4.5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Another #20backlistin2020 books, I am so glad I finally got to read this novel that has been waiting patiently for me to catch up.

This was another fabulous story, following two timelines, we follow Skye, Liberty, and Nicholas during childhood, then skipping to WWII where Skye is fighting for the right as a woman to fly planes and has a chance reincounter with Nicholas who she'd lost contact with for years, breaking her heart. I really enjoyed this storyline, what the women were subjected to in flying for the Air Transport Auxilary was just incredible, that they managed to do their job despite the extreme conditions they flew in, is beyond imagining.

I really loved Nicholas and Skye's reunion and the deep connection they had between them even though there were barriers to them being together. Secrets abound due to wartime events and all the characters will face unbelievable odds to survive, many won't, and many of the things these brave men and women did for the cause have been forgotten or ignored, especially the women's role in the war.

In the present timeline, we meet Kat, a fashion conservator who discovers her grandmother not only owns a house in Cornwall but its wardrobes are full of priceless Dior gowns. This is the start of uncovering big secrets that have been kept hidden for 50+ years. When she is contacted by Elliot, a historical biographer, the mystery deepens and the past will be exposed.

As the story unfolded and Skye's story is told and Kat and Elliot uncover the past, I was kept guessing who had survived the war and who Kat's grandmother actually was. A wonderful novel, that kept me listening and reading until the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette for a digital copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

This story is told in three different timelines. In 1939 we meet Skye Penrose, who is a pilot and joins the British war effort. In 1947 when Christian Dior unveils his ver first collection. Finally present day in Australia where Kat Jordan, fashion conservator, discovers a secret wardrobe in her grandmothers cottage full of vintage Dior gowns.

What is it that will tie all these stories together?

I went to an author talk last year where Natasha was speaking about the research that went int this book. After reading you can certainly appreciate the effort and attention to detail.

Natasha Lester is a master at telling these interconnected tales and I devour every single one of them!

The Paris Secret is haunting, captivating and will leave your emotions raw. Lester has woven an intricate tale of love, betrayal, secrets and war in a story that spans decades, and generations. For fans of Lester and those who have read The French Photographer there is a cameo that brought a smile to my face.
Lester has brought together some very different elements that had me intrigued from the outset as I eagerly awaited the strands linking an extensive priceless collection of Christian Dior gowns with groundbreaking female pilots in the second world war. The Paris Secret is a fictional tale that takes it’s inspiration from real people and real events; these are the tales I find fascinating because it’s left to the imagination what may actually have happened.
Skye and Liberty Penrose were raised by their mother on a hilltop by the sea, theirs was an interesting childhood and the two girls couldn’t have been more different. Skye loved the freedom, the proximity to the beach and her unique mother. I have to say that I drew the wrong conclusions about Vanessa Penrose from early descriptions but I think the effect on the children and the opinions of the townsfolk is about the same.
One day Skye meets a newcomer to town, a young American boy who has moved to the English coast with his widowed mother to live with his aunt. Nicholas Crawford is new and different, and not a local which means the Penrose reputation hasn’t made him keep his distance. The two become firm friends and spend the following years almost inseparable.
Skye is fearless and adventurous, and has been learning to fly planes at the capable hands of her mother since long before she probably should have. Flying is something that connects her with her mother and a passion that they share. It makes her more than capable of helping in the war effort and what she, and other female pilots, had to go through was maddening.
The relationship between Skye and Liberty is complex, until Nicholas came along they really only had each other and Liberty can be quite clingy. Liberty was a complex character that I found very difficult to like. Even when her motivations were understandable her behaviour was deplorable.
I could go on all day talking about the large and colourful cast of The Paris Secret, all who had their secrets; all who were intriguing and complex.
The present day story arc features fashion conservator Kat Jourdan, raised by her grandmother and passionate about all things fashion. The discovery of an extensive collection of Dior gowns in a Cornish cottage, which she has only just learned exists, is enough to set her conservator’s heart afire and raise a million questions about their origin and her grandmother.
So follows a captivating tale of wartime, the plight of trailblazing female pilots, spies, romance, family, friendship and fashion.
Lester has done extensive and meticulous research to bring us a fictional tale that feels authentic and her Author’s Note gives us a lot of information about where she took her inspiration from.
The intriguing tale of the Dior dresses is drawn out slowly and many of the dresses are given their slice of the spotlight as they are taken out and worn by Kat, described in exquisite detail by Lester so they really stand out on the page.
The women of The Paris Secrets are brave and bold but far from fearless on the inside. They all saw, felt and suffered way too much and Lester has brought them beautifully to life.
Elliott Beaufort is a biographer looking for links to a survivor of the war, he is writing a biography and he comes across Kat in his search. The pieces of information he has create more questions for Kat as she is set on a course of discovery about the grandmother she adores, whom she is beginning to wonder how well she knows. He is a character that was easy to like, he made some mistakes in the way he approached things but his heart was pure.
And then there’s the ending…. pure perfection. I have no other words.
The Paris Secret is well worth picking up for it’s wartime insight, exquisite fashion and captivating characters not to mention the vivid scenery captured so beautifully on the page by Natasha Lester, an author whose work gets better with every book. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

