Tag Archives: Romance

Code Name Hélène, by Ariel Lawhon

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“The weapons of warfare are different for women. Rarely do we have the luxury of bullets and bombs. Our tools are benign. Silk stockings and red lipstick. Laughter. Cunning. The ability to curse in foreign languages and make eye contact without trembling.”

Synopsis above provided by the publisher.

Fictionally, Nancy is presented as a chic tough heroine who never fights without a fresh application of lipstick. The character of Nancy Wake holistically is interesting and I enjoyed her unapologetic nature.

A lot of the past, 1936, is about how Nancy met her husband, Henri. The development of their relationship takes the limelight for the first half of the book.

Nancy’s different identities, totaling four, are not exactly told chronologically. The book is told in dual timelines, but two of her identities are not described until much later in the second half of the book. But, what happens is kind of all over the place. The story of Nancy as the WWII heroine was scattered and rambling. The telling of what she did under each identity isn’t balanced, and the reader sees more from her as the fighter Madame Andrèe.

Every little thing seems to be dictated in the narrative, making it much much longer than it needs to be. As an example, a detailed description of hair color and hair texture is specified for nearly everyone that Nancy Wake meets or sees whether a significant character or just a character passing by.
There was excessive dialogue that didn’t progress the plot about day to day things unrelated to the major storyline. The book is 464 pages, but probably could have been 100-200 pages shorter if these extraneous details were cut. Because of this, I was often bored and the prose didn’t flow for me.

Read Publisher Weekly’s Review for Code Name Hèlène.

https://youtu.be/bbgWKSre4U0

Read Nashville Scene’s article about Code Name Hèlène.

This is Ariel Lawhon’s fourth book. Visit her website to learn more.

Follow Ariel Lawhon on Twitter or Instagram.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. Opinions are my own.

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Above the Bay of Angels, by Rhys Bowen

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“Now I wanted to become an expert cook—but more than that, I wanted to be an independent woman with the means to live life on my terms. Now was time for me.”

In Victorian England, young Bella takes a letter from a dying stranger in the street. She uses the dead stranger’s name, background, and letter of recommendation to obtain a job working as a cook for Queen Victorian in Buckingham Palace. But as events transpire, Bella realizes that she is not the only one with a secret.

The overall story is a very light historical fiction that slowly builds up to Queen Victoria’s stay at the Hotel Regina Excelsior on the Riviera in France. Once they arrive and acts of treason begin to unfold, the story begins to pick up a bit.

For the first 3/4 of the book, it’s basically about the main character, Bella, wondering if anyone will realize she is lying about who she is, helping choose dishes for the Queen, and trying to prove herself among a kitchen full of men. During this time, she is pulled this way and that by various men who are romantically interested in her, and she often thinks about what decision to make regarding their romantic interest in her.

“Did I really want to become a real chef? Even if the prospect of marriage was offered to me?”

Chapter 30 (82% on a kindle) a mystery develops involving a murder. Before this murder mystery occurs, it is mainly what I described above.

There is little historical context outside of the royal family, though I enjoyed reading the Historical Note at the end.

Visit author Rhys Bowen’s website to learn more about her books.

Rhys Bowen is an award winning author. Her novel In Farleigh Field won best historical novel Agatha Award winner. Watch the book trailer for In Farleigh Field below.

Her mystery series, A Royal Spyness Mystery, is popular. Click here to view the books in order.

Follow Rhys Bowen on Facebook.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of Above the Bay of Angels. Opinions are my own.

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In an Instant, by Suzanne Redfearn

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A tight-nit family along with a few friends go on their annual trip to a secluded cabin that has been passed down for generations. Along the way, they swerve to miss hitting a deer. This instant changes their lives forever and their camper falls below the guardrails on the side of a mountain into the snow. Finn, a sixteen year old, is immediately dead, but does not pass through to her next world. She continues to watch her family through survival, rescue, guilt, and grief.

The chapters are short and there are a total of 94 chapters. The first 14% (ch.1-5) of the story were the days leading up to their trip before the accident occurs. When the accident hit, it really picked up. I couldn’t read fast enough. There is a huge “omg” moment that happens while they are fighting for survival. I was astounded, angry, and my jaw dropped when this happened.

