The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey, Sarah Mollo-Christensen
Published February 5th 2019 by Lake Union Publishing and Brilliance Audio
5 Stars: 
Continue reading “The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey, Sarah Mollo-Christensen (Narrator)”
Published January 29th 2019 by Park Row
About the Book: From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan’s Talecomes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female spies during World War II.
Book: Love’s Rescue
Author: Linda Shenton Matchett
Genre: Historic Romance
Release Date: February 14, 2019 by Shortwave Press Continue reading “Love’s Rescue by Linda Shenton Matchett, Review and Giveaway”
Book: The Songbird and the Spy
Author: J’Nell Ciesielski
Genre: Clean historical romance
Release Date: Feb 19, 2019 Continue reading “Songbird and the Spy by J’nell Ciesielski – Review and Giveaway”
3.5 – 4 Stars: 
Published September 4th 2018 by Harper
Continue reading “The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris”
I want to preface this review with a short story. Several years ago, I visited Ottawa, Ontario to pick my daughter up at the airport. I went a couple of days early to visit some of the many museums in Canada’s capital city. One that I visited was the Canadian War Museum. As I entered the section teaching us about World War Two, I noticed that there were veterans sitting in strategic areas as well as wandering and talking to patrons. I met a veteran who served during the Italian Campaign. He shared that many Canadians did not know about what happened in Italy and he shared stories with me of some of the battles, the people he met, and the successes and failures of the Canadian troops. I was grateful of the opportunity to meet this man and hear these stories. When I came across this book, I wanted to read it to learn more about what Italy and her citizens suffered during this time.
4.5 Stars:
Published October 9th 2018 by St. Martin’s Press
5 Stars
Published January 16th 2006 by Hill & Wang (first published 1958)
5 Stars
Published September 2018 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
3.5 Stars
Published July 3rd 2018 by Scribner
Emmeline Lake, Emmy, works for a solicitor by day and volunteers by answering phones for the fire brigade a few nights a week due to London being blitzed regularly by the Luftwaffe. This is not her dream job. She dreams of becoming a war correspondent or a journalist covering political intrigue. Discovering a newspaper ad for part-time work at The London Evening Chronicle, she immediately applies for this part-time job and is hired. Imagine her surprise when she finds out that the job she has gotten is nothing more than a junior typist job for Woman’s Friend Magazine. She is to read letter sent in to Mrs. Bird, then type her responses for the column Henrietta Helps. The only problem is that the imposing Mrs. Bird has a list of unacceptable topics or words, so she answers very few letters. Because Emmy reads the letters and feels badly for those who will not get a reply, she secretly decides to send kindly responses to women desperate enough to write in and sign them Mrs. Bird. When the bombing of London hits too close to home for Emmy, she has to deal with her best friend’s injuries and emotional problems.
“Dear Mrs. Bird” is a historical fiction novel that elicits a lot of feelings and emotions. The reality of what happened in London during the blitz is heartbreaking. This book is a tribute to the women remaining at home in a country under siege. This is reflected with Emmy who is also a volunteer with the Fire Brigade, answering calls each night as the bombings occur, as well as with those who write letters to Henrietta Bird seeking advice as they try to deal with their real problems. At times it is funny and light, but also sad and horrifying as we see the destruction and losses. There were a few times that I was very frustrated with Emmy. She tended to be a bit overbearing and dishonest at various times in the story. Overall, I enjoyed this story and if you like WWII stories, historical fiction, women’s stories, then I recommend you give this book a try. The publisher, Scribner, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The ratings, ideas and opinions are my own.
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