Tara Chevrestt's Blog, page 154

Christina Courtenay's Large Print Novellas and the Hunks She Visualized

First of all, yes, I'm a fan of this author and I have recently become online friends with her. However, I read her novels, Scarlet Kimono and Trade Winds, before I contacted her. Matter of fact, I was so impressed with Scarlet Kimono, I had to find her email address and tell her so and from there, a friendship bloomed.


I have a grandmother who can't see squat. She refuses to use a magnifying glass whilst reading her books (pride) and she loves to read... so... I am forever searching for large print books for her. Thus, when I discovered that one of my favorite authors had three large print novellas out, I was stoked and I said so. Christina Courtenay has kindly provided me with three lovely large print novellas to pass on to my almost blind grandmother.


But of course, I had to read them myself first. I couldn't resist. And I've enjoyed them tremendously and asked Ms. Courtenay to answer one question about each novella. What actor/rock star/mega hottie did you visualize while writing this?


First up: Marry In Haste


The damsel in distress is pretty crafty and brave. She has been escaping her cousin's amorous advances by padding her waistline and waltzing around with dirty hair. (I said she was BRAVE!) I loved this chick! She not only gets her cuz in the crotch with her knee, but escapes out of her bedroom window in the dark of night and rushes off to marry a Viscount she barely knows.


The Viscount had to marry quickly or he probably would not have married Amelia. He doesn't go for fat, dirty chicks, but when she approaches him and asks him to marry her, his need and his desire to help this damsel wins out. Imagine his surprise when the padding disappears from her waistline and the dirty hair becomes clean and shiny! However, the fact that his new bride was hiding her true self raises suspicions in his mind.


Can these two quit tip toeing around each other long enough to make this arranged marriage work and maybe even become friends? Add a horny cousin and a secret scandal and anything can happen!


I found this cute and fun and loved the characters. Five stars. And what hunk did the author have in mind while writing it?


"I wrote this so long ago I'm not actually sure who the hero was based on but I have a feeling it was Keith Duffy, singer in the boyband Boyzone at the time.  I saw a picture of him with long hair, which I really liked (normally he wears it short and spiky, so not very "historical" looking) and I liked it."




Second Up: Once Bitten, Twice Shy


The damsel in distress is one of a twin set. Ianthe is the good twin, Serena the bad. Serena does everything in her power to try to ensure that Ianthe doesn't land the attentions or courtship of the Marquess of Wycheham, Jason. She even stoops to dealing with shady people. Ianthe wins out only to face more trouble: a cousin who wants the Marquess's title and will stop at nothing, a sister in law who refuses to leave the house, a Frenchman in a smuggler's cave...

She doesn't sit and wait to be rescued, but takes matters into her own hands as much as she can. Very entertaining novella. There were times I thought the evil characters were TOO evil and the good characters TOO good or I would have gave it a five as well. Conclusion: four stars. 


And what handsome hunk did Christina have in mind whilst writing this one? 


"You're going to think I'm crazy, but this hero was definitely Lucius Malfoy from the Harry Potter movies (the actor Jason Isaacs in real life).  I loved the way he looks so arrogant and sure of himself, a true aristocrat.  But I also felt that he could have been misunderstood (like the hero of my novel) and he was the kind of guy people would talk about behind his back, but not dare say it to his face.  I imagined he had a sense of humour and didn't give a damn about what people said, because he knew he hadn't done anything wrong.  And the heroine would see behind his facade, unlike everyone else."


Third Up: Desperate Remedies



The damsel in distress in this one is by far my favorite and thus, this is a five star. Though chased and shot at by a highway man at one point, she's not really in distress. She shoots back at him! She also dresses up as a boy and goes on a spying mission. She's spunky, smart, and I'd love to see her in a novel.

"I doubt I would do anything that was against the law, but if it was merely something that society dictated I shouldn't do, then I'd probably do it regardless. I don't give a fig for silly rules made up by match making matrons with nothing better to do."


