Tag: Caroline Warfield

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.

Valentines From Bath by Bluestocking Belles

On By BarbaraIn Anthology, Barb's Reviews, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Valentines From Bath: A Bluestocking Belles collectionBarbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publication Date: 2/9/19
Number of Pages: 485

 

These novellas all center around Valentines Day in Bath. I’m not normally a fan of Anthologies, but I thought this would give me a chance to try some new authors plus read something by an author that I love.

Beauty and the Bounder by Jessica Cale: 2.5 Stars

This was a nice, well-written story, but it holds no resemblance to life in Regency times. So, if you aren’t into period accuracy, then you would like this story.

The Earl Takes A Wife by Sherry Ewing: 3 Stars

Lady Celia Lacey – age 17 – meets Adrian de Courtenay at a house party and she’s completely smitten. When she softly asks him to ‘wait for her’, he is intrigued by the young lady who he considers too young for himself. Over the course of the next couple of years, she remains smitten and he is more and more intrigued. When he begins to understand that he wants to marry her – they are caught in a compromising position. He believes she engineered it and is very, very bitter and unforgiving.

I understand his anger – except – he knows how manipulative and deceitful Miranda (his sister) is, so why would he automatically believe her rather than the woman he loves? She tries to explain, but he won’t listen. Also – the ‘magical’ reappearance of the mistress at the end gave me a ‘say what’ moment. She couldn’t have known where Celia was going to be, nor would she have had the time to arrive there – especially with so much money. Just struck me as very unnecessary and contrived drama.

The Beast Next Door by Jude Knight: 5 Stars

It is a sure sign of a well-told tale when you read a novella and feel you have the complete story. The characters are fully developed, likable and relatable. The story is fast-paced, well written and well plotted.

Childhood friends Charis and Eric were torn apart when Eric’s mother tore from the only home he’d ever known and sent him to Italy for some horrible surgery on a disfiguring birthmark on his face. Eric had been locked away at a country estate near Bath all of his life. He was called Beast, Wreck and many worse things. It is ten years later and Eric has returned to England with every intention of reconnecting with Charis.

Eric’s mother is a real low life and she intends for Eric to marry the woman of her choice. A woman that she can control and Eric will just have to learn to live with it. Eric plans to fully thwart his mother, reconnect with Charis – and marry her.

It is a lovely read!

The Umbrella Chronicles by Amy Quinton: 4 Stars

I loved this very amusing tale of romance. Take a staid, uptight, OCD mathematician named Dr. John Edward Hartwell, and pair him with a zany heroine, Miss Emma Merryweather, who believes in all of the ‘signs’ fate sends her and you have a delightful tale. I loved both of the characters and the author did an excellent job or conveying the quirky personalities of each

Candles In The Dark by Caroline Warfield: 5 Stars

My favorite of all – well maybe tied with The Beast Next Door.

Sergeant Douglas Marsh was wounded in the fight with Napoleon and had to leave his career in the military and at about the same time, his uncle passed away and Douglas inherited the Marsh Candle Works. Luckily his aunt had worked alongside his uncle in running the candle works, so she could help him in the transition. Marsh does his best to rescue as many of the returned wounded as he can – hiring them even though he doesn’t need them at the factory and can’t really afford the wages.

Esther Hopkins made a mistake and has paid dearly for it. She’s been cast out by her family and has been existing as best she can in Bath. She’s starving and her baby is almost due. As she loses consciousness in front of a bakery while waiting for the bread the baker would normally throw away, she’s rescued by the kindest man.

The romance Esther and Doug is so very sweet. You will quickly come to love – but more – respect both of these characters for the strong people they are. BTW – I loved how they dealt with the villain who arched across several of the books.

Definitely a good read!

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