The Home Front Girls by Susanna Bavin, published by Bookouture

The war is raging in Europe. These girls will do everything they can on the home front – but is a happy ever after possible in such dark and uncertain times?

Manchester, 1940: The minute war was declared, best friends Sally and Deborah volunteered for the home guard, willing to do anything to help their boys fighting overseas. An Auxiliary Fire Service girl by night, Sally ends up stationed at the salvage depot by day. Working amidst the scrap metal and waste paper, helping to make do and mend, isn’t quite the glamorous life in uniform she’d imagined! But she’s determined to do her best, and turn saucepans into Spitfires.

When Sally meets Andrew, a quiet carpenter with a heart-breaking smile who understands how important her work is, she finally feels as though her efforts to keep calm and carry on are making a difference. As love blossoms, Sally feels herself opening up to Andrew in a way she’d never imagined possible.

But then, just as Sally feels as hopeful as she can be in these times of war, a devastating air raid threatens everything she holds dear. As bombs rain down all over Manchester, deadly fires begin to destroy homes, and lives. With Andrew out rescuing families from the rubble, Sally rushes towards the plumes of smoke that fill the night sky. And is horrified to realise the very worst hit area has the salvage yard right at its heart.

Desperate to help in any way she can, Sally, with her fellow salvage girls by her side, sets to work. But what will they find when the smoke clears? Will Sally and Andrew get the happy ending they so deserve? Or will her one chance at true love be lost forever as the morning dawns…?

A completely gripping and heart-breaking romantic saga. Perfect for fans of Rosie Clarke, Nancy Revell and Lizzie Lane.

 

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A very enjoyable story with a different angle on life in WW2. We first meet Sally doing her bit for the war effort by working very happily in the local food office by day and fire watching by night.  She is in an awkward relationship with  Rod, the brother of her best friend, but she gradually realises that he is not the one for her,  This leads to  a major falling out with her friend and work-mate, Deborah, which causes repercussions in the workplace. Sally finds herself redeployed to the salvage depot, which initially she finds less satisfying, but a new friendship, a new love interest and a new home give her a different perspective.  This book is a lovely read and introduces characters I hope to meet again.  I missed Sally, Betty and Deborah, not to mention Andrew, once the book came to an end, and I felt I had enjoyably learned more about wartime Britain.

 

Susanna Bavin has written 4 standalone sagas and her new WW2 trilogy, The Home Front Girls, will be published by Bookouture in 2024. She also writes as Polly Heron (The Surplus Girls 1920s saga series) and Maisie Thomas (The Railway Girls WW2 saga series)

Susanna lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her husband and their two rescue cats. She is originally from Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester, where her family has lived for several generations and which provides the setting for her family sagas.

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Website: www.susannabavin.co.uk

 

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A Body at the Dance Hall by Marty Wingate

1922. Amateur sleuth Mabel Canning is surrounded by the bright lights of London as she chaperones a young American woman to a dance. But when someone is murdered, a deadly tango begins…

Meet plucky woman-about-town Mabel Canning, leader of the London Ladies’ Murder Club and trusted assistant to gentlewomen. When she is tasked with accompanying Roxy, a fun-loving heiress, on a glamorous night out, Mabel can’t wait to sip champagne and practice the foxtrot. But just as Roxy sashays out of sight, a mysterious man warns Mabel that the feisty young redhead is in danger. And someone is dead before the music stops...

Roxy was the last person to see the victim alive, and she stumbles into Mabel’s arms with her daffodil-yellow dress splashed with blood. Determined to protect her ward, Mabel gathers her dashing beau Winstone and her pals from the murder club. Together they trace the weapon back to the ballroom, but when its twin goes missing, it is clear time is running out to prevent another murder on the dance floor…

The police conclude the killer is in Roxy’s family, but Mabel finds herself spinning between a motley troupe of suspects. Mr Bryars, the anxious ballroom manager, is constantly tripping over himself to hide his secrets. But would he kill to protect his reputation? And young Ned Kettle may have looked dashing while waltzing around with Roxy, but he was once a notorious thief. Is the sticky-fingered rogue also a dab hand at murder?

Just as Mabel and her murder club friends quickstep closer to the truth, Roxy is kidnapped, and Mabel comes cheek to cheek with the killer. Can she save poor Roxy and herself? Or has she danced her last dance?

