“Max.” Aurelia went to her husband, and took his face in her hands. “You need to leave. You are the one in danger. I am not. I have my brother; the soldiers won’t touch me. You go and I’ll stay.”

Berlin, 1933: As Aurelia grasps her husband Max’s sleeve so as not to be separated in the crowd of torch-bearing people, a shiver slides down her spine. She sees wild-faced people all around her, their hands waving leaflets full of hateful slogans, and knows deep in her heart that she and her husband are no longer safe in the city they’ve always called home.

Up on the stage, she sees her brother Wilhelm, resplendent in his uniform, a cold smile playing across his lips as he throws books onto a pyre. Max’s hand trembles in hers. It feels like the end of their freedom.

Later, as she and Max stand terrified on a train platform, Aurelia knows that Max, her fragile lifeline in a world full of danger, must flee Germany. As a Jewish film director, he has attracted the wrong kind of attention. The only way to protect him is for Aurelia to strike a terrible bargain with the brother she hates. But as she and Max are forced apart, a chill wraps itself around Aurelia’s heart as the reality of their situation strikes her. She will do anything to save her husband, but she cannot bring herself to help the evil regime. She is willing to break the promise she has made her brother and sacrifice herself. But what will that mean for Max, the man she has always loved?

A haunting and gripping story of love, strength and sacrifice during the dark days of World War Two. Fans of The Nightingale and The Alice Network will be totally hooked on this novel from bestselling author Ellie Midwood.