The Missing Sister: Lucinda Riley (The Seven Sisters, 7)

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Well-written, with beautiful descriptions of Rangoon and Mandalay in Burma under British occupation during the 1930s, this story was quite enchanting. The main character of Belle Hatton made me want to scream sometimes, but I suppose she was quite typical of many women of the times, brought up to think of themselves as the frail and easily frightened sex, whilst men were portrayed as brave, all powerful deciders who were never wrong (some things, at least, don't change with the years, huh?!!).

The six D’Aplièse sisters have each been on their own incredible journey to discover their heritage, but they still have one question left unanswered: who and where is the seventh sister? Fast forward to 1936 and an adult Belle has accepted a job as a nightclub singer in Rangoon, Burma. With both parents now dead, she's determined to discover what happened to her sister all those years earlier - is she still alive and if so, what became of her? But when Belle starts asking questions, it soon becomes apparent Elvira's disappearance has been covered up. . . This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be my last. This tale takes place in Burma during the 1930s. When Belle Hatton’s father passes away, she finds an old newspaper clipping which will change her life forever. Belle now wants to find out the truth, but will she find the answers she is looking for?Honestly, this is just all my head cannons put together in a story. I originally wrote it to myself because it was getting too big to stay inside my head and then eventually it got too big to not be posted. Honestly, Lily was scared. Terrified really. She loved James, of course, she did, she loved him something crazy and something impossible. But she couldn’t help but think that everything was happening really fast. She had barely left Hogwarts, people were dying left and right, her parents were dead, her sister wasn’t talking to her, and—Merlin she’s getting married in two days. I loved the format of being with Belle in 1936 and Diana’s narrative moving forwards from 1921. As Belle becomes more caught up in the search for Elvira the past slowly unravels. The anxiety of fight or flight, of being hyper alert, is portrayed well and used to great effect. I had so much empathy for Diana and willed her to mental wellness. Belle has much strength in her quest to find the truth and I loved her spirit of adventure. Lucinda was born in Lisburn, County Down, and spent her first few years in the nearby village of Drumbeg. Her mother, Jane (nee Cottham), and great-aunt had been professional actors, her grandmother was an opera singer and her great-uncle was chief lighting designer at the Royal Opera House. The Seven Sisters series is drawn to its epic, unforgettable conclusion in Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt.

Premise: Belle Hatton has come in search of answers to a mystery that has haunted her family for more than 20 years. The owl appeared late at night and left just as suddenly, he recognised the handwriting immediately and ripped open the envelope. Me too.” Lily answered and turned her face to him, only to find him already looking at her, “I wish—I wish you could come.” Lily whispered and she saw that at least he tried to mask the displeasure. You don’t need to say anything else. I don’t want to fight anymore. Who knows if I’m ever gonna see you again? I don’t want you to regret coming here.” Severus said quietly and Lily hated this ‘I don’t know if we will be alive tomorrow’ sort of speech. She hated that she kept hearing everywhere she went. She hated that every day it seemed that she lost more and more control of her life every day. Turning to writing, still as Lucinda Edmonds, she followed Lovers and Players with novels such as Hidden Beauty (1993), Enchanted (1994), Losing You (1997) and Playing with Fire (1998). Her 1988 marriage to the actor Owen Whittaker, whom she met while shooting a commercial, ended in divorce. In 2000, she married Stephen Riley, who had led a management buyout of the company that became Denby Pottery, and she took a 10-year break from writing to bring up their children.As he grows into a young man, falling in love and taking classes at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris, he can almost forget the terrors of his past, or the promise he has vowed to keep. But across Europe an evil is rising, and no-one’s safety is certain. In his heart, he knows the time will come where he must flee once more. The story is quite convincing in most parts, and made me reflect on the subtle emotional violence of which many women are susceptible, even today: feeling guilty when anything goes wrong is a heavy burden to carry, ingrained from birth. They only have one clue - an image of a star-shaped emerald ring. The search to find the missing sister will take them across the globe; from New Zealand to Canada, England, France and Ireland, uniting them all in their mission to at last complete their family. I loved that way this book was set up – first allowing us to catch up with the six sisters we have already met along the way, and getting a status update if you will on their relationships and then moving forward with the search for who this missing sister is. I loved that so many familiar, beloved characters were part of this story. She knew he got the invitation because he didn’t ask what she was talking about. And some part of her, an ugly part of her, was glad because she didn’t think she’d be able to tell him.