What a beautiful book. Written by Beatriz Williams. Her prose is wonderfully descriptive and her imagery is realistic.

This is the historical fiction story of the war years of World War II as a backdrop. We do not come directly in contact with the war or the Holocaust in this novel, but they are there in the background. Mentioned in passing and referred to but not directly confronted in this story.

This is a novel as seen through the eyes of Lenora "Lulu" Randolph, who later becomes Mrs. Thorpe, when she marries Benedict Thorpe. It is also the story of another Mrs. Thorpe, the former Elfriede von Kleist, who 40 years earlier marries another ginger haired man named Wilfred Thorpe. Alternating between the lives of these two women we hear the stories of history that surrounds their relationships with these men.



Hinting a mystery as the book opens, Lulu Randolph is escaping her past by living in the Bahamas during the war. She has gotten herself a contract with a New York newspaper to write a society column about the Governor of the Bahamas and his wife, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Her news position as a reporter acknowledges the American obsession with England and their royalty, even those who have been sent to the outpost of Nassau in disgrace. The Duchess, Wallis Simpson, wants to present a positive image to the press and engages our Lulu to write the society news column. Mixing fiction with fact, we learn about the real life at the Government House in Nassau and about the Duke's relationship with people like, Harry Oakes and his son-in-law, Alfred de Marigny. A mystery that has never been solved is presented, Oakes is murdered in his bed.

Also the Burma Road riots are presented in the book to show the issues of race that were happening at this point in history.



At one point Wallis Simpson, the divorcee who became the Duke of Windsor's wife, who took away his chance being the King of England, talks to Lulu about marriage, comparing it to skiing, saying, "Have you ever been skiing?..It's exciting really. You stare down that slope and you think what a thrilling ride it's going to be. In your head, you may map out exactly where you're going to turn, how fast, how damn magnificent you are going to look as you swish your way downward. Then glorious finish to start all over again.....That's the general idea. Or nobody would try. So you push off, all dressed up in your fine new skiing clothes, and at first it all goes exactly how you expect, just exhilarating fun, everybody admiring how your've mastered the hill. Until you find a patch of ice, maybe, or the slope turns steep, or you take a wrong turn, and all at once you've lost control. ...The slope becomes your master instead of the other way around. You see the end approaching and there's nothing you can do to avoid it anymore. You've started the whole thing in motion, and you've got to see it through, no matter how bad the crash at the bottom."



Going back further is the story of Elfriede, who meets her ginger hair prince charming in Switzerland, in a hospital, while they are recovering from illnesses. He from pneumonia and Elfriede from what is now known as postpartum depression. She goes back to her husband and young son and we learn about her life leading up to the present as the plot unfolds. Building suspense, Williams develops both story lines bringing them closer in proximity as we come to the end.

In the end this is a story of two strong but flawed women, who find the strength to help the men they love in a war torn world.

This was a fascinating book that alternates between World War I and World War II. It has two strong female characters, Elfriede a German woman in World War I, and Lulu an American journalist in the Bahamas during World War II. Both of these women were interesting characters and I enjoyed reading about them. Elfriede drew me into the story with her determination to overcome whatever life threw at her, and it was a lot. Lulu's story gave me a perspective on the Bahamas, especially during the war that I had not considered before. I was wondering how the stories would tie together and I loved the ending.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Harper Collins Publishers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

There are two plot and story lines with two fascinating heroines, Elfriede and Lulu, both of whom must overcome numerous obstacles to find true love. Add in WWI and WWII intrigue and espionage that includes the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and the governorship of the Bahamas, and you have a historical novel that is hard to resist.

I loved the idea of this book... the characters and setting all intrigued me. Wallace Simpson and her “king” in the Bahamas... I was so excited to read this book. I was drawn in immediately and I thought the author did a great job making the characters either likable or dislikable. I like the parallel stories as well. I really did like the book.... until the spying/traitor bit. It was explained very poorly. I felt like I hardly knew what was going on all of the sudden. Maybe this was something I should already know? As I said... I like the book very much until the confusing part. Then I was so disappointed that nothing was explained, it just left me wanting more. I’m grateful to have received an advance copy of this book and wish I could leave a better review.