I have read a few of Natasha Lester's books and they all have a similar style that takes you on an emotional roller-coaster during different eras but this may just be her best yet proven by the fact that I couldn't get anything else done until I had finished reading it.
The Paris Secret follows the story of Skye from a childhood spent in Cornwall to teenage years in Paris all the way through to WWII as she works as one of the first female pilots flying planes to help with the war effort in England. Caught up in her story is an incomparable love between her and her childhood friend Nicholas and the battle she constantly has to have to fly planes as a women. As well as constant problems she has with her younger sister Liberty.
The other half of the story is set in 2012 where an Australian woman named Kat is discovering that her much loved Grandma that raised her might be hiding many secrets when she finds dozens of Dior gowns hidden in a wardrobe in her cottage in Cornwall. Combine that with an author trying to research three women who were spies during WWII and the reader is left with so many questions.
The story slowly unravels and answers all your questions whilst having you in tears at the things these poor women endured to survive. The historic side of this story is very well researched and so much that happens in the book is based on documented fact and gave me another side to the war that I never knew about.
Reading this book really left me emotionally shook even hrs after finishing it when I think back on it and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys some historical fiction.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Hachette Australia for providing me with an ARC copy for my review.

I've long admired Natasha Lester's books and The Paris Secret does not disappoint. My interest was engaged from the start and never wavered. A story of three amazing women serving their country in WW2 is given a somewhat different dimension by the addition of magnificent Dior gowns.

Thank you to Hachette Australia for a kindle version of this book to review. Thirty pages in I rushed out to buy the book, as it already had me enthralled!

The story is told in a few different timelines. In 1928 ten year old Skye befriends Nicholas near her house in Cornwall and a firm friendship is established until Nicholas has to return to New York four years later.

In 1939 Skye joins the war effort as a pilot where she again crosses paths with Nicholas, who is now engaged to Margaux.

In 1947 Margaux is a mannequin for designer Christian Dior and in the present day, Kat leaves Australia to go to her grandmother’s vacant house in Cornwall. There she finds a wardrobe full of Dior gowns, but her grandmother back in Australia doesn’t want to reveal how they got there!

This is a difficult book to summarise, but what a story! I loved the friendship between Skye and Nicholas and I also loved the wartime friendship between Skye, Margaux and Caroline. The descriptions of the plights of the female pilots during the war were fascinating and their time spent at Ravensbruck was soul destroying and harrowing.

There were plenty of surprises throughout the book and I frequently wondered how all the pieces of the puzzle would fit together. I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it and cried at the end. What a captivating and emotional ride this book was! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Wow what a book! Lester once again seamlessly blends fact and fiction in this stunning story of love, sacrifice and loss. I was utterly captivated by this story and loved every page. The research that must have gone into this book is astounding, and the author weaves the intersecting storylines together so brilliantly. I was fascinated by each character, appalled at the horrors of war and marveled over the fears of bravery that were not just fiction, but actual real lives. Like The Nightingale, this book shines a light on the role of women in a war in particular, and the selflessness, courage and sheer determination that so many of these women displayed is humbling. This will be one of my top reads of the year for sure.

