The Love Child by Sunday Times bestselling author, Rachel Hore is the story of Alice Copeman, who is only nineteen and having lied about her age to join the VADs, is nursing in France towards the end of the First World War. Alice discovers soon after the death of the man she loves that she is pregnant with his child and has to return home to deal with the shame and disappointment of her father and step-mother. She’s made to give up her baby girl for adoption and believing she has no other future, studies to become a doctor.

Irene always believed she was the adopted child of her father’s cousins who died in an accident, but as she grows up with love from her father, but little from her mother, she’s constantly aware that she’s in her brother’s shadow. Unlike her, her brother Clayton isn’t adopted. She’s a lonely child, but makes friends with Tom, a boy at her school who defends her from bullies. She soon discovers that Tom’s life is rather unusual, and he lives with his artist mother in a rundown area of the town.

The Love Child covers the period between the two world wars and tells Alice’s and Irene’s stories as they both find their way in their own worlds. I’ve enjoyed many of Rachel Hore’s books and this one didn’t disappoint me. I thoroughly enjoyed following both women’s stories, especially Irene’s friendship with Tom, and the secondary characters’ stories in this book and would happily recommend The Love Child.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, Simon and Schuster for my arc copy. The Love Child by Rachel Hore is out on 5 September 2019 and available to pre-order now.