Martha Hall Kelley, one of my favorite historical fiction novelists, delivers another captivating tale in The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. The title is a bit misleading—it isn’t really about a book club—but what unfolds is far richer and more intriguing. The dual timeline begins in 2016, when Mari Starwood travels from California to Martha’s Vineyard with nothing but a name on a scrap of paper. There she meets Elizabeth Devereaux, a reclusive painter whose family story reshapes Mari’s understanding of her own past. The heart of the novel, though, lies in 1942. Sisters Cadence and Briar Smith struggle to hold their farm together while U.S. troops train on […]
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Books, Blackouts, and a Mother’s Choice
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Madeline Martin’s The Booklover’s Library drops us into Nottingham during WWII, where widow Emma Taylor faces an impossible choice: risk keeping her daughter Olivia in a bombing zone or send her off to live with strangers in the countryside. With little hope and even fewer job options—married and widowed women were barred from most work—Emma persuades Boots’ lending library to hire her. There she finds unlikely friendships, quirky patrons, and a reminder that books can keep people afloat when the world is sinking. What caught me most wasn’t the “library angle” (frankly, I’m getting a little worn out on book-about-books stories), but the history tucked inside. I had never heard of […]
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A Haunting Farewell for Maisie Dobbs
⭐⭐⭐⭐ In The Comfort of Ghosts, Jacqueline Winspear gives Maisie Dobbs one final case—and it’s a poignant one. Set in post-WWII London, the story centers on four adolescent orphans squatting in a crumbling Belgravia mansion. Traumatized, street-smart, and fiercely loyal to one another, the teens are under the watchful eye of a wounded ex-soldier and a troubled nurse. When Maisie is asked to intervene, she uncovers secrets about the house, the young squatters’ pasts, and a wartime murder that still casts a shadow. As always, Maisie brings empathy as much as intellect to the investigation. Alongside her inquiries, she’s grappling with big life decisions—about love, family, and her future. Familiar characters […]
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A Norwegian Twist on WWII Fiction
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Resistance Girl by Mandy Robotham offers a fresh take on WWII fiction by shifting the setting to Nazi-occupied Norway. It was a welcome change to step outside the usual France-or-England narrative and experience the war from a different vantage point. The icy backdrop, secret missions, and quiet acts of defiance give this story a unique atmosphere. The plot centers on a young woman drawn into the resistance after a personal tragedy. She’s not a superhero, but her courage feels real—and that grounded strength gives the book its heartbeat. There’s a romantic subplot that adds warmth, though at times it overshadows the larger wartime stakes. A few secondary characters […]
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Dual‑Timeline Tale of WWI and WWII Wrens
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars) If you enjoy wartime fiction with strong female leads, add The Call of the Wrens to your reading list. Jenni L. Walsh takes us on a ride—literally—through two world wars with dual heroines who sign up for the Women’s Royal Naval Service, better known as the Wrens. Marion is an orphan in WWI who finds purpose as a motorcycle dispatch rider. Evelyn is a wealthy young woman in WWII, born with a clubfoot and aching to break free from expectations. Their stories are told in alternating timelines, and I found both characters really likeable and well-drawn. I was especially moved by how their paths ultimately connect in a meaningful […]
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A Bold, Beautiful Shift for Baldacci
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Strangers in Time is a refreshing change of pace for David Baldacci—and an absolute triumph. Best known for his pulse-pounding thrillers, Baldacci trades high-tech espionage for wartime Europe, and the result is a deeply human, emotionally rich novel that’s hard to put down. Set during World War II, this story isn’t just about battles and strategy. It’s about people—flawed, brave, complicated people—thrown into impossible circumstances. Baldacci’s gift for plotting is still here, but this time he leans hard into character. The relationships feel real, the dialogue is sharp, and the stakes are personal in all the right ways. He doesn’t just recreate the era—he brings it to life with […]
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Three Timelines, One Tough Choice
★★★★½ Gabrielle Meyer’s In This Moment is book two in the Timeless series, and once again, she nails it. Maggie lives three full lives in 1861, 1941, and 2001—waking up in a different era each day. She’s a nurse in every life, but each role comes with its own joys and heartbreaks. On her 21st birthday, she must choose just one life to keep… and lose the other two forever. No pressure. These books are always so heartwarming. Meyer writes with such heart and care, I wish she could crank them out faster. Her ability to make each timeline feel vivid and authentic is impressive—she clearly did her homework on […]
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Pippa Latour’s Astonishing WWII Memoir
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ rounded up to 5 What a story! I’ve read my share of WWII spy novels—some gripping, some not—but The Last Secret Agent is something else entirely. It’s not a novel. It’s the real-life account of Pippa Latour, the last surviving British female spy from Churchill’s Special Operations Executive, finally telling her story after decades of silence. Pippa parachuted into Nazi-occupied France at 23, posed as a teenage soap seller, and risked her life to send 135 coded messages to London. No gadgets. No backup. Just grit, silk hair ribbons, and nerves of steel. She worked alone, passed through Gestapo checkpoints, and survived—one of the few who did. What makes […]
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A Stirring Journey of Faith, Friendship, and Finding Peace After War
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Long Way Home by Lynn Austin is a beautifully written novel that tugs at the heart and offers a hopeful message about healing after trauma. Set in the wake of World War II, the story follows Jimmy Barnett, a shell-shocked veteran confined to a VA hospital, and Grace, a quiet young woman determined to uncover the truth behind his silence. As Grace digs into Jimmy’s past, she uncovers a moving tale of love, sacrifice, and the unseen wounds soldiers carry home. The book also weaves in a second powerful storyline: that of Gisela Wolff, a young Jewish woman trying to survive the horrors of Nazi Germany. Her family’s journey—from […]
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A Bookshop, a few Mitfords, and a Slow-Paced Novel
Let’s start with what worked: The Mayfair Bookshop has a great hook—London, WWII, a charming bookshop, and a spotlight on Nancy Mitford. The historical setting is rich, and the real-life Mitford drama adds some sparkle. If you’re already a fan of Nancy and her scandal-prone sisters, you might find the behind-the-scenes stuff intriguing. There’s gossip, heartbreak, and the war looming in the background, which makes for decent historical fiction. But here’s the thing: the dual timeline structure doesn’t quite balance. Nancy’s chapters are clearly the main event, while the present-day storyline feels like filler. Lucy, the modern book curator, just didn’t do it for me. Her quest to uncover a […]
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