Category: World War I Era (1914-1920)

Christmas Hope by Caroline Warfield

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, World War I Era (1914-1920)4 Comments

Christmas HopeBarbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Standalone
Publication Date: 10/15/19
Number of Pages: 208

It is official, I’m an idiot. I don’t normally read books past the 1890s and I don’t go out of my way to read Christmas books – so, I almost passed this one by. That would have been a big mistake – because I think it might be the very best book I’ve read all year. This isn’t just a Christmas romance, it is an EPIC love story. It portrays two people facing the hardships and horrors of war, yet finding peace and love with each other.

Corporal Henry William Wheatley was sick of war, the smell of blood and death, losing friends and fellow soldiers, he was tired of the constant damp, darkness, and rain. His soul was weary, yet he knew he had to do his best to train and protect the men in his squad, the men – boys really, some of them – for whom he was responsible. One day as he was heading down the Somme River, he was trying to clean the dirt and grime from the bible his grandmother had sent over with him – and the bible dropped into the river and floated downstream. He saw a woman fish the bible out of the river and continue down a side stream. Since she couldn’t hear him calling to her, he had the boatman follow her.

Rosemarie Legrand lived in les hortillonnages, the floating gardens of Amiens. It is a tangled maze of islands and canals in the river. She had a little cottage there and she could travel into Amiens in her barque if she needed to go there. But she only went if she had to do so. Her husband had accused her of being a Nazi sympathizer just before he was killed – simply because she had saved a young boys life. Now, with her husband dead, her sister-in-law won’t let it rest. She had found that boy floating in the river at about the same place she’d found the bible today – things seemed to get stuck there.

Rosemarie was certainly surprised to see yet another barque dock at her landing – this one with a tall, handsome military man in it. It was his bible she’d found. They spent time talking and since he could never dry the book in the nasty, wet trenches, she kept it to dry it for him. Through all of the battles and horrors of the war, Henry would always manage to find his way back to Rosemarie’s little cottage.

This author’s research and grasp of the facts of whatever period she’s writing about is outstanding. Her descriptions of the battles and conditions surrounding Henry and Rosemarie will tear your heart out and make you hold your breath. You might wonder how in the world that could create a wonderful Christmas story and a wonderful love story – just know that it does. During Henry’s deepest, darkest battles and struggles on the front lines, memories of Rosemarie and her son Marcel give him hope and bring a little light into his darkness.

It is a beautiful tale of love, steadfastness, resilience, and perseverance. I loved getting to know Henry, Rosemarie, and Marcel and I hope you will as well.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Death of an Unsung Hero by Tessa Arlen

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Mystery, World War I Era (1914-1920)Leave a comment

Death of an Unsung Hero (Lady Montfort Mystery #4)Death of an Unsung Hero by Tessa Arlen

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Lady Montford Mystery #4
Publication Date: 3/13/18

Well, their carefully guarded secret is out. Lady Montford and Mrs. Jackson solve mysteries, and they are very good at it! Everyone knows and smiles about it, but our erstwhile investigators aren’t aware that everyone knows. So, it is entertaining to see their reactions throughout the book when one person or another mentions their penchant for solving mysteries.

This book is just exactly what I’ve been wanting in the series, a glimpse of Lady Montford’s family – especially her husband. He’s been a shadow figure in the previous books and we had learned that he was tolerant of her investigations, etc. but we really didn’t know him. I was delighted to meet him and came to admire him greatly. He is every inch the gentleman, loves his family, loves his country, loves his wife and supports her in every way. I love their relationship. So, thank you, Ms. Arlen, for providing this view of Lord and Lady Montford and their children.

This story begins about two years after the last book ended – we are well into World War I. England’s citizens have geared up and patriotism is at an all-time high. Everybody is contributing – all of the horses have been conscripted and are serving on the continent just as the men are. At home, everyone’s attention is on growing food to feed the army and producing munitions and other items that are needed. Everyone pitches in, even the aristocracy. Not only is the son and heir to the Montford title serving as a pilot in the RAF (though he is home injured at the moment), the daughter is serving with the Women’s Land Army, and the parents have started a hospital, Haversham Hall Hospital, for the treatment of those who have been shell-shocked.

I love the history in the book, especially about the budding science of psychiatry for helping the shell-shocked victims of the war. All too often, those suffering from shell-shock were further tortured with electro-therapy and other ways of quickly getting them ‘well’ and back to the battlefield. The doctor’s at Haversham Hall Hospital used both talk therapy and a type of ergo therapy – which is basically performing everyday tasks – like farming, harvesting, gardening to help them work through their issues.

Lady Montford and Mrs. Jackson are a formidable team when it comes to investigating crimes. They are so different, you would think that they’d never get along – but they are more friends than employer/employee. Lady Montford is more of an intuitive thinker and Mrs. Jackson is more of a logical step-by-step thinker. Their strengths play off each other and they soon solve whatever crime is at hand.

All crime stories require a victim, but I just hate that the victim required for this story was Captain Sir Evelyn Bray. It seems he had found himself during the war. He’d been a bit of a profligate before, but his bravery and leadership shone once he joined the military. He suffered a great injury during the Battle of Beauville Wood while he was trying to save the remaining men in his troops. When he awoke, he had no memory of who he was or what had happened. He was then sent to the Haversham Hall Hospital to see if Major Andrews could help him with his groundbreaking therapies. After only a few weeks, he was beginning to get his memory back. Then, he was murdered.

There are suspects aplenty in this mystery and you don’t want it to be any of those walking wounded at the hospital. Could it be someone on the staff? What about those individuals in the neighborhood who think the patients at the hospital are cowards who are shirking their duty rather than going back into battle where they belong. It is a twisted tale and you begin to wonder how in the world anyone will find the solution – but they do.

I can certainly recommend this book. I love the characters and plot. From early on, I had a good idea of who the culprit was and was anxious to see if I was right and if I was, to see how they did it.

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