"... I prefer to go my own way rather than be ruled by a man I cannot respect or like."


The latter quote explains why she turned down three suitors in her London season and now finds herself a governess for her sister. She just may have met her match in her sister's handsome neighbor, however. But just how far can this new romance go when someone wants him dead?


Courtenay had a special hottie in mind while penning this one as well, however, she doesn't wish to reveal his name. Here is what she was willing to reveal:


"not sure you should mention this one by name as he might be offended to be in a romance novel .  Let's just say he was based on the guitarist of a heavy metal band, although I gave him blue eyes instead of brown in the novella.  He too had long hair for a while, so it was easier to imagine him as a hero from the past that way."


Thus, to be on the safe side, we are not posting a picture of the last hottie.. but if you can rack your brain and guess who it is, leave a comment for the fun of it. Be interesting to see if anyone can come up with the name. Perhaps we could get Christina to confirm or deny. :)


Conclusion: I loved these little novellas and if they were not intended for my grandmother, I would keep them and re read them on those rainy, ugly days when I need an little pick me up. They are short and sweet, but worth finding if you can.


Ms. Courtenay, thank you for sending these and thank you for taking the time to answer that question for all three, making a fun blog post. :)

Roma Victrix by Russell Whitfield

This is the sequel to Gladiatrix, a book I absolutely loved. This brings back some of the main players.. I say some because well, some of them died in book one. 

There's Lysandra. She was once the greatest gladiatrix in the arena and is yet unbeatable. However, years have gone by and she is now getting "soft" and rather lost in her cups. She's got a weakness for the drink. She also doesn't fight as much as she used to and has become a paper pusher. When she receives a summons from Rome to fight the new, unbeaten, gladiatrix prima, she decides she needs to do it because she the "heady drug of victory was stronger than wine." She's tough, arrogant, but sometimes makes a fool of herself. 


Varia is from book one also. In book one, she adored Lysandra. Lysandra became her instructor. Varia no longer idolizes Lysandra, however, because she begins to resent her. Lysandra has taken to mothering her and holding her back from what she most wants to do: fight in the arena.. She runs away to fight, unaware that she could very well be pit against the woman she once loved and admired above all others. She's stubborn and fights for what she wants, even if it's not the right thing.


Valerian is from book one as well, though I honestly don't remember much about him from the first one. In the first one, the women def stole the show. He's a Roman soldier in the beginning who ends up traumatized from a major battle loss. I do not like reading about Roman soldiers, Roman war strategy, or Roman battles. That has simply never interested me and thus, I didn't enjoy this guy's parts. His parts really do go on and on too much about that battle. That's one of my quibbles. He is dealing with shame and struggling to get his life back in order.


New addition: Aesalon Nocturna. She's a gorgeous and unbeaten gladiatrix that is going to be pitted against Lysandra. She becomes close friends with Varia as she trains her for the arena. I really enjoyed the parts involving her and Varia. I must note there was also a fabulous sex scene involving these two. Wow!


There were many other likable characters as well, namely two bodyguards that Lysandra picks up. I enjoyed their banter and just their characters overall.


The first half of the book was pretty slow, a lot of "setting the scene and storyline." One the novel went past the halfway mark, however, things picked up considerably and the last quarter had me on the edge of my seat and especially the parts involving the gladiatrices had me riveted. The anticipation leading up to Lysandra and Nocturna's fight. . . fabulous. Because at that point, Lysandra has nothing to lose. She believes her life is in Athena's hands and is willing to sacrifice it.. Nocturna, however, has much to live for. She loves her life, the adoration of the fans, the fighting.. 


Regardless, two amazing and unbeaten fighters are going to face off. One is going to have to lose.


Quibbles: 1. Valerian's parts. 2. Not a whole lot of Sorina, a character I wanted more of. 3. The language was far too modern for ancient Rome. I have a hard time visualizing Romans calling each other "mate" and saying things like, "wanker."