At 38 % the rescue takes place but not all survive. (Meaning only 14-38% or ch. 6-35 of the novel was their survival story, the rest is what happens after they get back home.) From this point on the family is drowning in blame, grief, and hate. Guilt radiates the life and relationships of those who survived and a secret is kept about that fateful night. This is the bulk and focus of the story; so for most of the story it is not very happy.

Paranormal aspect- The narrator is dead and narrates all of the story for the family/characters. She watches them while lingering in limbo. (They cannot see her, but she talks to them in their dreams.) Towards the end this narration style got repetitive.

There is some minor mundane stuff that happens like watching baseball games, rescuing kittens…to help them with their grief. There is cussing and sex, but not the sexy details. Overall, I enjoyed it though I would definitely classify this as a young adult novel.

The ending Author’s Note is a must read which explains the real story that inspired this fictional novel.

Author Suzanne RedFearn’s has written two other novels called Hush Little Baby and No Ordinary Life.

Visit Suzanne RedFearn’s website or follow her on Twitter.

Suzanne Redfearn, author of In An Instant.

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The Light After the War, by Anita Abriel

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The above synopsis is provided by the publisher, and can be found here.

Overall, the synopsis is misleading. I did expect a romance based on it’s description, but I also expected other elements too due to the narrative about the two main characters, Vera and Edith, fleeing Budapest during WW2. (Really Vera is the main character and Edith is her best friend that supports her throughout the story…but in some chapters, Edith is barely seen.)
Vera’s time during the war is expressed in flashbacks, and is limited throughout the novel. They are very short flashbacks. Most of the story revolves around Vera and Edith’s hunt to find love and make a home.
In the second half, I started counting Vera’s flashbacks; she has three flashbacks after 50% of the novel. And these flashbacks sometimes have little significance; for example one is her shortly recounting the time she saw a ballet.

I am not sure what exactly the plot was supposed to be, but the story is set during 1946-1950 and centers around Vera who is a 19 year-old that has escaped Nazi-Germany with her friend Edith. It bounced around starting with one path but then would abandon the path it was on and begin another: from romance to grieving back to romance to culture/society back to romance to family back to romance, so the direction and where it was headed was obscure for me.
I kept reading hoping the story would evolve, but there were no huge climatic plot elements. The characters were underdeveloped with little to no penetrating depth in the dialogue, and much of what happens to the girls is filled with happy coincidences.

If you like light romances set during WW2 with romanticized dialogue then you will enjoy this novel very much. The romance is very much stylized like an old fashioned cookie-cutter romance.

The other cover for the book that you might see depending on the region you live in.
Author, Anita Abriel. Visit her book’s page on Simon and Schuster.

Visit Anita Abriel’s website or follow her on Goodreads.

More about this:
There is a rich history for Budapest, especially during and after WW2. (Though it wasn’t strongly presented in this novel.)
Below is a picture of “Shoes on the Danube”, a memorial to the Holocaust victims who were brought to the edge of the Danube river, told to remove their shoes, and then shot.

Read about Holocaust victims murdered at the Danube.

Read about the Death March from Budapest and the Budapest Ghetto.

I received an advance copy of The Light After the War from the publisher through Edelweiss. Opinions are my own.

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The Whispers of War, by Julia Kelly

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Above is the book synopsis taken from Julia Kelly’s page.

The title explains the book; it is quite literally chatter about the war. There is a lot of dialogue and conversation among the three friends about war coming. There is nothing militaristic except a few mentions of a blackout, and the details of the Jews suffering is negated. The synopsis mentions internment camps. But again the internment camps is only chatter among the friends and it never goes beyond their conversation.

The plot itself transpires around the social transformations during 1939 and 1940 for the three friends Marie, Nora, and Hazel. With various backgrounds, the main drama ensues around Marie who is of German descent living in Britain. Marie is painted as the victim of anti-German sentiments during the onset of WWII. The friends circle around Marie to provide support while politics begin to intrude the homes of Britain and divide families.

