My Review for New Hope For The Clarks Factory Girls by May Ellis

Friendships and family, new life and new beginnings.

I love being back in Street, in Somerset, as Kate, Louisa, and Jeannie are hoping against hope that Britain will win the dreadful war and their loved ones can come home. Once again the book is full of friendships and family, new life and new beginnings, but it also isn't without its heartache as the atrocities of war are still in action. Prisoner of war camps are real, and the Germans are using that dreadful mustard gas!

Despite everything, this book is full of hope and positivity, and I admire how strong people were (and had to be) during these difficult times. 

I'm pretty sure that this is the last book in the series, and I'm gutted, I'd love to see how the Clarks Factory Girls live their lives as WWI ends and there is fresh hope on the horizon again. Perhaps May will write about them as they have to devastatingly navigate WWII. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review New Hope For The Clarks Factory Girls by May Ellis.

About the Book

1917: As the war reaches its final moments, the families of the Somerset village of Street take comfort in new arrivals among them, but can they allow themselves to hope, or are more dark times around the corner? 

Following her recent marriage to Lucas, Louisa is delighted to discover she is expecting. But after everything she’s lost since the war began, dare she believe that this is a sign of brighter days ahead? 

Meanwhile, Louisa’s friends Kate and Jeannie struggle to balance factory work alongside their responsibilities at home, with shortages, illness and bad news from the front putting them under ever more pressure. Then unexpected news means that Jeannie can finally get her heart's desire but can she accept her happiness at someone else's expense? And when Kate’s tyrannical father dies, Kate pledges never to let another man have power over her, and to forge a career for herself, whatever it takes. But when the armistice brings a surprise reunion, will she risk her independence for a chance at love? 

One thing is certain, things are changing in the quiet village of Street. Can the Clarks factory girls navigate a changing world and stick together?

About May

May Ellis has been a legal executive, registered childminder, professional fund – raiser and a teacher. She has travelled the world, including trekking in mountains, deserts and the Great Wall of China, as well as helping build a house in Thailand. She went to university in her forties and gained a first class degree and an MA while still working full – time. Her first book, a contemporary romance, was published in 2014. Since then she has had five more novels published, including another romance and a YA time travel adventure. The last three are gritty dramas set in the 1960s/70s published by Darkstroke Books. She lives in Somerset, within sight of Glastonbury Tor, volunteering at her local library and for the Alfred Gillett Trust (custodians of the Clark’s archives). Her current series, based on the factory workers at Clark’s Shoes was inspired by her move to the area and her love of social history.

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My Review for A New Home at the Wartime Hotel by Maisie Thomas

Times are changing, as Manchester's ladies try to survive during WWII.

I love an educational WWII novel, and I've read many over the years. The ones where you learn more about the atrocities of the prison camps and the tenacity of the people who were held there. But I equally love a more lighthearted story, which is exactly what A New Home at the Wartime Hotel by Maisie Thomas is. It's the first in a new series, and although there is one heartbreaking topic (check the trigger warnings), this was a winner for me.

This time we are in Manchester as WWII continues, men are off fighting and the women are left to hold the fort - or the hotel! The characters are resilient and resourceful, and Kitty in particular was amazing as she fought to keep her home, and reconfigure the business to provide for her teenage daughter. Lily, Beatrice and Kitty (and Abbie) all became firm friends by the end of the story and I can't wait to hear what's in store for them next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review A New Home at the Wartime Hotel by Maisie Thomas.

About the Book

Kitty learned early on in her marriage that her husband, Bill Dunbar, isn’t reliable with money. So when they inherit the Dunbar family hotel at the start of the war, she's hopeful that their financial worries are over… until the bailiffs turn up! With Bill away fighting, it’s up to Kitty to turn things around for her family, or risk ruin.

Lily worked as a chambermaid at Dunbar’s before the war. She met Daniel there, but their relationship was complicated by class differences and the disapproval of Daniel’s mother. Now Lily is pregnant – and with Daniel away at sea, she is all alone. When tragedy strikes, will Kitty and Dunbar’s come to her rescue?

Beatrice is in her forties, unmarried, and working in a job that exposes her to the harsh realities of poverty and sacrifice. She wonders whether the war might give her the opportunity to change lives for the better - including her own. But when she's accused of a crime she didn't commit, the future looks bleak... until Kitty makes a surprising suggestion.