A good read even though I still like the first one better. Four stars.


I bought this on Amazon Kindle.

What I'm Going to Read This Month

I've been super duper busy. My "real" job put  me on 60 hour work weeks the beginning of May and there is no end in sight. Plus, I must squeeze in my own writing. Thus, I'm WAY behind on review requests. Authors, please accept my apologies and know you are NOT forgotten. Your books are there and waiting and I will read them this month. 


Here's what on the agenda this month FOR SURE, some are review requests, some I just plain want to read. 


From netgalley: 


No One To Trust (Lexi Carmichael #2) by Julie Moffett. I read the first one, No One Lives Twice, last year and really enjoyed it. Witty, funny, realistic. 


SWFG: Single, White, Female, Geek. 

That's me, Lexi Carmichael, a reformed hacker who was gainfully employed by the National Security Agency. But a series of extraordinary events led me to leave government life behind for a fresh start with a brand-new company and an incredibly sexy boss, Finn Shaughnessy. It may not be kosher to have the hots for your boss, but he seems to have the hots for me, too. If only things didn't get so complicated… 

Darren Greening, a genius researcher from Flow Technologies (our first client!) is missing, and his bosses think I'm involved. And they aren't the only ones—the man who nearly snapped my neck in the parking garage thinks so, too. 

Now I'm caught in the middle of a complex and dangerous case. I'll have to use all my geek skills and a little help from my friends to solve the mystery of Darren's disappearance before Neck-Snapping-Man makes a return visit…


Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy


Roman historian Procopius publicly praised Theodora of Constantinople for her piety-while secretly detailing her salacious stage act and maligning her as ruthless and power hungry. So who was this woman who rose from humble beginnings as a dancer to become the empress of Rome and a saint in the Orthodox Church? Award-winning novelist Stella Duffy vividly recreates the life and times of a woman who left her mark on one of the ancient world's most powerful empires. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore is a sexy, captivating novel that resurrects an extraordinary, little-known figure from the dusty pages of history.




The Legacy by Katherine Webb


Following the death of their grandmother, Erica Calcott and her sister Beth return to Storton Manor, a grand and imposing house in Wiltshire, England, where they spent their summer holidays as children. When Erica begins to sort through her grandmother's belongings, she is flooded with memories of her childhood—and of her cousin, Henry, whose disappearance from the manor tore the family apart.

Erica sets out to discover what happened to Henry—so that the past can be laid to rest, and her sister, Beth, might finally find some peace. Gradually, as Erica begins to sift through remnants of the past, a secret family history emerges: one that stretches all the way back to Oklahoma in the 1900s, to a beautiful society heiress and a haunting, savage land. As past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with two terrible acts of betrayal—and the heartbreaking legacy left behind.






Ebooks from patient authors:


Rain by Leigh K. Cunningham


Set in provincial Australia in the early sixties, Rain is a multigenerational family saga that chronicles the lives of three generations of the Wallin sawmilling dynasty. It explores the often difficult but enduring ties between mothers and daughters, men and women: the sacrifices, compromises, and patterns of emotion that repeat themselves through generations. In a journey that spans four decades and crosses the globe, Rain is an epic tale of the choices and consequences that comprise one family's history. By turn dark and amusing, Rain delivers an emotionally charged revelation about love, loss, guilt, self-discovery and redemption. The enduring question of family bonds—escapable or not, divides, conquers, and triumphs. 


Precious Norman Honor by A.L. Stumo


Maud has always found that running errands and being helpful lets her go wherever the action is happening and wins the approval of her parents. But now that the castle is under siege by their own king, all that she knew is mixed up.

