Review- The Glittering Hour

The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey

An unforgettable historical about true love found and lost and the secrets we keep from one another from an award-winning author

Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing. Her life is a whirl of parties and drinking, pursued by the press and staying on just the right side of scandal, all while running from the life her parents would choose for her.

Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who stumbles into Selina’s orbit one night and can never let her go even while knowing someone of her stature could never end up with someone of his. Except Selina falls hard for Lawrence, envisioning a life of true happiness. But when tragedy strikes, Selina finds herself choosing what’s safe over what’s right.

Spanning two decades and a seismic shift in British history as World War II approaches, Iona Grey’s The Glittering Hour is an epic novel of passion, heartache and loss.

The February dawn crept in slowly, apologetically, as if it sensed how unwelcome it was.

That first line is a perfect look at the writing you can expect from The Glittering Hour- so beautiful. I knew from the first paragraph that I was going to fall in love with this book, and I did. I instantly added Iona Grey’s debut novel, The Letter to the Lost, to my TBR. If it is anything like The Glittering Hour, she has the potential to become one of my favourite authors.

2019 has been the year that I have rediscovered my love of historical fiction, and The Glittering Hour is a great example of the why the genre is so special. I love a good historical romance, and I found myself completely invested in Selina and Lawrences’s story.

The story is told in two timelines, set ten years apart and each from a different perspective. At first I thought I would be more connected to the 1926 timeline, but I ended up loving both. This period of history between the world wars is fascinating to me and I need to read more books set at that time.

I have a fascination with the Bright Young Things, as did the people at the time. I thought that Iona Grey did a brilliant job at capturing that era and bringing her characters to life. I adored Selina as a character and how introspective and independent she is.

Yes! If you love historical fiction and star-crossed lovers, you will not want to miss out on this one.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.