I found the dual timeline unnecessary. Samantha (now/present) is to deliver her grandmother’s eulogy, so she travels from America to Britain to visit with her friend Nora in order to learn more about her grandmother (Marie) so that she can write a proper eulogy. There isn’t any puzzle piecing involved with the dual timeline.

Overall, this was an okay read for me. It was a lot of talking and not a lot of happening. There was also plenty of romance, which I don’t mind, but I didn’t find it very pertinent to the storyline.

Julia Kelly is the author of Light over London, a best-selling historical fiction novel.

Visit Julia Kelly’s website to learn more.

https://youtu.be/HXsNOLyaDms

I received an advance copy of The Whispers of War from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions are my own.

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Regretting You, by Colleen Hoover

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I went into this novel not knowing much about it except having read the basic description of the book, and I recommend doing the same…knowing little as possible!!! I really loved it and couldn’t put it down. It is very character driven and the dialogue is sharp.

Thirty-four year old Morgan begins to see her life as predictable and struggles with her identity as a housewife. Her teenage daughter, Clara, feels like she is treated with too many rules but respects her parents wishes. That is, until an unexpected event occurs leaving their family in shock. How can they be honest with each other when the trust has already been broken? Can they find redemption and heal their relationship?

Chapters alternate between the mother, Morgan, and her her daughter, Clara. It starts off at Morgans high school graduation party and reveals Morgan’s realization that she is pregnant. After this first chapter, everything takes place during Morgan’s life as 34 year-old -mother and Clara’s life as a 16 year-old on the brink of 17 years old.

Topics include- underage drinking, marijuana usage, teen pregnancy, teen sex

Visit her website to view all of Colleen Hoover’s books.

Follow Colleen Hoover on Twitter.




Colleen Hoover talks about her novel Without Merit:

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Toward the Midnight Sun, by Eoin Dempsey

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In 1897, a young girl named Anna is escorted to Dawson City by two men because her father has sold her as a bride to pay of his debt. She is sold to a wealthy man who has made his fortune off of the gold rush and is called “King of the Klondike”. Along the way, several people doubt her ability as a woman to make the journey. Anna then falls in love with another, but knows she must stay with her fiance in order to secure her families survival.

This map is provided in the novel before the story begins.

The writing style and dialogue were extremely dry for this novel, and it was completely different from his other novels. The first half which details their trip to Dawson City was really boring. I thought that would be the exciting part, but it wasn’t until Anna reached Dawson City and the drama between her and her fiance ensued that the plot started to pick up the pace; moving slow rather than dragging. There was a small twist at 65% (on a kindle) but it the plot still continued to be dull…..it isn’t until 86% that anything of great interest occurs.

Historically, there is mention and a brief memory of the Battle of Wounded Knee. Women’s inequality is discussed and seen throughout Anna’s journey. The overall atmosphere for the time period in this novel is very bleak. I was expecting to learn a lot about the gold rush in Alaska, but I didn’t learn a lot in this novel.

Technical notes–Anna begins her journey on a ship to Skagaway for the first 10% (on a Kindle). Their stay and encampment at Skagway is detailed from 10-20%. At 20%, they reach the Dyea settlement, and at 21% they begin the Chilkhoot Trail. The Chilkhoot Trail is detailed from 21-45% and on the trail they stop at Canyon City, Sheep Camp, and the Scales. Anna reaches Dawson at 45% and the remainder of the novel happens there focusing on the romance.

For the majority of the story, I was bored and disengaged. I was very disappointed since I really enjoyed his other novels. I will still be looking forward to his next novel, though this one was not my favorite.

Read more about Eoin Dempsey at his website.

Visit his Facebook page to get more updates.

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Verity, by Colleen Hoover

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This description of the book was taken from Fuzzable.

I found this to a page-turner, for sure. I can’t say I was completely satisfied with the twists and turns since there weren’t but one or two until the end; however, I am not sure if the end would be classified as a twist or as termination. The reason why it’s a page turner is because it’s a very easy read, and the element of thrill is really drawn out the entire novel.

A lot of the thrill is clouded with sex and romance, so you must keep reading in order to unearth anything worth anticipating about the main mystery regarding Verity.

