Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble - #bookreview #blogtour

Bath, 1942

"V! Wait for us! Have You heard the news?"

Startled from her worries, Veronica Campbell halted near the hospital entrance and spun around as her best friends and fellow nursing colleagues... hurried towards her...

The Blurb

Winter, 1942.

Secrets abound for the Home Front Nurses, but will one of them be able to tell the truth about her past before Christmas?

As the weather turns cold, and the war rages on, Veronica Campbell finds herself loving her job as a home front nurse more than ever. She’s spending time with her beloved best friends Sylvia and Freda, as well as assisting on life-saving operations with her fellow nurse Betty Wilson, and feeling valued and happy.

But at home, she wishes things were different. Because even cosied up by the fireside of her lovely little house, there’s a man who lives on her street. Someone she’d once thought she could trust, who – five years ago – had violently attacked her. His threats to her remain, but she’s been terrified into silence.

But everything changes when Betty needs somewhere to stay for Christmas, and Veronica impulsively suggests she move in with her. But can she trust Betty enough to let her guard down and tell her what happened that fateful day? Because if she doesn’t, they could both be at risk?

My Review

This book may be the third in the series, but not having read the previous two did not impact my enjoyment of this book in any way. Enough information on the backstory is provided to fill in the major parts of the earlier ones in the series.

It is a very character-driven novel, and I really enjoyed meeting the three main characters, Veronica, Freda and Sylvia. Their close friendship is the main feature running through this book. They are all nurses at a hospital in Bath during 1942 while the war rages on, and at this stage, an end to it is not in sight. We follow their stories both within and out of the hospital.

It was gratifying to see how during this period the role of women was changing professionally. They were being offered opportunities which would have previously only been available for men. It was wonderful to see their careers begin to progress.

It deals with some difficult themes which the author dealt with sensitively and with realism. However, it is a book full of hope, which was also heartfelt and emotive. I particularly thought that she wrote of the attraction of one of the characters towards someone of the same sex movingly. 1942 was not a time when one could speak of homosexuality openly, and she handled this very well.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and it has left me keen to read more. I recommend this one if you enjoy wartime sagas. A word of caution - the book does describe the rape of one of the characters, although it does not take place on the page.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1835617939

Publisher:  Boldwood Books

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback (currently available on Kindle Unlimited)

No. of Pages:  296 (paperback)

Series:  Book 3 in the Home Front Nurses series

Purchase Links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the Author

Rachel Brimble is the bestselling author of over thirty works of historical romance and saga fiction. The first book in her series, The Home Front Nurses, is set in Bath.

You can also find Rachel at:

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(ARC and media courtesy of Rachel's Random Resources)

(all opinions are my own)

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - #bookreview

 

"Film legend and '60's It Girl Evelyn Hugo has just announced that she will auction off 12 of her most memorable gowns through Christie's to raise money for breast cancer research..."

***

The Blurb

Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?

Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.

Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the '80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is a mesmerizing journey through the splendour of old Hollywood into the harsh realities of the present day as two women struggle with what it means and what it costs to face the truth.

My Review

I thought this was a fabulous book. It was steeped in glamour and made for a luscious read.

Hollywood legend, Evelyn Hugo has made her way up from a life of poverty. With a spirit of determination and blind ambition gets herself to where she wanted to be in life; a sexy and envied award winning actress. She determines to become the kind of woman who men desire and women envy.

Now in her later years, she seeks out little known journalist Monique Grant to write her life story. Evelyn intends to provide her with a warts and all account of her life to be published after her death. Monique recognizes that not only will this catapult her career but will also make her financially secure following the breakdown of her marriage. Evelyn's other condition is that it is a true and accurate account of her life and not the Hollywood version of it.

Each section in the book is headed with one of the titular seven husbands, and Evelyn narrates her time married to each of them. I couldn't help but compare her to Elizabeth Taylor, a real-life glamorous actress who was married multiple times. The sections were also interspersed with newspaper cuttings about her life which added another dimension to the story, demonstrating the way in which the media chooses to portray her.

In addition, there is a strong theme regarding LGBTQ+ issues running throughout the book. It was interesting to read how acceptance of homosexuality has changed throughout the decades and observe how unacceptable it was during Evelyn's earlier years. I think the author has done a great job of demonstrating this valuable point and the change that has occurred during the later period of her life.

The book is partly about the film industry and this book itself is crying out to be made into a film. It possesses enormous cinematic quality, and I would love to see this on the big screen.

