Abdication by Juliet Nicolson

âÈêGoodness, Abdication really is good. IâÈçm in awe of JulietâÈçs abilityâÈë (Jessica Fellowes, New York Times bestselling author of The World of Downton Abbey).England, 1936. A beloved king is dead, and by yearâÈçs end, the charismatic new monarch will give up his throne for love. The world is on the brink of war. And in the tumultuous intervening months, three outsiders will find themselves embroiled in the hidden truths, undeclared loves, unspoken sympathies, and covert complicities of a glittering high society in the throes of upheaval. After a long journey from her home in Barbados, May Thomas secures a position as a secretary and driver and opens her heart to a man seemingly beyond her reach. Outwardly affable American spinster Evangeline Nettlefold finds her place in the uppermost social circles, but her growing resentment toward her childhood friend Wallis Simpson predicts disaster. A friendship catapults Julian Richardson from his motherâÈçs middle-class parlor to luxurious dinners with the king, yet he cannot forget those who struggle outside the gilded gates, nor his uneasy affection for May. As addictive as Downton Abbey, as poignant as The Remains of the Day, renowned historian Juliet NicolsonâÈçs debut novel is a breathtaking story inspired by a love affair that shook the world at a time when order and chaos battled for supremacy.

From critically acclaimed historian Juliet Nicolson comes a glorious debut novel set in 1936 London about secrecy, tumultuous love, and a king and his subjects torn between public duty and private desire.