The Atomic City Girls

Can you imagine a story based on historical facts that takes small town city girls and gets them to work in a secret city in Oak Ridge, Tennessee? All the girls know is that it is a job, will help them earn a living while the men are serving overseas in the war, and that they are helping their own country. They are required to sign documents that states they are not allowed to share anything that goes on within the Oak Ridge city limits and to do so might just get you jail time, a hefty fine, loss of your employment or all three.

The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard is the novel that takes place in November of 1944 when a young 18-year old girl, June Walker begins what will be a defining moment in her career working in someplace she can't even talk about or write about. She struggles to understand her own role in things, when she marries a man she doesn't love only to have him killed in the war. Now she faces coming to terms with her widowhood at such a young age, while other girls around her are more than happy to benefit from the movies, dances and social activities that abound after they leave their monotonous jobs.

All she does with every other girl is work in a cubicle all day watching dials, and when they deviate from their norms, she dials them back in. She questions what this might all be, but she knows she also can't afford to lose her job by talking about it either. Spies are literally everywhere who would be all too happy to report anyone from breaking any of the strike employment guidelines they were all required to sign upon their first day of work. It appears there is more than meets the eye where she works and one day, a young girl makes the mistake of wearing hair pins to work only to have them ripped violently from her head. What does this secret city have to do with magnets and the war effort? You'll have to read this novel for more inside information.

I received The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. What I LOVED about this novel is all the historical photos that a placed throughout the novel, from the elaborate signs being placed all over the city, to the plain boring work stalls each girl had to work in. How they managed not to go crazy from boredom is beyond me, but at a time where each was assured they were all helping the war effort, things begin to change once the first of two bombs fell on Japan and soon enough things began to be discovered and wondered how dangerous were their jobs if this was the result. I easily give this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

For more information about The Atomic City Girls, Janet Beard or where you can preorder a copy of this novel today due on February 2018, please click on the links below:

The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard

You can find Janet Beard on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

For more reviews on The Atomic City Girls, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website. 

The Fire By Night

When we think of war survivors you might think of the Holocaust victims or even our war veterans from every war you could imagine, but often we overlook the women who served as nurses during any of the wars, especially WWII. In the debut novel by Teresa Messineo, she highlights the lives of two very important nurses who gave up everything to serve their country in one of the longest wars in history. Spending seven years in research, she wanted the lives of her fictional characters to be believable but also to transport the reader right into the heart of where she placed them. I personally feel, she has done that and more.

For Jo McMahon, she would find herself left behind as the surplus trucks pulled out of France taking the supplies, the nurses and most of the wounded men with them as she was instructed to wait behind with six patients for the trucks to return. She would need to do whatever it took to ensure that her patients survived and she managed to accomplish that and more, even when she learned that everyone who evacuated that night all died in a bombing run. No one remained alive. She has been instructed by the captain that she will need to do whatever she can until they can rescued even if it means going without food while their supplies continue to dwindle to nothing. Her only hope is believing that one day the war might end and she might get a chance to leave this muddy, unsanitary hell hole she now calls home and that she will do anything it takes to ensure that all of her sic patients survived against the odds against them.

Kay Elliot, was a fellow nurse to Jo and the two worked together until the war separated them. Now a POW living in an internment camp known as Santo Tomas where she doesn't know if she will live another day under the scrutiny of the Japanese soldiers. Little by little she does what she can for the women, children and injured men who occupy the tunnel like existence while dreaming of a time when she found and lost love in Pearl Harbor. She often gave Jo a hard time because of her idyllic paradise setting and how wonderful her life was going. Until December 7th, when everything was suddenly ripped apart and forever changed. She now witnesses the greatest atrocities to mankind as she watches her captors starve them day by day while disease and sanitary conditions claim even more lives. Now Kay wonders if she will ever see her friend Jo again and just who got the better of the two jobs as nurses in the war.

I received The Fire By Night by Teresa Messineo compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. I am so glad I read this novel and really pushed to get a copy of it. It was perhaps for me, the most realistic novel of what life was life for the American nurses who found themselves serving along the front lines during WWII. You never really considered how difficult life was for them, not only by their fellow male service men, but being killed, injured or taken as a POW during WWII. I found myself relating to the life of Jo McMahon the most and often wondered while reading this, if I too, would have enlisted as a nurse during the war to help where it was most needed. To hold the hand of a dying man knowing somewhere back home, he was a son, a husband, or a brother of someone who would never get the chance to say goodbye to them. While the novel does contain profanity along the lines of the context of the war, it isn't enough to distract you from the novel's purpose and that is to take you into the heart of what war was like for nurses during the war, and for that I give this a 5 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Fire By Night, Teresa Messineo, or where you can preorder a copy of this novel today which is due out in January of 2017, please click on the links below:

The Fire By Night by Teresa Messineo

You can find Teresa Messineo on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Fire By Night, please visit William Morrow's website.