Can the community around Dunbar’s hotel pull together and provide a beacon of hope and resilience, in the dark days of war?

About Maisie

Maisie Thomas is the author of the new Wartime Hotel series published by Boldwood. The first two titles will be published in 2025. The stories concentrate on the importance of female friendship, especially when those friendships come about unexpectedly, and the ways in which women support one another through the highs and lows of everyday life in wartime.

Maisie is also the author of the bestselling Railway Girls saga series about the brave women and girls who worked on Britain's railways in WW2. She also writes as Susanna Bavin and Polly Heron. As Polly, she writes the 1920s saga series, The Surplus Girls, about young women striving for independence in the aftermath of the First World War. As Susanna she has written four stand-alone sagas (The Deserter's Daughter, A Respectable Woman, The Sewing Room Girl and The Poor Relation) and a WW2 saga series, The Home Front Girls.

Maisie was born and brought up in Manchester, which provides the location for her novels. She now lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her husband and their two rescue cats.

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My Review for Dark Times for the Clarks Factory Girls by May Ellis

Book three in The Clarks Factory Girls series from May Ellis and once again we are thrown into war-torn Somerset, and the lives of the men and women of Street, many of whom work in the Clarks shoe factory. Throughout the series, battles are being fought, on the frontline, but also in homes, where parents and children don't always see eye to eye!

I love to read about the resilience of people, towns and villages, as they dealt with the horrors which war threw at them. Despite the hardships, they battle on and usually come out smiling. May Ellis draws me into her books and makes me feel like a part of the family, and I can just imagine sitting down with them and having a cuppa and a natter in front of the fire. 

The world has come a long way since the early 1900s, when women weren't allowed to work once they got married and were expected to keep house and look after the children. Sometimes it's difficult to imagine how that was even a thing!

I love my days with the girls, and I can't wait to see what May has in store for them next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel's Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review Dark Times for the Clarks Factory Girls by May Ellis.

About the Book

1916: As fighting in Europe continues, the Clarks Factory Girls find themselves caught in a divided community...

With the country in the grips of conscription, the pacifism at the heart of Street village comes under scrutiny, and when Kate befriends Gerald, a young Quaker arrested for refusing to fight, she starts to understand the true dilemma the community finds itself in.

Still grieving the loss of her sweetheart Mattie, Louisa finds herself at odds with her parents, who refused them the chance to marry. As her mother’s attempts to find Louisa a husband show no signs of abating, Louisa takes solace in her friendship with Jeannie’s brother Lucas, but could an unexpected opportunity offer a solution to both their problems?

Meanwhile, Jeannie finds herself torn between her heart and her faith. With each other’s help, can the girls hold true to what they believe in, even as the village enters its darkest days yet?

About May

May Ellis has been a legal executive, registered childminder, professional fund – raiser and a teacher. She has travelled the world, including trekking in mountains, deserts and the Great Wall of China, as well as helping build a house in Thailand. She went to university in her forties and gained a first class degree and an MA while still working full – time. Her first book, a contemporary romance, was published in 2014. Since then she has had five more novels published, including another romance and a YA time travel adventure. The last three are gritty dramas set in the 1960s/70s published by Darkstroke Books. She lives in Somerset, within sight of Glastonbury Tor, volunteering at her local library and for the Alfred Gillett Trust (custodians of the Clark’s archives). Her current series, based on the factory workers at Clark’s Shoes was inspired by her move to the area and her love of social history.

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My Review for The Foyles Bookshop Girls' Promise by Elaine Roberts

Goodreads is really confusing with this series, and which book is which number in the series, so I’m ignoring all that and just going in to say that I really enjoyed The Foyles Bookshop Girls’ Promise. This one sees Rosie as our protagonist, and along with her friends, family and colleagues, she deals with the trials and tribulations of London during WWI. Rosie is working at Foyles Bookshop, but she’s also lending a hand in the hospital. That’s all before she begins to help the children in the local school with their reading!

Elaine writes with such warmth about all of her characters, and it’s extremely easy to lose a few hours while you’re immersed in one of her stories. The book is well-researched, and although it is fiction, I enjoy reading about the way life would have been during the war.

Regardless of what number this is in the series, I loved it and at some point, I’ll investigate what I’m missing and what’s going on with the other books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review The Foyles Bookshop Girls’ Promise by Elaine Roberts.

About the Book

London, 1918: war rages on, but the girls of London’s Foyles bookshop always have a place to feel safe. 

