Karen R. (flwergirl) -
An exciting collection of stories featuring the brave men and women of the greatest generation!
Progressing from 1940's London, until the end of the war in 1945, the stories take place between England, the U.S. home front, military bases, and Scandinavian Europe. Four of the stories are connected by a family thread, which made an interesting series; the others are separate, but flow well along the timeline of the war.
I thoroughly enjoyed every one of these stories! These were not fluffy romances, yet they were tender and heartfelt, with some sigh-worthy moments. The characters had a lot of depth, like you'd find in a full length novel. They seemed to cover the many real-life heroes of the time, from soldiers, sailors, pilots, nurses, women in the service and those working at home, as well as the underground resistance in Europe; the many different people who courageously risked their lives to help others. Unique features of the war were adeptly included, from the selling of war bonds, food shortages and rationing, planting victory gardens, to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, hiding Jewish refugees, dangerous missions, separation from loved ones, and many examples of personal sacrifice. Wrestling with issues of faith, like how a good God could allow evil to exist, trusting in God's sovereignty, and having the courage to love in times of uncertainty, made the stories feel real on a deep level. The Scripture and quotes included added a lot of meaning and inspiration to the characters' struggles, especially in dealing with fear, grief and loss.
Highly recommend this well-written, quality collection of novellas to anyone who enjoys Christian historical romance fiction, especially during the time of war. Fans of Sarah Sundin, Liz Tolsma, and Cara Putman's WW2 fiction will really like this book!
(Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for the book provided in exchange for my honest review.)
Progressing from 1940's London, until the end of the war in 1945, the stories take place between England, the U.S. home front, military bases, and Scandinavian Europe. Four of the stories are connected by a family thread, which made an interesting series; the others are separate, but flow well along the timeline of the war.
I thoroughly enjoyed every one of these stories! These were not fluffy romances, yet they were tender and heartfelt, with some sigh-worthy moments. The characters had a lot of depth, like you'd find in a full length novel. They seemed to cover the many real-life heroes of the time, from soldiers, sailors, pilots, nurses, women in the service and those working at home, as well as the underground resistance in Europe; the many different people who courageously risked their lives to help others. Unique features of the war were adeptly included, from the selling of war bonds, food shortages and rationing, planting victory gardens, to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, hiding Jewish refugees, dangerous missions, separation from loved ones, and many examples of personal sacrifice. Wrestling with issues of faith, like how a good God could allow evil to exist, trusting in God's sovereignty, and having the courage to love in times of uncertainty, made the stories feel real on a deep level. The Scripture and quotes included added a lot of meaning and inspiration to the characters' struggles, especially in dealing with fear, grief and loss.
Highly recommend this well-written, quality collection of novellas to anyone who enjoys Christian historical romance fiction, especially during the time of war. Fans of Sarah Sundin, Liz Tolsma, and Cara Putman's WW2 fiction will really like this book!
(Thank you to NetGalley and Barbour Publishing for the book provided in exchange for my honest review.)
