Review: 'Ambulance Girls' by Deborah Burrows (2017)

On duty during London's Blitz...     As death and destruction fall from the skies day after day in the London Blitz, Australian ambulance driver, Lily Brennan, confronts the horror with bravery, intelligence, common sense and humour.    Although she must rely upon her colleagues to carry out her dangerous duties, Lily begins to suspect that someone at her Ambulance Station may be giving assistance to the enemy by disclosing secret information. Then her Jewish ambulance attendant and best friend, David Levy, disappears in suspicious circumstances. Aided, and sometimes hindered, by David’s school friend, a mysterious and attractive RAF pilot, Lily has to draw on all of her resources to find David but also negotiate the dangers that come from falling in love in a country far from home and in a time of war.    On the 23rd of February Deborah Burrows’ novel ‘Ambulance Girls’ was released by publisher Ebury Press and I was one of the lucky book bloggers to receive an early review copy of the book! I wasn’t yet familiar with Deborah Burrows before picking up this read, even though she has written quite a number of historical fiction reads over the years. As some of you might know by now I can really enjoy a good wartime romance every now and again, so I was definitely excited to give this title a shot. It is actually the start of a new series of which the description immediately spoke to me and sounded like something I would enjoy, so I had my fingers crossed for a good read!      Australian Lily Brennan is far away from home, working as an ambulance driver during the London Blitz. While her job comes with its dangers and horrors, Lily loves it and always tries with everything she has to help others. Luckily she has a partner in Jewish ambulance attendant David Levy, who feels the same passion for his job as she does. But then David suddenly disappears, and Lily can’t help but feel that something strange is going on. What happened to David and why? She gets help from one of David’s school friends, Jim, and that’s help she will undoubtedly need as she tries to solve the mystery surrounding David’s disappearance while dealing with the every-day dangers of war none of them are able to get away from…    ‘Ambulance Girls’ has a brave and strong heroine at its core in the shape of ambulance driver Lily Brennan, and within the very first chapter Lily had already won me over with her determination, her focus and admirable character. I really enjoy reading war-time novels with female characters at the centre of the story, and learning more about their different roles during the war. Author Deborah Burrows obviously did her research before starting this book; even though I am certainly no expert on this topic, her portrayal of London during the Blitz is realistic and I really liked the attention to detail which made it easy to picture everything in my head while reading and to experience everything alongside the convincing characters.    Next to Lily there are a number of fascinating characters in the novel, such as her partner David and some of the other colleagues working for the London ambulance service. I couldn’t help but feel at times that with such an interesting collection of characters there could have been some other elements added to the storyline to really keep my attention at all times, because I felt things were a bit slow-paced at times. However, there’s a touch of mystery to the story, just as a bit of romance, so all in all it was certainly an entertaining read, and I was glad to find out this Ambulance Girls series will most likely have two more books, which I already can’t wait to check out as well. On the whole, ‘Ambulance Girls’ is an authentic, well-researched and warm-hearted novel that I really enjoyed reading; certainly one to keep in mind if you’re looking for an entertaining war-time romance read! 

Rating:8/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'Fetch Nurse Connie' by Jean Fullerton (2015)