Fall of Poppies

"November 7, 1918
Brussels, Belgium

Sister Wilkins caught my eye from across the nurse's parlor of Institut Cavell. The day I'd been dreading had arrived. The British nurse had lose much during this war, though she knew better than anyone that I'd lost more. She also knew my secret, and that I'd do anything to protect it." (pg 1- The Daughter of Belgium, Marci Jefferson)

Hard to believe the life of those who survived the Great War, must have been as both survivors and those who served in the war that came back with more lost than they had going in. History is that great teacher, opening the eyes of those who weren't born then to remember a time when so many lost so much and paid the ultimate price. For some, it was simply coming home wounded and having to face a life they would no longer have.

That is just what you will find in the Fall of Poppies, a collection of short stories by nine different authors who each take their turn at weaving a beautiful story of recollection of the Great War and the results of Armistice Day, the day the war was over and celebrations took place all over Europe. They all have the same central theme but with vastly different results. I believe my favorite was The Daughter of Belgium, a story of a young girl, Amèlie, who had been her own survivor of the war along with her young daughter Hope. Left to deal with the outcome of a hospital that was moving, Matron Cavill asked her to care for one remaining patient they couldn't move, a wounded soldier that was being hunted for treason. Her only job was to see to it that he didn't starve. It was a soldier that she despised at the horrors committed to her when the German soldiers arrived at her family's tea shop and beat and raped her family.

She finds solace in knowing if she can simply return to her family's shoppe and recover a valuable painting, she might make a life for herself and Hope once the war ends. Her only problem is that the streets are still full of German soldiers who are rebelling against the end of the war, and will stop at nothing to ensure they take all they can before they are forced to leave Belgium. It will take trusting a man she has hated since being tasked with his care when the hospital relocated.

I received Fall of Poppies by a collection of authors like Jessica Brockmole, Hazel Gaynor, Evangeline Holland, Marci Jefferson, Kate Kerrigan, Jennifer Robson, Heather Webb, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest and personal evaluation. There truly is something for everyone in each of these stories and while they may simply be just well created fictional stories, these could very well be someone's true life story from the Great War. I absolutely LOVED it and will be adding this one to my collection of WWI novels in my personal library. I believe history is vitally important and these stories are just a part of that historical past!

For more information about Fall of Poppies or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and The Great War

You can read more reviews of Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War by visiting William Morrow's website. 

No Shred of Evidence

How can you solve an apparent murder without a shred of evidence and the only person who can say for sure what really happens remains in a coma? That is just the case that Inspector Ian Rutledge is called upon to attempt to solve when the original investigator on the case dies of a heart attack and taking all the notes on the case with him. He simply failed to transcribe them before his untimely death and now Rutledge needs to begin piecing the clues of what happened as if he was starting over again. But now time has elapsed and it will simply make the case load that much harder to solve. When four young women come to the aid of a man they know late at night who was going to drown when his boat began to sink, the women realize that he simply weighs too much in the water for them to bring onboard without compromising their own safety of tipping over into the cold dark waters.

A man dives in and swims to help but when he is able to pull the man into the boat, he believes the women were attempting to kill him and not save him as they claim. The fact that there is blood on the oar of their boat and no sign on his doesn't look good for the women when they are immediately taken into custody when they are able to get the boat back to shore. Things get more complicated when Rutledge interviews one of the woman and realizes that she is the cousin of the woman he was going to marry. Conflict on interest or something simply to make the mystery all that more intriguing?

The one thing I have come to appreciate about Charles Todd's Inspector Ian Rutledge series, is that if you are a fan of murder mysteries or a good Sherlock Holmes mystery, you will definitely want to pick this one up and begin the journey. Ian Rutledge is a marked man having survived the Great War and now works at Scotland Yard but not without his flaws. He suffers from PTSD and talks to a former soldier known as Hamish in his thoughts. It keeps the story line moving and as always carries the reader through to the end trying to solve the case before Rutledge does. Just because you have the premise of the story laid out before you, like any good mystery, not everything is as it appears and an investigation must take place to figure out just what is really going on and why.

