Child of June
When her first love reenters her life on the eve of Austria’s collapse, a woman who has spent decades guarding her heart must decide if her duty lies with the man who defined her, the life she has built, or the country that is slipping through fingers.
ALSO BY
QUILLEN
deBRUNEY
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In 1914, Vienna hums with whispers of war. Nationalist tensions are on the rise, the imperial parliament has been suspended, and the heir to the throne has been assassinated. Yet young Ilse Eder lives a life apart, secluded on her brother-in-law’s country estate. Headstrong but unworldly, she finds herself entangled in an illicit romance with the aristocratic Junius von Hess. As Ilse plunges into a world of deception and betrayal, the choices she makes will reverberate across decades.
The woman who rises from the ashes of first love is a far cry from the artless creature Ilse once was. Sophisticated, accomplished, and doggedly disciplined, Ilse holds all Vienna under her spell, even as she builds an unconventional life behind closed doors. No one sees through her exquisitely polished façade. No one, that is, until Junius von Hess comes back into her life.
Veneers of glamor and romance belie a grittier realism at Child of June’s core. In her debut novel, deBruney takes readers on a journey through twenty years of Austrian history. From the onset of World War I through the turbulent interwar years and the fall of the First Austrian Republic, Ilse’s story unfolds as her country slowly unravels.
Praise for Child of June
"A pleasing historical coming-of-age tale set in a Europe in flux ... Our verdict: GET IT"
~Kirkus Reviews
"...A meditation on the meaning of love, true friendship, family, and the toil of womanhood, in an era quick to play judge. Alluring and devastating in equal measure, this novel ... is a poignant reflection on joy's fragility and the resilience necessary to survive its loss."
~BookLife by Publisher's Weekly (Editor's Pick)
“I was engaged and emotionally connected from start to finish.”
~Goodreads Review