London, 1945 and as the end of the war is declared and the troops start returning home, the nurses of the East End are joining in the celebrations.
For Nurse Connie Byrne the end of the war signals the beginning of a new chapter and as the revelries go on around the city, Connie's mind is on another celebration that she'll be able to arrange - the wedding to her sweetheart, Charlie, set to take place as soon as he arrives home. But when Connie meets Charlie off the train at London Bridge, she finds that his homecoming isn't quite going to go according to plan...
Connie's busy professional life, and the larger-than-life patients in the district, offer a welcome distraction, but for how long? If nursing in the East End has taught Connie anything, it's that life is full of surprises...
Jean Fullerton's 'Fetch Nurse Connie' is one of those review copies that somehow has been standing on my to-read shelf for way too long already. Jean contacted me herself several months ago with the question of whether I'd be interested in reading and reviewing this title and I said yes because I can really enjoy a wartime romance novel every now and again. However, I do need to be in the mood for it, because I feel it really is a specific genre and not just a quick and easy read to pick up no matter the mood you're in. Two weeks ago I decided it was finally time to give this novel a go, and after having read it I can only say I regret not picking it up any sooner...!
'Fetch Nurse Connie' is set in the east end of London just at the end of World War II in 1945 and focuses on Connie Byrne, who works as a midwife and district nurse for the St. George and St. Dunstan Nursing Association. Connie loves her job as a nurse and is completely dedicated to her patients and colleagues, especially her good friend Millie. Now that the war is over, Connie can't wait for her fiancee Charlie to come home so they can finally get married. Even though she's busy with work Connie tries her best to have everything ready for Charlie's return: her wedding dress, a house for the two of them to live in, she has even booked the church for the service. But Connie is in for a surprise when she meets Charlie at the train station, and suddenly she is forced to rethink quite a few things in her life.
I've always been intrigued by the TV show 'Call the Midwife' and don't really know why I still haven't started watching it, but I feel 'Fetch Nurse Connie' comes quite close to the series but then in book form, and I have to say I really loved it. The novel focuses on nurse Connie Byrne, who might be a familiar face to readers who have picked up some of author Jean Fullerton's other reads such as 'Call Nurse Millie', which focuses on Connie's best friend Millie. While I'm sure some of the elements in this book might have a different meaning when you know all about Millie, I do feel this read works perfectly fine as a stand-alone, which is also the way I've read it. I immediately warmed to Connie and just loved reading her story which consisted of both her personal life and her work as a nurse, visiting lots of different patients.
One of the strongest features of this novel is undoubtedly Jean Fullerton's writing; I personally loved her writing style, which really had me engrossed in the story and made the read a really comfortable one. I loved learning more about all the different patients Connie visits, but also her colleagues and family and friends, and even though there are quite a number of small character roles in the book, I didn't get confused at any point. I really thoroughly enjoyed this read and definitely plan on picking up some of the author's other books, and perhaps finally start watching 'Call the Midwife' sometime soon...! On the whole, 'Fetch Nurse Connie' is a captivating, very enjoyable and well-written novel I couldn't get enough of, definitely a must-read if you're a fan of the wartime romance genre!

Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys' by Mary Gibson (2016)

May Lloyd's father calls her his homing pigeon because of her uncanny knack of navigating her way around the streets of South London – even in pitch darkness. It is a gift that will save her life when the Blitz destroys nearly everything that she holds dear.
With her home in ruins, May joins the ATS – the women's branch of the British Army – and becomes a gunner girl, operating Ack Ack guns against the Luftwaffe. Meanwhile, her sister Peggy makes a daring bid to escape a stifling marriage and find love and freedom amid the heady chaos of war.
As I've mentioned before on this blog, I quite enjoy some historical fiction every now and again, next to the usual chick lit and women's fiction. Over the past few years I've had the chance to read and review some great wartime romances by authors such as Margaret Graham and Katie Flynn. When I was contacted about possibly reviewing 'Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys' by Mary Gibson, I said 'yes' because I straight away liked the sound of the novel. I had heard some positive things about the author's book 'Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts', so I was both curious and excited to be given the chance to check out Mary Gibson's writing for myself and dive into another wartime saga at the same time!
When the Blitz hits London and destroys almost everything around them, Peggy and May Lloyd, two sisters from Bermondsey, know their lives are about to be turned completely upside down. May can't sit around and do nothing, so decides to join the ATs and becomes a gunner girl, operating ack-ack guns. While she makes new friends, she can't help but miss home and worry about her parents. At the same time, May's older sister Peggy is trapped in her marriage and the war suddenly provides her with an unexpected chance of freedom. When she finds real love within the chaos of the ongoing war, she will need to make some important life-changing decisions...
Mary Gibson's latest release 'Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys' looked like a captivating and promising read to me when I picked it up, and I'm really glad to say the novel definitely managed to meet my expectations. The author's well-paced and detailed writing style combined with a selection of fascinating characters grabbed my attention from the start and after just a few chapters I was already completely engrossed in the novel, curious to find out what would happen next. I really liked the fact that there were two main characters the novel focussed on: sisters May and Peggy. They each had their own storyline, different from one another but also connected in various ways, and they were both engaging characters that I easily warmed to.
I personally find it really interesting to read about women's lives during the war, and Mary Gibson has obviously done her research and manages to paint a realistic and touching picture, making it easy to envisage everything in my mind, almost as if I was there myself. The book is quite a long read with almost 500 pages, but both Peggy's and May's storyline were fascinating and kept my attention at all times. I thoroughly enjoyed this and already hope to pick up more of the author's works in the future. Overall, 'Gunner Girls and Fighter Boys' is a captivating, interesting and touching historical read which I really enjoyed from start to finish; a read that is definitely worth picking up, especially if you're a wartime saga fan!

