My Review
I am so happy to be sharing my review after reading another wonderful story from Anna Stuart based between the end of World War II and present day. We meet Lorna who has had the carpet ripped out from underneath her and persuaded by her best friend goes to stay with her Mum whilst she grieves and moves forward with her boys.
Whilst staying with her Mum she discovers a diary in the annexe from World War II and finds herself propelled into the world of the gunner girls and starts to heal her heart as she discovers long forgotten stories and a few secrets from these wonderful ladies.
A story rich in history, written with great care and empathy. I am a massive fan of this author and once again have loved devouring this story and learning more about the gunner girls and the importance of the role they fulfilled when so many men had been sent to war and they needed brave women to step up and join the ranks to help protect the country.
I loved being transported back in time in this story and found the descriptions vivid which really enhanced the story as it played out in my imagination. I can’t wait to see what this author releases next as her books are always a superb read.
Book Blurb
Two women. One house. And a wartime secret that spans decades…
Norfolk, 1945: Only a few months ago Nancy Jones was fighting for her country as a gunner girl. Now she’s struggling to adjust to her responsibilities as a gamekeeper’s wife. After a whirlwind romance, Nancy is deeply in love with her handsome husband Joe but there is still so much they don’t know about each other. When a secret from Nancy’s war years threatens to resurface, will the terrible truth about the worst night of her life shatter their new marriage?
Norfolk, 2019: Devastated by the sudden loss of her husband, Lorna Haynes escapes to the beautiful but crumbling Gamekeeper’s Cottage. There, she stumbles upon a locked room. When she enters, it’s like going back in time. A soldier’s uniform hangs on the back of the door, the flowery wallpaper still intact, the spindle of the record player frozen and ready to play. At the back of the room, Lorna discovers a red, leather-bound diary in a hidden compartment of a desk drawer.
As Lorna battles with heartache, she takes comfort in reading the ink-stained words. Turning the pages of the old book, she learns of the incredible bravery of the woman who lived in the house decades before her. And discovers a shocking wartime secret that will change the course of her own life…
Fans of The Nightingale, The Alice Network, and Lilac Girls will love this unforgettable, poignant tale of love, loss and courage during the darkest days of war.
Available to purchase here
Meet the Author
Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name. Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels. Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers.
You can reach her on Facebook @annastuartauthor or Twitter @annastuartbooks.
Many thanks for the invitation to read and review your latest release.
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Have a great day
Daisy, Jacks & Kel x
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