She cannot go run errands outside, she cannot even see outside, and her parents only want her to sit still and be safe. Maud longs to see the army outside and make this siege come to a happy end so that her life with her friends and family can return to normal. But can her life ever be normal again? Will she even be alive after this siege?Based on an actual siege in 12th century England, "Precious Norman Honor" is Maud's tale of conflicted loyalties, climbing attempts, and confinement.
A Great Place for a Seizure by Terry Tracy
Mischa Dunn's family flees Chile in the wake of the 1973 coup d'etat that installs a military dictatorship. She settles comfortably in her newly adopted country, the United States, until one day, an unexplained seizure in a library signals the beginning of her life with epilepsy. With an engaging balance of humor, insight, and sensitivity Mischa draws the reader into a vivid tale that travels across three continents over thirty years.
Olga: A Daughter's Tale by Marie-Therese Browne


Olga – A Daughter's Tale is a story about heritage, identity, and belonging. It's one family's experiences of hardship, discrimination and love. Set in Jamaica and London between the years of 1900 and post war England, the reader is taken on a journey with one family through history and cultural change.

Written with diary entries and letters, "Olga – A Daughter's Tale" is based on a true story about cruelty, revenge and jealousy inflicted on an innocent young woman and about her moral courage, dignity, resilience and, in particular, love. It is the story of a remarkable woman who because of circumstances made a choice which resulted in her losing contact with her beloved family in Jamaica. That is, until nearly half a century later, when her past caught up with her.

Books I am going to read while on vacation just because I plain want to:
The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
A penniless young knight with few prospects, William Marshal is plucked from obscurity when he saves the life of Henry II's formidable queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. In gratitude, she appoints him tutor to the heir to the throne. However, being a royal favourite brings its share of conflict and envy as well as fame and reward. William's influence over the volatile, fickle Prince Henry and his young wife is resented by less favoured courtiers who set about engineering his downfall.

In a captivating blend of fact and fiction, Elizabeth Chadwick resurrects one of England's greatest forgotten heroes, restoring him to his rightful place at the apex of the Middle Ages, reflecting through him the tumults, triumphs, scandals and power struggles that haven't changed in eight hundred years.
For the King's Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick
When Roger Bigod arrives at King Henry II's court to settle a bitter inheritance dispute, he becomes enchanted with Ida de Tosney, young mistress to the powerful king. A victim of Henry's seduction and the mother of his son, Ida sees in Roger a chance to begin a new life. But Ida pays an agonizing price when she leaves the king, and as Roger's importance grows and he gains an earldom, their marriage comes under increasing strain. Based on the true story of a royal mistress and the young lord she chose to marry, For the King's Favor is Elizabeth Chadwick at her best.

Added to all of this is Amazon Vine books, the occasional library book, and sometimes a spur-of-the-moment-I-just-feel-like it read so if you have sent me a book and don't see it on this list, please be patient with me. You may have been bumped to July, but I will get to it. :)
Others, I don't review every book I read on Book Babe, but if you find me on goodreads, I post every single review there. 

Effie at the Wedding by Tracy Marchini

This is a very short, cute read. It's simply 13 full pages of a girl, Effie, and how she feels about her older sister getting married, her awful pink dress, and how she ends up locked in the bathroom at her sister's wedding. Effie has a weight problem, no boyfriend, and loves making little lists in her head. 

Was it hysterical as the blurb promised? No. I didn't laugh out loud or fall on the floor or held get a stomach ache from laughing, but I did think it was cute. 


The #1 reason Effie feels her sister should not marry George: "I will never be able to bring a boyfriend home without him also being a good-looking well-mannered doctor. Which means that I am going to be single for the rest of my life, while my sister and her husband make lots of good-looking doctor babies. I will have lots of cats."


Ms. Marchini has a good writer's voice I think Effie has the potential to become a cute YA novel. Four stars.


I was sent this in ebook format from the author.

Death by Honeymoon (Book #1 in the Caribbean Murder Series) by Jaden Skye

Imagine getting married to the man of your dreams, traveling to Barbados for your honeymoon, surfing and enjoying the beach by day, making love all night, and somewhere in that first week, your new husband is murdered. This is what happens to Cindy. Someone kills her husband Clint in Barbados. The authorities say it was an accident, blame it on a riptide, but Cindy suspects it was foul play.

