Books in my week....

I've had a fairly quiet book week - not because the books were bad, far from it - but mainly because I've been spending the time devising a new design for my ever popular knitted book bags, and try as I might I simply can't knit and read paper books at the same time....





Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
jaffa's rating 4paws

Set in 1944, against the backdrop of WW2 this sweet love story is based on the author's own grandparents wartime correspondence.
Elizabeth has a fiancé, but pretending to be her friend Betty, she starts a wartime correspondence with GI Morgan McCain. As Morgan faces fighting in the conflict in Europe, their letters become increasingly intimate, and Elizabeth is faced with the dilemma of loving two very different men.

Beautifully written from the opening page, this is a delightful debut novel. The narrative could so easily have developed into an overly sentimental love story, but the transformation of the characters during the course of the story serves as a panacea against the horror of war. I think that the author has used her own family’s wartime experiences to great advantage, and the book is a marvellous testament to her grandparents, and the resilience and fortitude of a generation of young people who faced loss on grand scale.

I was lucky enough to be given an advance reading copy of this lovely book to review for :

http://www.newbooksmag.com/

Catching the Tide by Judith Lennox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 4paws

This beautifully written book has an overwhelming theme of love and loss, and expertly captures the hedonistic atmosphere of pre war WW2 London and Europe.
Tessa Nicholson is young and very beautiful, she embraces love and passion with joie de vivre, and yet when she meets and falls in love with a married man her whole life is irrevocably changed. Her younger sister Frederica, has a stabilising influence but with war looming the sisters need to make their own very difficult choices.

I really enjoyed this book, Judith Lennox has an easy style of writing that captivates from the opening line, she has long been one of my favourite authors and this latest book is a perfect summer read.

And finally .......My guilty pleasure read of the week !!

A Hint of Rapture by Miriam Minger

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 0paws -

In the aftermath of the battle of Culloden, the Scottish highlands are populated with English redcoats who seek to destroy the very fabric of Highland life. When Madeleine Fraser's father is killed at Culloden,she swears to take vengeance, and raids English supplies in order to feed her villagers. When her family home is taken over by a group of English redcoats Madeleine must seek to hide her identity from the handsome English Captain, Garrett Marshall, but she is unprepared for the effect this dashing English soldier will have on her heart.

I love a good adventurous Highland romp, and this was certainly risqué - it also had the added advantage of being a free kindle download.Great escapism - handsome hero gets the girl. Works for me every time !