by Kate Hewitt
“I was afraid you wouldn’t be here,” she managed through her tears. “The woman at the door said there was only an Edward—”
“My name is Edward,” Alex said, and he kissed her again. “Alex was just an alias.”
Sophia shook her head. “I do not know that word—”
“Not my name,” he explained. “I just used it as a cover. We all used them, just to be safe. I never even thought to tell you, how stupid of me—”
“It doesn’t matter.” Sophia glanced at the woman on the stoop, who was staring at them in confusion. “But you might need to explain. Is that your mother?”
“Yes,” Alex said, “and I know she’ll be delighted to meet you when I tell her everything.” He kept his arm around her as they started towards the house. “You’re never leaving me again, do you hear?” His voice wavered and he pulled her back into his arms. “I was so afraid we’d never see each other again,” he murmured against her hair. “But you found me, thank God. Thank God.”
Sophia buried her face against his coat, filled with gratitude. She knew she’d found more than just her wonderful Alex—she’d finally found her safe haven, her home. Her future. With Alex’s arm still around her, she turned back towards the house and the life, whatever it held, that awaited her there.
If you were swept away by Sophia and Ava’s story, then don’t miss Into the Darkest Day by Kate Hewitt. Set in war-torn London and Europe during the Second World War, it is a love story that will break your heart.
Get it here!
Into the Darkest Day
Get it here!
She had to step outside and hold the paper up to the moonlight to read it, but when she was able to make out the words, her heart felt as if it would drop right out of her chest. Because the message was in German.
1944, London:
When Lily meets enigmatic GI Matthew in war-torn London, she doesn’t expect to fall in love. While her sister starts a reckless affair with another GI, Lily tries to hide her growing feelings for Matthew.
But Matthew has a devastating secret. One that could change their lives forever.
Present day, America:
Abby lives a quiet life on an apple farm in Wisconsin. Tormented by survivor’s guilt after the tragic deaths of her mother and brother, Abby leaves the orchards as little as possible, keeping her life small, peaceful and safe… Until she is contacted by Englishman Simon Elliot, who arrives nursing a heartbreak of his own, and bearing a World War Two medal that he claims belonged to Abby’s grandfather.
Together they begin to piece together the heartbreaking story of their relatives’ war. But as the story brings Abby and Simon closer—tentatively beginning to lean on one another to heal—they uncover a dark secret from the past.
And like Lily and Matthew nearly eighty years before them, it will make Abby and Simon question whether you can ever truly trust someone, even when they have your heart…
A heartbreakingly powerful, epic love story about courage, friendship and broken trusts, Into the Darkest Day is an unforgettable story perfect for fans of Nora Roberts, Kristin Hannah and The Notebook.
Buy now!
Hear More from Kate
If you’d like to keep up to date with my latest releases, just sign up at the link below. We’ll never share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Sign up here!
Books by Kate Hewitt
Standalone Novels
Beyond the Olive Grove
The Edelweiss Sisters
The Girl from Berlin
When You Were Mine
Into the Darkest Day
A Hope for Emily
No Time to Say Goodbye
Not My Daughter
The Secrets We Keep
A Mother’s Goodbye
This Fragile Life
When He Fell
Rainy Day Sisters
Now and Then Friends
A Mother like Mine
Amherst Island Trilogy
The Orphan’s Island
Dreams of the Island
Return to the Island
Far Horizons Trilogy
The Heart Goes On
Her Rebel Heart
This Fragile Heart
Writing as Katharine Swartz
The Vicar's Wife
The Lost Garden
The Second Bride
AVAILABLE IN AUDIO
The Edelweiss Sisters (Available in the UK and the US)
The Girl from Berlin (Available in the UK and the US)
When You Were Mine (Available in the UK and the US)
Into the Darkest Day (Available in the UK and the US)
A Hope for Emily (Available in the UK and the US)
No Time to Say Goodbye (Available in the UK and the US)
Not My Daughter (Available in the UK and the US)
The Secrets We Keep (Available in the UK and the US)
A Mother’s Goodbye (Available in the UK and the US)
Amherst Island Trilogy
The Orphan’s Island (Available in the UK and the US)
Dreams of the Island (Available in the UK and the US)
Return to the Island (Available in the UK and the US)
Far Horizons Trilogy
The Heart Goes On (Available in the UK and the US)
Her Rebel Heart (Available in the UK and the US)
This Fragile Heart (Available in the UK and the US)
A Letter from Kate
Dear Reader,
I want to say a huge thank you for choosing to read Beyond the Olive Grove. If you enjoyed it, and want to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Sign up here!