So, who wanted her husband dead? She heads back to the States and begins to suspect her in-laws-from-Hell. They want the insurance money, resented her from the get-go, and are trying to blame his death on her. As Cindy digs into her dead husband's computer and hard files, however, she realizes Clint didn't tell her everything, especially regarding his work..


When her sister almost ends up dead, Cindy goes to the authorities and after at first being told she is paranoid, an FBI agent finally takes her seriously and she must travel back to Barbados to get some answers where she meets a brick wall at every turn.


This is a mystery so I'm not going to reveal anything more about the plot. The story was quick, light, and not a door stop. However, it could have used more details. I love stories that are "to the point," but this one was a tad too much "to the point." I found myself scratching my head at times.. Example: You cant' just hop a flight, land in Barbados, and get your bags, can you? I'm thinking there's a thing called "customs.." Nevertheless, a good read, but at times, too quick and pit pat and not detailed enough. I also, for some reason, expected more of the book to take place in the Caribbean, but discovered most of it takes place in the States. 


Four stars and I received this in ebook format from the author.

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

"If she thought a man was a fool, she said so to his face in front of others, and gave no quarter. She was tall, slender, beautiful, desirable. . "


This is how Empress Mathilda is described. This is the woman this novel is about. She was the daughter and the only surviving heir to Henry I. The men of England got on their knees three times in front of her and three times, swore to uphold her as their queen. When her father died, however, they upheld her cousin Stephen instead. Mathilda was enraged and thus, a battle began to retain her crown and her country for not necessarily herself, but her heirs.


The novel begins in this manner, with Mathilda arriving in England from Germany where he husband, an emperor, has died. She begins her first steps towards inheriting the throne by abiding by her father's wishes and marrying Geoffrey of Anjou. This is not a happy partnership. He is a young, arrogant whelp and her thoughts. . well, here's a quote from the brave and opinionated Mathida, "No more of an abomination than me being made to wed an idiot who is as far beneath me as a pile of dung under the sky. . You may be my husband, but you will never be my lord and master and you will never amount to anything more than a scrawny cockerel on top of your little midden heap!"



I love this woman. Nevertheless, despite her strong words, duty prevails and her and Geoffrey manage to do what they are supposed to do and they breed heirs. This makes Mathilda all the more eager to ensure that she obtains the throne of England. "She gazed down at this child whom she had not wanted to conceive because of fear, because of anger, because her life was a battleground over which she had so little control. Now the field had changed. Her fight was for him now.."


Meanwhile, Stephen takes England and offers favors left and right till the coffers run out of money. Mathilda is just biding her time and waiting for loyalty to shift and then England shall be hers. Adeliza, Henry's former queen, is between a rock and a hard place as her new hubby supports Stephen, but she believes the throne belongs to her stepdaughter, Mathilda. These two experience much love and passion fraught with friction over their opposing sides. I loved their part of tale and in the end, had to blink tears away from my eyes. I won't reveal why.


Also on Mathilda's side is her half brother Robert and and Brian FitzCount. Brian is a doll who will do anything for Mathilda. He loves her as more than a queen. Will anything come of this unspoken passion?


Stephen of Blois"Picking up his sword, he drew a shaken breath. He had to carry this through, and write his will in blood and fire, because how else was he going to be a leader of men, keep his word to Mathilda and give her a crown?"


But Mathilda can't forget that all these men who swore fealty to her, also swore fealty to Stephen when it most suited them. "She was well aware that men who knelt to her and smiled one day would as likely stab her in the back and abandon her on another." Who can she trust to stay by her side and make her once and for all, the lady of the English?


Towards the end of the novel, readers get a good look at what Henry II has the potential to become. The young Henry is full of vigor, charisma, and spunk. I found myself enamored with his character despite his mere fourteen years of age. 