Another outstanding novel from Natasha Lester. I have read all but one of Natasha's novels and have read all of her historical fiction books. I can honestly say that she gets better and better with each new book!

This book covers two time periods - WWII focusing on Margaux, Skye & Liberty, and Nicholas. And Kat in modern times. Such a sweeping tale which has a bit of everything - romance, heartbreak, bravery, birth and death etc. The story of Skye and Nicholas was heartbreaking! Friends as children only to be separated by war and circumstances. Skye becomes one of the first female pilots to fly and train others during WWII. What these women went through was unbelievable and so sad.

Meanwhile, Kat is a fashion historian who has been looked after her grandmother since she was a baby. While visiting her grandmother's cottage in England she comes across a beautiful collection of Dior gowns, when she questions her grandmother about them she is met by a vacant stare and knows that there is something that her grandmother is not telling her. This sets off a mission to discover why these priceless gowns are locked away in a wardrobe in England and who her grandmother really is, and what she is hiding.

What a magnificent novel this is, I was totally swept away by the story and the characters and although some content was difficult to read at times because of what the characters went through I couldn't stop reading. Natasha has put so much research into her writing which she outlines at the end of the book, this really helps the story as you learn something as you are reading as well as getting a great read.

This will appeal to readers of Historical Fiction and Women's Fiction.

Thank you to Net Galley and Hachette for a copy of this book for review purposes.

Natasha Lester continues to produce spellbinding tale after spellbinding tale. Once more she delivers with another historical showpiece, a dual time narrative that will have you on the edge of your seat until you finally, and regrettably, turn the last page. If you have never read a Natasha Lester book (historical fiction fan or not) then you are missing out. I have loved everything she has written and her latest, ‘The Paris Secret’ is no exception.


‘She wished it were that simple; that a life could be changed in the same way words in a book could be recast into a different version, a better version. A happy ever after.’


Where does one start in trying to encapsulate all that is ‘The Paris Secret’? It is a tale of family, a tale of war and a tale of love. There are multiple locations - Paris, Cornwall, Australia and concentration camps. There are timelines from pre war, during war (WWII) and post war. There are secrets and sacrifices. There is an array of characters .... but all of it .... ALL OF IT is wound together so seamlessly and perfectly to produce an amazingly poetic tapestry of storytelling. You will read the story, then reread the story, never wanting it to end making it a perfect example of masterclass writing. The amount of research undertaken, as so much of it is based on fact, is to be applauded. The Author’s Note at the end testifies to that.


At its heart is a tale of the extent people go to to protect those they love. You cannot help but be moved by the way Natasha magically weaves love, loss and longevity throughout this tale. Come the end of the book you will be filled with such an array of emotions, truly feeling at a loss for all that has been played out. Your heart will break for more than one character in this wonderful tale with a climactic but befitting ending.


Am I gushing? Yes I am. Natasha is an amazing author with her words lingering on long after you have turned the final page. She is a delightful author, so accessible on social media and so very humble. Thank you for your storytelling .... never doubt that you are an incredibly talented writer and congratulations on producing and sharing the amazing tale that is, The Paris Secret.


‘He wanted to tear the moon from the sky and extinguish it in the sea so she wouldn’t see the agony on his face. ‘I was just ... ' he started to say. Just trying to do the right thing. The right thing in a wrong world. A world he alone couldn’t change.’




