The Promise

Lesley Pearse is a No.1 bestseller and one of the UK’s top five female authors with sales of over four million copies of her novels in the UK alone. Here, she summarises her latest novel, The Promise.

Belle believes her life is perfect. She is happily married to Jimmy Reilly, and she owns the hat shop she’d dreamed of since her childhood.

But the rumblings of war are growing ever louder in the summer of 1914, and a surprise visit from Etienne, the charismatic Frenchman who had played such a major part in her less respectable past, is a reminder that nothing in life is certain.  

When war is declared against Germany, Jimmy feels it is his duty to fight for his country. He enlists and reluctantly says goodbye to his beautiful wife, and the security of the pub he runs with his uncle Garth, and sets off for France.

When the war wounded start to flood back to England, Belle gives up her shop, and with her friend Miranda volunteers to help first in the local military hospital, and later on to join the Red Cross, driving ambulances in war torn France.

Belle’s courage and endurance will be tested again and again as she witnesses the true horror of war, but when a terrible tragedy brings Etienne back into her life, she has to face the dilemma of being torn between a man who offers heady all-consuming passion, and the vows she made to her husband.

Through the experiences of Belle, Jimmy and Etienne we see how hideous, cruel and barbaric war really is. Tens of thousands of brave yet inexperienced young soldiers sent out to fight, only to be mown down by machine gun fire by a far better equipped and prepared enemy.  

The lucky ones will be killed outright, but the wounded may lie in agony in mud or in shell holes for hours, even days before they can be rescued and taken to a field hospital. By then their wound may be infected and amputation of the injured limb is the only option.  What kind of future is there for a man back home when he is blinded, burned or permanently disabled?  

For Jimmy, Etienne and Belle, their love, loyalty, courage and devotion will all be put to the ultimate tests. All three are in the hands of fate, and each one of them can only strive to be honourable, and accept what will be, will be.

See below a video trailer for the novel...

The Promise is available in hardback and ebook now