Cleo Davenport is an orphan and has been living at the Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo, having the run of the place and hearing whispers she is the illegitimate daughter of The Prince of Wales (briefly, Edward VIII). People refer to her lovingly as ‘Princess’ and deny her little. Her life is carefree and full of dreams of becoming a famous jeweller.

At 17 Cleo is whisked away from everything she has known to be taken to London, to make her debut. First though, a dream come true, she is to shop in Paris, for clothes to make her the toast of the Season. There she ventures into Cartier, where she is dazzled by the jewels, the beauty of the creations, and by dreams of her future and what the truth of her family may look like. But the Prince of Wales has taken up with Mrs Simpson, a most inappropriate woman, and this is making Cleo’s search for the truth more difficult.

This has all the makings of an entertaining and engaging novel, but somehow it fell a little flat with me. The central premise, that of Cleo aspiring to work for one of the world’s great jewellery houses, just did not ring true. The details of society life of the time is interesting and entertaining, but once again, there was not the ring of authenticity that I look for in a historical novel.

What The Royal Windsor Secret does have is an alluring romance. Cleo starts life with Brodie, her best friend in Cairo, and he is consistent in her life. Will they ever be more than friends? It will appeal to many readers – exotic places, romance, royalty and jewels.

Reviewed by Lesley West

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christine Wells writes historical fiction featuring strong, fascinating women. From early childhood, she drank in her father’s tales about the true stories behind popular nursery rhymes and she has been a keen student of history ever since.

A bookworm from the time she could read, Christine devoured every novel she could get her hands on, begging her parents to take her to three different lending libraries and using her other family members’ library cards so that she could borrow more and more books. She never considered a career as an author, however, because authors were magical beings, not flesh-and-blood mortals like her.

Christine has gone on to publish sixteen novels set in periods ranging from Georgian England to post World War II France.

Passionate about helping other writers learn the craft and business of writing fiction, Christine enjoys mentoring and teaching workshops whenever her schedule permits.

Christine loves dogs, running, holidays at the beach, and window-shopping for antiques. She lives with her family in Brisbane, Australia.

Visit Christine Wells’ website