This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Skye has been flying planes since she was a little girl. Headstrong, brave and fearless, she’s always had impeccable control of a plane up in the air, yet cant seem to command the same restraint over her emotions on the ground. ⁣
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As Skye moves up the ranks of the ATA -an all female pilot crew that assists with the war effort- she comes face to face with Nicholas, a childhood friend who left her heartbroken. Cool, aloof and guarded, and engaged to the gorgeous yet equally mysterious Margaeux, it seems he’s different to the loyal, brave boy she met when she was 13. Or is he? As the facade begins to drop, what dangerous secrets will be uncovered? ⁣
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In the present day, Kat, a fashion conservator discovers a set of 65 immaculately preserved Dior gowns in a home her grandmother owns, yet doesn’t visit. Why would her unassuming grandmother own these original gowns? And with this discovery, we are flung back in time to meet Skye and Liberty Penrose, Nicholas, Marguaex and O’Farell, unravelling their stories and discovering a secret buried for decades. ⁣
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I loved this book. I loved the sense of hopeful nostalgia Lester captured, not only in the past but also projecting into the future, juxtaposed with the current hopelessness of the situation the characters faced. Parts of this book were tough to read, but covered very skilfully by Lester. ⁣
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I loved how Skye was fearless, blazing a trail for the women who came after her, using her voice, her smarts and her wit to outsmart the prejudice flung at her, the insulting test flights and medical exams all while flying under conditions men would refuse. ⁣
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I loved the injection of glamour the gowns provided. A shout out to the author for weaving them so deftly into the fabric of the story, as well as showcasing each gown on her instagram, which really brought the story vividly to life.⁣
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This is an amazing book that will fly you away from quarantine (😅) to Cornwall, Paris, Germany and beyond. My husband found me crying listlessly after reading this, and if that’s not a sure sign of a 5 star read, I don’t know what is. 🤣⁣
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The one thing you can rely on with a title by Natasha Lester is that you’re in for an adventure. The Paris Secret is a rollicking great read that does not disappoint. In fact, it delivers a tale of high intrigue, delightful complexity and pure enjoyment on every level.

The dual narrative begins with children, Skye Penrose and Nicholas Crawford, in Cornwall, an idyllic setting for the secrets that will be revealed decades later. Skye is an endearing character; honest, caring, spirited and wildly adventurous. Learning to fly at ten years of age, she is most at home in the seat of an aircraft. When the war begins, she joins the British war effort, ferrying planes for the RAF during WWII.

A reunion of sorts with deeply sensitive Nicholas ignites their childhood friendship. Naturally, there are twists as Skye recognises her interest in Nicholas is deeper than friendship. The passion intensifies as complications thwart their relationship. His fiancée, Margaux Jourdan for one — Skye’s volatile sister, Liberty, another. (Note: I think I’m more than a little in love with Nicholas…)

The current timeline is that of Margaux’s Australian granddaughter, Kat, a fashion conservator, given the key to an abandoned cottage in Cornwall with a wardrobe of Dior gowns. She is introduced to the handsome writer, Elliott Beaufort, researching her grandmother’s wartime activities. But as questions arise about her grandmother, Kat realises she doesn’t know the complete story. The relationship between Margaux and the two Penrose sisters entwine, with the added complexity of the Dior family.

This is a story about women’s relationships and the courage they face. It’s about love, survival and sacrifice. I was fascinated by the little known fact of experienced women pilots, so maligned by the RAF that their talent was largely ignored. Instead, they were used as propaganda, pretty decorations to brighten the pages of the daily newspapers. Skye stood up for what she believed in and showed that women were as efficient to the British war effort as the men.

I enjoyed the depth of characters, and the complexity of a plot that keeps on giving until the final pages. You won’t be able to put it down. The shame of it is I’ll have to wait another year or so before I read the next of Natasha’s lovely stories.

#HachetteAustralia #NetGalley #TheParisSecret #NatashaLester

Thanks to NetGalley, Hachette Australia and Natasha Lester for my copy of: The Paris Secret.