A delightfully witty and utterly addictive whodunnit absolutely bursting with 1920s sparkle, from USA mToday bestselling author Marty Wingate. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, Verity Bright and T.E. Kinsey.Mabel Canning is a very unusual young woman for England in the 1920s, living independently in a  London flat and earning her living through the Useful Women's Agency, accepting a variety of  assignments as a trusted gentlewoman to help out people in need of help.  Sometimes clients might require assistance in restringing a necklace, collecting garments from the tailor, or companionship.  This time,  Mabel is placed as a companion to escort the client's young and headstrong American daughter visiting her father and stepmother in London.  Roxanne is especially keen to go dancing, hence they are present when a murder takes place on the dance floor.  Fortunately, Mabel has already proven herself an able private investigator, so she is well placed to solve the ensuing mystery of who the victim is, who committed the murder and why, helped by her friends and neighbours who can assist her in her enquiries.This is a charming story with a strong sense of period, engaging characters and a good, suspenseful plot that ranges through different parts of central London, and it is companion to a series of stories featuring Mabel and her London Murder Club.  I enjoyed reading it very much.

Marty Wingate is a USA Today best-selling author of both mysteries and historical fiction. Marty enjoys weaving humour into her books and creating characters—from quirky and loveable to sinister and duplicitous—that leap off the page. Before embarking on her series about the London Ladies Murder Club with Bookouture, Marty published three contemporary cosy mystery series (the Potting Shed, Birds of a Feather, and First Edition Library books). She has also published two standalone books of historical fiction and found stories of the past to be compelling. She’s delighted to combine her penchant for both mysteries and histories to bring her readers more satisfying stories. Marty currently resides near Seattle, Washington.

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The Wartime Vet by Ellie Curzon, published by Bookouture

England, 1941. Dedicated local vet Laura cares for the farm animals of the little village of Bramble Heath. But falling bombs aren’t the only danger as the war hits close to home…

Despite everyone telling her it’s not a suitable career for a woman, Laura has worked hard to become a successful livestock vet. And she’s not afraid to serve her country in the village of Bramble Heath, where she and the land girls care for animals and protect the crops everyone relies on during the darkest days of the war. But, just when the country is most in need of food, the farms of the village come under attack…

Desperate to figure out who among the villagers could be doing such terrible things even while German bombs rain down, Laura is relieved when the Ministry respond to her requests for help. But the man they send isn’t what she expects. Commander Alastair Seaton is quiet, with a soft, kind smile. And she can’t help but be drawn to his shining brown eyes.

But as they start to open up to each other about past heartbreak, disaster strikes. A farm has been set alight. While Laura hurriedly gathers water to fight the flames, Alistair rushes into the burning barn to make sure no one is trapped inside. Will Alistair make it out alive? And can Laura figure out who is behind these attacks before they threaten the outcome of the war?

This story gives a fascinating perspective of life in England during the Second World War from the viewpoint of a working female vet. Women had only just started to be accepted into veterinary college in the decade before the War started, and it was a time when women would be expected to leave employment when they married.  However, wartime created a male labour shortage with military recruitment and conscription, and so employment opportunities for women became more numerous and, indeed, women were also expected to do their bit for the war effort.  This included farming and food production - keeping the nation's population fed and well-nourished so that they too could play their part.  Keeping livestock healthy was obviously an important contribution to this, so we meet Laura coming to work in a veterinary practice in the south of England, in a rural village where her Senior Partner is short-handed as his son has been called to act as a vet in the military.  She has to cope with his prejudice against a female in this role, as well as getting to know a whole new community.  She becomes concerned that some animals are being poisoned, although her boss dismisses this as the land-girls mixing the feed wrongly.  Despite his belief, she feels duty-bound to report her concerns to the Ministry of Agriculture, and this starts a chain of events which puts everyone in danger.  Just who can be trusted?  And how can the community be kept safe?

I really enjoyed this book, which seemed accurate for the period, and would certainly watch out for further books in the village at war series.

Buy link: https://geni.us/B0CLYN5DQXsocial

About the author

Ellie Curzon is the pen name of Catherine Curzon and Helen Barrell. Catherine and Helen began writing together in the spring of 2017 and swiftly discovered a shared love of the past and a uniquely British sort of story. They drink gallons of tea, spend hours discussing the importance of good tailoring and are never at a loss for a bit of derring-do.