Rosie Burrows loves being part of the Foyles team, and outwardly, she’s a happy young woman, engaged to the love of her life. But inside, Rosie faces a horrible dilemma. When Alfie enlisted, she promised to wait for him to return from France. And she has waited, quietly preparing for him to come home so they can marry. But for years her letters to him have gone unanswered, and now she doesn’t know where she stands. 

To keep occupied, Rosie starts volunteering at the local school. She loves reading to the children, and takes solace in her growing friendship with the kind and gentle class teacher. But Rosie knows she can’t allow herself to develop feelings for Sam – she gave her word. 

But why hasn’t Alfie answered her letters? Has he changed his mind about her? And how long should she wait for a man who may never come back?

About Elaine

Elaine's dream was always to write for a living. She completed her first novel when she was in her twenties and received the first of many very nice rejections. Life then got in the way, until circumstances made her re-evaluate her life and pick up her dream again in 2010.

​Elaine joined a creative writing class, The Write Place, in 2012. Shortly afterwards, her first short story was published and she was thrilled when many more followed. Elaine finally started to believe in herself.

​As a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Women Writers & Journalists, Elaine attends many conferences, workshops, seminars and wonderful parties. Meeting other writers gives her encouragement, finding that most face similar problems.

​Elaine has a patient husband, Dave, and five children who have flown the nest. Home is in Dartford, Kent and is always busy with children, grandchildren, grand dogs and cats visiting. Without her wonderful family, Elaine says that she knows the dream would never have been realised.

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My Review for Courage for the Clarks Factory Girls by May Ellis

I read the first two books in the Clarks Factory Girls series, back to back. This second in the series is a continuation of the lives and stories of the people who live and work in Street, Somerset, in the UK and, once again, they welcome us with open arms. I love the characters (well, most of them) that May has created and the family and friendship they bring. 

This time around, we discover more about the effects the First World War had on the men who fought and the women who stayed at home, as well as the backward beliefs that some characters had, resulting in heartbreaking decisions having to be made, particularly by young women. 

I love the community spirit in this series. Almost everyone looks out for their friends and neighbours and will help them out any way they can if necessary. 

If you love a wartime saga like I do, then pick up these books. Despite the setting of WWI, they are warm and cosy books with great characters who you just want to be friends with. 

Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and review Courage for the Clarks Factory Girls by May Ellis.

About the Book

1915: As war continues to rage across the Channel, the families of the Somerset village of Street can no longer avoid its long shadow.

Workers in the Clarks shoe factory, at the heart of the village, have left for the army in droves, and news from the Front seems to grow darker by the day.

When life-long friends Louisa, Jeannie and Kate receive the news they had been fearing, all hope seems lost. And Louisa’s world will be rocked further when she makes another discovery, one that will see her cast out by her family, changing her life forever.

Kate and Jeannie are determined to be strong for their friend, but each of them has their own problems to bear, and when Jeannie’s beloved brother Lucas enlists, she fears history is about to repeat itself.

Can the Clarks factory girls help each other through the darkest days and keep hope alive?

About May

May Ellis has been a legal executive, registered childminder, professional fund – raiser and a teacher. She has travelled the world, including trekking in mountains, deserts and the Great Wall of China, as well as helping build a house in Thailand. She went to university in her forties and gained a first class degree and an MA while still working full – time. Her first book, a contemporary romance, was published in 2014. Since then she has had five more novels published, including another romance and a YA time travel adventure. The last three are gritty dramas set in the 1960s/70s published by Darkstroke Books. She lives in Somerset, within sight of Glastonbury Tor, volunteering at her local library and for the Alfred Gillett Trust (custodians of the Clark’s archives). Her current series, based on the factory workers at Clark’s Shoes was inspired by her move to the area and her love of social history.

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My Review for The Clarks Factory Girls at War by May Ellis

The Clarks Factory Girls is a new wartime saga series by May Ellis and as I’m on the book tour for the second in the series, I wanted to read the first one, before I started the second. I’m unsure whether our friends across the pond know that Clarks Shoes used to be a massive thing in the UK (although maybe not as much these days). Almost everyone I knew had a pair of Clarks shoes as their first ever pair, and school shoes in particular would, more often than not, have been a pair of Clarks.