Cornwall, 1928 Vanessa Penrose is a bohemian free spirit, she enjoys holding parties, she’s a fortune teller and she can fly a gypsy moth plane. She is also a mother of two young daughters Skye and Liberty. The girls are very different Skye is kind, caring and very active girl. Liberty is the type of sister who would pour water on your mattress just to get back at you for doing something she didn’t like and she’s nasty. The Girls have to deal with being illegitimate; you can imagine what school was like for both of them and being born on the wrong side of the blanket in 1928.

Skye loved exploring the beach, it’s has little rock pools full of little crustaceans and she collects sea shells. One day she meets Nicolas Crawford, he’s an American boy, he’s staying with his Aunt Sophie because his mother isn’t coping, once he’s old enough he will be sent back to America, attend a private school and go to Harvard. He loves the freedom of being with Skye in Cornwall they have fun together, exploring the beach, going swimming in their underwear and they soon become best friends. When Nicolas has to return to America they’re both very upset they promise to keep in touch and write to each other.

England, 1939 Skye Penrose is a talented stunt pilot and she wants to help the British war effort and she joins the Air Transport Auxiliary. She’s rather annoyed with the regulations and rules for female pilots and prejudice. Despite her log book being better than most male pilots, she’s stuck flying open cockpit planes to Scotland, not allowed to use any navigation equipment, no radio, she has to use maps and she's basically flying blind. Skye and her fellow pilots, Pauline, Rose and Joan move over two thousand planes around England, providing a vital service as all male pilots are needed to defend the British skies and bombing raids.

England, 1942 Skye is transferred to Lavesden where she bumps into her sister Liberty she hasn’t changed a bit and is still her usual difficult self. Her long lost friend Nicholas Crawford is there he’s engaged to a mysterious Frenchwoman called Margaux Jourdan and this makes Skye feel upset. Nicholas’s and his best friend O’Farrell are pilots for the American Eagle Squadron. It’s all very secretive what they do, they fly to France, dropping off weapons, radio parts and operatives to help the French resistance. They’re actually involved in the Special Operations Squadron, eventually Skye becomes a Secret Operation Executive, women were used towards the end of the war as they were less obvious than healthy men and they played a vital role.

Paris, 1947 Designer Christian Dior unveils his first collection of hauteur conjure gowns, no more world war II restrictions about how much fabric he can use in a skirt of a gown and he decides to introduce his new look to the world. He also creates a fragrance, called Miss Dior, a tribute to his sister, Catherine or Caro, who worked for the French resistance and spent time in the horrible camp concentration Ravensbruck.

Present day, Australian fashion conservator Kat Jourdan discovers a wardrobe filled with priceless Dior gowns in her grandmother's empty cottage in Cornwall and she's puzzled. It’s a treasure trove of beautiful dresses, why does her grandmother have these rare, expensive gowns locked away in a remote cottage and she’s determined to find out why? Kat’s mother Nicolette passed away years ago, she has always had a close relationship with her grandmother Margaux Jourdan and she's determined to solve the mystery, Kat begins to doubt everything she knew about her beloved grandmother past. Single mum Kat meets the handsome Elliott Beaufort in London, he’s writes biographies, he’s trying to solve a mystery himself, together they discover what happened in the past, the terrible betrayal that occurred during WW II that binds them together and one that Kat didn’t see coming.

The Paris Secret has a dual timeline, I had no trouble following it, I read the book very slowly as I didn't want the story to end or miss a vital clue. An incredible heartbreaking detailed masterpiece about, love, fashion, secrets, sacrifice, how far people will go to hide their painful past and can love last the test of time?
Five big stars from me and I loved it.

The Paris Secret is an unforgettable story about the lengths people go to protect one another, and a love that, despite everything, lasts a lifetime. Natasha transported me back in time to pre and post war Paris when it was at the forefront of fashion and glamour.

Natasha Lester never fails to produce a magnificent read, and has become one of my favourite authors hands down.

The Paris Secret is a very engrossing novel, it’s a heartbreakingly gorgeous dual timeline story about love, sacrifice and hidden secrets. I found it hooked me on and kept me engaged.

Like Natasha’s other novels this has been well researched and beautifully put together. I would recommend this book to anyone especially lovers of historical fiction.

