Before starting this book, I had a very minimal knowledge of the role of Finland during the world wars, as well as how they were affected by the USSR.Before starting this book, I had a very minimal knowledge of the role of Finland during the world wars, as well as how they were affected by the USSR. What an eye-opening read this was!
Louise and her military husband Arnie Koski are sent to Helsinki in a diplomatic role. Arnie’s family are Finnish, and he still has relatives in Helsinki, while Louise is a true Ohio girl, and is relatively naïve on how the situation is for a lot of people around the world.
At a party, they meet a couple stationed in Helsinki as part of the Soviet military. Natalya is Russian, and her husband Mikhail is Ukrainian. Arnie and Mikhail realise that they once met during the war, both fighting against Nazi Germany.
They end up planning a ski race, but things go from bad to worse when newspapers hear about it and rather than two friends racing, it’s turned into the USA vs Soviet Union, putting everyone involved in danger.
The book was a good read, and it was heartbreaking to read about what so many Finnish citizens had to deal with under German and Soviet rule, particularly those children left in the orphanages. The character of Louise did frustrate me with her level of naïveté, but this may just be coming from my point of view as someone who has learnt a lot about these periods of history.
Overall, a solid 3.5 stars, rounded up. Definitely worth reading for anyone who wants to learn more about Finland’s role during and after the wars.
[I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review. All opinions my own.] ...more
Adelaida is the ‘dama’ of her Portuguese village and would do anything to keep her family safe, as well as the entire village, from the occupying FrenAdelaida is the ‘dama’ of her Portuguese village and would do anything to keep her family safe, as well as the entire village, from the occupying French troops. When she stumbles upon Grayson Conrad - or ‘Pablo’ - washed up on the beach after his boat was shipwrecked in a storm, she risks everything to keep him hidden from the French troops who have taken up residence in her family’s villa.
Grayson is a British spy, and he had one simple mission. Until, that is, his boat was capsized in a storm and he only just made it to short alive. He has to rely on Adi’s help to avoid the French while his injuries heal, and eventually he reveals his real identity to her and his mission in occupied Portugal.
This book was excellent and I throughly enjoyed it. The characters are well crafted, and I learnt so much about this period of history in Portugal, which I knew very little about before. Nearer the end, I found the plot a little more messy and harder to follow, which is my reason for giving 4 stars rather than 5.
[I received an ARC thanks to BookSirens and the publisher. All opinions my own!]...more
After her grandmother Lolly passes away, Ella feels lost without the woman who raised her. As an inebriated Lolly left her a ring, which she had alwayAfter her grandmother Lolly passes away, Ella feels lost without the woman who raised her. As an inebriated Lolly left her a ring, which she had always worn on a chain around her neck. After an upsetting phone call with her absent father where he demanded the ring so he can sell it, Ella heads to somewhere where she has good memories of being with her grandmother, Eltham Palace. Putting the ring on, she discovers herself in the same place… but a different time. Somehow, she has been transported to the past.
Ella has been transported back in time to the reign of Henry VIII, while he is still married to his first wife. She has to navigate life in the 1500s and try to figure out how she can get back home again.
This book had a great premise, and the historical details were so interesting! The novel probes whether Henry VIII was always a tyrant, and whether he would have turned out to be a different man entirely had certain events in his life not occurred.
This feels like a love child of Philippa Gregory and Diana Gabaldon and I’m here for it!
I really enjoyed this book, although the end broke me!
[I received an ARC thanks to BookSirens and the publisher in return for an honest review. All opinions my own!]...more
This was totally unexpected! And I loved it. As a fan of Sumner’s The Duchess Society series, this series that combines historical fiction and romanceThis was totally unexpected! And I loved it. As a fan of Sumner’s The Duchess Society series, this series that combines historical fiction and romance with fantasy and paranormal… well, that just sounded intriguing!
The book did not disappoint.
The first few chapters do seem as if there might have been a book before this one, as we are thrown straight into the action, without much introduction to the various characters. However, as one continues reading the back story starts to unfold and we learn more about how the characters came to be who they are and how they are all connected.
Our first main character is Lady Elizabeth - Piper - Scott, who is half American and the granddaughter of an earl. Specifically, granddaughter of an earl who founded the League of Lords, a society for supporting those with paranormal abilities.
Secondly, we have Viscount Julian Alexander, who Piper’s grandfather brought under his wing after Julian fled his abusive father and lived in the rookery until he was 15. After the earl’s death, Julian took over the running of the League and aims to provide as many people with abilities with the support and stability he lacked when growing up.