There are so many fascinating stories of ordinary people’s bravery during the Second World War, and when I discovered during my research how Greek villagers helped with the destruction of the Gorgopotamos Bridge in what became known as Operation Harling, I knew I had to highlight their remarkable courage in a story.
Several characters in Beyond the Olive Grove are real—Aris Velouchiotis and General Zervas were the leaders of the communist and republican factions of the Resistance; the destruction of the bridge was the only time they worked together. Baba Niko, who cooked for the British SOE agents, was also a real person, and he was helped by a local village woman, who inspired my Sophia. The events leading up to the explosion are based on real-life accounts, including the parachute drop being bungled and Resistance members under Velouchiotis leading the British SOE agents to Zervas. Greek citizens had a particularly hard time during the war, thanks to blockades that left them starving; it was both harrowing and fascinating to research about life during that very difficult period.
I hope you have enjoyed Beyond the Olive Grove, and if you have, I’d love for you to leave a review. They mean so much, and it’s always wonderful to hear how my books have touched people.
Thanks for reading!
Kate
www.kate-hewitt.com
The Edelweiss Sisters
Get it here!
1938, Salzburg. A powerful story of hope, forbidden love, and incredible courage, about three sisters who will risk everything—even their own lives—as part of the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Austria.
Johanna, Birgit and Lotte Eder have always lived a quiet life, working in their father’s clockmaking shop and helping their mother in the house. But like many other Austrians, they find it impossible to ignore the changes in the world around them.
At first Johanna finds it hard to believe the Nazis pose a real threat. But then her father hires Franz to help in his shop. He’s kind and soulful, with dark eyes that twinkle with intelligence. But he’s Jewish, and as Johanna falls for him, she realizes that loving him puts them all in danger.
Then comes the Anschluss—the reunification of Austria and Germany under Nazi rule. The three sisters’ lives have become ev
er more separate with Lotte joining the convent at Nonnberg Abbey and Birgit’s secret involvement with the Resistance. But as Johanna realizes how mistaken she was about the level of danger, she begins to see that it may be down to her to protect the man she loves.
She knows that she can’t do it alone though. She will have to turn to the people she trusts the most: her sisters.
The three of them work together to try to get Franz to the safety of Switzerland, and they soon prove invaluable to the Resistance. But they’re risking everything. Can three women who would die for each other, also be prepared to die for what is right?
The sisters’ subsequent journey from Nazi-occupied Salzburg to the devastating concentration camps of Ravensbruck and Mauthausen will show the strength of human spirit like never before. As, out of the darkness, a tiny seed of hope flowers…
A totally heartbreaking and impossibly powerful story about love, tragedy, and the power of humanity. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Lilac Girls and The Sound of Music.
Buy now!
The Girl from Berlin
Get it here!
1936, Nazi-ruled Berlin. A heartbreaking and stunningly powerful novel of friendship, courage and betrayal, about two girls whose lives collide in war-torn Berlin, and whose friendship is the only thing that might get them out alive.
They sat together on the roof, watching Berlin burn, as traces of smoke and cloud floated through the air. “I just want to be free,” Rosa said quietly, “Even if only for a few minutes. It might be the last chance I have.”
From her beautiful new home in Berlin, a young woman named Liesel Scholz barely notices the changes to the city around her. Her life is one of privilege and safety thanks to her father’s job working for the new government.
But a chance encounter with Rosa, the daughter of their Jewish housekeeper, confirms Liesel’s fears that something isn’t right. That the Nazi government’s brutal rules are cruel and dangerous, and that others aren’t as safe as she is. When Rosa begs Liesel to help—pressing her grandfather’s gold pocket watch into Liesel’s hand—Liesel recklessly agrees.
She will help hide Rosa and her loved ones—in the dusty, unused rooms at the top of their house—even if it means putting everyone she loves in danger. Even if it means risking her own life.
Frankfurt, 1946: An idealistic American captain, Sam Houghton, arrives in Germany to interrogate prominent Nazis on trial and to help rebuild a battered country. When he hires an enigmatic, damaged interpreter named Anna, he doesn’t expect sparks to fly between them. Perhaps there is a chance of love for both of them. But then the question of what happened to Anna in the war raises its head.
