Night Shall Overtake Us — Kate Saunders

Rory, a wild child with unruly red hair and a deep Irish brogue, is the leader of four girls who meet at an elite private school. On the eve of her expulsion she suggests they make a blood vow of eternal friendship. A rebel, a fighter for women's rights, and a great beauty, Rory is the linchpin keeping the friends together through the years -- until she commits an act of betrayal that destroys their vow.

Francesca, a fragile innocent who is nothing like her scandalous mother, resembles a porcelain doll dressed up in expensive clothes and lavish jewels. She is so lovely, no one guesses the feelings of shame that fill her dreams with nightmares - and make her question her ability with nightmares -- and make her question her ability to ever love someone.

Jenny, a practical schemer and daughter of an impoverished clergyman, is determined to rise above the genteel poverty of her youth -- even if it means marrying a man she doesn't love. But when true love enters her life, she questions everything she has previously believed about herself.

Eleanor, plain and shy, longs for romance and defies her social-climbing family by falling in love with a handsome, brooding student whose heritage includes a scandal of lust, murder, and madness. Blindly confusing sex with love, she makes a desperate plan to win his affection that leads her into a life that is more hell than heaven.

Set against the upheaval of impending war and social chaos, this novel tells the story of friendship, betrayal, and forbidden desires. But most important, it is a celebration of relationships -- of love lost and love won.