I received No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this book in exchange for my personal and honest review of this novel. This is the 18th book in the Inspector Ian Rutledge series and have enjoyed every single one I have read. They remain a favorite because they are set historically in London's past and provide the reader a glimpse of not only a great mystery to solve but also some history along the way. For me, this one rates a 4 out of 5 in my opinion and look forward to many many more in the future.

For more information about No Shred of Evidence, Charles Todd or where you can preorder a copy of this novel that is due in February of 2016, please click on the links below:

No Shred of Evidence by Charles Todd

You can find Charles Todd on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on No Shred of Evidence, please visit William Morrow's website. 

We Had A Job To Do

It isn't hard as an American to appreciate the freedoms we often take for granted and simply forget that such freedoms were not free, but were the result of the ultimate price paid for by the service men and women who served in this nations armed forces. Being a child of both parents who were veterans in the war as well as a grandfather who played a part in WWII, I find myself drawn to those brave men and women who served without considering the sacrifices that would be required of them, and one I feel is vastly missing from our citizens today, to appreciate those who continue to fight for the freedoms we still have in this country.

In Thereas Anzaldua's book, We Had A Job To Do, she has compiled a vast history of those who played a part in WWII and the stories that each had to tell about how they summed up their military careers and what their role did in helping us through those difficult years. From the onset of the Great Depression and Dust Bowl, many men simply looked to the military as a way to find self worth when all the jobs were not available until we entered the war on December 7, 1941 with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This book chronicles the lives of those like B-25 bomber pilots on the US Hornet, to the role women played as the first WACs and WAVES, from the Navajo Code Talkers to the to the Tuskegee Airman, from how the Douglas Plant was Camouflaged to the inspiration of the talents of such notables as Glenn Miller, there is something for everyone in this book.

The only issue I had with the layout of this book was as you began with one person's story, the chapter would end and ask you to head to a later chapter to continue their story, this made for a huge disconnection for me, trying to flip all over the book to keep the continuity of the person's life I was following. I believe the authors intent was to keep the timeline's current and as the person's life continued later it was if you picked them back up later in the war years. For me, it would have benefited the reader more if they simply stayed with one particular person's story until that came to a conclusion, but that is my only critique of the book. This was well thought out and love that you can see things in the life of so many different varieties of the people who served in the war efforts of WWII.

I received We Had A Job To Do by Theresa Anzaldua compliments of iRead Book Tours for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. I love that this is filled with such a variety of stories because it takes you into the heart of the various people, nationalities and service groups that helped make the war a success and not only that how they attempted to go back after they served their time, it wasn't always an easy transition. I guess my favorite is the women's role not in the Rosie the Riveters but in the women who served, not only as nurses, but as pilots as well. For me, this one was a 4 out of 5 stars simply based on the confusing layout but love that images accompany each chapter highlighting these brave men and women and also those times when we truly had a sense of patriotism and valued our service men and women. I think this does a great job at honoring them and the jobs they had to do.

For more information about We Had A Job To Do, Theresa Anzaldua or where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

We Had A Job To Do by Theresa Anzaldua

You can find Theresa Anzaldua on Facebook to keep up to date on more war stories she shares on her page.

To read more reviews on We Had A Job To Do, please visit iReads Book Tour page and take part in the giveaway that is being hosted as well.

The Hummingbird

I think we all take each day of our life for granted. I believe it's because we firmly believe that there will be a tomorrow and the day after that until we grow old. But the people I think truly appreciate what they have are those that have to face a terminal diagnosis, knowing that tomorrow is never a guarantee for any of us. Stephen P. Kiernan has written an unforgettable novel that showcases three very unique relationships in The Hummingbird. It is written in alternating chapters, one in the life of hospice nurse, Deborah Birch, and the story of the Sword she reads to her dying patient Professor Barclay Reed.

Deborah's relationship with the Professor is to help him see that even though time is running out on his life he still has a lot to offer. She promises that even though he has fired every single nurse in three different hospice care facilities, she will not give up on him. As the two work on coming to terms with how they interact with one another in the time that is left, the Professor asks her to read an unpublished book that he had written and at the conclusion of the story, to tell him if she believes it is true or simply a work of fiction. Along the way, the Professor's brilliant metaphors for life, help Deborah deal with her husband, Michael who after returning home from his third tour of duty is not the man she married. His violent outbursts have been a huge strain on their marriage and now they simply exist as roommates in the same home. Not the life she had ever imagined and not one she wanted to open up to the Professor about.