Website: https://elliecurzon.co.uk/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MadameGilflurt

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The Nowhere Girls by Dana Perry

 On the anniversary of her sister’s death, FBI agent Nikki Cassidy takes a call that has her heart pounding in her chest, the image of her beautiful sister Caitlin etched in her mind.

Another girl has been taken.

Days later, the lifeless body of twelve-year-old Natalie Jarvis is found in a remote patch of woodland, a crown of roses delicately placed on her head. Just like Caitlin.

The killer is back.

Nikki rushes to her small hometown of Groveton, Ohio. She will do anything to stop another young girl dying, but she soon realises that nothing is what it seems—everyone in her hometown is keeping a secret. And when a note is discovered near Natalie’s body addressed to Nikki, it’s clear what the murderer really wants: her…

She’s caught killers before, but this time it’s personal. And Nikki will risk everything—even her own life—to get justice for every victim. It’s time to stop this twisted killer, once and for all…

Dana Perry's The Nowhere Girls features a maverick FBI agent, Nikki Cassidy, who has a personal connection with crime.  Her father was the local police chief when she was growing up in Ohio, and when her sister went missing.  Eventually, her sister's remains were found, buried in nearby woodlands, and a perpetrator was jailed for her abduction and murder.  Each year, on the anniversary of her disappearance, Nikki returns home in the attempt to gain closure, but each year, her convicted killer refuses to see her.  This year, however, is different.  This time, he wants to see her.  This time, Nikki may discover the truth.

Nikki is back in her home town when another local girl goes missing, and it feels too close to home.  She persuades her boss that the FBI should get involved and that, as she is on the scene, she should be the one to liaise with the local law enforcement services to see if there is a connection.  While some might argue that her personal history might render her less than ideal to pursue this investigation, Nikki and pragmatism prevail.   Colleagues are dispatched to assist in the investigation, and as events  unfold, they are all put at great personal risk.  Meanwhile, Nikki's partner is less than happy that she is putting her job before their relationship...

A good read, a pacy thriller and an interesting start to a new series. of crime thrillers featuring FBI agent Nikki Cassidy.

The Girl from Provence by Helen Fripp

 

Feisty, unconventional, independent and resourceful heroine? ☑️

Forbidden, irresistible love? ☑️

Idyllic setting in the Provencale countryside? ☑️

A community in peril? ☑️

A vulnerable child in need of protection? ☑️

A literary legend who is also a heroic aviator? ☑️

A socialite mother who flies for the Resistance? ☑️

World War 2: can love win the day? ☑️

All this and more, with a side of lavender honey, from Helen Fripp's new historical novel, "The Girl from Provence", published by Bookouture.

Blog tour:- Can't I Go Instead by Lee Geum-yi, published by Scribe on 9th November 2023

 

Another fascinating book by Lee Geum-yi, who wrote "The Picture Bride" which I reviewed here last year. Korea is a country which seems rather mysterious and unknown to me, and I relish the opportunity to learn more.  

Description:-

Two women's lives and identities are intertwined - through World War II and the Korean War - revealing the harsh realities of class division.

Can't I Go Instead follows the lives of the daughter of a Korean nobleman and her maidservant in the early 20th Century. When the daughter's suitor is arrested as a Korean Independence activist,  and she is implicated during the investigation, she is quickly forced into marriage with one of her father's Japanese employees and shipped off to be a comfort woman to the Japanese Imperial army.

Years of hardship, survival and even happiness follow. In the aftermath of WWII, the women make their way home, where they must reckon with the tangled lives they've led, in an attempt to reclaim their identities, and find their place in an independent Korea.

My reaction:-

At the beginning of this novel, Korea is controlled by Japan.  A  Korean viscount has a splendid home in Seoul, a son by a concubine and his wife is due to give birth after a series of miscarriages.  She bears him a healthy daughter, Yun Chaeryeong.  For her eighth birthday, her doting father buys her a companion/servant from the settlement associated with one of his farms, and this girl, Sunam (effectively a slave), has her life changed forever.  It seems extraordinary that a person could buy another and belong to an eight year old girl, but this collision of lives goes on to have many repercussions.  Sunam is an intelligent and resourceful child who is able to make use of the new world she finds herself living in, and it is interesting to see how this develops.  Chaeryong, meanwhile, enjoys a privileged life and education while her mother becomes increasingly embittered and distant.