This was such an interesting read and the fantastical paranormal side made it totally different from the average work of historical fiction. I’m looking forward to book 2!
[I received an ARC thanks to BookSirens and the publisher in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own. ]...more
Another truly beautiful and moving novel from the incredible Fiona Valpy! I received an ARC thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honAnother truly beautiful and moving novel from the incredible Fiona Valpy! I received an ARC thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Set in the Italian region of Tuscany, the book takes place at the Villa delle Colombe near the town of Montepulciano. A dual timeline includes the present (Tess - 2015) and the past (Beatrice - from 1940 to 1944).
After the death of her husband, Tess moves to stay with Beatrice, friend of her grandmother’s who lives at a villa in Tuscany. The villa was owned by Francesca, who bequeathed the villa in her will to a man called Alfredo, who Beatrice has spent the last 70 years trying to track down.
Through Beatrice’s eyes, we learn what happened at the villa during WWII and why Francesca chose to bequeath the villa to Alfredo. We also closely follow Tess, who is writing Beatrice’s story for her, as she begins to open up about her own grief after the death of her husband.
The story is incredibly moving, and included many aspects of the Second World War in Italy that I wasn’t aware of. Fiona Valpy always does such an impeccable job of wending fiction together with historical fact, and particularly lesser known historical fact, to create a story that draws you in and leaves you amazed with how much you didn’t know about such significant historical events.
Every time I read a book by Fiona Valpy, I feel the need to tell everyone that they should definitely read it. So, on that note, this book was a solid 5 stars from me and everyone should most definitely read it!...more
Wow, what a heart wrenching story. This novel touches on so many difficult topics and wends them into a dual timeline narrative that takes us through Wow, what a heart wrenching story. This novel touches on so many difficult topics and wends them into a dual timeline narrative that takes us through the life of Emma in 1953 and Maddie in 2003. The issues dealt with throughout the book range from marital rape (which was legal in the USA until the 1970s and not considered a crime nationwide until 1993), abortion, miscarriage, homosexuality, and alcoholism.
The majority of the book is split between two characters, Emma in the past (beginning in 1953) and Maddie in the present (which is set in 2003). Emma’s timeline is a mix of third person narrative, which is occasionally from the point of view of her husband Frank, and first person diary entries.
Without wanting to spoil the plot, I won’t say much more about what happens. It’s such an insight into small town Nebraska life in the 1950s, and how life was like for women during the time. I loved seeing how the connections between Maddie and Emma started to appear and how everything started to make sense.
The ending was satisfying - neither a happy nor sad ending in a way (or rather a mix of both, I’d say).
A solid 4.5 stars, rounded up.
[I received an advance review copy thanks to BookSirens and the publisher.]...more
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
I really wanted to love this novel, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me personalThank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.
I really wanted to love this novel, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me personally. I love historical fiction and I love reading about regions and events that I’m not already familiar with, and while I know some about Belgium in WWI, I was not familiar with the Red Cross nurses during the German occupation of Belgium.
The book is based on the real life figure of Edith Cavell, a British Red Cross nurse who runs a nursing hospital in Brussels. The chapters alternate between the point of view of Edith and the point of view of Lizzie, Edith’s friend and another Red Cross nurse.
I found the book fairly hard to get into, and slow going at first. I felt like I needed more action, more dynamics, rather than lengthy descriptions. I also found the extensive religious excerpts a little tedious and often ended up skimming them. I understand why the author included religion, given that Cavell was a devout Christian, but it made for very heavy, slow reading that I personally did not enjoy. If you’re a fan of Christian fiction, it may be more to your taste.
[I received an ARC of Goodnight from Paris - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.]
Goodnight from Paris is an absolute gem of a read - the pacing [I received an ARC of Goodnight from Paris - thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.]
Goodnight from Paris is an absolute gem of a read - the pacing is perfect, the featuring of lesser known WWII history is excellent (I had no idea that American women in France were put into internment camps after the USA entered the war) and I can’t recommend this more.
The novel centres on Drue Leyton Tartière, an American actress married to a Frenchman, who stays in Paris despite the expectation of a German invasion. She ends up broadcasting for Paris Mondiale, reporting on Parisian life to those in the USA, and trying to share what life is really like in occupied France.
While I was fairly certain much of the novel was based on fact, I didn’t realise quite how much until I read the Author’s Note. I didn’t want to ruin the book by accidentally reading about what happens to them (been there done that!) so I didn’t learn until after that Drue Leyton Tartière was an American actress married to a Frenchman and living in Paris, and - in fact - almost everything that happens to her throughout the novel is true. The majority of secondary characters are also real people, and not just simply based on people she may have known.
