A Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans

Noel lives with his beloved godmother Mattie and as the war begins to come closer to England, Mattie begins to slip. Noel covers for her as long as he can until she passes and then he is sent to distant relatives who then in turn pass him to the evacuation team until he ends up at an unusual house. Vee is desperate to make ends meet so she takes in Noel with no real idea of how to deal with a ten year old. The two begin a strange relationship that starts with need and ends with love and belonging. As they devise a plan to make money using less than legal methods it is Noel's sense of morality and decency that brings Vee around. Lissa Evans brings us the horror of the London bombings, the sounds and smells of the shelters and the fear that when you came up your world would forever be changed. It is Noel's sense of right and wrong will change the way that Vee views the world and she will discover that sometimes life gives you a second chance to do the right thing. My thanks to the publisher for an advance copy. This book will be out in July.