Henry IIAs usual, Chadwick manages to completely immerse the reader in medieval times. After an hour of reading, I would have to shake my head and remind myself I am Tara in Utah, not Mathilda escaping a castle in the middle of a snow drenched night clothed entirely in white, not Adeliza with a belly full of baby, burning letters in the fire. It's not solely drama, however, as Chadwick managed to inject little surprise bits of humor into the novel.
Here is Geoffrey bragging of his sexual prowess,  "I am adept at hunting through forests and finding hidden streams."


A point to ponder from Miles FitzWalter, "Those who walk with their heads in the air usually don't see the shit on the ground until they tread in it."


A LOL moment in the Author's Notes regarding the real Empress, "I also have a notion (that I can't prove) that Mathilda suffered from acute premenstrual tension and this might account for some of her sharp behaviour. A fraught political situation and a certain time of the month may just have combined to create disaster for her."


And not funny, but my favorite quote in the book from the Empress herself, "....it is twice as important that a woman should be educated, and twenty times as difficult for her to be heard."


Five stars and I won this on a blog giveaway.

My First Interview

Christina's little black dog My little black dogJust a quick update to inform everyone that I'm a guest on fellow author/friend's blog today. It's a cute story how we ended up chatting and has to do with Facebook and our little black dogs (Look at their similarities!) and Christina Courtenay has been kind enough to feature me today and ask me some insightful and fun questions!



So check out Christina's Blog today and please, feel free to leave a comment.

Kindle Makeover

I've had my kindle for a year almost . . and I LOVE it, BUT. . . Amazon is a tad behind Barnes & Noble as far as looks. The Nook comes in different colors and even has a color screen now. The Kindle is just plain white or black. Boring! And I've been staring at my boring white Kindle in its cheap pink case for a year.




And seriously, I look at my kindle for 2 hours a day, more on the weekends. So, I decided it was time for a Kindle Makeover!!


And I searched Ebay and found this Bundle Monster store based in Hawaii (Free shipping! No worries!) and I bought a bundle package consisting of a Kindle skin, real leather case complete with credit card holders so that it may be doubled as a wallet, and a screen protector. Here is my Kindle. . . made over!





 So, if you are bored with your ereader, spice it up! There's plenty of options and package deals available on the internet. I gotta say though, the screen protector didn't work for me. Those are hard to put on just right!

Sisters of the Sari by Brenda L. Baker

This is one of those books that I just can't recommend enough. It's funny, touching, and has lots of drama that ties in nicely together.

Kiria is a successful American woman who is the CEO of her own company. She's very independent and does what she wants, when she wants, without a man in her life. She travels to India and finds herself touched by Santoshi, a dependent in the Indian shelter system. In a way though, both women though in very different circumstances, have a lot in common. They each take care of themselves. No one else is looking out for them. Kiria simply has the money and means to do it in a more hygienic way.


Kiria wants to help Santoshi better herself and sets about opening a home for independent women in India. She enlists Santoshi's help. The novel goes back and forth from first person POV (Kiria's very humorous and witty viewpoint) to third person POV. 


I LOVE Kiria.. here's why:


"Now, here's some advice if you ever want to take a city bus in India-don't even think about it. The bus that finally came was packed, sardines-in-a-tin packed, resulting in some unavoidable familiarity with my fellow travelers. When a particularly good pothole created a bowling-pin effect among the standing passengers, I learned more about one poor young man's anatomy than either of us really wanted to know. Hopefully, his reproductive abilities were not permanently impaired."


"... getting more flies with honey. Which is a very odd expression when you think about it. Who exactly wants those flies? Entomologists? Any entomologist worth his salt should know that you get the most flies with shit."


"Sari-itis afflicts approximately one in ten Indian women. It is incurable. The disfiguring effects on its sufferers can only be controlled by placing limits on their credit cards. You see the victims on the streets of Chennai every day, pathetic women who have succumbed to the lure of the fabric and bought a sari whose pattern highlights all their figure flaws and even creates some they don't have. A short, fat woman will buy a silver sequined sari that makes passerby break into spontaneous disco dancing."


