It rubs only when she thinks of Sophie, Pa or the other name that’s hidden there that no one knows about. She wears it like an invisible badge, sewn to her skin, as though Ma stitched it there herself.

Honest, fair and eager to please, fifteen-year-old May has a secret, and not of her own making.

Seeing her clothing on the bank as things belonging to another…’ It all began beside the mill pond.

When she next surfaced, she couldn’t remember what it was to be on land. The May Queen by Helen Irene Young is published by Crooked Cat and is available through Waterstones, Amazon and all good bookshops.‘She lapped in spirals beneath the sheen, feeling the tug of water rush against all of her. Thank you to Stephanie Patterson for the advanced review copy This may not be a story with pace but it has a real story at its beating heart heart and is worth exploring. I really enjoyed The May Queen and with Helen’s beautiful writing it reminded me of books read long ago. But what of Sophie the sister who just vanished, As the war comes to an end the two sisters are re-united but under what circumstances. But she just wants the secret to leave her and to survive the darkness of war. But never far away was her memories of her home and her family and of the family in the Manor House and also of Christopher the son of the owners of the big house. There are connections between May’s family and the family that live in the Manor House what we have here is a novel about families, secrets and a sense of belonging.Īs the years past we enter WWII and May suddenly comes of age and leaves the tranquil Cotswold’s and has decided to play her part by joining the Wrens, she literally has to dodge war ravaged parts of London during the blitz as the bombs rained down all around her. The key here with The May Queen is that this is story that runs at a steady pace from start to finish, this is the perfect Sunday read get yourself settled as there are secrets hidden among the storyline and it is down to the reader to follow the story from page one for May is hiding a secret about her elder unmarried sister Sophie who has brought shame to the family and has just disappeared. The book opens in July 1934 and we get to know the young May and her family in this beautifully written coming of age story of a young woman searching for love amidst a country heading into World War Two.