Book Review: Grounded Hearts by Jeanne M. Dickson

Blurb

In the midst of World War II, Ireland has declared herself neutral. Troops found on Irish soil must be reported and interned, no matter which side they are fighting for. When midwife Nan O’Neil finds a wounded young Canadian pilot at her door, she knows she’s taking a huge risk by letting him in. Not only is she a widow living alone, but if caught harboring a combatant, she’ll face imprisonment.

Still, something compels Nan to take in “flyboy” Dutch Whitney, an RAF pilot whose bomber has just crashed over County Clare. While she tends to his wounds and gives him a secret place of refuge, the two begin to form a mutual affection—and an unbreakable bond.

But Nan has another secret, one that has racked her with guilt since her husband’s death and made her question ever loving again. As Nan and Dutch plan his escape, can he help restore her faith?

Review

I loved this novel. It’s very romantic, funny at times, and deadly serious at others. Nan O’Neil is a great character; strong yet vulnerable, courageous yet self-doubting.  Her inner journey and attempts to deal with her past are moving and intriguing. The development of the romance between Nan and Dutch starts very quickly, perhaps a little too quickly, as Nan barely has the dashing but badly injured Dutch inside her home before she’s moved by his physical attributes. While she interacts with him as chastely as one would expect from a young Irish Catholic widow, it’s clear from the start that a relationship is going to develop.

The other women characters are colourful and supportive and the collusion between them is delightful. I loved the Irish banter and joking. There are great insights into small village life in Ireland, as well as the community support and regard for each other’s needs. There is also the sleazy male policeman with regard only for his own needs and a total disrespect for women. He provides a good balance of characters.  

The characters are well developed, and the story flows at a good pace without skimming over the internal struggles of both Dutch and Nan; emotional as well as spiritual struggles. The Christianity has a very Irish Catholic flavour which makes the story down to earth and real in terms of the setting and the times. Nevertheless, the case for a forgiving and loving God is made very clearly as Nan faces her guilt from the past and her need to forgive herself.

The serious nature of war; the dangers and moral questions it raises are not overlooked and the risk that Nan takes and the danger that Dutch is in are not underestimated, making for some scary moments.

The outcome will delight romantics and the story definitely has a ‘feel good’ ending, where everyone gets their just deserts.

I would highly recommend this novel.    

Carol

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Two of her earlier novels, Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream, were re-released by EBP.  Next of Kin was released in 2015 by Rhiza Press and the sequel, Beyond the Fight, in 2016. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website, her Amazon author page or FB author page.

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach

Book Review: Saving Grace by Jennifer Westall

Through years of poverty, racial tension, and legal battles, Ruby Graves has suffered the worst the Great Depression could throw at her. But an enemy she couldn’t possibly imagine awaits just over the horizon. After she and her brother, Henry, escape to the tropical paradise of the Philippine Islands, Ruby volunteers as a nurse at a medical clinic in Manila. Although surrounded by beauty, Ruby can’t shake her guilt over leaving Matthew behind, even if it was for his own good. And even worse, God hasn’t spoken to her since the fateful day at Cold Spring.

Meanwhile, Matthew Doyle arrives in the Philippines with the Corps of Engineers, determined to live the life of faith that Ruby would have wanted for him. Despite the rumors of impending war, he’s drawn to the islands’ promise of adventure, and, like many of his fellow soldiers, believes the superior forces of the United States would quickly thwart any attack from Japan. But everything changes on the morning of December 8, 1941.

As the Japanese close in on American forces in the Philippines, Ruby, Matthew and Henry are swept onto the jungle peninsula of Bataan in a desperate attempt to hold out for reinforcements. New enemies emerge, testing their strength beyond anything they could have ever thought possible. Can Ruby and Matthew find their way back to each other, and survive the onslaught of the Japanese assault? 

Review

After having read and enjoyed the two novels preceding this one; Healing Ruby and Breaking Matthew, I was really looking forward to this third story, hopeful of a happy ending for this pair. While I was disappointed to find this was not the end of their story at all, and I now have to wait for another installment, I was very engaged and enthralled by this story. 

Saving Grace is set in the Philippines, so a completely different setting to the first two, which are set in the southern states of USA. While there were some interesting historical aspects in the first two about life in that part of the world, especially around racial issues, this third story takes a deeply moving, tragic and honest journey into WW11. I think Westall has done her research well and has not held back from describing the ravages and terror of war. So this is not a light read. 