What a phenomenal read!!! Outstanding, heartfelt and breathtaking, The Paris Secret might just be Aussie author Natasha Lester’s best yet!

As Kat Jourdan – fashion conservator – discovered beautiful Dior gowns in an old cottage in Cornwall she hadn’t known her grandmother back in Australia had owned, she had no idea the grandmother she’d loved her entire life had secrets. As Kat searched and investigated, she was taken back to England in 1939 where sisters Skye and Liberty Penrose were part of the British war effort, where Skye and Nicholas Crawford reconnected after being childhood friends. Nicholas was engaged to Margaux Jourdan but the friendship they’d known as youngsters continued.

Kat also learned of designer Christian Dior’s first collection in Paris in 1947 not long after the end of the war. His sister Catherine had been a big part of the French Resistance and Dior named a perfume after her. So how was Dior’s first collection; Catherine; Skye and Liberty; Margaux and Nicholas; the magnificent gowns Kat had discovered and her grandmother – all connected? Or were they connected? Did she really want to know?

I’ve loved everything Natasha Lester has written, and The Paris Secret was no exception. The massive amount of research that has gone into this book; the many facets of the story which are based on fact and the interesting Author’s Notes at the end which rounded the story made me sigh with pleasure when I turned the last page. A fascinating, thoroughly enjoyable read that I had trouble putting down, The Paris Secret is one I recommend highly.

With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

‘A New Look, for a new world.’

Part love story, part mystery and part war story, ‘The Paris Secret’ involves two separate timelines, the unravelling of a secret, and several memorable characters.

England, 1939. Skye Penrose is a talented pilot who has worked hard to be one of the few women to then join the Air Transport Auxiliary, supporting the British war effort. This brings her into contact with her estranged sister Liberty, her childhood friend Nicholas Crawford and his fiancée Margaux Jordan.

Paris, 1947. Christian Dior unveils his first collection of haute couture gowns to a world wearied by war. He names his debut fragrance, Miss Dior, as a tribute to his sister Catherine, who worked for the French Resistance.

And in the present, Australian fashion conservator Kat Jourdan discovers a wardrobe filled with priceless Dior gowns in her grandmother’s cottage in Cornwall. As Kat tries to discover the story behind the gowns, she learns that there is far more to her grandmother’s life than she knew.

This novel held my attention from beginning to end. I read about the vital role female pilots played in the British war effort and the work undertaken by members of the Special Operations Executive. I worried about Skye, became annoyed with Liberty and wondered about Nicholas and Margaux. And in the present, I hoped that Kat would both find happiness and find out more about her grandmother.

This is a beautifully detailed historical novel, blending fact and fiction into an unforgettable story about love and sacrifice.

Highly recommended.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I love this book! It was a page turner for me and didn't want to put it down or for the book to finish. And the fact that it is also based on some of the true researched facts of WWII makes it that much better. The story, its intrigue, pace and the writing style, pull you in from the first chapter. And the gowns I can see everyone of them in their full glory. Natasha Lester is now fast becoming one of my favourite authors. I can see this book definitely becoming a blockbuster movie in the near future.
Thank you for my ARC

The Paris Secret by Natasha Lester was a truly unforgettable book. Set in WWII it follows the story of remarkable women who were involved in the war effort and the horrifying but tremendous things they went through. It also flips to 2012, where a lady discovers that her grandmother may have been connected to the war in more ways than she was willing to say. It was a heartbreaking but beautiful read and I will never forget it. I truly loved it. I loved the characters and the story. I loved the romance and the fashion that was woven into the story. I have never read a WWII novel like this before, and it told another side of that dreadful time in history. It was an interesting, beautiful, captivating and heartbreaking read, whose every sentence left me longing for more. I recommend this book entirely, and think that everyone should read it as it is a story which needs to be told.