Nevertheless, while Kiria is establishing this home (which all her Indian friends feel is doomed to fail), the characters around her have their own dramas. Santoshi cannot agree with sharing a home with those of lower caste and sets off on an eye-opening adventure. Laxmi is trying to adjust to being a housewife to a weak man with an evil mother. Mary Elizabeth loves a man that technically, she is not supposed to love. (Again, caste system and all.) All these women aid each other in some way.. and enrich each other's lives.


And... Kiria has a son... and there some drama there, but I don't wish to spoil it so that's all I'm going to say about that.


The book is humorous, well written, and the author obviously knows India very well. The ending was terrific.


Five stars. I received this from the publisher who is kindly going to be providing two giveaway copies on here June 7th.

The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord Brown

I saw this on Netgalley and of course, it being about women in aviation, I had to read it. Though I received the egalley from Netgalley, I am thrilled to be participating in the blog tour. 

The Americans had the WASP and England had the ATA, Air Transport Auxiliary. This novel follows three different women, all ATA pilots during WWII for reasons of their own.


Evie is a rich, spoiled girl who is somewhat bored and wishes to get away from her stepmother's evil clutches. Evie is the star. She takes her flight test wearing a mink coat and drives an Aston. Truly, a remarkable gal. She has a few love interests, mainly a fellow pilot named Beau, but though the spark between them remains throughout the novel, there are many times when I was sitting there going... "Oh, they won't hook up after all... or will they?" I was left in suspense. The novel wasn't predictable at all, a point in its favor.


Beau is a main character as well. He's half German and rumor is he was shot down by his own father. There are lots of questions regarding Beau and just where his loyalty lies. Plus he has a fiance that just won't let go and he disappears a lot....


Stella is the next lady pilot. She's running away from something and going through post partum depression (They didn't call it that back then though.) She's the "Ice Queen" who turns down many a horny fellow. But there's one... a curate of a church. How will react to learning about her "secret" though? 


The last flying chick is Megan. She's a small farm girl who loves to fly. What she lacks for in experience, she makes up for in enthusiasm. She loved a man on the farm... but wants to have some fun. And here is my one quibble with the book: Not enough of Megan. She's introduced in the beginning when readers read about her on the farm, her desire to save the farm and keep from her greedy cousins, and her love for Bill. However, once she becomes ATA, there is very little at all about her until all of a sudden over halfway into the novel, some major stuff goes down and Bill suddenly comes back into the picture. I was scratching my head at that point, asking, "Oh? She still loves him? She hasn't said a word about him..." I had actually forgotten all about Bill.


Meanwhile, while all these people are living their lives (as much as they can while ferrying planes constantly), someone has it in for them. Someone is sabotaging planes. Someone may pay the price.


Something else I want to mention is Amy Johnson. She has "scenes" of sorts in here in which she narrates about what possibly happened to her and her parts are just wonderfully eloquent. Amy Johnson was a real life ATA pilot who died while ferrying. In TBC, she dies, but lives on as a guardian angel....

Here's an example: "I will not leave these girls. I shall be their guardian angel, flying beside their Spitfire's wings. When they are looking for a break in the clouds, I shall be the wind that parts a safe course home. Shackleton talked of his fourth man. TS Eliot wrote of the other who walks beside you. We who have gone before are with you when you need us most. We are there holding our dying sons on the battlefield and beaches as they drown in their own blood. These women are my daughters, my sisters, and I shall be 'the other' flying with them, until this is over and we have won our peace."


I was just moved by that. I also laughed my butt off when Evie slaps Beau's "fiance" and says, "I may do my job as well as a man, but I am all the woman Beau will ever need."


Again, I had an egalley and quotes may not be exact in the finished publication. 


Four stars.