"YOU HAVE ONCE CHANCE to make this fly." Bobby Hamilton leaned across his broad desk and stared her down." I had to pull more strings than I knew I had to get the brass to bite on sending a woman to Italy. Who sends a woman to a worn-torn country? Getting credentials? What a mess." The man waved his beefy hands down in a dismissive gesture. "Then getting you on the Queen Mary?" He chomped hard on his cigar.
Rachel perched on the chair in his crowded office as the Andrew Sisters belted out "Bogie Woogie Bugle Boy" on the small Kadette radio sitting atop a stack of papers on Bobby's overloaded credenza. She kept her back so straight her men's-style tailored blazer pulled her shoulders back.
She didn't blink, couldn't give a single sign of weakness. Her editor may have taken all those steps, but she'd had to convince him first, all while watching her mother waste away day by day.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Justice."
"I do." she put as much force behind the word as she could without shouting.
He leaned back in his chair, unlit cigar poised to punctuate a thought. "You've got talent. A way with that camera."
She stroked the case, feeling as if it naturally extended from her.
"Don't let me down. Send back photos that will wow readers." He didn't have to mention his bosses.
"Yes, sir." Rachel lurched to her feet and straightened her skirt's front pleat as she hurried from the room before he could call her back.
:There was so much to do. Too much before she could join the mass of soldiers and handful of civilians who would cross the Atlantic aboard the HMS Queen Mary. If she hurried, she could finish cleaning the apartment and still make it to the hospital before visiting hours ended. It was a stop Rachel had to make, yet dreaded. How could she explain to her mother what she was doing while hiding her secondary purpose?"(Excerpt.)
In the latest novel from best selling author Cara C Putman, Shadowed by Grace takes readers into the heart of Italy in 1944 following United Press photography Rachel Justice as she attempts to locate her father whom she believes can help provide the money to help her mother battle tuberculosis and get well. The only clue she has is her mother's journal and a sketchbook from an artist with the initials RMA.
Her only ally in the process is Lieutenant Scott Lindstorm who is assigned as an officer with the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Division to escort Rachel along the way to shot photographs for the division in need of good press. He was there to help shore up classic buildings that had stood since the Roman Empire that aerial bombings destroyed. Or locate priceless pieces of art created by the masters of the thirteenth century to ensure the fighting hadn't destroyed them. Or plan for the restoration of those that had been touched by the war. The tales that art disappeared behind the lines made it more important than ever that he leave the city for the locations where the sculpture, paintings and altarpieces were housed. He wasn't looking for a tagalong.
What ensues will cause them both to question their true purpose for being in Italy during WWII and in the process find a much deeper meaning into why their paths crossed after all!
I received Shadowed by Grace by Cara C. Putman compliments of Litfuse Publicity and B and H Publishing Group for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed are strictly my own. This took me into a side of the war I never knew existed as a division of men know as the Monument Men, protected the culture of the country by guarding and locating precious works of art. This is based on true life events that transpired during the war along with a touch of romance to keep the story interesting. Being a huge fan of WWII history I absolutely LOVED this and wanted to know how it would all play out with WWII Italy being the backdrop. I was not disappointed and easily give this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars.
For more information about Shadowed by Grace, Cara C Putman or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:
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- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: B&H Books (January 1, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1433681781
- ISBN-13: 978-1433681783
- Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
One winner will receive:
- A Polaroid Instant Camera
- A beautiful antique AFGRA camera (learn more here)
- Movie passes to see The Monuments Men movie (with George Clooney and Matt Damon)
- Shadowed By Grace by Cara Putman
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