An absolutely sensational and heartbreaking novel about an extraordinary wartime legacy, lost love and a friendship to last a lifetime. Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review, and to the author, Natasha Lester for weaving and writing an incredible and stunning tale. A wardrobe of Dior gowns, a secret kept for sixty-five years, spanning decades, and the three women bound forever by war... In the late 1920s up to the early 1930s, Skye Penrose is living an idllyic coastal life in Porthleven, Cornwall in England, with her younger sister Liberty, and single mother, Vanessa. She loves swimming, cartwheeling and flying. One day, she meets a young boy named Nicholas Crawford, and they become instant friends as they explore the lost gardens of Heligan, an iconic real-life botanical garden in the UK, and generally enjoying each other's company. Nicholas's ill mother is brought over to have her future read by Vanessa, a fortune teller, whilst Nicholas is under the guardianship of his aunt. The halycon years pass by, and then Nicholas eventually has to go back to New York to complete his education and move forward with his life. He promises Skye that he'll always write to her, but then there's no correspondence for years.

And then unfortunately, Skye experiences a personal tragedy and she and Liberty are taken to Paris, France to live with their aunt, Sophie. While Liberty enjoys living life as a Parisienne woman, Skye misses Cornwall and wants to break away and fly. Their contrasting desires for life lead to numerous arguments between the sisters, as their already contentious relationship stems from childhood, where Liberty is emotionally unstable as she always wants attention to be solely focused on her, and was more content to sit at home and watch proceedings even though Nicholas and Skye always tried to include her in their games and adventures. She would always use emotional manipulation to get others, namely Skye, to do her bidding. However, now that they approaching adulthood, their sibling relationship goes climatically head to head, leading to Skye packing her French life up and moving back to England, to pursue a career in aviation, where she performs aerobatics in the air and various flying stunts to support herself and earn her flying hours, and she soon becomes a talented aviatrix. But then in 1938, a world war is looming over the horizon, and Skye trains pilots in the Civil Air Guard. In real life, the Civil Air Guard was established in July 1938 to encourage and subsidise pilot training as the prospect of another war loomed. Subsidised tuition for members of participating civilian flying clubs was offered in exchange for an 'honorable undertaking' that in an emergency members would serve in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. When civil aviation ceased not long before the war began in September 1939, most members of the Civil Air Guard enlisted in either the Royal Air Force or the Fleet Air Arm.

Then in September 1939, World War Two breaks out and Skye's job at the Civil Air Guard is done and dusted, as civilian flying is cancelled to make space for wartime aviation to protect the country. She then tries to enlist in the WAAFs (Women's Auxiliary Air Force), but thinks twice on that as she realises that in that service, she'll spend the war nailed to her desk as a secretary, which she doesn't want. Then she gets the opportunity to join the ATA (Air Transport Auxiliary), where she'll get the chance to fly Spitfires, Hurricanes, Moths, Mustangs, Lancasters, Halifaxes etc. She along with others, will ferry new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between factories, assembly plants, transatlantic delivery points, maintenance units (MUs), scrap yards, and active service squadrons and airfields, but not to naval aircraft carriers. The rampant sexism the women experienced from the RAF was horrific, as the men there didn't believe women had the intelligence and strength to fly their precious planes, and believed that women were just pretty decoration pieces, but the Atta girls didn't give up despite persistent pressure and the horrid conditions they had to perform their work under. They had to fly without instruments, with only a map to guide them, essentially flying blind, which was very dangerous, and they were blamed if anything went wrong, even if it wasn't their fault. Initially, to comply with the Geneva Convention, as many of the ferry pilots were nominally civilians and/or women, aircraft were ferried with guns or other armament unloaded. However, after encounters with German aircraft in which the ferried aircraft were unable to fight back, RAF aircraft were ferried with guns fully armed. The ATA trained its pilots only to ferry planes, rather than to achieve perfection on every type. For example, aerobatics and blind flying were not taught, and pilots were explicitly forbidden to do either, even if they were capable of doing so. The objective of the ATA was to deliver aircraft safely and that meant taking no unnecessary risks.

