Jana Petken served in the (British) Royal Navy as a leading Wren Regulator, equivalent to a sergeant in the military police. After the Navy she worked for a travel company as an overseas representative. She was a security guard at the BBC World Service radio station. Afterwards she spent twelve years as a bodyguard for a Saudi Arabian Princess. Her final career was as a cabin-crew member for British Airways. Unfortunately, she suffered serious injuries on board a flight. The aircraft, a Boeing 747, was flying at 39,000 feet above Africa when it was caught in clear-air turbulence. As a result of that accident, she endured three major operations on her spinal cord, and was forced into retirement. Jana Petken is a multi award winning and best selling historical fiction author. Her books include: The Guardian of Secrets. (2013) The Mercy Carver Series: Dark Shadows, book 1, and Blood Moon, book 2. (2014) The Errant Flock: The Flock Series, Book 1. (2015)Swearing Allegiance. (2016)Coming, Autumn, 2016, The Flock Series, book 2www.janapetkenauthor.comThe Guardian of Secrets BlueInk Reviews Red Star Review Debut novelist Jana Petken delivers a powerful family epic that chronicles the travails of an expatriate British woman and her family during the Spanish Civil War.Recently wedded, Celia Merrill Dobbs' initial expectations of marital bliss quickly dissolve in 1912, when her husband Joseph reveals he has married her only to inherit her wealthy father's prosperous farm in the English countryside. A gambler and drinker with a violent temper, he frequently beats her and soon secretly murders her father. After Celia discovers that Joseph is her father's killer, she and their newborn son Peter escape to Spain with the assistance of her aunt and family friends.In Spain, she lives with the Martinéz family, aristocratic landholders in Valencia. While Joseph awaits execution for his crimes, Celia becomes enamored with Spain and widower Ernesto Martinéz. They soon marry and raise their collective four children amid rising political tensions gripping the country. As the children mature and embark on their own paths, they are caught up in the throes of the Spanish Civil War that erupts in 1936. Their stories intertwine while each of their unique perspectives provides glimpses into a complex and fluid political landscape.Petken masterfully moves the gripping action along by creating credible characters and suspenseful plot twists. Writing in a straightforward manner and infusing scenes with details that inform but don't overwhelm, she portrays each of the characters' efforts to survive while coming to terms both with the horrors of wartime and personal bouts with excessive pride and passion. Though the action is grounded in a particular time and place, the novel's concerns are universal, as typified when Celia's daughter ruminates on whether Spain would eventually "look back and feel proud of a war that had killed hundreds of thousands...or would it feel as she did now, betrayed by men with selfish political ambitions and lust for power." Despite its length, the captivating story succeeds brilliantly and becomes an unforgettable page-turner.This is a must-read for historical fiction fans. KIRKUS ----------- REVIEWSBOOK REVIEWA dark debut novel about a woman's escape from a life of abuse and her ensuing struggle.By all appearances, Celia Dobbs has everything a young Englishwoman in 1912 could want. She's newly married to Joseph Dobbs, a handsome man with whom she's besotted, and is the daughter of Peter Merrill, a wealthy man whose ownership of a vast farm ensures that Celia and Joseph will live well. But all is not as it seems: Joseph soon shows his true colours as a violent drunk with gambling debts, and he proves to be a severely abusive husband, flinging expletives and punches as swiftly as he once cast promises of love. His dark side takes on added horror when Celia learns that he's responsible for the murder of her father. With the help of her aunt Marie, Celia and her newborn son escape from Kent to Spain, and Marie promises that she will see justice served while Celia's away. Once in Spain, Celia meets a man named Ernesto and begins the next chapter of her life. After Joseph's trial ends with a guilty verdict and order of execution, Marie decides to give Celia the dignity of being a widow instead of a divorcee, by destroying the divorce papers that would have freed Celia from her marriage. Back in Spain, the novel details Celia's recovery and her children's developing lives, and they become key players in a tense, fast-paced story. The writing is often captivating, with a consistently engaging tone throughout, although the violent scenes are somewhat graphic and disturbing. Celia's growth as a character truly sets this novel apart as more than a simple drama: It's also a commentary on how strong a woman can become when facing adversity.A suspenseful, compelling historical novel. *********************************************************************