The Kirilov Star

November 1920. Russia may have survived the Revolution, but a brutal civil war still rages. Families flee as the threat draws ever closer. However, as distant relatives of the Romanovs, the Kirilovs' heritage means they are never far from danger. When tragedy strikes, four-year-old Lydia Kirilova is separated from her family; the only key to her identity is the opulent jewel concealed in her petticoat. Struck by Lydia's plight, a benevolent diplomat brings her to England. Surrounded by luxury and endless opportunities, Lydia enjoys a life many would wish for. Yet, as uncertainty shrouds even her birth date, she accepts an invitation to visit Russia with a charming, but mysterious man. It is the perfect chance to discover the past she hardly remembers, but will Lydia truly find a home?

Born in Singapore of a Dutch-South African father and an English mother, MARY NICHOLS came to England when she was three and spent most of her life in different parts of East Anglia. She had been a radiographer, school secretary, editor for one of the John Lewis Partnership house magazines and an information services manager for an open learning company, as well as a writer. From short stories and articles for a variety of newspapers and magazines, she turned to writing novels. Mary wrote historical romance for Mills & Boon as well as family sagas. She was also the author of The Mother of Necton, a biography of her grandmother, who was a midwife and nurse in a Norfolk village between the wars. Mary died in 2016.