Skye has to balance being her usual bubbly, adventurous self but also staying grounded and serious. One day, whilst performing her duties, Skye suddenly meets Nicholas Crawford again in a twist of fate, it had been 14 years since they'd seen each other, and neither has forgotten the other and the times they shared, but Skye is saddened at the lack of correspondence from Nicholas over the years. Nicholas is now flying with the American Eagle Squadron. The Eagle Squadrons were three fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed with volunteer pilots from the United States during the early days of World War II (circa 1940), prior to America's entry into the war in December 1941. With the United States still neutral, many Americans simply crossed the border and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to learn to fly and fight. It was illegal to leave America for to serve in the war as they had the neutrality act in place, but after Pearl Harbor happened, the act was nullified. Skye's feelings for Nicholas resurfaces, but he is now engaged to Frenchwoman, Margaux Jourdan, a cool, elegant woman serving in the WAAF packing parachutes. She has escaped the brutal Nazi occupation of France to serve in England in the fight against Germany. But there is more to Nicholas and Margaux's relationship than what meets the eye. Nicholas serves in a covert and secretive unit, the RAF Special Duties Service. In the Second World War, The Royal Air Force Special Duties (SD) Service was a secret air service created to provide air transport to support the resistance movement in Axis controlled territories. The service helped develop and support the resistance by bringing in agents, wireless operators and supplies. Parachute drop was the primary method by which the Special Duties units delivered supplies and most of the agents to the occupied countries. They also developed an air taxi service to pick up agents, political leaders and special communications from occupied Europe and bring them to England. On the outward flight the air taxi service also delivered agents and high value packages to France. Special Duties flights flew to target fields in Vichy France, Occupied France, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Greece. By the end of the war Special Duties units were also operating in the Far East. The air units were controlled by the Royal Air Force, and worked closely with the SOE and the SIS.

A few years pass by, and now in 1943, Skye's, Nicholas's and Margaux's, and another American pilot named O'Farrell, all their lives intertwine as they now serve together in close quarters, in Paris and Germany, and after a very long time, Skye is reunited with her estranged sister, Liberty, who seems overly flirtatious and seems to keep Skye at arms length. The war is reaching its climax in the meantime, as everyone is preparing for the Allied invasion of France. Everything is being put on the line for this monumental event, and the stakes are high. However, one upseakable betrayal occurs during that time, that will entwine everybody's fates.

Then in 1947, upcoming and legendary fashion designer, Christian Dior, unveils his extravagant first collection to a world weary of war and grief. He names his debut fragrance, Miss Dior, in tribute to his sister, Catherine, who worked for the French Resistance. Dior's designs are sophisticated and the skirts are voluminous, and the waists are cinched and tiny. Dior's models had 2o inch waists, which occurred due to extreme rationing of food and other supplies in France. His clothes represent a new era, of prosperity approaching, creating the New Look for the future. His designs were absolutely adored in Australia, with David Jones showing off his collections.

Now in present day Sydney and Cornwall in 2012, Katarina (Kat) Jourdan is a divorced mother of two young daughters, who works as a fashion conservator at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney. She is trying to keep it all together, when her grandmother, Margaux, sends her up to Cornwall to a seaside cottage to keep a check on things, Kat discovers a secret wardrobe filled with authentic, stunning and utterly priceless Dior gowns in her grandmother's vacant cottage, for every year and decade Dior has been operating. As a materials and textiles scientist, Kat is very interested in learning how her grandmother acquired these gowns, especially a sky-blue dress that wasn't part of Dior's collection. Margaux is reluctant and terrified to answer Kat's questions about the dresses, so Kat instead looks to her work to solve the mystery. Then, she suddenly meets up with famous author, Elliott Beaufort, who wants to meet and research Margaux Jourdan and the Penrose sisters about their secretive work during World War Two, for his new book. As the two get to know each other, about their personal lives and their work in solving the mystery their families, Kat begins to doubt everything she knew about her beloved grandmother. This is a compelling and unforgettable story about the lengths people go to protect one another, and a love that, despite everything, lasts a lifetime.