The Professor has written numerous volumes on the Pacific Theater and the Sword was the only one that never got published. As they read through the story together, the Professor helps Deborah understand the subtleties behind what Michael has brought home from the war. He uses parts of the story to help her gain insight into the clues he brings up that offer more than what she has been seeing all along. Deborah also finds that through each case she has worked with her patients, they all offer her the one thing that money can never buy and it's a gift she carries with her to each and every patient. She promises that she will do all she can to ensure that their death is peaceful, as painfree as possible and that they leave behind no regrets if she can help it.

I received The Hummingbird by Stephen P. Kiernan compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside from a free copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. While this is NOT a book for my Christian readers, those who find an interest in hospice, WWII and PTSD, will love where these stories intersect and find such value for life, it kinda of changes how you move forward after reading this. There is some profanity, but taken in the context of the character of Michael, as a returning soldier from the war, it would be what one would expect dealing with the nightmares and issues he has. In my opinion, this one is worth 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about The Hummingbird, Stephen P. Kiernan, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

The Hummingbird from Stephen P. Kiernan 

You can find Stephen P. Kiernan on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on The Hummingbird, please visit William Morrow's website. 

Letters To Loretta From The Radio Shack

For me there is always something wonderful when two people are united by written words. Over time the letters penned to one another never knowing the outcome has led to a wonderful romance between a 15-year-old girl named Loretta and 19-year-old Sal who grew up in the same neighborhood in Chicago. Over the three years from 1943-1945 you can see how their friendship has turned into something much more as each letter reveals deeper feelings for one another. While Loretta deals with the effects of having the boys shipped out during the war and how she manages to fill her time with going to dances, working at the local coffee manufacturer and retail stores, and writing letters to Sal, whom she affectionately labels Slabby, Sal details what life is like working on a naval ship as he works to decipher code on a minesweeper in the Pacific while waiting on the hopes of making back home to see Loretta.

These letters reveal so much more as you read them in Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack by Laura Lynn Ashworth. You see a deeper connection between Sal and Loretta as she tries to keep him informed on what is happening in Chicago during WWII. They both agree to see others but not in the same aspect we would, they merely fill their time with the companionship of a dance whenever either of them has time, conveying that neither would ever go for anything permanent while waiting for Sal to come back home to Chicago. You can see that neither of them expects the war to last long, but as the months roll by, pictures from home and those letters are what keep them both going. Loretta keeps Sal up to date on how his family is doing while they both share their love through the songs each of them are listening to miles away from the other.

I received Letters To Loretta From The Radio Shack by Laura Lynn Ashworth compliments of Pump Up Your Book Tours and the author herself for an honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained in this review are strictly my own. 10% of the author proceeds goes to the USO (United Service Organization) and VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and for those that love true stories from the war, this one will definitely be one you want to pick up. You can see how difficult it was to wait weeks at a time for a letter only to have nothing show up. Holidays were difficult because they didn't know if they would be able to come home on leave or not. The only thing missing is how Loretta and Sal turned out in the end. The letters simply end. It's like finding a stack in a box hidden in the attic and as you read them you begin to understand and become familiar with Sal and Loretta and hope for a reunion someday, but then the letters end. I wish the author would have added how she came across the letters or in a short epilogue how it all turned out in the end. I rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Letters To Loretta From The Radio Shack, Laura Lynn Ashworth or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Letters To Loretta From The Radio Shack by Laura Lynn Ashworth

You can find Laura Lynn Ashworth on Facebook to stay up to date on all the latest about this book.

Letters to Loretta From the Radio Shack - Author Spotlight and Feature

Read the rare and recently discovered real time letters between Sal, age 19, and Loretta, age 15, during the final terrifying three years of World War II, 1943-1945. Both from the Douglas Park neighborhood in Chicago, the two adolescents discuss with humor and candor, the Navy, war, politics, hit music, life back home and their relationship.

Sal nicknamed Slabby for his movie star good looks, deciphers code out of the Navy’s radio shack on a minesweeper in the Pacific. Loretta monikered Duchess for her aloofness, lives with aunts and her widowed father, while holding day jobs and enjoying an active social life with friends. Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack lets you experience World War II, both in battle and on the home front, through the eyes of adolescents in a way that Hollywood has never portrayed.

You can purchase a copy of the novel by visiting these online retailers.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Laura Lynn Ashworth - Author Bio:

Laura Lynn Ashworth is an award-winning copywriter and political cartoonist. While helping an elderly family member with veterans administration paperwork, she ran across “the letters” and instantly knew of their rarity, freshness and historical significance. Although she received three publishing contracts within two months of sending the letters to major publishers, Ashworth decided to publish them herself on the advice of best-selling authors. She currently lives and works in a northwest suburb of Chicago. 