Anyway, this series immerses us into the lives of characters who lived and worked in the village of Street in Somerset in the UK, where Clarks had its first factory. Louisa, Jeannie, and Kate have been friends since they were all at school together and now work side by side in the machine shop in the Clarks factory in 1914.

Throughout the book, we learn how the community, factories and individuals coped with the onset of war and the challenges that it brought, whether personal or professional. I enjoyed reading about the Quakers and how their beliefs differed from those of their neighbours. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review The Clarks Factory Girls at War by May Ellis.

About the Book

Can love blossom in times of trouble?

Life-long friends Louisa, Jeannie and Kate are following in the footsteps of their families, working at the Clarks shoe factory.

But when Britain declares war on Germany, the Somerset village of Street is shaken to its core. The Clarks factory is at the heart of life in the village, but the Clark family are Quakers and pacifists. Before long, there are fierce debates amongst the workers and tensions between those who oppose the war and those who believe the village men should go to fight.

Each of the girls must decide her own position but as brothers and sweethearts leave for France, Louisa is relieved that her beloved Mattie, a Quaker, won’t be signing up. But she’ll soon find that they face fierce opposition at home as well as across the Channel.

Will the girls’ friendship be enough to keep them together, as everything around them falls apart?

About May

May Ellis has been a legal executive, registered childminder, professional fund – raiser and a teacher. She has travelled the world, including trekking in mountains, deserts and the Great Wall of China, as well as helping build a house in Thailand. She went to university in her forties and gained a first class degree and an MA while still working full – time. Her first book, a contemporary romance, was published in 2014. Since then she has had five more novels published, including another romance and a YA time travel adventure. The last three are gritty dramas set in the 1960s/70s published by Darkstroke Books. She lives in Somerset, within sight of Glastonbury Tor, volunteering at her local library and for the Alfred Gillett Trust (custodians of the Clark’s archives). Her current series, based on the factory workers at Clark’s Shoes was inspired by her move to the area and her love of social history.

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My Review for Hard Times for the East End Library Girls by Patricia McBride

The second in the East End Library Girls series and a welcome return to Cordelia, Jane and Mavis. Since Cordelia arrived at the library, the three have become firm friends. This book continues where the first one left off and we follow the lives of the three women and how they are surviving the war. Houses are bombed, children are evacuated and soldiers are injured, but the three are resilient and manage to cope with whatever is thrown at them.

I loved catching up with these three again. Despite the harrowing circumstances of war, the book has a lovely warm feeling. I enjoy reading about life during the war, the difficulties with housing, finding food and not knowing from one day to the next what will happen. It makes us appreciate everything we have today. The library helped bring the community together and for those who were lonely, I can only imagine that this must have been a godsend. 

Although the second in the series, this could be read as a standalone. However, the first one is so good, grab them both and enjoy the adventures of the East End girls. I hope this isn't the last we hear from Cordelia, Jane and Mavis.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review Hard Times for the East End Library Girls by Patricia McBride.

About the Book

As the war reaches London, they’ll band together… War strikes close to home for chief librarian Cordelia when her flat is bombed, and her beloved Robert is called up and sent abroad. Fortunately, her colleagues Mavis and Jane can help see her through hard times.

The three friends find purpose in making the Silvertown library a friendly sanctuary for their deprived and devastated community. But sinister forces, from callous bureaucrats to crafty criminals, still lurk among the stacks. Worse, Jane’s soldier husband is injured and suffers both physically and mentally.

With so many struggles Cordelia and her friends might need more than books to survive war's shadow. Can they find light in the darkness?

About Patricia

Patricia McBride is the author of the very popular Lily Baker historical saga series. She is now writing a new WW2 series for Boldwood, based in the East End of London during the Blitz, the first title of which, The Library Girls of the East End, will be published in November 2023.

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My Review for A Mother's Hope for the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker

There are four books (so far) in the Cornish Girls series by Betty Walker and I’ve only read two! It absolutely doesn’t matter. You can read it as a standalone or as part of the series. I will definitely go back and read the other two, even if the characters will all be upside down and back to front!

A Mother’s Hope for the Cornish Girls is set during WWII and the story is told primarily by Sonya, Lily and Mary, each living and working in St Ives. Sonya is helping at the orphanage, Lily is now training to be a midwife and Mary is working as a nurse in the convalescent home for wounded soldiers. 

I devoured this book in two days, I just couldn’t put it down and I’ve just discovered there is a new book coming out in August so I can’t wait for that! It is beautifully written, with compassion and empathy. I read the last page and closed the book, feeling that I had just been enveloped in a great big hug!