I really enjoyed this book- the first I have read by Beatriz Williams. This historical fiction story vacillates between Elfriede 1900-1916 and LuLu in 1941-1943. As you read the novel, you begin to figure out why these two stories are being told together. I found the female main characters in the book to be inherently likable. The men who they love are charming. Good men. Williams also weaves in the Duke and Duchess of Windsor- Wallis Simpson as the American who stole a King’s heart. I hadn’t realized she and her husband spent time as Governor & First Lady of the Bahamas. Williams manages to find a way for her fictional Lulu to become connected to Wallis. I find them interesting, so I really enjoyed this part of weaving history into the plot. Mostly, I just really enjoyed the book. Some mystery, some action, and lots of love. Yes you should read it!

Although I am a fan of books by Beatriz Williams, I found this one a little slow to start and a tad long. It took me a while to finish it because the beginning just didn't keep my interest. The second part of the book picked up a little, but all in all it was just ok.

With The Golden Hour: A Novel, New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Wil- liams delivers a World War II era tale of espionage inside the Bahamas court of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The plot is irresistible.

I reviewed this for the summer web version only edition of Mystery Scene Magazine it is not available for public display. You can see my full review there soon.

I always, always enjoy Williams's books. This one was interesting in its inclusion of real characters on the periphery of one of the main storylines - the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. I definitely learned something there. Both Lulu and Elfriede are wonderful characters, both very strong in different ways, and they are what really drive the story - with a touch of history, romance, and suspense, of course. While the plot did seem slow at times, it definitely picked up at the end, and my overall feeling is that this was another winner for Williams.

I was feeling quite ambivalent about this book until the twist at the end (which I will not reveal). Normally I fly through Williams' books but I felt like this one was more of a chore. I did like reading about the former King and his wife. I never really latched on to the characters as I did in her other works.

Five stars! This is by far my favorite novel that Beatriz Williams has written to date. She pens another delicious story weaving real life characters and events with her own spin. Lulu a young, beautiful would-be writer, flies from New York to Nassau, Bahamas determined to get the ultimate story and to prove that she is a true reporter. Her main objective is to write about their new governor, the Duke of Windsor. Lulu quickly infiltrates the wealthy sector with a little help. She is entranced by the rich and opulent lifestyle, the power of the elite and the people of Nassau. She falls for a man who is most certainly keeping secrets. Incredibly, she befriends the illustrious and notorious Duchess of Windsor.

There is murder and mystery, romance and spies, racial tension and the heat that only Nassau, Bahamas can provide. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and I had to read more about the actual events when I finished.

I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams takes place in Nassau during WWII. A young reporter moves to the Bahamas in order to report on the rich and famous who have taken up residence there. In particular, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. While Leonora (Lulu) writes about the glittering life of the citizens of Nassau, she also becomes aware of the rumors of treasonous behavior, fraudulent financial dealings, an ugly undercurrent of racial tensions and even murder. Amid all of this, Lulu falls in love with a charming and somewhat mysterious Englishman. When he suddenly and inexplicably disappears, Lulu searches for him and uncovers a family history that is a fascinating, tragic, and mesmerizing love story.

The Golden Hour is a compelling book. The story is well-researched and it is beautifully presented. The characters, both real and fictional, are interesting, varied and well-drawn. The descriptions of the Bahamas are simply stellar.

Since the book has two storylines, it’s important for the reader to note each chapter and when and where it takes place. Once that becomes a habit, the story flows back and forth between two periods of time, with two strong and vibrant women. I thoroughly enjoyed Ms Williams’ latest book and will be on the lookout for more by this author.

Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

I have adored The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams. With dual timelines between Elfriede and her love Wilfred, whom she meet in 1920’s Germany and Lulu and Benedict in the Windsor society of 1940’s Bahamas. I love the plots and characters and found myself varying between savoring the Williams’ beautiful words and writing vs needing to know what happens to these tenacious and “modern” women. I highly recommend this book. I received an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own.

In wartime Nassau, the Duke of Windsor—and the Bahamas’ governor—reigns over the colony’s louche expats, millionaires, and spies along with his infamous duchess. When Lulu, a newly-widowed reporter, is sent to cover the glittery couple she’s drawn to their friend and confidante the mysterious Benedict Thorpe. An addictive blend of historical drama, romance, and thriller.

The perfect blend of fact and fiction sprinkled with intrigue, espionage and royalty make Beatriz Williams the ‘Queen of Historical Fiction.’ Her latest novel, ‘The Golden Hour,’ drips with all the aforementioned qualities plus sensational characters, real and imagined. We, the innocent bystander, aka reader, are paralyzed into flipping pages until we discover the truth, or what’s left of it, or what’s masquerading as the truth.
Two women, so different on the outside, but so deeply intense on the inside, tell their tales in alternating timelines. Lulu in 1941, and Elfriede, a generation before in 1904. I’m intentionally introducing them by their first names only, so you can discover everything about them by the surnames they collect and add and/or subtract to their names. These women are related in some way, not by blood, but by a long family saga Lulu will eventually uncover. Stay alert my friends.
Part of their lives involve politics, war, betrayal and even a murder, none of which either woman sought or was intimately entangled with. The events happened around them and would have happened without them, in most cases.
Lulu came to the Bahamas as a journalist for an American magazine, all of 25 years old, to primarily report on the goings on of the extremely popular Duke and Duchess of Windsor, recently “banished” to the islands, still a British colony, to serve as its Governor, after he abdicated the throne as King of England. It was still a Royal post, but they were ‘out of the public eye,’ as such. Meaning, of course, they weren’t in London or England, for that matter. The Royal Family could breathe a little easier. Lulu soon discovered information about the Bahamas and the Royal couple that was far from an island paradise.
Forty years early Elfriede is living in Switzerland, in a former mountain top monastery turned sanatorium, recovering from what we know is post-partum depression. During the early 1900’s however, her doctors had no idea this ailment existed, so Elfriede was there for two years when we meet her. There she meets a ginger-haired Englishman recovering from pneumonia and from the moment they first speak they know, somehow, they will remain in each other’s lives as the decades move on.
The remarkable story of the lives of these two women, their families, and the countless people they helped or reported on during WWII is something you must read. Just the dealings going on in the Bahamas during the war was all new to me. I knew the Duke and Duchess were thought to be Nazi sympathizers, but other realities, such as the murder of Harry Oakes, gold mine owner, actually took place. To this day they have not proved who the murderer was. The racial tension, corrupt politics and financial swindles that took place on the island during the war can fill many books.
I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins, and Beatriz Williams

I apologize that this review is past the publication date; it could not be prevented. Thanks.

Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite writers of historical fiction, and this was another good one. Like most of her books, this takes place in two different time periods. The first is set during the Bahamas during WWII as female journalist Lulu writes a magazine column about the Windsors - that is, the former King Edward of England who stepped down to marry divorced American Wallis Simpson (if you watch "The Crown," you'll know who they are). The other starts in the early 1900s in Germany where a woman named Elfreide is in a sanatorium for mental health issues. Both of course also involve romance, and eventually you find out how the two stories are related. I enjoyed the WWII story more, but both were good.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5

The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams is one of those books that takes a long time to read, but one that you want to savor forever.

What it's about: I recommend reading the synopsis because it is too hard for me to explain this book in just a few sentences!

The Golden Hour took me ages to read (almost 7.5 hours) and is the type of book that you definitely want to take your time with. So if you are looking for a quick read, this isn't it. But if you are looking for a book that you can really sink your teeth into and take your time with - this is the book for you! It's also a bit of a beast at 462 pages.

