In the vein of Victoria Hislop and Julia Gregson, this engrossing and poignant debut conjures up a Cretan village peopled with vivid characters, a wealth of fascinating historical detail, and amazing stories A young British diplomat and his wife have been posted to Athens. Hugh loves the life there but his spirited and unconventional wife, Evadne, finds it hard to fit into the whirl of endless parties and socializing. When Hugh is sent to Crete to sort out a problem and they stay in a rundown house owned by his family, his wife falls in love with the place and the people, and stays on when Hugh returns to his duties. As she tries to rebuild the ramshackle home, Evadne—known as Heavenly by the locals—makes firm friends with Anthi, a young woman from the village, and Christo, the handsome and charismatic young builder. But the dark clouds of war are gathering and the island will become a crucible of violence and bloodshed in the days to come. For Heavenly and her friends and family, it will be the greatest test they have ever known. Warm, atmospheric descriptions of Crete combine with a shocking story of heroic resistance and cruel betrayal that has been little covered in novels of WWII.