You can find out more information about Laura Lynn Ashworth or her latest novel by clicking on the links below: 

Website: http://www.lauralynnashworth.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007518694413

Twitter:https://twitter.com/lauralashworth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9845683.Laura_Lynn_Ashworth?from_search=true

To see more reviews or author interviews on the Pump Up Your Book Tour, please click any of the links below: 

Tour Schedule:

January 5

Book reviewed at Rainy Day Reviews

January 6

Book featured at 3 Partners in Shopping

January 7

Book featured at Reviews From the Heart

January 8

Guest blogging at What is That Book About

January 9

Book featured at The Dark Phantom

January 12

Interviewed at Review From Here

January 14

Interviewed at The Writer’s Life

January 15

Interviewed and Guest blogging at Carpe Librum

January 19

Interviewed at Literal Exposure

January 20

Book featured at I’m Shelf-ish

January 22

Guest blogging at Bent Over Bookwords

January 23

Book featured at The Literary Nook

January 26

Book reviewed at Navy Wife, Navy Life

January 27

Interviewed at Niume

January 28

Book reviewed at Manners and Mayhem

January 29

Book featured at The Revolving Bookshelf

January 30

Interviewed at Becky on Books…and Quilts

 


 

Land of Dreams

When I had the opportunity to review Land of Dreams by Kate Kerrigan, I really thought this would be a novel I would love. I love novels that take you back to fond times in our history, from WWII, to romance of the glory days of Hollywood in its infancy stages along with struggling to find ways to fit in for immigrants that had come to America searching for a better life. Even the back of the novel offered me a glimpse into something magical that fit the types of novels that I enjoy and find myself coming back to again and again. However this one for me didn't translate over from the premise to the actual story itself. There was a disconnect there I was searching for and never really found.

Being a huge fan of Kate Kerrigan's from Ellis Island, I was hoping for more than what I got by the end of Land of Dreams. Ellie Hogan has been through two marriages in her life time which has resulted in her being a single mother of two boys she didn't give birth to but adopted when their own birth mothers had abandoned them. Neither of the two boys, Leo and Tom were related either. She lives on Fire Island in New York where she makes a living as an Irish impressionist selling her works of art she paints from her time on the island or from her memories in Ireland. Tom, the youngest still lives with her while Leo has been sent to a Catholic boarding school.

She receives a phone call from the school telling her that Leo has simply left school and they fear is headed to California where he went with a schoolmate on vacation and found himself being lured into the magic of being the next rising star by a man he met there. Now Ellie, rushes off to find Leo in hopes of getting him to return home and back to school. When she arrives, she finds 16-year-old Leo in the company of Freddie Dubois, an upcoming agent finding new talent for the movie studios. He believes that Leo will be the next big star to make it to the big screen and has convinced Leo to audition. Ellie is torn between taking Leo back home and realizing that he already lost so much with the death of his father and abandonment of his birth mother, she relents and makes a temporary move to Los Angeles while he tries out. Upon her arrival she has now lost her drive to paint and instead immerses herself in being a full-time mother to Tom, supporting Leo in his career and making her own way in life with the men she meets. She knows she doesn't want to fall in love and get married again, but soon finds the charms of a man named Stan who comes to her aid more than once, a possibility. Soon war is declared and America is now involved with WWII and we see how that plays out for everyone involved including the internment of the Japanese Americans.

I received Land of Dreams by Kate Kerrigan compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my complimentary copy of this novel. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions included here are strictly mine. I was hoping for more than the novel delivered for me, perhaps dealing with Hollywood a bit more than just a gloss over when Leo was auditioning for the parts, but it was more along the lines of dealing with Ellie as the central character and what that meant as she transitioned to a life she never dreamed of and made the best of for the sake of her children and her friends. There were characters you got introduced to like Freddie, who seemed like filler instead of an actual character we could care about. We see bits of pieces of him through Leo's story but never understood his motivation or why he found himself in places he winds up. Even Leo's story is a bit vague considering Ellie uproots her entire life to chase after him, but he seems like a bit of a ghost in this one. I rate this one a 3.5 out of 5 stars and believe others may have different perspective than what I got. Being a huge fan of old Hollywood and WWII, I was hoping for more than what this one delivered.

For more information about Land of Dreams, Kate Kerrigan, or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Land of Dreams by Kate Kerrigan

You can find Kate Kerrigan on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Land of Dreams, please visit William Morrow's website. 

