner with depth and care, loved the different characters and the highs and lows of the story. Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I haven't read the first book in this series but there are sufficient references to previous events to understand the background to where the main characters are currently. This is a dual timeline novel, with both periods around the world wars, and the stories stretch from the UK to around Malta.
I haven't read any books by this author previously but I've been so impressed by this book that I've signed up to follow her. She expertly conveys the atmosphere of both areas and the effects of both wars. The saga revolves around family and fraught relationships, and feelings and emotions are realistic and absorbing.
I thought the plot was good, and I was completely engaged throughout, I've even bought the first in the series.

This was my first Dinah Jefferies read but not my last!
I have a love for War historical fiction and this did not disappoint. Rosalie, like many fled Paris and went to Malta to escape the war. A wonderful page turner that I didn't want to put down.

I love Dinah's novels, and this one was no exception.

The year is 1944, Florence and Jack have escaped from Nazi occupied France and after a terrible journey arrive at Jack’s home in Devon. Byt Florence's journey isn't over, she now has to travel to her estranged mother, Claudette’s home in Gloucestershire.

Given that Claudette has not seen Florence or her sisters for 7 years, she doesn't exactly get a warm welcome. Instead her Mother demands that Florence find her Aunt Rosalie who disappeared from Paris in 1925.

Letter's from Rosalie suggest that she is in Malta. But these were sent years ago, so may now not be relevant.

Will Florence be able to find Rosalie? And will her Mother approve if she does?

This is a great second book in the series. The story is told from dual perspectives over a dual timeline. It is a very well written book about the relationship between sisters

This was my first time reading a book from the author but I am delighted to say I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading more books from the writer in the future

Unfortunately I really did not connect with this book and despite numerous attempts, I have had to mark as dnf.

This is the second book in the series and after loving the first one, I was very excited to start reading.

This has dual timelines featuring Florence the youngest sister and Rosalie their aunt, who left to go to Malta in 1923.

Rosalie flees Paris for a dancers job in the bohemian clubs. Whilst there she stumbles upon a human trafficking ring. Rosalie lives in constant danger and fears she may never see her family again.

Florence has escaped France but is sad to be separated from her sisters Helene and Elise. Florence and Jack travel to Jack's cottage in Devonshire.

Florence has not seen her Mother Claudette for years but their reunion does not go down well and her mother asks her to find her missing sister Rosalie.

I was captivated by this family drama, the vivid descriptions made me feel like I was there.

I am looking forward to book 3 but will be sad when I have finished this amazing series!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange fir an honest review.

This was the second book in this trilogy. After the first one set in occupied France in 1944, in this one Florence heads to Malta to find out what happened to a long lost aunt.

This book was as equally engaging as the first book but in a very different way. In this book we have the twin timeline story of Florence in 1944 as well as her aunt’s story from 1925. I found this book very evocative and enjoyed the stories from both timelines, but especially Rosalie’s story. The author does a great job of building tension at times and totally engaging you on the story; at times you have a range of emotions coming to the fore as you are reading the story. I was totally hooked throughout.

I read this in a day, and personally cannot wait for the third book in this trilogy and I have found a new favourite author in Dinah Jefferies. I strongly recommend both books in this trilogy to those who enjoy high quality historical fiction and twin timeline stories.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Such a great book. I enjoyed reading this one.
Thanks to netgally for this book.

For me this is a 4 stars.

Another fantastic book from Dinah Jeffries - the first time she has written a series and it’s fabulous.

Liked without loving this. I had not read the first book in the series so I'm not sure if that impacted on my enjoyment or otherwise of this story. The Hidden Palace is set with two timeline, in 1925 and 1944.
It jumper around a bit between the timelines quite often and I just wasn't sure the flow of this worked in telling the stories of Rosalie and Florence. I think I preferred the earlier story of Rosalie in the 1920s in Malta than Florences world war set storyline. Enjoyable but didn't quite do it for me.

This is a good story which I thoroughly enjoyed but I felt that the two parts felt somewhat disconnected. Yes, they had a connection but it was not strong and I enjoyed the story set in Malta far more than the later one. In the end the two somewhat converge and I also realised that this was the second part of a trilogy, which makes more sense to the whole novel. I will now look out for the first book and highly recommend that potential readers find that first. It will also be great to have a more rounded and satisfactory ending by reading the final and third instalment.