Rating:9/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'Home Is Where the Heart Is' by Freda Lightfoot (2015)

1945. Finally, peace has been declared. Cathie hardly dares believe that Alex, the fiancé she has not seen for nearly two years, is coming home. And, finally, life can begin again for Cathie and the orphaned baby in her care.
But the Alex who returns is not the kind, loving man Cathie remembers. He’s cold, selfish, sometimes even frightening. So Cathie has a choice: stand by him, and try to contain his violent temper? Or hold her tiny baby close…and run from the man she has yearned for.
One of my favourite subjects at school was history. I have to be honest, though; I was quite selective about the kind of history I found interesting, because definitely not everything was my cup of tea! I've always been fascinated by the role of women during war years, such as WW1 and WW2, so it's not much of a surprise I quite enjoy reading a wartime saga every now and again. Over the past couple of years I've had the pleasure of being introduced to novels by authors such as Margaret Graham and Katie Flynn, and today I have a new name to add to that last: Freda Lightfoot. I hadn't heard of her before I was contacted about 'Home is Where the Heart Is', but she is quite the saga writer with a lot of novels. I was curious to check out the book and hoped I would end up enjoying it!
It's 1945 and now the war is finally over Cathie Morgan can't wait to be reunited with Alex, the man she has been engaged to and hasn't seen for almost two whole years. There is, however, something that Cathie hasn't been able to tell Alex yet. Since the unexpected death of her older sister, and war widow, Sally in a bus accident, Cathie has taken on the care of her little niece Heather. Since there is no one else to take care of the girl, Cathie has taken the task upon herself, but has no idea how Alex will react to this news. But it quickly becomes clear that Cathie isn't the only one who has changed. Alex isn't the same kind man Cathie remembered and she is starting to doubt whether he really is the one she wants as a father to Heather and the one she wants to spend the rest of her life with...
I wasn't familiar with author Freda Lightfoot before I was asked to review this novel and I am quite happy I got the chance to be introduced to her work! 'Home Is Where the Heart Is' is a wartime saga set shortly after the end of World War II in 1945, and one with a captivating storyline and a collection of interesting characters. I straight away warmed to main character Cathie, who is looking forward to her fiancee Alex finally coming home from the war. Her mother Rona, little niece Heather, and friends Brenda, Davina and Steve all bring their own special something to the story as well, resulting in a read that held my attention until the end.
The novel is quite fast-paced and had some twists and turns which didn't necessarily surprise me but which definitely managed to keep the story going at a good pace and made me want to keep on turning the pages. The storyline was interesting and the characters had just the right amount of depth to them which turned this into a comfortable and enjoyable read, not particularly a too deep and complicated one. While the novel is described as a Christmas book, the bit of Christmas in it is so small, this book can definitely be read all-year-round without it feeling too festive. Overall, 'Home Is Where the Heart Is' is a poignant, emotional and captivating wartime romance novel which I really enjoyed and I look forward to checking out more of Freda Lightfoot's work in the future!

Rating:8,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: 'Letters to the Lost' by Iona Grey!