Wings of Angels: A Tribute to the Art of WWII Pinup and Aviation Volume 2

What do WWII fashion, advertising, art work, aviation, history,  and pin ups have in common? All of these are beautifully captured in HDR color, black and white as well as sepia photographs in the latest book from photographer Michael Malak in the Wings of Angels: A Tribute to the Art of WWII Pinup and Aviation Volume 2. This is the second book in a two volume series that Michael Malak worked for over three years to get these published as a tribute to his grandfather Henry Michael Malak, who sadly passed away before the project was complete. It was that moment that spurred Michael to see this dream come true in the art captured through his artistic eyes in his photographs.

Using authentic WWII aircraft and props was the key to making these photographs truly something a novice like myself can appreciate as well as those seasoned service men and women that flew the aircraft featured in this book. You will also find WWII nose art pin-up artwork recreated as well as vintage ads and enlisted the help of today's biggest names in pin-up artwork to recreate the pin-up artwork you find tucked between the cover of this book. From Romain Hugault, Lorenzo Di Mauro, Ben Tan, David Nestler, Elisabete Cargnello, and Greg Hildebrant, all of Michael's photographs were utilized as the inspiration to capture some truly one of a kind works of art.

The pin-ups models capture that truly classic pin-up look using 1940's fashion and lingerie to give the readers a look back in time to those girls that wanted something to remind their men to hurry home from the war and to keep their minds focused on the returning. Each model is showcased in her own chapter with a truly unique authentic plane starring alongside her. From the FM-2 Wildcat, B-25J Mitchell, F4u-4 Corsair, SN-J5 Texan, F6F-5 Hellcat to the P-38L Lightning. Michael truly gets the reader right into the heart of the cockpit in his photographs that we may never get the opportunity to see. From specifications, missions, flight crew stories, history, and more those that love WWII aircraft will truly find something to treasure through this book.

The reader will learn the importance of what mail call did for morale, Look magazine's "women only" section, how Coca Cola did their part for the war, to the meaning behind war rationing. There are stories of the models and their ties to WWII including the famous Clara Barton founder of the Red Cross, to Charles Allen Bigbee one of the few pilots to fly the famous Memphis Belle. There are details for the significance of the paint schemes of the Hellcat's mouth on the plane, to photo reconnaissance on the P-38, and even what role Walt Disney played in their colorful cartoons found painted on the sides of some of the aircraft. There is even a section dedicated to Rosie the Riveter, the earmarks how women played a key role in the success in WWII as well both at home and in the air.

I received Wings of Angels: A Tribute to the Art of WWII Pinup and Aviation Volume 2 by Michael Malak, compliments of Schiffer Publishing for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. There is so much packed into each of these volumes that you will want to make sure you pick up both volume 1 and 2. From fun facts shooting on location with the models to get the perfect shot to what its like to be a pin up, this is such a comprehensive look at the beauty behind WWII captured in photographs by Michael Malak. It would be a great gift for any lover of WWII history, fashion, aviation and pinups. I easily give this a 5 out of 5 stars because I honestly have never seen anything like it so beautifully done to bring an true appreciation back for fashion, aircraft and history of WWII. Word even has it there is a 2015 Wings of Angels calendar available as well.

For more information about Wings of Angels: A Tribute to the Art of WWII Pinup and Aviation Volume 2, Michael Malak or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Wings of Angels: A Tribute to the Art of WWII Pinup and Aviation Volume 2 by Michael Malak

You can find Michael Malak on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest books and projects.

To purchase a limited edition commemorative set including both volumes 1 and 2 in a handsome collector's slipcase, please visit Schiffer Publisher's website. 

Where Treetops Glisten

I really hated this novel this end, but no matter how long I took to read it, the end was inevitable. After I finished each story, I wanted so desperately to see a screenwriter take this to some big production company and make this one into a movie that I could only compare to It's A Wonderful Life if it were to make it on the big screen. Oh how I wish I had the money because I firmly believe we all need something like the stories tucked between the pages of the novel Where Treetops Glisten, a collaboration of three of the finest World War II authors I've ever read. Each of them as a stand alone author is truly a best selling author in their own right, but when you couple such talent, you are bound to capture something that truly transcends the ability to capture it all in words. I only hope I can do it justice as a book reviewer.

For anyone who loves WWII and romance set amid the backdrop of Christmas, then you will LOVE this collection. Each of the authors have agreed to take the children of the Turner family, one that lives in the small town of Lafayette, Indiana each set to one of three Christmas songs that were written or became popular during the war. They are each uniquely different but connected so that you can transition from one family members lives as they each share their story.