Thank you to Avon Books for sending me a review copy of A Mother’s Hope for the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker.

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My Review for Christmas with the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker

⭐⭐⭐⭐ It’s the middle of the Second World War and life in Cornwall may not be as difficult as in the big cities, but it has its moments.

Lily, Eva and Rose are working in St Ives, in Cornwall, at Symmonds Hall Convalescent Home for injured officers, and preparing for Christmas. Lily is footloose and fancy-free. Eva has her heart set on an injured Flight Lieutenant who doesn’t; think he’s the man for her, and Rose is in love with her sister’s fiancee. What on earth could go wrong?

Fun and laughter, sorrow and heartache, Christmas with the Cornish Girls has it all and Betty Walker brings the characters to life as we prepare for a wartime Christmas with them all. The nurses are compassionate and caring, and the injured men are brave and determined. In the uncertain and challenging times of war, we discover just how everyone works together to make the best of what they have.

If you enjoy a wartime story with a bit of love and Cornwall thrown in, then you’ll enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of Christmas with the Cornish girls by Betty Walker.

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My Review for At Home by the Sea by Pam Weaver

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Second World War has recently ended and people are trying to return to some sort of normality in Worthing, West Sussex. Izzy and Linda’s father has returned from the war but is without a job, suffering from anger issues and often in the pub, returning home drunk, late at night. After one such night, and following an argument with her husband, Izzy’s mother leaves and doesn’t return.

Over the next two years, the girls are brought up by their grandparents, until one day their father comes to take them home. Izzy is desperate to find out why her mother left, whilst trying to maintain a job and support her sister and father. 

As was normal in post-war Britain, it is the women who look after the house and, in the absence of a mother, this fell to Izzy. We travel along with her as she grows up, with a world of responsibility on her shoulders. Her family has fallen apart and she will do all she can to find out why and put right as much as she can. 

At Home by the Sea has a diverse range of characters, some fun, some loveable and some are just downright evil. Pam Weaver’s descriptive style brings post-war Worthing to life, and I realised just how hard it would have been in the 1940s and 50s, as everyone rebuilt their lives. 

I thoroughly enjoy historical fiction and every time I read a book, I learn something new. This was a lovely read and transported me to different times and into different lives. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of At Home by the Sea by Pam Weaver.

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My Review for The Drowned Village by Norma Curtis

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Set between the present day and the years following the end of World War II in Mid Wales, The Drowned Village is a beautiful, but heartbreaking story. Sixty-five years ago, Elin Jenkins, a young Welsh girl, and Al Locke, an American sailor, had their whole lives ahead of them and, after Al proposed, the plan was for Elin to move to Pennsylvania and marry the man she loved. However, life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to.

Present-day and Sophie is running a bunkhouse in Wales, and one of her guests is an elderly gentleman in his eighties...

I thoroughly love a book that is based on historical facts and makes me want to research more about what I’ve read, This is definitely true of The Drowned Village, I only live about 3 hours drive from Mid Wales, yet I wasn’t aware of entire villages that were flooded with water to create a reservoir, to provide water for industries, just over the border in Liverpool. 

The descriptions of the Welsh countryside, with its towering hills, beautiful green countryside and sparkling lakes are perfectly written, and it’s apparent that the author loves the country she was born and brought up in. 

I really enjoyed reading The Drowned Village and would recommend this to anyone who is interested in fiction, based on fact, with a good love story thrown in.

I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Drowned Village by Norma Curtis.

Book Description

The Drowned Village: A heartbreaking and absolutely gripping WW2 romance by Norma Curtis

As he reaches the top of the familiar hill, a startling brightness draws him in like a vision. A glittering lake fills the entire valley. The pretty stone village, and all trace of the girl he loved, are gone…

Wartime Britain. Pushing aside drooping hollyhocks, Elin Jenkins tosses back her dark hair and runs up the familiar path to her family’s farm in the village. Laughing, Al catches her around the waist. ‘Marry me,’ he whispers. ‘I’ll use my Navy liberty leave. I don’t want this to end.’ Tears prick her eyes as she smiles up at him.

Three days later, Al is gone. And in the months that follow, Elin’s frantic telegrams to him go unanswered. Then she receives an invitation to his society wedding in Philadelphia. Scribbled on the back are three words: No hard feelings.

