Psst. Check this out: a good old-fashioned English romance that doesn’t involve medieval maidens, corsets, or heroes racing around on sweaty horses.

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice — daughter of lyricist Sir Tim — is a sweet story set in 1950s London, just when England was in the retreating shadow of World War II and the encroaching dazzle of rock ’n’ roll.

The protagonist, Penelope Wallace, is a “penniless toff” (“impoverished aristocrat” to us Yanks), who lives with her gorgeous mother and music-obsessed brother in a decrepit manor on the family estate.

Penelope’s life takes a turn for the adventurous when she meets the impulsive and charismatic Charlotte Ferris; her eccentric Aunt Clare; and Clare’s son, Harry, an aspiring magician. Before you can say “Kensington Gardens” the lives of the two girls and their relatives become intertwined — at elegant tea parties, fancy balls, shady nightclubs, and antic weekends at the Wallace estate.

You’ll be engrossed right through the novel’s tied-up-with-ribbons ending, where secrets are revealed, everyone pairs off with the person you least expect, and we all learn that all you need is love.

Well, that and a few good plot twists.

Available online at amazon.com or at your local bookstore.