Emma's Review: The Home for War Orphans by Jenna Ness

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Margot has spent most of her life at St Agnes’ Orphanage with her little sister Lucie. She does her best to care for all the children, cradling them under the stars when Sister Helen can’t get them to sleep. But she knows that when the Nazis reach the gates of Paris, the Jewish orphans will be in terrible danger. She must help them escape…

Holding on tightly to Lucie as they all scramble into a truck bound for the countryside, Margot cannot prevent her hands from shaking. Then one night, by the flickering light of the makeshift fire, Sister Helen tells Margot she has found a rich family to take Lucie in. But there will be no safety for the other children – unless Margot can lead them to the French coast for a ship destined for America.

Looking from her sister’s bright blue eyes to the little patchwork teddy the children share, Margot realises she must trust someone else with the only family she has left. But as soon as the wrought-iron gates of Lucie’s new home slam shut, Margot knows she’s made a mistake. Devastated at being left behind with strangers, Lucie runs away.

Margot knows the only place Lucie will run to is the high stone walls of the orphanage, where she last knew warmth and food and comfort. With fear in her heart, Margot is faced with an impossible choice. Should she race to save her sister from a terrible fate, or make sure the other orphans escape?

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Emma's Review: The Tuscan Sister's Secret by Daniela Sacerdoti

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

Ever since her twin sister returned to the family home, Bianca has felt more lost than ever. For the first time in her life, she’s not the only one taking care of her family. But her newfound freedom makes it impossible to stop thinking about Lorenzo. She has loved him since they met beneath a tree between their houses as children, but a long-seated family feud means they can never be together...

Determined to distract herself from her heartache, Bianca is delighted when she runs into a childhood friend, Brando, who secures her a job at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. And the more time she spends with him in the archives, cataloguing the museum’s precious library, the more she becomes captivated by his warm brown eyes. Maybe his gentle smile will heal her heart?

But when Bianca discovers a long-lost diary in the archives, written by a young woman who once lived in her family’s villa, she is gripped by the story of forbidden love that mirrors her own. As she reads, Bianca wonders whether she should take courage from this stranger’s story. But is Bianca’s chance for happiness already lost forever? Or is it not too late for her to heal the wounds of the past, and fight for the man she loves?

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Emma's Review: The Paris Promise by Suzanne Kelman

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

But when their secret is discovered and her beloved husband is torn from her arms, Antoinette’s heart breaks. She knows she must act quickly if she is to save her son from the same fate. Desperate, she asks the Resistance to secure him a place on the last train leaving Paris. Holding him tightly against her chest, she promises she will find him again. But is it a promise she can’t possibly keep?

Alone and with nothing left to lose, when the Resistance ask her to use her musical talent to spy on high-ranking Nazis, Antoinette doesn’t hesitate. Playing her violin at elaborate dinner parties each night gives her the opportunity to listen to their conversations. And although she risks her life every day, it is the only way to get her family back.

But when a Nazi commander makes advances towards her, Antoinette realizes that she will have to make a dangerous and impossible choice. Can she find the strength to do the unthinkable, in the hopes that it will save her family, and countless other innocent lives?

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Emma's Review: The Irish Daughter by Daisy O'Shea

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

When warm-hearted Hannah Barry’s father passes away, her life is turned upside down when she discovers he wasn’t her biological father, and the only family she’s ever known are not related to her at all. Now their tiny farmhouse overlooking Roone Bay feels unfamiliar and cold. So when a handsome, dark-haired stranger turns up on her doorstep, his kind eyes and shy smile are a welcome escape.

Justin Sanders is searching for clues about his long-lost grandfather, whose last letter home came addressed from the area. Justin is certain Hannah’s own grandfather is connected to the story somehow, and that the men knew each other years ago. Hannah can’t help but be drawn to Justin and his mystery – they both have a painful past to solve. Will helping Justin lead to the answers about her real family that she desperately longs for?

But Hannah is shocked when nobody in the village will speak of Justin’s grandad. What secret could be so terrible that a whole community turns their back?

Justin’s caring nature makes Hannah feel so safe, and she can’t ignore the way he makes her stomach flip. But when they discover the truth about the events of a tragic evening decades ago, it threatens to tear them apart for good… Can Hannah and Justin find a way to forgive and move forward together? Or will Hannah lose the only real love she’s ever known for good?

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Emma's Review: A Wedding for the Homefront Girls by Susanna Bavin

Reviewed by Emma Crowley  

Kept apart by war work, bombs and blackouts, Lorna and her beloved George cherish every precious moment together. George’s vital role working for the War Office keeps him in London, while Lorna rolls up her sleeves to do her duty each day at the Manchester Salvage Depot, alongside her dearest friends, Sally and Betty.

When George proposes, Lorna is happier than she could ever have imagined. But her high spirits are soon dashed when she hears that the War Office is sending George to America. With the notoriously perilous Atlantic crossing standing between him and his safe return, suddenly Lorna’s future seems more under threat than ever before.

Despite the uncertainty, as the wedding date grows closer, the residents of Star House rally around Lorna to help her prepare. Even air raids and rationing can’t dampen the mood as a four-tiered wedding cake is fashioned out of cardboard. And when a beautiful wedding dress is gifted to her, the only thing left to do is anxiously await news of her fiancé…

Will Lorna and George get the happily-ever-after they dream of? And will the Home Front Girls finally be able to give their dear friend the perfect wedding day?

Book Links: Kindle