Author Description

In the summer of 1914, unrest simmers across the Austro-Hungarian empire. Nationalist tensions are on the rise, the imperial parliament has been suspended, and the heir to the throne has been assassinated. While the capital hums with whispers of war, 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 she plunges into a world of secrets and betrayal, the choices Ilse 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 suspects what secrets lurk beneath her exquisitely polished façade. No one, that is, until Junius von Hess comes back into her life. Quillen deBruney's debut novel weaves rich historical detail into a poignant personal narrative about loss, resilience, and the inexorable march of time. 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.