‘The Hidden Palace’ by Dinah Jefferies, second in the ‘Daughters of War’ trilogy, wasn’t quite what I expected. I felt disconnected from the first book which means it’s perfectly possible to be read as a standalone novel.
Florence Baudin, one of the three Baudin sisters featured in ‘Daughters of War,’ first in the series, has fled France leaving her sisters behind. It is 1944 and she is in England at the isolated Devon cottage of Jack, the English SOE agent who led her through France and Spain to safety. Florence is finally reunited with her mother Claudette who had stayed in England for the war. As sharp and feisty as ever, Claudette doesn’t make her daughter feel welcome but has a surprising request. Will Florence find her younger sister Rosalie who ran away from the family home in Paris in 1925? Florence, desperate to be closer to her mother, agrees despite the absence of clues, despite it being wartime.
This is a dual timeline story. 1944 with Florence, and 1925 with Rosalie Delacroix who flees Paris and goes to Malta where she finds work as a dancer. Rosalie is a more dynamic character than Florence, she makes things happen. Rosalie swaps career from dancer to journalist, publishing editor to campaigner, not all of which felt natural for her character. This is a novel of two separate stories – of aunt and niece, two decades apart – linked by genes but not impacting on each other.
Basically this tells of the search for a missing person. From the book blurb I anticipated a story set during the WW2 siege of Malta but it was late coming; at 70% through the novel Rosalie was still in 1930s. When war does come, I wanted to know more about Malta at this time. It was such a dramatic period in history and is seldom written about in fiction. Rosalie’s work as a plotter in the underground control centre during the defence of Malta is good, but slim pickings. Jefferies contrasts well the beauty of Malta with a darker underlying menace, prostitution, trafficking of women. This is an island invaded and settled by foreigners over many centuries with the looming threat of another world war. The hidden palace of the book’s title is a mesmerising maze of a building, like something out of an exotic Mary Stewart suspense novel. Is it a sanctuary or a prison. It’s a mysterious setting I was hoping would be used as a sanctuary during the war or perhaps a secret military headquarters.
The theme of unity and divisions between sisters shows how misunderstandings, if not addressed, can become impenetrable division. The deepest of bad feelings are better aired and faced, than deeply buried. Running away does not leave the old trouble behind, but also causes new problems.
I like to be immersed in characters and prefer long sections so I become emotionally involved. This story jumps around a lot between timelines which can be disorientating. The use of a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter is meant to add tension to keep the reader reading, but there needs to be a worthy pay-off each time. When chunks of years were skipped in Rosalie’s story, I wanted to know what was missing. It was like looking at a family photo album with pages torn out.
So, a bit of a curate’s egg. It didn’t advance the story of the three Baudin sisters, as I was expecting. But Rosalie’s story in Malta kept my attention.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/

An incredible read! Thank you! I thoroughly enjoyed this and went back to read the prequel. I hope to find another sequel soon!

I hadn’t realised when I started this book that it was the second part of a trilogy but I had no problem reading it as a standalone novel. There are references to earlier events but very few of them were relevant to the storyline.

Two separate timelines in three different countries. France in the 1920s, Britain in the 1940s and Malta covering both periods. It was the Maltese storyline that captivated me, I have visited both Valletta and Mdina and could identify many of the places mentioned. But it wasn’t just being familiar with the location it was Rosalie’s story. Her excitement at doing what she loved, the people she met and her guilt and regret at the way she left her family and homeland.

Florence was similar in many ways. Living in Devon, separated from her sisters and a difficult relationship with her mother, Rosalie’s sister. It did take me slightly longer to get to know her, maybe because of the novel I hadn’t read. But as she settled into her new life in Devon and decided to try and find Rosalie I enjoyed her storyline more.

This was a novel that showed the hardship experienced by many towards the latter end of WW2. The fear of bombing was one I had read before, the fear of running out of food wasn’t. The excitement when the war was over but being able to see how difficult it still was after with regards to travel and rebuilding lives. The entertainment offered, some of it innocent, some a little more dubious. It all felt real.

This was the first book I had read by this author, I will definitely read more

This book is the second in a trilogy and I really enjoyed the first volume. Loved the setting of this one since I’ve spent many weeks in Malta - the descriptions of Malta, Mdina in particular, brought back lots of good memories. However, I found the pace of this novel slower and less engaging. Looking forward to the final volume nevertheless.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Master storyteller Dinah Jefferies dazzles her legion of readers with an epic tale of family secrets, forbidden passions and dangerous decisions: The Hidden Palace.

In 1925, Rosalie Delacroix had been left with no other choice but to flee Paris and leave her life behind. She finds sanctuary among the honey-coloured walls of the tiny Mediterranean island of Malta where she changes her name and finds a job working as dancer in a bohemian club deep within the island’s winding streets. Far from home and free to make a new life for herself in Malta, Rosalie thought that she could outrun her past and make a fresh start, however, she quickly realises that she can never quite escape the demons that continue to persecute her…

It’s 1944 and the world is still at war. Reeling from the battle scars of conflict, a weary Florence finds herself desperate to forget about the brutality of war. Faced with making a new life for herself, Florence is left reeling when her estranged mother makes a request that leaves her flabbergasted: to find her vanished sister who went missing years before. With only her mother’s last faded letter as her only clue and the war continuing to prove to be a major obstacle for Florence, will the two sisters ever be reunited? Can a line under the past be drawn once and for all? Or is time running out for this family, that has been torn apart by secrets, lies and deception?

A sumptuous, seductive and spellbinding historical tale from an exceptional writer, The Hidden Palace is a sweeping page-turner that will hold readers in thrall from beginning to end. Dinah Jefferies’ storytelling prowess ensures that readers will be completely and utterly enraptured by this dramatic, emotional and wholly mesmerizing tale that brings the Mediterranean to stunning and scorching life.

Beautifully written, meticulously researched and brilliantly evocative, The Hidden Palace is another winner by Dinah Jefferies.

As others have mentionned I didn’t find this book as compelling as the first and it’s definitely hard to read without having the backstory in mind.

The second in the Daughters of War trilogy follows the youngest sister Florence seeking sanctuary in Devon after fleeing occupied France. Reuniting with her mother she is requested to find her long lost aunt and journeys to a post war Malta. The scenes in Malta are written well but a lack of pace meant I was not as engaged with the story compared to the first novel. I would advise readers to read the first novel and I look forward to the final novel.