In White Christmas, Cara Putman showcases her talent with Abigail Turner, who is a recent widow trying to move forward in her life without her husband working for Glantz Candies, famous for their candy canes. She isn't looking for love and is trying to figure out where God is in her life. She meets a stranger on a bus one night and can see he is carrying some great burden on his shoulders even though he meets her eyes with a smile. She knows that helping others is the perfect way to get rid of the loneliness during Christmas and takes your mind off your own troubles. Is he the answer to her prayer?

I'll Be Home For Christmas by Sarah Sundin, was my favorite of the three because it felt like A Miracle on 34th Street with a WWII setting. Pete Turner, Abigail's brother, is on furlough for a month to celebrate Christmas with his family before heading back into service flight planes. He finds a lonely little girl, Linnie, standing outside a store window without her mother, and offers to help her find her way home after she explains she has wandered off, yet again. He wasn't planning on her mother being Grace Kessler, the little girl he used to bully when he was younger and by the look on Grace's face when she sees him, she has no plans on forgiving him even though he managed to bring her daughter home.

Finally Tricia Goyer takes a spin at Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas with Meredith or Merry Turner who has taken up training as a combat nurse in the Netherlands. She had hoped that she can find a way to mend her broken heart while patching up the wounded servicemen instead. But she can't help but wonder how she missed all the signs that pointed to the man she loved was a German spy. How can God redeem her broken heart while trying to mend the soldiers injured in war to send them home for the holidays?

I received Where Treetops Glisten by Cara Putman, Tricia Goyer and Sarah Sundin compliments of Litfuse Publicity and Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I know I will be rereading this one again as I sit back during the Christmas holiday and reminisce about WWII where so many men and women gave their lives as they continue to do so currently for the freedom and peace we all enjoy in countries far from home. The messages that can be found in each of these stories is about hope and love in the midst of adversity and I think Tricia Goyer summed it up the best with these words, "The thing about love is that it's slow to fade. It's not a bad thing. Love is meant to last." (pg 289). You can definitely tell the authors worked hard to keep their stories separate but connected in a way that truly defines who Abigail, Pete and Merry Turner are and the love they share with not only their family but with others around them. That is the true meaning behind Christmas is that love is meant to last just like Christ's love for us is eternal. Hands down a true 5 out of 5 stars and the perfect gift for the romantic or service men or women in your life for Christmas!

For more information about Where Treetops Glisten, Sarah Sundin, Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Where Treetops Glisten by Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman or Sarah Sundin

You can find Tricia Goyer on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

You can find Sarah Sundin on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

You can find Cara Putman on Facebook to stay up to date on all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Where Treetops Glisten, please visit Litfuse Publicity's book tour page. 

Thief of Glory

There comes some novels that are so rare and deep that when you finish them, you are left as though you have no breath left in your body. As if you are reliving something so horrible, you wish it were all simply a bad dream. But this is not the case with a different type of christian historical novel from Sigmund Brouwer, Thief of Glory and it is definitely a story of unspeakable horrors that occurred for one boy and his family that lived during the Japanese Imperialist invasion of the Dutch East Indies during WWII. For me, it was a story I had never heard nor could never imagine, but know that stories like these have happened and have never been told except to close family members.

I caution the reader, it is not for the faint of heart and the horrors described as a young boy, Jeremiah Prins and his younger brother and sisters, along with his mother are moved to a concentration camp when the Japanese invaded the Dutch East Indies islands, which is present day Indonesia. When Jeremiah's father and older brothers are taken, his father firmly reminds him that it is his responsibility now to take care of what remains of the family. Jeremiah has grown up a bit unique in never learning to fear anything, never to cry and to always let the first fight be initiated by someone else. They will always need to hit first. But Jeremiah is also smart beyond his years when he is able to converse like someone much older and wiser and that often takes his opponents by surprise, not knowing if he is serious or simply stalling for time.

Jeremiah's passion is marbles, one he takes great pride in adding to his growing collection through his many games with the children in the neighborhood and subsequently in the camp when he is detained there. It is his only connection to a normal life while living someplace that most would simply refer to as hell. Outside the fenced enclosure, life continues on as normal while all the Dutch people are rounded up by the Japanese. The leaders of the camp, known as Jappenkamp, know that in order to maintain a sense of control, certain restrictions are necessary, from keeping people in overcrowded conditions, keeping food rations at the point of keeping the people from starving at first, and convincing them all that anything less than respect for the leaders will result in punishment of their mothers, no matter if the disrespect came from the adult or child.
It is a chilling reminder of the horrors some had to endure just to survive a war in which they were not involved with directly but simply based on their race.

