Book description
Two lovers. Two very different lives.
One future together that will change history.
When debutante Wallis Simpson is growing up, she devotes her teenage
daydreams to one man, the future King of England, Prince Edward. But
it's Pamela Holtby, Wallis's aristocratic best friend, who mixes within
the palace circle.
Wallis's first marriage to a dashing young naval pilot is not what she
dreamt of; he turns out to be a dominating bully of a man, who punishes
her relentlessly. But her fated marriage does open a suprising door, to
the world of Navy couriers - where navy wives are being used to
transport messages around the world. This interesting turn of fate takes
Wallis from the exuberant social scene in Washington to a China that is
just emerging from civil war.
Edward in the meantime is busy fulfilling his royal duties - and some
extra-curricular ones involving married women. Until the day, just
before he ascends the throne as Edward VIII, he is introduced to a very
special married woman, Wallis Simpson.
Was Wallis Simpson really the monster the royal family perported her to
be? Or was she an extraordinary woman who led an unimaginable life?
A dramatic novel, that crosses continents and provides a unique insight
into one of history's most charismatic and multi-faceted women. 'An
impressive, epic debut' Daily Mirror
'An immensely satisfying, sweeping saga …it is one of those engrossing
tales that never seems to let up on incident as we belt through four
decades full of fascinating detail, skilfully written. A book to curl up
with and lose yourself in' Sarah Broadhurst
'Fans of Barbara Taylor Bradford will devour this epic as I did' The Sun
'Dean beautifully captures the mood and color of the era-her
descriptive passages are marvelous and complement the layered intrigue,
romance and deception.' Publishers Weekly
'If you like Philippa Gregory, you will love this book!' Nora Roberts
Rebecca Dean is a pen-name of best-selling novelist Margaret Pemberton.
Married and with five adult children she is a former chairwoman of the
Romantic Novelists' Association and lives in Whitstable Kent. THE SHADOW
QUEEN is her thirty-seventh novel and was born out of her fascination
with the multi-layered character of Edward VIII.
