The Love Child

London, 1917

When nineteen-year-old Alice Copeman becomes pregnant, she is forced by her father and stepmother to give up the baby. She simply cannot be allowed to bring shame upon her family. But all Alice can think about is the small, kitten-like child she gave away, and she mourns the father, a young soldier, so beloved, who will never have the chance to know his daughter.

Edith and Philip Burns, a childless couple, yearn for a child of their own. When they secretly adopt a baby girl, Irene, their life together must surely be complete. Irene grows up knowing that she is different from other children, but no one will tell her the full truth.

As two extraordinary stories intertwine across two decades, will secrets long-buried at last come to light?

Brilliantly evoking the changing attitudes of the time, The Love Child is a novel about love, family, separation, despair and hope, full of tenderness and deep feeling.

'Simply stunning . . . I savoured every momentof this moving story of love, loss and, ultimately, forgiveness’ DINAH JEFFERIES

'A story that stirs the deepest emotions' WOMAN & HOME

'A poignant story, rich in period detail' SUNDAY MIRROR

‘An emotive and thought-provoking read’ ROSANNA LEY

'Hore tackles difficult subjects with a clever, light touch and a sunny positivity. Her women are brave and good and you desperately want them to win’ DAILY MAIL

'A wonderfully moving tale of love and loss, hope and eventual reconciliation' BARBARA ERSKINE

'I found her writingwarm, compassionate in this story about one girl's search for her true identity amidst the secrets and dynamics of her adopted family.It had a realism about the poignancy of illegitimacy in this pre-war setting' LEAH FLEMING

'A hugely compelling, poignant and moving read.Rachel has great skill as a storyteller and readers are sure to be engrossed and swept away by her clever double-stranded tale' JANE JOHNSON