Book Review: The War Bride by Pamela Hart

 

The War Bride by Pamela Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The war has ended and the English brides of Australian soldiers are now arriving in Australia. But what happens if the man you married isn’t waiting when the ship arrives? This is exactly what happens to Margaret Dalton.
Sergeant Tom McBride is in charge of checking everyone off the ship and takes Margaret to a hostel while the Army sorts out the whereabouts of her husband, Frank.
They find Frank is no longer at his stated residence and his papers also mention a wife and child.
Margaret feels like a fool but must now put on a brave face and come to terms with the idea that Frank deceived her.

”She’d been gullible, tricked by a warm smile and nice brown eyes. No. Forget him. She would wear her lovely nighties and use those embroidered tablecloths and be damned with him. But it was a hollow kind of defiance, a thin shell over pain and humiliation.”

I found this not only a captivating read it was also a sentimental journey as it was set in the area and time of my Grandmother’s early twenties and through Hart’s descriptions I could clearly see Sydney as my Grandmother would have seen and lived it.

I loved the Australian colloquialisms in the story. Well researched, the story comes across as real and natural.

The War Bride is a stand alone however I would recommend The Soldier’s Wife is read first. Not only because it is a moving read but it’s where the character of Tom McBride is first introduced. It will give you a whole new perspective on Tom’s heartbreak.

There is a lot of angst in this story as the characters rebel, with much soul searching, against the morals of the time.

Hart brings in relevant issues such as divorce, unemployment, religion, fear of being ostracized, dressing and doing what is considered proper. However these are all set around a changing country and Hart integrates the push for acceptance and change on a lot of levels.

My thanks to Hachette Aus via Netgalley for my copy to read and review.
I loved this book so much I have bought myself a paperback copy.

Book Review: Damage Control by Michael Bowen

 

Damage Control by Michael Bowen
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.5 stars

Josie Kendall, senior development director with political party MVC, almost has the million dollar investment from Jerzy Schroeder wrapped up when he is shot dead right in front of her. She soon learns that the police’s main suspect is her husband, Rafe. Time to go into “damage control”!

Damage Control is a political murder mystery set in Washington.
I enjoyed the overall plot of the story however the delivery just didn’t work for me.

The protagonist and narrator, Josie, is the most annoying 27 year old I have come across. Her voice was all wrong and I had to keep reminding myself that it was a woman narrating and not a male. Josie got the hots for just about every male she spoke to. I couldn’t tell if Josie’s character was real or she was a tongue in cheek version of what men want a woman to be like.

I think that the author was trying too hard to be witty and I became lost as to what they were talking about. Part of this could be that I am Australian and this was American politics.

If you are a follower of politics and the spin that it entails then this book may have more appeal.

With my thanks to Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley for my copy to read and review.

Book Review: Devour by L.A. Larkin

 

Devour by L.A. Larkin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

L.A. Larkin’s Devour is a cleverly plotted and action packed tale of biological warfare mixed with espionage, fear, anger and despair. By page 7 I was totally immersed and didn’t want to leave this book.

Larkin’s protagonist Olivia Wolfe, an investigative journalist, is gutsy and determined. She will stop at nothing to get the truth.

The story runs along two plot lines, both mysteries, with Wolfe at the centre of both. Small offshoot plots leave scope for future novels featuring Olivia Wolfe.

The character of Wolfe was well developed as we get to know what does and doesn’t make her tick.

As Wolfe follows stories on the streets of Afghanistan then the chilly stations of a scientific exploration centre in Antarctica the danger and action never stops.
With just enough romance to show that she is only human after all and an eerie stalker who is seeking their own revenge the Olivia Wolfe series is sure to be devoured by all crime thriller readers.

With my thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.

 

Devour can be purchased from Hachette Aus

Book Review: Monsoon Summer by Julia Gregson

 

Monsoon Summer by Julia Gregson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The story starts in post war England impoverished by rationing; the country was cold and miserable. So too were the characters, drab, colourless and unidentifiable. Kit lives in a friend’s boarding house with her mother, Glory. Kit and her mother have a distant relationship and the boarders all come across as a gloomy lot.
As the story moves to post Independence India the colour comes alive, the characters are more real, alive and have a substance about them. This was a clever contrast of the two countries at this time.

I loved the vivid details of India from the ravaged streets to the beautiful landscapes and monsoonal skies.

Monsoon Summer is a character driven story with well developed and sympathetic characters.
Gregson has written an intelligent and emotional story that is both heart breaking and uplifting. This is a story about love, family, culture, class, forgiveness and acceptance. About fighting for what you believe in but most of all fighting for those you love.

Gregson gives the reader a realistic look at relationships and shows us that “home” is a feeling, not a place or country, but a feeling of belonging.

I highly recommend this novel to all readers of Historical Fiction.

I would like to thank the publisher for my proof copy to read and review

Book Review: A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald by Natasha Lester

 

A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald by Natasha Lester
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a wonderful story! A story I didn’t want to end.
Once you start reading you will not want to put this book down!


From the manors of Concord to the speakeasies of Manhattan, Evie dances her way to a doctor’s degree.

”She was doing what she wanted to do, living the life she chose to live, not the life someone else had chosen for her.”

But could a spurned suitor take everything she had battled for away from her?

This is a story of high society, secrets, lies, blackmail, misunderstandings and deathly tension.
Evie is the main character and Lester has been careful not to overshadow her with the delectable Thomas Whitman or, his mother, the delightful Mrs Whitman. It’s hard not to fall in love with these characters but the supporting characters are just that, coming in and out of the story to support or deter Evie where needed.

”Even if she could do it, did she have the strength to go against everyone’s wishes, to create a life for herself that was so different to what everyone expected of her.”

Not many, even in this day, would have the internal strength to forsake everything to follow their dream.

Evie’s story will lift your heart then send it crashing back down!

If you love to read Historical Fiction I highly recommend “A Kiss From Mr Fitzgerald”

With my thanks to Hachette Aust for my copy to read and review.