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From Ann Bennett, bestselling author of The Orphan House, comes The Lake Pavilion, a sweeping historical novel; the story of two women connected by devastating secrets from wartime England and British India of the 1930s.

Perfect for fans of Dinah Jeffries, Victoria Hislop and The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas.

India 1935: Amelia Collins, a missionary’s daughter, left destitute by the death of her parents, leaves their home in the Himalayan foothills to find work in Darjeeling. There she meets District Officer Reginald Holden, a powerful older man, who spirits her away from poverty and prejudice to start a new life as his wife in Ganpur.

Amelia soon forms a bond with Reginald’s young son, Arthur, and resumes missionary work in the villages around Ganpur. There, she discovers a pavilion on a lake where the wives of maharajahs once bathed, now abandoned and cloaked in mystery.

When the Indian independence movement flares in Ganpur and Reginald struggles to contain it, Amelia's world begins to fall apart as she uncovers the shattering truths he has been keeping from her.

Decades later, when Kate Hamilton inherits a rambling country house from her great aunt Amelia, she returns to the village in Buckinghamshire that she left as a teenager in 1944. Sorting through long-hidden papers, she begins to unearth Amelia’s secrets from her years in British India.

But Kate is harbouring a secret of her own – a devastating betrayal from that last summer of the war. She has lived in the shadow of that day ever since, but Kate is convinced that unlocking the truth about Amelia’s Indian past will hold the key to her own future…

Praise for Ann Bennett

“Brilliant: I loved this book and believed in the characters immediately…Didn't want it to finish and several hours after reading the last line, it’s still going round in my head. Great book!” Five Stars Amazon reviewer

“I raced through this book in just over twenty-four hours. I literally could not put it down…’ Bibilobeth Goodreads

“Unputdownable: This was an engrossing read. I love how Ann Bennett crafts a story. Highly recommended.” Five Stars. Amazon reviewer.

“Fabulous!!!!!! One of the very best books I've read! Really keeps your interests piqued… Absolutely loved, loved, this story!” Five Stars. Goodreads reviewer

From Ann Bennett, bestselling author of The Orphan House, comes The Lake Palace, an enchanting historical novel set in British India during the Burma Campaign in WWII.

Perfect for fans of Dinah Jeffries, Victoria Hislop and The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas.

India,1944: Iris Walker, daughter of the British Political Agent in the princely state of Ranipur, is a volunteer nurse, caring for soldiers wounded fighting the Japanese on the border with Burma. One evening the maharajah invites Iris and her parents to a dinner at the Lake Palace, where she meets the enigmatic Edward Stark, a friend of the prince. Edward is dashing, kind and considerate, and the attraction is instantly mutual.

But Edward is en route to a special mission in the Naga Hills, meaning they have only days together before Iris is once again left alone. To distract herself from longing for Edward, Iris volunteers to work in a mobile hospital unit travelling behind the front line of the 14th Army where she sees the horrors of war first hand and realises how precious and precarious life can be.

In 1985, Iris, newly widowed, returns to India on holiday. A visit to the now neglected Lake Palace, brings back bitter memories from the 1940s that Iris cannot now let rest. She embarks on a journey into the Naga Hills to uncover long-buried truths from the war years.

The Lake Palace is the follow-up to The Lake Pavilion, although it can be read as a standalone book.

Praise for Ann Bennett

“Brilliant: I loved this book and believed in the characters immediately…Didn't want it to finish and several hours after reading the last line, it’s still going round in my head. Great book!” Five Stars Amazon reviewer

“I raced through this book in just over twenty-four hours. I literally could not put it down…’ Bibilobeth Goodreads

“Unputdownable: This was an engrossing read. I love how Ann Bennett crafts a story. Highly recommended.” Five Stars. Amazon reviewer.

“Fabulous!!!!!! One of the very best books I've read! Really keeps your interests piqued… Absolutely loved, loved, this story!” Five Stars. Goodreads reviewer

From Ann Bennett, bestselling author of The Orphan House, comes The Lake Pagoda, a captivating story of love and loss set in war-torn Indochina.

Perfect for fans of Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop.

French Indochina 1945: Arielle, the daughter of a French father and Vietnamese mother, is working for the colonial government. Because of her native blood, she’s spared imprisonment when the Japanese storm Hanoi. Forced to work for the enemy, Arielle is contacted by a Viet Minh agent, who threatens to expose her dark secrets from ten years before if she doesn’t help his cause.
As Arielle is drawn deeper into the rebels’ dangerous world, will she ever escape the torment of her past? Or will she find love in the most unexpected of places?
A novel of love, loss, and survival against all odds.

Praise for Ann Bennett

“Brilliant: I loved this book and believed in the characters immediately…Didn't want it to finish and several hours after reading the last line, it’s still going round in my head. Great book!” Five Stars Amazon reviewer

“I raced through this book in just over twenty-four hours. I literally could not put it down…’ Bibilobeth Goodreads

“Unputdownable: This was an engrossing read. I love how Ann Bennett crafts a story. Highly recommended.” Five Stars. Amazon reviewer.

“Fabulous!!!!!! One of the very best books I've read! Really keeps your interests piqued… Absolutely loved, loved, this story!” Five Stars. Goodreads reviewer

From Ann Bennett, bestselling author of The Orphan House, comes The Lake Villa, a spellbinding story of one woman’s journey to uncover long-buried secrets in French Indochina.

Perfect for fans of Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop.

Indochina 1939, Colette, a young French woman, falls in love with Henri Bossière the Chief Curator of the mysterious temple, Angkor Wat, in Cambodia. She starts a new life with him in an idyllic villa perched on the edge the great lake of Tonlé Sap. But the second world war intervenes, sweeping away her world and leaving tragedy in its wake.

After the war, Colette attempts to rebuild her life, finding a friend in Luc Gilbert, Henri’s former deputy - a man with dark secrets. When Luc is made to leave Cambodia under a cloud, Colette is left to pick up the pieces and discovers his shocking truths.

In 1975 when the Khmer Rouge sweep through Cambodia, Colette is forced to return to France and leave everything behind. Two decades later, as the country is opening up, she returns to find answers to long-buried secrets and to track down two women from her past – Achariya, her Cambodian friend and housekeeper, and Sophia, a young woman with beautiful, restless eyes.

However, is Colette prepared for the unsettling truths she uncovers along the way…

Praise for Ann Bennett

“Brilliant: I loved this book and believed in the characters immediately…Didn't want it to finish and several hours after reading the last line, it’s still going round in my head. Great book!” Five Stars Amazon reviewer

“I raced through this book in just over twenty-four hours. I literally could not put it down…’ Bibilobeth Goodreads

“Unputdownable: This was an engrossing read. I love how Ann Bennett crafts a story. Highly recommended.” Five Stars. Amazon reviewer.

“Fabulous!!!!!! One of the very best books I've read! Really keeps your interests piqued… Absolutely loved, loved, this story!” Five Stars. Goodreads reviewer