This is an addictive novel that I couldn't wait to get back to every time I had to put it down. A marvellous book which I highly recommend.

Book Details:  

ISBN:  978 1398515697

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster

Formats:  e-book, audio, hardback and paperback

No. of Pages:  400 (paperback)

Purchase Details

Bookshop.org

Amazon UK / Amazon US

Blackwell's

Other Books by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones and the Six

Malibu Rising

Forever, Interrupted

After I Do

Carrie Soto is Back

Atmosphere

About the Author

Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of the New York Times Bestselling novels Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her books have been chosen by Reese’s Book Club, Read with Jenna, Indie Next, Best of Amazon, and Book of the Month. Her novel, Daisy Jones and The Six, is now a limited series on Amazon Prime. She lives in Los Angeles.

You can also find Taylor at:

Author Website

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(media courtesy of the author's website)

(all opinions are my own)

(Bookshop.org affiliated)

Never Trust a Gemini by Freja Nicole Woolf - #BookReview

 

I cannot stop dreaming about Alison Bridgewater. This could be because it's Libra Season... Love and relationships are on everybody's minds during Libra Season, according to my Bible to the Stars - or my Book for Blithering Idiots, as my Dad calls it. But it could also indicate that I'm reaching dangerous and dizzying new heights of my Alison Bridgewater Obsession, which is not good news, as I'm dizzied almost to death already!

They're very innocent dreams: Alison and me walking hand in hand across Tower Bridge in London... Alison and me playing tag on a white-sand beach...

***

Life is fraught for fourteen-year-old, zodiac-obsessed Cat. First there’s a minor bus-meets-girl accident, then there’s a boy-next-door suitor who can’t take a hint, but the most desperate disaster of all is Cat’s crush on the stunning and poetic Alison Bridgewater.

According to their star charts, Cat and Alison are the perfect match. To which Alison (woe alas!) remains oblivious.

But when the dangerously cool Morgan Delaney wades into the river to save Cat's sketchbook of kissing Disney princesses, she sends Cat’s stars spinning.

Can Cat get over her Alison obsession and follow her heart towards Morgan? Or should she exercise caution? After all, Morgan is a Gemini, and if there’s one thing Cat’s Bible to the Stars has taught her it’s that you can never – ever – trust a Gemini…

***

This book is aimed at teenage readers and particularly those of the LBQT+ community. Having said that - and speaking as a hetrosexual woman whose teenage years seem but a distant memory - I absolutely loved this book and was sorry when it came to an end.

The main character, Cat, is a fourteen year old lesbian who has yet to come out. She has a crush on her straight close friend, Alison, and the reader very quickly realises that this aspect of the story is not going to end well. Cat is one of the most adorable teenage characters that I have come across recently. She is clumsy, often says the wrong thing and lives her life according to her horoscope.

In fact, the book is divided into astrological sections and the plot plays out against Cat's understanding of what should be happening within this astrological time frame. I had a good chuckle at some of her expectations as well as the way in which she interprets it and attempts to apply to her life.

I am not a follower of horoscopes, but this book made me curious and I went to look up what the stars predict for me this week. I was surprised to read that it said that I should seek out something fun to help me access my inner child. This book had certainly done that as it was a very fun and easy read and I really enjoyed it. I guess that means that the stars aligned perfectly for me with this book!

What I most enjoyed about this book was that it was not an issue led narrative. Rather, the author has created a fun and interesting story centred around a main character who is a teenage lesbian. Ms. Wolf has done an excellent job in portraying her characters in such a believable and accessible fashion. I equally liked the secondary characters. Who could fail to like Jamie, Cat's accidental boyfriend?

This is a great coming-or-age story that will delight teens and adults alike.

ISBN:  978 1529509991

Publisher:  Walker Books

Formats:  e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:   320 (paperback)

Purchase Link - Bookshop.org*

About the Author:

Freja Nicole Woolf’s writing is absolutely not autobiographical. (Except for the bits that are.) She’s been writing since school and, at the über-ancient age of twenty-four, she finally wrote her debut, Never Trust a Gemini, as a joyful, romantic alternative to the issue-led LGBTQ+ stories she grew up with. She lives in London and aspires to be a Capricorn. Unfortunately, she's a Pisces. Never Trust a Gemini, is her debut novel and is published by Walker Books.

(book courtesy of the publisher)

(author info courtesy of The Bent Agency)

(all opinions are my own)

*Disclosure: I only recommend books I would buy myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post contains an affiliate link from which I may earn a small commission.