The first two pages start off super strong with blood everywhere and someone’s skull getting smashed. But it only lasts two pages and doesn’t have anything to do with the rest of the story.

I liked it, but I don’t know if i would read it again knowing what I know now. It’s a good book for a sick day or rainy day in bed. I enjoyed the perspective of Verity, and wish more would have been from her rather than Lowen, who is the narrator and main character.

https://www.colleenhoover.com/portfolio/verity/
Colleen Hoover discusses her literary success.

Visit Colleen Hoover’s site to view books and upcoming events.

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All the Ways We Said Goodbye, by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

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I would describe this as primarily a mystery of family lineage with the thrill of untangling the relationships of the characters in the past set over three different time periods. Secondly, I describe this as a romance. Each of the main characters has their own romantic relationship that is flourishing.

Summary: In 1914, heiress Aurelie seeks to restructure her future while war breaks out. In 1942, Daisy joins the resistance though her husband works for the Nazi’s. In 1964, shortly after her the death of her husband, Babs decides to find someone code-named “Le Fluer” who was part of the resistance during WW2 but had an alleged relationship with her husband.

Historically: The focus is not on the resistance, their fight, or the war. The reader does see a bit of resistance occur, but it is short-lived because the focus always turns back to the budding romance. The story revolves around their relationships. It very briefly mentions a few things that other novels have included such as Coco Chanel and the Velodrome. The Jews and their suffering are not detailed. The setting is historical, but historically nothing new is learned.

Chapter Organization : Each chapter alternates between three main characters: Aurelie, Daisy, and Babs. This takes adjusting on part of the reader. Each chapter is not short, so when a new chapter started, I often found myself having to internally remind myself which character that was and their background before beginning.

Overall Thoughts: There were a lot of scenes in Babs chapters that I found hard to believe. The story moved at a moderate pace until around 83% when the missing pieces of the lineage and relationship puzzle start to come together. (However, it was easy to predict most of these pieces.) This is a romantic mystery that takes place in the past. Overall, I kept reading to confirm my suspicions about the mystery concerning the relationships set in the past.
Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and HarperCollins for a copy. Opinions are my own.

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The Accomplice, by Joseph Kanon

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This is a great piece of espionage fiction! It was sexy and fast-paced. The dialogue was fierce and tangible. A spy-thriller-romance set against the backdrop of history made for a great read.

It is as described: In 1962, Aaron seeks to justify his Uncle Max’s last wish in hunting down a Nazi, Otto Schramm, who never payed for his war crimes. Otto served as a medical doctor for the Nazis, performing tortuous medical experiments on children and sending others to the gas chambers. Aaron flies to Buenos Aires from Hamburg to find Otto who has been using a different identity. But, after meeting Otto’s daughter, Aaron is unsure if he can fulfill his quest.

Thematic elements: War crimes is obviously a major topic, considering the subject and setting. Aaron internally struggles to rectify capturing Otto. How is justice served to the dead when their lives cannot be replaced? How do you properly punish someone responsible for the deaths of innocent victims? Does it matter how they died, once gone? Can a death serve a purpose, or can it be useful? Is there such thing as a useful death?

My technical notes: The first 17% is mainly dialogue where Max is trying to convince Aaron to find the ex-Nazi, Otto, and bring justice to the Jews that Otto harmed or killed by bringing Otto back to Germany for trial. Aaron’s actual espionage quest in action does not begin until 25% when he arrives in Buenos Aires. Most of the book is energetic dialogue between the characters, the characters in spy-action, or sexy time. The first 15-20% it took me while to adjust to the pacing of the names of characters, because their interaction moves so quickly. Otto Schramm, the Nazi criminal Aaron is chasing, is fictitious.

I really enjoyed the dynamic characters and the complexity of their relationships. I didn’t plan on reading this so quickly, but the relationships and plot were a driving force, so I finished it sooner than anticipated. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria for a copy! Opinions are my own.

Joseph Kanon is the author of The Good German which was made into a movie starring George Clooney and Cate Blanchett.
If you are interested in nonfiction about Nazi doctors, I highly recommend Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans. It is not very long, has pictures, and is written by a journalist, so it is not a very tedious nonfiction read.

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