I will not spoil the plot of the story, but both girl's destinies are thrown into the air by war and discord.  Chaeryeong loses her first love and is married off and sent to the USA, while Sunam has to adopt Chaeryeong's identity and take her punishment for associating with a Korean Independence campaigner as a support worker for the Japanese Army - in a military brothel.  This broke many women, but what of  Sunam?  The story tells us of how both these girls fare throughout their lives, and also how little right to self-determination women of any social status had at this time.  Subjugation to men and class affects both of them.

Although terrible things happen in this tale, as they did in reality, I enjoyed reading this well-written and -translated story and learning more about Korea's place in history and the world.  There is plenty of food for thought within the pages.  I really appreciate the opportunity to read and share my thoughts on Can't I Go Instead.

Books on Tour: New Beginnings in the Little Irish Village by Michelle Vernal

Bookouture's description:- 

 Welcome to the little Irish village of Emerald Bay where the sun is shining, the locals are gossiping, and romance is in the air. But will returning home be the fresh start Imogen Kelly needs?

Thirty-two-year-old Imogen Kelly is meant to be living her best life in Dublin but the bright lights of the city aren’t making her truly happy. So she leaps at the chance to take on an interior design job at the big country manor at the edge of Emerald Bay. It also gives Imogen an excuse to return to the place where she spent an unforgettable summer with her first love, Lachlan Leslie, the heir to Benmore House.

Imogen’s heart is full of hope at the thought of seeing her childhood sweetheart but on the way there she nearly has an accident on the winding, muddy country road. She arrives at Benmore House late and flustered, only to discover the builder working with her on the renovation project is none other than Ryan O’Malley – the class prankster who was forever pinging her bra strap at school.

Within seconds it’s clear he’s still a cheeky charmer, even if he’s transformed into a gorgeous guy who unexpectedly sets her pulse racing. Forced into close proximity with relentlessly cheerful Ryan, who’s forever (badly) singing rock ballads at the top of his voice, Imogen at first finds him an annoying distraction.

With St Patrick’s Day celebrations in full swing, Imogen has her work cut out to keep the job on track. Spending more time with Ryan, she discovers that, behind his warm smile and generous ways, he’s nursing heartache. But when she finally sees blue-eyed Lachlan again, Imogen has to face up to the truth about the secret summer romance they shared.

Will she leave Emerald Bay broken-hearted? Or will Imogen realise that home really is where the heart is?

What the publisher's description doesn't mention is that Imogen actually has a man in her life already - she has a relationship with her rather older boyfriend,  Nevin - "there's a bit of an age difference."  In fact, Nev comes with rather  lot of baggage as he has a previous marriage and grown up daughters who are still curiously dependant on their Dad to rescue them from various scrapes.  He wants no further children and Imogen has acquiesced, seemingly happy to pursue her career in interior design.  Her business is doing well and her success in Dublin is what leads her to accept a commission in her home village, giving her the the opportunity to visit her family and perhaps, at last, introduce her man to her childhood home.

Michelle Vernal has truly written a feel-good story, as warm as the community of Emerald Bay.  Imogen is very much a contemporary protagonist, seeking to find happiness and fulfilment in her chosen career and her personal life, yet not so lost in the glamour of life in the big city to have moved beyond her early life.  There is gentle humour and a great sense of place in the glorious Irish countryside, beautifully and wittily described.  I greatly enjoyed spending hours in Imogen's company as she adjusted to living back in her family home, coping with the fierce interest in her affairs of the community she grew up in, while dealing with her exacting employers, getting contractors to meet deadlines and specifications, her distant and demanding lover, her first real boyfriend and the disconcertingly multi-faceted man the classroom pest has grown up to be.  A deft and entertaining, compulsive read.  Thanks, Bookouture, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable book.

I was interested to learn that Michelle Vernal does not live in the Emerald Isle.  Michelle Vernal is a New Zealand author who writes stories that will take you onto the page with her characters and make you feel part of their lives. She writes with humour and warmth, and her readers describe her books as unputdownable, feel good and funny. Her writing has been likened to Maeve Binchy but with a modern-day vernacular. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the Love Stories Award. In 2020 she won the Reader's Favourite Gold Medal Award for Chick Lit, and in 2021 was shortlisted for the Page Turner Book Awards.

If you would like to discover what other readers thought of this book, why not visit the other participants in this  Book Tour, who are listed below: