As well as dance, and the glamour of the Buckingham Hotel, the book features romance, drama, intrigue, secrets and lies, but also touches on antisemitism, addictions and social divides. Interspersed with some really great uplifting times despite some heart in mouth moments along the way, this was a cracking read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I loved catching up on the characters like Nancy and Graham and Billy and Rosia and Graham brother Anton and Arther. Of course being known for his dancing skills on "Strictly come dancing" this story centred around the ballroom of the Grand Buckingham hotel.

Anton uses such vivid and realistic descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself- although I would draw the line at dancing because that just wouldn’t be pretty. Raymond knows that keeping his budding relationship with chambermaid Nancy secret is now more important than ever. As an historian, I loved the insight into the 1930s London in the period of the coronation of King George VI and the lead up to the Second World War. As one would expect, the beautiful ballroom features prominently in the book and the sections involving dance are well realised and described. Dance obviously features heavily and in this book, Raymond brings new trends from America such as the jitterbug whilst also enjoying the traditional dances of the ballroom.

Vivienne is the stepdaughter of the hotel’s owner, but has spent her considerable resources and privileged position unwisely on alcohol and worse. Anton Du Beke (my favourite Strictly Come Dancing professional) has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. Glamorous, enchanting, and beautifully detailed, MOONLIGHT OVER MAYFAIR by Anton Du Beke is sure to delight historical fiction fans around the globe. I wouldn't recommend reading this unless you've read the first novel in the series, One Enchanted Evening. There are some references to events in the recent past and it was only midway through that I discovered through Google that Moonlight Over Mayfair is actually a sequel; it therefore works perfectly well as a stand alone novel.

It follows on from the successful “One Enchanted Evening”, but it stands alone in terms of a very readable novel. I absolutely love what is happening to Miss Edgerton as she ropes Nancy into her night-time shenanigans! Moonlight Over Mayfair” is the second novel written by Anton Du Beke and features the plush London based Buckingham Hotel and it’s Grand Ballroom. Du Beke is not afraid to discuss the racial inequalities and political situations that existed in the 1930s and beyond.Raymond has the chance of persuading an American to do just that, and he visits him Stateside to plead their case. Shaken by the Great Depression and with talk of another war coming, the Buckingham hotel is trying to regain some stability. It took me several attempts to “get into” this book as the start is so slow and the list of characters at the beginning was actually slightly overwhelming as there were so many that I was worried whether I would be able to keep up with them all!