Healey manages to wend fact and supporting fictional narrative so perfectly that I hadn’t even realised that so much of the book WAS fact. The fictional aspects simply serve to bring the details, the minutiae that gets missed in historical archives. The story is powerful and should be on any historical fiction fan’s bookshelf.
What a wonderfully unexpected gem! A book made up entirely of letters (and emails and texts, and diary entries)? I was doubtful at the Dear Goodreads,
What a wonderfully unexpected gem! A book made up entirely of letters (and emails and texts, and diary entries)? I was doubtful at the start, particularly as much of the book is set during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is still a little fresh and feels odd to read about in a book. However, I shouldn’t have worries. This was a beautiful work of historical fiction, featuring a dual timeline in 1939/1940 and 2020.
Our main character is Cassie, who escapes London to the countryside with her young son Noah, who recently recovered from leukaemia. Her partner Stuart is a dentist and still has to see emergency patients, so she moves out of their house to reduce the risk of Noah catching COVID. The book alternates between the present and the past, once Cassie starts writing to a pen pal through a scheme set up by Noah’s school. Her nonagenarian pen pal, Ruby, sends Cassie her letters and diary entries from 1939 and 1940, which make up the ‘past’ chapters.
I learnt a lot about the treatment of Italians in the UK during WWII, and it’s truly shocking to know how Britain treated them solely because of their nationality. The ‘past’ follows Ruby through her diary entries and letters written to her from various others people, including her Italian boyfriend Edmondo.
All in all, this was an excellent work of historical fiction and the unusual format was unexpectedly enjoyable. It has now made me want to write letters to people rather than texting them, which is unfortunate since I’m also rather impatient.
Love, Penelope
PS: I received this ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!...more
I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.
Alba is a tale set in Ancient Rome and covers theI received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.
Alba is a tale set in Ancient Rome and covers the tale of the warrior Spartacus and the Third Servile War (War of the Gladiators). It is centred around the title character, Alba, and her life in Rome, Thrace and then with Spartacus’ army. The setting was impressive and I enjoyed how well the author combined real life events and people with the fictional tale.
Honestly, I was thinking this was a 5 star read for the first 70-80% of the book and then it was like the author just wanted to get the story over and done with. I was so disappointed. The last 20% or so felt so rushed, and it was hard to keep track of how much time had passed.
If the last quarter of the book was redone, this would be an easy five stars from me, but unfortunately it really disappointed me so I’m giving this book a 3.5, rounded up to 4. The book had SO much potential and I’m frustrated that the end just didn’t live up to the rest of it....more
What a beautiful novel. At the start, I struggled to like Meredith or Nina and found myself frustrated at how they treated each other, but by the end What a beautiful novel. At the start, I struggled to like Meredith or Nina and found myself frustrated at how they treated each other, but by the end I had fallen in love with all the characters and was so invested in the story.
The Siege of Leningrad is a history I knew some of before, but Winter Garden really shows what it was like during this period of Russian history, and the struggles that civilians had to bear.
This is an absolute must read for anyone who reads historical fiction. ...more
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Maria Alves, a young woman from New York, is working as Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Maria Alves, a young woman from New York, is working as a librarian and microfilm specialist at the NYPL. Inspired by the true stories of librarian spies who hunted down Axis intelligence throughout Europe, this novel creating an inspiring tale of bravery, intrigue and espionage.
The very beginning of the novel was slow for me and I found the prologue rather uninteresting. In particular, the author seemed to only use ‘[he] said’ constantly, rather than any other synonyms. However, once I got past this section and got into the meat of the book I was HOOKED. As in, still reading at 5am on a work night hooked. As in, could not put the damn book down.
Maria is a truly inspiring character, made even more impressive given the fact that she is based on a real life woman who was one of these ‘librarian spies’ during the war. The setting in Portugal is magical, and I learnt a lot about the Estado Novo, the authoritarian regime under dictator António de Oliveira Salazar. While I’ve read many books set in wartime Germany, France and Austria, this was the first that I read set in Portugal, which was a neutral country during the Second World War.
I highly recommend this book for anyone with a love of historical fiction, particularly those who want to read about other countries and how they were affected during WWII.
Espionage, bookstores and romance; what more could you want in a historical fiction novel?...more
Penelope ✈️ theflyawaygirl
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