We'll Meet Again: The romantic new novel from Sunday Times bestselling author Anton Du Beke (The Buckingham Hotel)

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To say I blooming loved my time spent reading this book - to say that I consider some of the characters to be friends - to say that I felt bereft leaving them at the end - would all be an understatement. In fact, the only bad thing I can say about the whole experience is that I am now hanging for book four. A year is a long time to wait. I will however be pouncing on the Audiobook as soon as it is released so I can revisit with that extra dimension that the narrator brings. There was a few times my attention did falter, I think it was more to do with his writing style though which sadly I don’t think was for me. I can see how how his books might become a bit of a secret pleasure for me, and that they can bring joy and pleasure to those who read them.

Liking a bit of strictly, and listening to the gentleman when he talks, I was expecting it to be a cheesy read based around Mr Du Bekes dancing career, turned into a story to make it more readable than just an autobiography of sorts. I could not have been more wrong. You open this book and immediately you’re thrown into a world of glitz, glamour, drama, intrigue and romance. This one, set during the turn of war, set the scene so so well for how the atmosphere would have been for the first rumblings and beginnings of rumours that a Second World War may be on the cards.This is the first book of this series that I have read, and I will now be putting the other two on my list to santa. I have completely fallen in love with the characters and want to learn everything I can about this magnificent hotel. Anton has managed to create beautifully vivid and diverse characters, placed in an excellent setting. It has a wonderful feeling of being both grand and ‘common’, with so many different classes mixing throughout. As it was set during World War II and was partly featured within the book, I did find some parts really emotional. The book concentrated heavily on how the war had affected everyone in different ways. I loved the characters, Nancy and Raymond who find themselves torn apart because of the war, like so many other families. I didnt dislike the book, or that characters I just didnt feel that I gelled with any of them or was particularly bothered about the outcomes. The contrast between the glamour of the hotel and the not so glamour of the war was obvious, one is full of beauty and grandeur, one full of horrifying moments and dreams of better times.

Of course that is unrealistic so We'll Meet Again is a heartfelt story of love, tough decisions, rousing declarations of patriotic pride and ordinary people coming together in dark times as well as those lit by the sparkle and glamour of a dance floor's chandeliers. His love for dancing really shines through and you can tell he knows his stuff. I didn’t know until about two thirds of the way through the author’s history in dancing and I love how he weaves it into the story through the use of one of the main characters. I felt so many emotions throughout: joy, heartache, fear, anger. I loved the way some loose ends were tied up by the end of the novel, leaving just enough for me to long desperately for the next installment. We need more of this series please!! The Ballroom Blitz, Du Beke’s first novel for Orion in the series, will be published in autumn 2022 as one of its super leads. He previously publishednovels withZaffre including One Enchanted Evening. Having been on "Strictly Come Dancing" since its inception as a dancer, his profile rose further after he joined the judging panel this autumn.

I did enjoy the story, there were cliches and parts that I was able to predict the outcome but that didnt detract from the storyline.