Because Anna has secrets—ones that link her to Berlin, the Nazi party, and the story of one gold pocket watch and two young women who became friends, even when they were told it was impossible…
A compelling and haunting story about courage, love and betrayal set in war-torn Berlin. Fans of The Alice Network, All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale will be not be able to put this down.
Get it here!
When You Were Mine
Get it here!
“Dylan…” I croak, but my little boy doesn’t even look at me. “Dylan,” I say again, my voice breaking now, and the social worker gives me a reproving look. I’m not helping, but I don’t care. “Dylan!” My voice is louder now, and my gaze stays locked with my son’s as she pulls away from the curb and drives away, taking my very life with her.
Single mother Beth loves her seven-year-old son Dylan with all her heart. He’s her world. But life with Dylan isn’t easy—and his emotional issues push Beth to her very limit. When a misunderstanding leads Dylan to be taken into foster care, she is determined to do whatever she can to get him back.
Mother of two, Ally has always dreamed of fostering—it feels like her chance to give back when she has been so lucky in life. But when Dylan joins their family, Ally finds herself struggling to balance his needs with those of her own children and husband—something Beth can’t help but witness when she visits.
Beth wants nothing more than to find a way to bring her beloved child home. But where is the right home for Dylan? Is it with the mother he was born to? Or is a new mother the greatest gift Beth could give her son?
A beautiful, powerful and ultimately hopeful story of the heartbreaking power of a mother’s love, for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Jodi Picoult and Jojo Moyes.
Buy now!
A Hope for Emily
Order here!
Looking back, I wish I could find my way back to that moment. I’d snatch it and hold onto it and live in it for the rest of my life, if I could. When Emily could still throw her arms around me. Oh God, just give me that moment, or one like it again. That’s all I want.
From the moment Emily was born, reaching out with her tiny little star-shaped hand towards her mother, blinking with long eyelashes over soft blue eyes, she became Rachel’s whole world.
But Rachel’s worst nightmare comes true when a rare auto-immune illness leaves four-year-old Emily in a coma the doctors say she may never come out of. And Rachel has to make a heartbreaking decision – one that her ex-husband, Emily’s dad James, doesn’t agree with.
Terrified she’s going to lose her daughter for good, Rachel knows she must find a way to keep the hope alive for Emily. But there is only one person she can turn to for help to convince James––and it’s his new wife, Eva.
As an unlikely but powerful friendship develops between the two women, both Rachel and Eva will have to ask themselves––what is truly the right choice for the tiny, fragile little girl who lies between them?
A beautiful story that will break your heart into a million pieces, perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain and Susan Lewis.
Get it here!
No Time to Say Goodbye
Get it here!
It hit me, the reality of it, in a way it hadn’t before like a sledgehammer straight to the chest. Laura was gone. She was never coming back. I’d never see her again; she’d never hum in the kitchen, she’d never pull Ruby onto her lap and tickle her tummy as she buried her face in the sweet curve of our daughter’s shoulder.
Nathan Ross loved his wife Laura with all his heart. But now she’s gone, taken from him in a seemingly random act of violence. Laura was the glue that held their family together. And for Nathan, life without her feels almost meaningless.
As he tries to find hope in the darkness, his three young daughters express their grief in different and challenging ways – with one set on a path of self-destruction that could devastate their family all over again. Desperate to understand his own heartbreak better, he reaches out to others who had known Laura. Including her new friend Maria, whose light and warmth are exactly what their grieving family needs, and who is soon helping out and providing emotional support for them all.
But the picture Maria paints of Laura is unfamiliar to Nathan – of a wife who felt ignored, a mother who felt she couldn’t do enough – and he struggles to reconcile it with his own memories of the woman he loved. Is it possible he didn’t know his wife after all? And can he trust Maria? He can’t escape the feeling that she’s keeping something from him.
Maria is hiding a secret with the power to rock Nathan’s family to its core. Because it is about what happened the day that Laura died…
An insightful and powerful novel guaranteed to break your heart, about how the unthinkable can sometimes help us see the world in a powerful new way. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Diane Chamberlain, and Susan Lewis.
Buy now!
Not My Daughter
Get it here!
My darling girl, you lie so still, lashes fanning your cheeks, golden hair spread across your pillow. You’re so beautiful my heart aches. Your breath is so soft I can barely hear it, but at least I can see the steady rise and fall of your chest, every breath a promise. You’re still here. I’ve still got you. For now.
