Tag Archive | Book Outure

The War Orphan by Anna Stuart

Mar9

Every Drop Of Love

The War Orphan by Anna Stuart is a powerful historical novel that I just couldn’t put down. It is grounded in fact and the third book in the Women Of War series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set from January 1945 in Auschwitz. The war is in its dying embers but still the Nazis were incredibly cruel as they separated mothers from their children for the death marches. The mother/daughter bond was strong. “Wherever you are, I’ll find you.” After the war ended, both searched relentlessly for the other.

There was so much loss. The war tore families apart – some members managing to flee Nazi Germany, others were not so lucky. Until told differently, everyone kept hope alive.

We follow the war orphans from Poland to Windermere and to Surrey. Here, new family units formed as they only had each other. We see that dreams of employment bloomed as there was the chance for new beginnings.

We must never forget where we come from. “It was also vital that they kept hold of a sense of their heritage.” We need to know our roots. We want to pass on our family history and learn to “live for those left behind.”

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The Island by G.N. Smith

Sep27

Exciting

The Island by G.N. Smith is a marvellous nail-bitingly good crime thriller and the second book in A Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller series. It can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading book one first in order to track character development.

The reader joins Fiona MacLeish on a remote Scottish island as the search for a young girl, also adds a rescue and the hunt for a double-killer to the leading lady’s workload. She is relentless in her pursuit of the truth. She will not rest until the girl is found and the killer apprehended.

Our childhoods shape the adults we become. Various characters have their behaviour’s motivated by a moment in time, long past. The reader’s heart breaks for a character who lost his sister and parents decades ago but still pursues behaviours that draw him close to their memories. He is a gentle giant with a good heart.

Alzheimer’s is a cruel master. A character who is locked in the past, causes chaos in the present.

Using the literary device of pathetic fallacy, the action mirrors the weather. Literal storms mirror the turmoil all around as events spin out of control.

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The Flood by G.N. Smith

Sep27

Heart Racing

The Flood by G.N. Smith was an exciting contemporary crime thriller. It is the first book in A Fiona MacLeish Crime Thriller series which promises to be thrilling.

The leading lady is very believable. She is cool and calm as a crisis unfolds, and she is tenacious in her search for the truth. Her police training means she carefully pieces together the evidence to decipher the perpetrator – unlike me who hadn’t got a clue!

We see how our upbringing shapes us into the adults we become. No closure in youth means the leading lady is determined that no one will suffer like she has and is relentless in her pursuit of the truth.

Guilt overtakes a character who realizes their trust was misplaced.

Atmospheric weather adds to the tension as a raging storm mirrors the action.

The opening of the book was superb as the reader experiences heightened emotions – and then we are all flung eight hours backwards in time as we wonder what just led up to the scene we just witnessed?

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An Italian Secret by Ella Carey

Sep23

Secrets & Lies

An Italian Secret by Ella Carey is a simply marvellous dual timeline novel. It is the first book in the Daughters Of Italy series which promises to be fabulous.

The action is set in present day and in Northern Italy in 1944. 1944 was naturally a time of great unrest as the partisans were fighting against the occupying Nazis. All around was great danger as one was not always sure where sympathies lay. It was a time of great risk and extraordinary bravery. Rumors existed but where did the truth lay?

In present day a deathbed letter throws a character into confusion. Has her whole life been a lie? She travels from America to Italy in search of the truth.

Since 1944 there have been rumors about a baby existing whose father was a high-ranking Nazi. A branch of the family is seen as originating from a black sheep. Will the truth ever be known?

There are beautiful bonds between fathers and daughters in both time periods. The love radiates through the pages.

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