Present day. Al Locke, retired Navy Captain, smooths his silver hair and finishes up with a spritz of aftershave. With a spring in his step he hasn’t had for decades, he sets off up the well-worn track through the valley. He has no doubt he will meet her in the village today. He will at last hear the horrible truth of what happened to Elin after he left, and he’ll confess why he couldn’t face returning to her… until now.

But what he finds in that silent valley is a mystery that is greater even than his and Elin’s own. The village, once lively, is underwater. A shimmering ghost town in the depths of a vast lake. The tragedy of Elin and Al’s broken engagement sits at the heart of what happened here – Ellen's irreparably devastated heart, and the home she tried so desperately to save.

A beautiful and heartbreaking read about secrets, heartache and forgiveness, based on a true story. Fans of Fiona Valpy and Lorna Cook will love this book.

(This book was previously titled The Captain’s Wife)

Author bio:

Norma Curtis's first published stories were for teenage magazines and she began writing novels when she joined the Romantic Novelists' Association. Her first novel won the New Writer's Award and was chosen as a WH Smith Fresh Talent title. A couple of years after being invited onto the RNA committee she was made chairman and following her two-year term of office, she studied creative writing at City University before taking an MA in Prose Fiction at Middlesex University. The Drowned Village is her sixth novel and she lives in North London with her family.

Author social media:

Twitter: @The NormaCurtis

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ncurtis.books

Website: www.normacurtisauthor.com/

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My Review for A Mother's Secret: The Battersea Tavern Series (Book 1) by Kitty Neale, Read by Annie Aldington

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  Wow! This was such an awesome listen. Those of you who are regular readers of my reviews will know that I love a good Audiobook and often lose myself in someone else’s world for hours at a time! A Mother’s Secret was no exception, and I quickly fell in love with the characters (well, most of them)!

Winnie is running The Battersea Tavern at the onset of the Second World War, and alongside her faithful barmaid, Rachel, they welcome their regulars in with pleasant conversation and the promise of a pint. Winnie’s lazy husband, Brian, spends most of his time in his armchair, whilst their son, David, doesn’t have an honest bone in his body.

Kitty Neale introduces a wide variety of characters into the book, each with their own story to tell, many of which are sad and which will definitely tug at your heartstrings. Dealing with alcoholism and domestic abuse, these subjects are managed delicately and in keeping with the era in which the book is set. We need to remember that back in the 1930s and 40s, subjects were not discussed as openly as they are now and what we would see as simply not right would have been normal and expected during those years.

Annie Aldington reads A Mother’s Secret with enthusiasm, compassion, and love. She immersed herself in the characters’ lives as the book continued and seemingly wanted to share her passion for the Battersea Tavern with her listeners.

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My Review for The English Girl by Sarah Mitchell

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The English Girl by Sarah Mitchell.

The English Girl begins at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in 1989, as the wall is coming down.  Tiffany travels from West to East with a letter in her hand and only an address to begin her search for someone important.

Most of the book takes place in 1946/47 in Norfolk, at the end of the Second World War.  German soldiers in a Prisoner of War camp are being used to clear mines and make the beaches safe and the book centres around the camp and the people who are helping to run it.  Fran begins work in the office in the camp and quickly meets and falls for Thomas, one of the German prisoners.  

Fraternising with a German is strictly against the law, and so Fran and Thomas have to hide their love for each other from everyone else but continue to see each other at any snatched opportunity they can.  Only time will tell whether there is any future for their forbidden relationship and Sarah Mitchell keeps the reader guessing throughout the book.

Inspired by a true story, The English Girl was a beautiful read and opened up my eyes to the fact that people who fought in the war weren’t just allowed to pack up their bags and go home as soon as it was over.  For many, it continued for years without them knowing what had happened to their families back home.   The story also told of how wartime events affected not only the soldiers who fought but those who were left behind, both men and women, and how society treated them.

If you enjoy historical fiction with a difference, then I would recommend The English Girl, you never know, you might learn of events that you didn’t realise had happened.  I definitely need to read more by Sarah Mitchell!

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My Review for The Bird in the Bamboo Cage by Hazel Gaynor

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐When the weather is sunny and I’m pottering around the garden, and if the story is addictive I can get through an 11-hour Audiobook in a couple of days and The Bird in the Bamboo Cage by Hazel Gaynor (read by Imogen Church and Rosie Jones) was one of these.  