1943, in the ruins of Blitzed London...
Stella Thorne and Dan Rosinski meet by chance and fall in love by accident. Theirs is a reluctant, unstoppable affair in which all the odds are stacked against them: she is newly married, and he is an American bomber pilot whose chance of survival is just one in five...
He promised to love her forever
Sixty years later Dan makes one final attempt to find the girl he has never forgotten, and sends a letter to the house where they shared a brief yet perfect happiness. But Stella has gone, and the letter is opened by Jess, a young girl hiding from problems of her own. And as Jess reads Dan's words, she is captivated by the story of a love affair that burned so bright and dimmed too soon. Can she help Dan find Stella before it is too late?
Now forever is finally running out.
Today I'm part of the blog tour for Iona Grey's stunning new novel 'Letters to the Lost', which was released by Simon & Schuster on April 23rd, and it's one of the 2015 releases I've been looking forward to the most! I straight away loved the description of the story (I'm a sucker for a good war-time romance) and the gorgeous cover immediately caught my eye. During the past few weeks I've heard many amazing things from other bloggers, and this only made me even more excited about picking up this novel! As a part of the blog tour I also have a lovely guest post from Iona Grey, so be sure to check that out as well by scrolling down!
Set in both 2011 and the early 1940s, 'Letters to the Lost' tells the story of two young women: Jess Moran and Stella Thorne. In the modern day and age, Jess has finally found the courage to try to escape from her awful boyfriend, but she has nothing besides a bit of money in her pocket and the clothes she's wearing. She ends up hiding in an abandoned house on Greenfields Lane, where she finds a letter from a Dan Rosinksi addressed to a Stella Thorne. Jess is immediately intrigued by the letter and decides to try and discover more about Stella and Dan's story; an American soldier and a young English woman who fell in love during the Second World War. Jess decides she wants to bring Dan and Stella back together, but will she be able to track down both of them, and what exactly happened to them during the past sixty years...?
Wow, I absolutely loved every page and every sentence of this beautiful and intriguing novel, and am still a bit sad I finished it and don't have any chapters left to read! 'Letters to the Lost' is quite a long read with more than 500 pages, but to me personally the book could have had 800 pages and I still wouldn't have been even the tiniest bit bored. The length of the book is just right and Iona Grey's beautiful and captivating writing style made me fall in love with the storyline and characters from the very start. The combination of past and present works incredibly well and I loved how Jess and Stella's storylines were explored and eventually brought together.    The characters in the novel are amazing; both Jess and Stella had a really interesting story to tell, and I loved switching between the two of them throughout the book. Stella and Dan are definitely one of my new favourite couples, because the love and passion between them is just amazing. I am a sucker for a good war-time romance, but this is without a doubt one of the best ones I've had the pleasure of reading so far in my life. The emotions in the book are so real and I ended up really feeling for the characters and everything they go through. I really don't have anything negative to say about this novel; I loved it from start to finish and can't recommend it enough. 'Letters to the Lost' is a fantastic, compelling, beautifully written novel centred around an epic love story that will undoubtedly stay with me for years to come. 

Rating:10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Guest Post by Iona Grey

IN PRAISE OF BOOK BLOGGERS
This is the last stop on my blog tour to celebrate the launch of Letters to the Lost, and so I wanted to take the opportunity to say a great big thank you. Not only to Jody for having me (though big thank you Jody!) but to a whole lot of other people too.
Writing a book is a funny old business. For ages and ages it feels like a weird secret obsession, as you wander around the supermarket and mindlessly sort laundry while thinking about people that no one else knows (because… ahem… they don’t actually exist.) And then, one day you get to the end of the story and you cry a little bit because it feels like saying goodbye to these people that you’ve come to care about massively, and you send your book off to strangers to read. And if you’re lucky, the strangers like it and believe in it (and buy it), and suddenly you have other people to talk about your imaginary friends to. And that’s when the magic really starts. Because after that it gets into the hands of real readers. 
It’s a terrifying thought. So often it’s compared to letting go of your little children on the first day of school, because – yep, that’s exactly what it feels like! As I write this, Letters to the Lost is poised to go out into the world and I know it’s too late to get my marker pen and make last minute adjustments in ALL THE COPIES, though I’d like to. I know that the one star (‘because I couldn’t give it none’) reviews will come and I know that they’ll hurt. I’d be lying if I wasn’t a bit apprehensive, just like I was on those days years ago when I left my little girls in the classroom with all the other kids. 
The thing that made those first schooldays easier was the support of other people. The teachers, who were kind and understanding and reassuring and the other parents who quickly became friends (and still are to this day, though many of our tender little infants are now students who come home every ten weeks with four bin liners of washing.) And the analogy with a book release holds good here too, because kindness and friendship is making these nerve-wracking pre-publication days easier too. Letters to the Lost isn’t yet out on the shelves, but it has already found its way into the hands of a select few people who have not only read it, but gone out of their way to write insightful reviews and blog posts, tweet things that make me smile and make my day, send messages and emails and generally be a lot like those friends at the school gate all those years ago.
Book bloggers, I salute you. For the time you give up: all the late nights and long bathtimes spent turning the pages. For not just being perceptive readers, but red-hot writers too – skilled at summarising and analysing, knowing just how much to reveal and what to leave unsaid (and how to juggle deadlines). For the way that you view writers like football teams, and support them generously and wholeheartedly. For the tweets and the energy and the positivity. For breathing life into people who exist on a page and making them real. And for doing it for nothing more than a love of books and to share the joy of reading.
Ladies, you are amazing. Thank you!
And thank YOU, Iona! :)