I received Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions here are strictly my own. I can't imagine how far someone would have to be pushed in order to survive and what you would have had to do, just to make it through the next day. By the time you get to the final page of the novel you gain a full understanding that things you witness are not always as they appear and that those who endured spending time in concentration camps are our true survivors and heroes! This is not for younger readers, due to the content of what the novel deals with in very realistic terms, about how one boy and his family had to survive in some of the worst circumstances. If this were a movie, I believe it would be rated R due to the subject matter much like Schindler's List. However with that being said, we can't hide that these things happened simply by refusing to read about them or hear about them and I believe this one deserves a 4.5 out of 5 stars. You can help but feel as though you, yourself, were locked behind the fences right alongside Jeremiah and that to me, is an earmark of an exceptional writer.

For more information about Thief of Glory, Sigmund Brouwer or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer

You can also find Sigmund Brouwer on Facebook to stay up to date on all his latest novels.

To read more reviews on Thief of Glory, please visit Christian Fiction Blog Alliance's book tour page. 

Lords of the Sky

If you are a fan of fighter pilots, vintage aircraft or just an all around military/history buff from World War I and II, Vietnam, Korean, and even our most recent military campaigns that involve aircraft, then trust me, you'll definitely want to get your hands on the latest book from Dan Hampton. Lords of the Sky takes readers into the history of aviation from the very first planes designed and attempted to be flown by such legends as the Wright Bros and to Etienne Montgofier who piloted the first balloon air reconnaissance in 1783. The books really takes to heart every conceivable well known plane, engines, and pilots and showcases them in a great chronological order that even a woman can understand and truly enjoy.

The book isn't just about aviation either, is illustrates the reason for needing air support and just what is required before you simply attach a machine gun on to the top of your barn storming bi-plane. The details of flight from thrust, lift, drag and weight are critical components we take for granted when we board our commercial airlines and head for our tropical vacation destination. We learn how weaponry was added to this planes, and what the limitations of getting them to work entailed. From learning how not to shoot your propeller off, the dealing with the elements inside an open cockpit and what to do when you are wits end in the midst of a dog fight.

It is hard to realize that in the years leading up to World War I, no one really gave serious thought to armed aircraft. In fact, the U.S. War Department turned the Wright brothers down on three occasions for a military version of their contraption, and the British secretary of war stated in 1910, "We do not consider that aeroplanes will be of any possible use for war purposes." We have certainly come a long way since that day. From fighting air battles with low visibility, freezing cold temperatures and your only weapon being a carefully aimed brick were just the things that pilots had to contend with. In fact in WWI, most pilots average life span was only 2 weeks.

From the Red Baron, to the Royal Air Force, to the Mitsubishi Zero to Supermarine Spitfire, to the P-51 Mustang to the Grumman Hellcat all the way to the F-16 and F-18 SuperHornets, the aviation lover is bound to find something in this 600+ page hardcover book. "The Lords of the Sky is about the fighter pilot. It begins with the Great War, as World War I was originally known because the sky over the trenches was the birthplace of the fighter pilot. The development of fighter aircraft and the combat pilot was more closely tied to ground actions during the Great War than was the case in subsequent conflict. Aviation services were a fledgling military branch and closely attached to their parent armies. So the ground situation is explained in some detail to give the reader an explanation of why fighter development occurred as it did." (author note).

I received Lords of the Sky by Dan Hampton compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own, unless otherwise notated. Even though as a woman book reviewer, I love the way Dan wrote this book. It wasn't so over the top with airplane jargon and detailed descriptions that I would find myself completely lost. In fact, it was just the opposite. I felt myself drawn into the background of the military campaigns and didn't realize how difficult winning a war was and what some of the overwhelming odds faced our armed forces. It gave me a greater appreciation not only for our service men and women but for fighter pilots who are often faced with solo survival in the midst of high altitude flying over enemy lines. Well worth the money to invest in this book for fans of military, fighter pilots, and war heroes alike who are looking for something completely different. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Not since the invention of the encyclopedia, do you have so much information packed into one book!

For more information about Lords of the Sky, Dan Hampton, and where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Lords of the Sky by Dan Hampton

You can find Dan Hampton on Facebook to stay up to date with all his latest books.

To read more reviews on Lord of the Sky, please visit William Morrow's website.