This was my first time reading a book by Beatriz and I can definitely tell why people love her writing. It is very eloquent and detailed, and it really helps you picture what you are reading. The book mostly switches between Lulu in the early to mid-1940s and a woman named Elfriede in the early 1900s. In both time periods I really got a sense for the landscape and what these women were seeing and going through.

I will admit that The Golden Hour wasn't exactly what I was looking for at this time, so that may have influenced my rating a bit. I am just coming off a bunch of very speedy reads and wasn't entirely in the mood for a long book. However, I didn't want that to take away from my whole experience which is why it's still getting a 4 from me. It really is a beautiful, heartbreaking story even if I wasn't really able to connect to any of the characters.

Song/s the book brought to mind: We Shall Be Free by Garth Brooks

Final Thought: The Golden Hour was giving me pretty major The Clockmaker's Daughter vibes, just with fewer characters, and that is something I loved. I also loved how Beatriz tied everything up at the end. There were many points in this book where it brought tears to my eyes so be warned this is a very emotional tale, but it was also so funny and surprising. I am definitely looking forward to reading more from this author and will recommend this to lovers of historical fiction!

I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

It’s not going to make sense based on the book’s summary, but this read a LOT like the film versions of The English Patient and Casablanca for me. This is not a spy story or a war story, and it is definitely not a true crime story. It is a love story (well, two, actually) while all of those other things are swirling around in the middle distance.
The majority of the book has two(ish) storylines. The bulk of the book takes alternates between the 1940’s Bahamas under the Governorship of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor—the post-abdication Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. There is much, much less spying than the book summary would lead you to believe. In fact, it is only obliquely referenced in about six sentences throughout the whole book. The main story is Lulu meeting and falling in love with botanist (and spy, heavily hinted at early on) Benedict Thorpe (aka Thorpe).
This story is interwoven with the story of Thorpe’s mother, Elfriede. When we first meet her in 1900 she is in Switzerland being treated for a postnatal depression suicide attempt. We follow her own story of falling in love up through WWI.
Overall it was a beautiful book and was pleasant to read, but it was nothing like the book summary. It is much more about love and the things that come between people, with almost no spying or true crime. The action picks up towards the last 20% of the book, but even then most significant moments take place off screen.

Beatriz Williams definitely knows how to take you back, to put you in a certain time and make you feel as if you are experiencing it along with the characters. The Golden Hour does just that, taking you to early 20th century Germany, 1940's Bahamas and Scotland, even Florida and Switzerland.

There were chapters that were simply fantastically written and I was eager to know how the story would conclude, how the storylines would all be connected. True to form, Williams lets you in on the secrets only when she is ready to reveal them. The end of this novel was not a disappointment. It tied everything up beautifully, even shocking you some. There is definitely one part I did not see coming at all.

For fans of Williams, you may recognize a character from the Schuyler sisters novels, Johann. I love when a book branches off like this, creating another, whole new storyline. And the location descriptions were fantastic.

I received an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own

I must say that I had no idea what happened to the former King Edward when he abdicated from the throne to marry divorcee Wallis Simpson. Turns out the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were sent to the Bahamas for Edward to serve as Governor with grand hopes of something bigger in their future. This book is a fascinating look at that time in history and I enjoyed this insider’s peek into this world.

A main character of the book, Lulu, heads to the Bahamas in the early 1940s in the hopes of gaining traction with the royal couple to share gossip with her US magazine readers. She finds a world full of intrigue, WWII spies, a botched murder investigation, and strained race relations on the island. Of course, there is some romance in the book as she crosses paths with the mysterious Benedict Thorpe. I found their island love story very romantic!

There’s another storyline in the book from the early 1900s with Elfriede, a German Baroness who suffers from post-partum depression. I enjoyed her story as well and I was curious how the two storylines would intersect. I thought the author did a masterful job and I had my “aha” moment when I figured it out, but I enjoyed the way it all played out.

This was an enjoyable historical fiction read and I am constantly amazed at how many WWII angles there are, and authors find something new to explore. This made a great airplane read for me!