Set in China during the Second World War,  just as the Japanese declared war on the Allies, The Bird in the Bamboo Cage is primarily told from the points of view of two characters, ten-year-old Nancy Plummer and her teacher, Elspeth Kent.  The story begins at Chefoo school, an international missionary school, where the children are happy and well cared for, but as war is declared they are first invaded by Japanese soldiers who watch their every move, and they are then uprooted from what they know and feel safe with and moved to an internment camp, where punishment is high, and the Japanese soldiers enjoy making people suffer.

The story follows the teachers and children of Chefoo school as they embark on a torturous and heart-breaking few years, never knowing what is happening at home, whether their families are safe or how long the torment will continue.  Hazel Gaynor brings the horrors of an internment camp alive as she describes the living conditions and the events that the children and teachers suffer as they try to survive day to day.  The book is also very much about friendship and loyalty, how everyone will work together to get through another day.  

To keep things as normal as possible, the girls continue with their Kingfisher Girl Guide troop, working for badges and helping others in the camp, as much as they can.  

The Bird in the Bamboo Cage is based on true events and Hazel Gaynor has researched her book well. Once again I have read something based during wartime that I had no knowledge of and knowing that children suffered in internment camps and the sufferings they endured is heartbreaking.

Right at the end of the book, the girls sing Taps, which is how every meeting of the Brownies or Guides ends (I’m not sure if it still does) but this was a real memory blast for me and I even remembered the words....

Day is done,

Gone the sun,

From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky,

All is well,

Safely rest,

God is nigh.

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My Review for Island of Secrets by Patricia Wilson

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  I listened to Island of Secrets, by Patricia Wilson, as an Audiobook from Borrowbox. Read by Julie Maisey, it was another outstanding book from the author and once again, taught me so much about the Second World War that I wasn’t aware of.

‘The story started at dawn on the fourteenth of September 1943...’

Angelika (Angie) is planning her wedding to Nick and has decided that she wants her mother’s family to be involved. The problem is, is that her mother hasn’t spoken to her family in almost 40 years and they live in Crete! Cue a trip to the Greek island to see what she can find out. Her grandmother, Maria, is overjoyed to see her granddaughter and begins to tell her story of the massacre in 1943 when the Germans occupied Crete.

I imagine that often Greek village life is chaotic, very family-orientated and with everyone knowing each other’s business. Angie’s wedding day was very much like this. Nothing went to plan, and to say it was chaos was an understatement!

The story is told over the two timelines, present-day and 1943 and to be honest, I was much more interested in the stories of the past. Knowing the accounts were based on fact, horrific though it was, made me warm to the characters more, whilst learning about the horrors they were put through for seemingly no reason whatsoever.

Patricia Wilson is a master at descriptive writing, and I love how she draws you into the story, making you believe you could be experiencing every gunshot, yet also enjoy a coffee in the local cafe with the sun beating down.

I would recommend Island of Secrets to anyone interested in Greek history and would like to know a little bit more but with the ease of a ‘nice read’ behind it. I have enjoyed the three novels I have read or listened to by Patricia Wilson, and I will be on the lookout for more.

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My Review for The Dover Cafe at War by Ginny Bell Read by Bea Holland

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I listened to The Dover Cafe at War by Ginny Bell as an Audiobook from Borrowbox and loved it.  I find that a wartime saga always makes for easy listening or easy reading, and this was no exception.  Bea Holland narrated it beautifully and I enjoyed how she brought the characters to life.  Despite the sometimes heartwrenching circumstances, a good book, set in wartime, always makes me feel warm inside.

The Dover Cafe is set at the heart of Dover's market square and is run by Nellie Castle with the help of Marianne, her eldest daughter.  As Britain is on the brink of World War II, Marianne's scandalous past begins to catch up with her, and now that her son is 10 years old, there are things she can't keep from him any longer.

Ginny Bell can draw the reader into the story and keep them there for the entirety.  Each character becomes a friend, and with each turn of the page, you're waiting to see what happens next.  Of course, there are some rogues, aren't there always in a good saga?  However, even they have their endearing qualities and helped to keep me gripped throughout.

I've just realised that The Dover Cafe at War is the first in a series so I am looking forward to discovering the next book soon, along with any more of Ginny Bell's books I can find.

I would recommend The Dover Cafe at War to anyone who enjoys a wartime saga, something with a bit of romance and just a lovely feel to it.

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