Blog Tour: 'Letters from Skye' by Jessica Brockmole

March 1912: Twenty-four-year-old Elspeth Dunn, a published poet, has never seen the world beyond her home on Scotland’s remote Isle of Skye. So she is astonished when her first fan letter arrives, from a college student, David Graham, in far-away America. As the two strike up a correspondence—sharing their favorite books, wildest hopes, and deepest secrets—their exchanges blossom into friendship, and eventually into love. But as World War I engulfs Europe and David volunteers as an ambulance driver on the Western front, Elspeth can only wait for him on Skye, hoping he’ll survive.

June 1940: At the start of World War II, Elspeth’s daughter, Margaret, has fallen for a pilot in the Royal Air Force. Her mother warns her against seeking love in wartime, an admonition Margaret doesn’t understand. Then, after a bomb rocks Elspeth’s house, and letters that were hidden in a wall come raining down, Elspeth disappears. Only a single letter remains as a clue to Elspeth’s whereabouts. As Margaret sets out to discover where her mother has gone, she must also face the truth of what happened to her family long ago.

Today I am incredibly excited to be part of the blog tour for Jessica Brockmole's novel 'Letters from Skye.' The book was first published in 2013, but was re-released  on the 17th of July by Windmill. Thanks goes to the lovely people at Random House for contacting me about this novel and providing me with a review copy. I love epistolary novels (books written in the form of letters) and I love wartime romance stories, so I had a good feeling I would really enjoy this one!

Elspeth Dunn is a published poet who lives on the Scottish Isle of Skye in 1912. One day, she unexpectedly receives a fan letter from an American college student named David Graham. David loves Elspeth's poetry and what starts with a simple fan letter quickly turns into a dedicated correspondence from both sides. Elspeth and David only have their letters, but in it they share everything with one another, from their darkest secrets to their dreams and goals. When World War 1 takes over their lives, and David becomes an ambulance driver at the front, everything could change in a second. In 1940, at the start of another war, Margaret Dunn finds an old letter from a man called David, and she is determined to find out what happened to her mother all those years ago. 

I love books that are completely written in the form of letters, especially when it's as amazingly done as this one. Wow, what a touching and simply lovely read! The author really managed to create a convincing and engaging tale of wartime romance, one that will stay with me for quite some time. Even though the book only consists of letters, there is enough background information to get to know the characters. I really liked both Elspeth and David, and I loved seeing their letters to another develop with time; it really shows how much a letter can say or mean to someone.

While I loved Elspeth and David's story, I think it's great that another aspect is added to the novel in the form of Margaret's letters in the 1940s, during World War 2. She accidentally finds one of David's letters and is curious to find out who this David is. Her search really added something to the story and so did she, as Elspeth's daughter. I just loved everything about this book; it's perfect for hopeless romantics like me! Overall, 'Letters from Skye' is an incredibly romantic, touching and beautifully well-written novel, and undoubtedly one of my favourite wartime romances of all-time.

Rating:

10/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.