Two decades after the end of the Second World War, Anna Marlow stands among a crowd of spectators gathered around a lake in Norway. She is watching an aircraft being raised up from the depths of a lake. As she does so, she remembers its pilot - with a heart that is heavy for reasons far more complicated than a love that was lost during the Second World War. As a British secret agent, Anna had returned to her Nazi-occupied homeland during the war to join the Norwegian resistance. Assuming a new identity, she lived among the Nazis whilst carrying out highly dangerous acts of sabotage, risking her life and the lives of her loved ones. Despite the constant danger she faced, Anna found love – or love found Anna. But as the war drags her away from those she loves, can this passion outlast Germany’s occupation of Norway? Or will it be just one more casualty of the conflict? ‘The Fragile Hour’ is an gripping wartime romance about the courage and sacrifices made by the women of the secret service during the Second World War. 'A moving story of love and war.' - Robert Foster, best-selling author of 'Then Lunar Code'. Rosalind Laker was lucky enough to be born into a family that took a great interest in its forebears, and tales of them were handed down to her, providing characters and incidents for many of her historical novels. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher.

Publisher's Weekly
Her storytelling skills displayed with panache in this captivating historical novel, British author Laker ( The Silver Touch ) should gain an appreciative audience here. Set during the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XVI, the sweeping saga takes place mainly in the Chateau of Versailles and the surrounding town from which the magnificent edifice took its name. The narrative is enriched with intriguing period details, and beautifully paced with fast-moving events, drama and romance. Spanning four generations, the protagonists are the women of one family, named, in turn, Marguerite, Jasmin, Violette and Rose, all of whose destinies are entwined with those of their monarchs as well as the dashing men who bring them love and heartache. Involving her heroines in the art of fan-making, Laker interpolates fascinating information about the fashions of the time and the codes of social etiquette. The sybaritic luxuries of the French Court are set against the brutalities of the Huguenot persecution and the barbaric excesses of the Revolution. If the ending is a bit pat, with a destined love affair coming full circle, readers enraptured by Laker's romantic imagination will not care. Literary Guild dual main selection; major ad/promo.
Library Journal
Laker's paean to Versailles is the story of several generations of two families: the French royal family from the reign of the Sun King through Louis XVI, and that of a fan maker from the nearby village. But the main character is Versailles itself. While not all the action takes place at the palace, it is the focal point of the novel. The novel is also a romance that comes full circle during the French Revolution. In between are great loves and losses, as the fan maker's descendants are drawn into court life and the family fortunes rise. Nicely done and certain to please readers of Laker's earlier books (e.g. , Banners of Silk, The Silver Touch) , as well as win new fans. Literary Guild dual main selection. Andrea Lee Shuey, Dallas P.L.

Francesca’s father is a well-known painter in the bustling port city of Amsterdam; he is also a gambler. Though their household is in economic chaos, thankfully the lessons she learned in his studio have prepared her to study with Johannes Vermeer, the master of Delft.
When she arrives to begin her apprenticeship, Francesca is stunned to find rules, written in her father’s hand, insisting that she give up the freedoms she once enjoyed at home- including her friendship with Pieter van Doorne, a tulip merchant. Unaware of a terrible bargain her father has made against her future, Francesca pursues her growing affection for Pieter even as she learns to paint like Vermeer, in layers of light. As her talent blooms, “tulip mania” sweeps the land, and fortunes are being made on a single bulb. What seems like a boon for Pieter instead reveals the extent of the betrayal of Francesca’s father. And as the two learn the true nature of the obstacles in their path, a patron of Francesca’s father determines to do anything in his power to ensure she stays within the limits that have been set for her.
The Golden Tulip brings one of the most exciting periods of Dutch history alive, creating a page-turning novel that is as vivid and unforgettable as a Vermeer painting.
From the Trade Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Love, tulips, painting, Dutch patriotism and the dynamics of personal and political power inform Laker's sprawling saga, set in Holland during the time of Rembrandt and Vermeer (both of whom serve as secondary characters). Francesca is the eldest daughter of the painter Hendrik Visser and a talented artist in her own right. So is middle sister, Aletta, while the youngest, Sybella, is far more interested in marrying well. Hendrik is successful, but his drinking and gambling keep the family in penury. Once the girls' mother dies, Francesca has new responsibilities, which she must soon balance with an apprenticeship to a little-known Vermeer. Tulip grower Pieter van Doorne makes a delivery at the house one day while Francesca prepares to pose as flower goddess Flora for her father. Pieter is instantly smitten, but the man who commissioned the Flora painting, wealthy ship owner Ludolf van Deventer, has designs on Flora, as well as on the country's political future. Laker (To Dance with Kings) excels at broad-strokes portraiture, moving from 17th-century intrigue to intimate glimpses of daily life. The absorbing plot unfolds slowly and conveys real passion for both life and work. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

YA-- Set in the heyday of the great 17th-century Dutch artists, The Golden Tulip is a historical romance fraught with political intrigue. Having studied with her artist father, Francesca Visser plans to become a master painter. Shortly before she begins an art apprenticeship with Jan Vermeer, she discovers that her father, desperate for money to settle his gambling debts, has acquired a wealthy patron with a shady past who demands Francesca as collateral for a loan. Financial assistance from an unexpected source frees her to go to Delft where her relationship with Pieter van Doorne, a tulip grower, blossoms and the traitorous patron's plot during the French invasion is revealed. Despite the length of the novel, devotees of the genre will find it engrossing.
- Carol Clark, R.E. Lee High School, Springfield, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A captivating romanceParis, 1894. Lisette Decourt flees her home and attaches herself to travelling lanternist Daniel Shaw. Lisette is irresistibly attracted to the magnetic Englishman, and although Fate separates them, she cannot forget him. She builds a new life for herself, yet remains fascinated by the film-making industry. When a chance encounter reunites Lisette with Daniel, by now a successful film-maker himself, he realizes that she has the magic quality that will make her a star...

Enduring friendships and long-held vendettas come alive against the splendor and decadence of eighteenth-century Venice.
In 1775 Venice–known to outsiders as “the brothel of Europe”–the tradition of mask-wearing has allowed adultery and debauchery to flourish. But Marietta and Elena, two dear friends at the Ospedale della Pietà, a world-famous orphanage and music school for girls, know little of that milieu–until they come of age.
Elena is forced to wed the head of the Celano clan, a jealous, brutal man, while Marietta marries Domenico Torrisi, whose family vendetta with the Celanos is centuries old. Tradition dictates that the friends should never speak again, but their bond is too strong to break.
As the French Revolution unsettles all of Europe, Elena’s husband frames Domenico and he becomes a political prisoner. Marietta and Elena plot to save him, and the women discover that Venetian masks have noble purposes, too–but will their efforts put their own lives at risk?
Embodying the glitter and the treachery of the city it portrays, The Venetian Mask will keep you turning pages long into the night.
From the Trade Paperback edition.