Westall's writing is unashamedly Christian. Ruby and Matthew's faith journeys are central to the story, and I found this very real and challenging, more so in this third novel than in the first. Of course, the romance between these two takes many twists and turns and is threatened, not only by the dangers they face, but by their personal inner struggles. As a reader there are times of frustration and annoyance with the path of their love story, but they are both great characters, both heroes in their own right, and believable. There are plenty of villains in the story too, so it's got a good balanced. 

I now look forward to the next installment of this couple's story. As Saving Grace ends in Melbourne, Australia, the next book will have particular appeal. Although I've enjoyed all of these stories, I'm hoping the next will include the happy ending I'm sure all readers would like Ruby and Matthew to have. I'm not used to reading series which take such small chunks of characters' lives and carry it through three or four books, so this is new for me. 

I'd recommend Westall's novels to those who are looking for a thoroughly faith centred, historically focussed, gripping romance. 

Carol 

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Two of her earlier novels, Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream, were re-released by EBP.  Next of Kin was released in 2015 by Rhiza Press and the sequel, Beyond the Fight, was released 2016. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website, her Amazon author page or FB author page.

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach

Book Review Kingdom of the Air by C.T.Wells

Blurb

It's 1940. The Battle of Britain has begun. A young Messerschmitt pilot is shot down over Dartmoor. He tries to evade a manhunt, knowing that if he is captured by the British, his war will be over. But when Josef Schafer falls into the hands of a sinister agent of the Special Operations Executive, his troubles have only begun. He is returned to occupied France having made an impossible deal with the British. As the air war escalates, Josef is in danger in the sky and on the ground. His allegiances are tested as he is torn between loyalty to his Luftwaffe comrades and a French woman whom he is compelled to serve. The stakes are high. Whoever controls the sky above the English Channel will decide the fate of nations.

My Review

I found this story well written, gripping and fast-paced. It was interesting to read a totally different genre to my usual list of ‘to reads’.  I’m not usually a war story fan, but this book has much to recommend it. The main character is a Nazi, so I was impressed by the author’s ability to make Josef a young man I could empathise with and like. The morality and conflicts of war are handled very sensitively and evenly, so that it is easy to feel the pain and struggle of people on either side of the battle, and also to grasp the truth of evil residing in both sides.

Being a fan of historical fiction, I liked the grounding of this story in real events, and even though the events and issues involved in a world war are hard ones to reflect on, they are certainly issues to be learned from.  I think the author handles this well. There is quite a lot of detail about airplanes, air battles, bombing and combat scenes, which suggests an impressive amount of research or knowledge by the writer. While I found myself hurrying though some of those pages, I couldn’t help but feel the fear and tension that this aspect of war evokes, and thought it was appropriate for the story. War scenes are naturally going to be emotive, but these were not overly graphic and were compelling parts of the story.

While this is not a typical romance, in fact far from it, there is a love story at the heart of this story, one which has a great influence on the main characters’ behaviour and future, and one which begs a sequel. Those who prefer to read romances with all the usual elements might be disappointed. Josef does not meet Giselle, a French woman committed to the resistance movement, until halfway through the book. Nevertheless, Giselle is a complex and engaging young woman and the relationship between these two, while unlikely given their loyalties, is one that I found intriguing and touching. The internal conflicts are as real and well written as the external ones.

This could not be called an overtly Christian novel, but the issues raised and the decisions which have to be made by the characters, will cause a reader to question their own values and attitudes. I thought this a very positive aspect of the writing. 

I look forward to a sequel to this story and would recommend it to anyone interested in historical issues, and in deep, life-changing conflicts. I’m not at all surprised that The Kingdom of the Air was winner of the Caleb Prize for Unpublished Fiction in 2014 and winner of the Clive Cussler Adventure Writer's Competition. 

Carol writes historical novels based on her family ancestry in Australia from the First Fleet. They include the Turning the Tide series; Mary’s Guardian, Charlotte’s Angel, Tangled Secrets and Truly Free. Her earlier novels Suzannah’s Gold and Rebecca’s Dream have been re-released by EBP.  Next of Kin, was released by Rhiza Press in 2015 and the sequel, Beyond the Fight, was released in April  this year. You can see more about Carol and her novels on her website, FB author page or Amazon author page.    

www.carolpreston.com.au

www.amazon.com/author/carolpreston

www.facebook.com/writingtoreach