The waiting is finally over. After the brilliantly-received rerelease of her backlist by Bookouture, Ella Carey, top-ten bestseller and star of the historical novel, is celebrating the release of her new book today.
A New York Secret, published by Bookouture, is a heartbreaking novel set in the Big Apple as the Second World War rages in Europe and beyond. It features the irrepressible Lily Rose, who is caught between two worlds: that of the famous Valentino’s restaurant where she works, and where her passion for food is matched by her feelings towards fellow chef Tom Morelli, and her Upper East Side upbringing full of debutant balls and suffocating pressure from her parents to marry ‘well’.
Inspired by true events, it is an emotional rollercoaster that looks at the courage, love and friendships that sustain us in the darkest of days, and is perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Rhys Bowen and The Nightingale.
1942, New York. As war rages in Europe, Lily Rose is grateful for her perfect life: the love of her wealthy uptown parents in their beautiful brownstone overlooking the park and her dream job as a chef at one of New York’s finest restaurants, the art deco dream that is Valentino’s. But in her heart, Lily is drawn towards the bohemian Sicilian community in Greenwich Village, where gorgeous fresh fruit spills onto the pavement and the smell of freshly baked cannoli tempt her inside every Italian deli.
Part of the attraction is Tom Morelli, talented chef and handsome grandson of Sicilian immigrants, whose deep brown eyes call to her and set her heart on fire. As wartime rationing bites in the city, Lily and Tom stay up late, dreaming up delicious meals that will see Valentino’s through the war and distract New Yorkers from the threat of sons and sweethearts being called up. Lily knows he has found the key to her heart. Then Tom receives a devastating summons that changes everything: he is drafted to Italy. He must return to his beautiful homeland to fight a desperate war.
Suddenly alone, with only the memory of Tom’s last kiss, Lily turns to her parents for support. But when her mother finds out about her relationship, she is furious. When the war ends, Lily’s duty is to marry the man picked for her, raise children and never work again. They give her a heartbreaking ultimatum: end her relationship with Tom and give up her job or lose her family and inheritance forever.
Lily knows she must follow her heart to Valentino’s and to Tom. But when Tom is declared missing in action, Lily is totally heartbroken. If she pursues her dreams, will there be anything left for her when the war is over?
Even before publication, the book has been cooking up a feast of excitement, hitting top spots on Amazon bestseller lists and garnering brilliant reviews from advance readers:
“What a wonderful story, it gripped me from the first page until the last. I loved it… I wish I could give it more stars.”
“Will entrance you from the very beginning… Truly amazing and one I could not put down.”
“So masterfully captured the time period that I believed the story to be real and that the events really happened… As you turn over the last page, you’ll be wanting more. A must-buy… Phenomenal.”
It looks set to go global too, with deals in place with German, Swedish, Norwegian, Hungarian and Czech publishers.
Ella Carey is the international bestselling author of The Things We Don’t Say, Secret Shores, From a Paris Balcony, The House by the Lake, and Paris Time Capsule. Her books have been published in over twelve territories, in ten languages. A Francophile who has long been fascinated by secret histories set in Europe’s entrancing past, Ella has degrees in music, nineteenth-century women’s fiction, and modern European history. She lives in Melbourne and is hard at work on her eighth book.
See for yourself what the fuss is about, and purchase the book here.
