My Recommendation: On Distant Shores by Sarah Sundin

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
Lt. Georgiana Taylor has everything she could want. A boyfriend back home, a loving family, and a challenging job as a flight nurse. But in July 1943, Georgie's cozy life gets more complicated when she meets pharmacist Sgt. John Hutchinson.

Hutch resents the lack of respect he gets as a noncommissioned serviceman and hates how the war keeps him from his fiancée. While Georgie and Hutch share a love of the starry night skies over Sicily, their lives back home are falling apart. Can they weather the hurt and betrayal? Or will the pressures of war destroy the fragile connection they've made?

MY THOUGHTS:
I've found a new author whose books I'm really enjoying - Sarah Sundin! ON DISTANT SHORES is the second book in her Wings of the Nightingale series. And while I really liked the first one, I absolutely loved this one! Georgie and Hutch are both so likable and human. They're each dealing with challenges I think we all face at one time or another, even though the backdrop for their story is WWII. Sundin's writing is wonderful, and I appreciate how she includes historical information and details in a way that doesn't bog down the story or take away from it. I've enjoyed learning about the air evacuation nurses and the challenges of pharmacists who enlisted in the war. And of course, Georgie and Hutch's romance is fantastic with some equally fantastic kisses. :) This is a great WWII, get-lost-in-the-story inspirational romance!

My Recommendation: Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
A courageous young noblewoman risks her life to hide French resistance fighters; seventy years later, her granddaughter visits the family’s abandoned chateau and uncovers shocking secrets from the past.

Gisèle Duchant guards a secret that could cost her life. Tunnels snake through the hill under her family’s medieval chateau in Normandy. Now, with Hitler’s army bearing down, her brother and several friends are hiding in the tunnels, resisting the German occupation of France.

A present day story weaves through the past one as Chloe Sauver, Gisèle’s granddaughter, arrives in Normandy. After calling off her engagement with a political candidate, Chloe pays a visit to the chateau to escape publicity and work with a documentary filmmaker, Riley, who has uncovered a fascinating story about Jews serving in Hitler’s army. Riley wants to research Chloe’s family history and the lives that were saved in the tunnels under their house in Normandy. Chloe is floored—her family isn’t Jewish, for one thing, and she doesn’t know anything about tunnels or the history of the house. But as she begins to explore the dark and winding passageways beneath the chateau, nothing can prepare her for the shock of what she and Riley discover…

MY THOUGHTS:
It's been quite a while since I read a book I couldn't put down, but Chateau of Secrets was one of those! I love books with past and present story lines, and in this one, I enjoyed both time periods equally. The WWII history was super fascinating. I never knew there were Jewish soldiers serving in the German army. And the French countryside sounded so lovely and was easy to picture - the author made me want to visit there! I liked the main characters, especially Gisèle, and of course, the underlying romance in both their stories. This was a great historical read that I highly recommend.

FREE Of Love and War Short Story!

Whether you've read all of the Of Love and War books and want to see what happens to secondary characters Alice Thornton and George Dennis at the end of WWI, or you want to give the series a try for free, then this short story is for you! Download a PDF copy for FREE from my website.


Love Awaits at the Journey's End . . .

After nearly two years of serving overseas as an Army Nurse Corps nurse, Alice Thornton is more than ready to return home to the States. But what her future holds there is still uncertain. Should she accept an unexpected proposal from her doctor friend and continue nursing? Or is the real object of her heart, Sergeant George Dennis, still hoping for a life together, as Alice secretly is?


Though Sergeant George Dennis has finally traded the trenches of France for his quiet farm life in Wisconsin, the effects of the war have followed him home. And while he does his best to cope, he's sure the one thing that can help him rise above the past is his continued love for Alice Thornton. But does she still feel the same about him? And will he reach her in time to find out?

An Epic Week!

I learned last Thursday my book HOPE AT DAWN (Of Love and War, Book 1) is a finalist in the inspirational category of the Romance Writers of America RITA Awards!

I missed the initial call because my cell phone was off. But when I saw I had an email from someone at the RWA Board of Directors, I suddenly remembered it was the day for RITA finalist calls. I quickly called the woman back, and even though I had a pretty good idea at that point what the call was about, I still couldn't believe it.

This is the highest award an author of romance can receive. And needless to say, I'm still pinching myself. :)

The other exciting event of the week is the release of my final book in the Of Love and War series, A HOPE REMEMBERED (Of Love and War, Book 3). I have learned so much about WWI through writing this series and it's been a joy to share that knowledge and these characters with readers.

A reviewer for Night Owl Reviews said: "What stands out beyond all else with Henrie's novels is the fact that she dares to create stories of a time when most feared hope was lost and she dares to show the readers the aftermath of war and the lives that are left crippled by the devastation."

I'm thrilled to finally share Nora and Colin's love story and hopefully bring to life for readers England's Lake District in the aftermath of WWI.

As the War Ends, Love Begins ...

Nora Lewis just wants an escape after losing her fiance in the Great War. When she inherits property in England, she boldly packs up and leaves America for a fresh start. But, if not for her dashing new neighbor, Colin Ashby, she'd be lost. Even as their friendship deepens, Nora knows a British aristocrat would never be free to love an American orphan, no matter how much the war has changed the world ...

After his brother's death in the war and his own experiences as a pilot at the front, Colin returns home broken, only to discover his family's estate is also in ruin. The pressure is now on him to save his home and the Ashbys' place in society with a well-bred match to a wealthy heiress. Too bad he finds more of a kindred spirit in Nora, the beautiful American next door. She, too, has faced the rigors of war and survived. Now the ex-soldier will have one more battle to fight--this time for love.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FdFpfF
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My Recommendation: Five Days in Skye by Carla Laureano

What It's About:
Andrea Sullivan is so consumed by her hospitality consultant job that she’s forgotten what brings her life. She travels the world yet shields herself from the exotic locales or another chance at love. She dreads her new assignment—a last chance to snag a high-profile client in Scotland. Yet the lush Isle of Skye transcends her preconceptions. As does the man she came to interview—the rugged, blue-eyed Scotsman James McDonald.

James is passionate about cooking but after six restaurants, four cookbooks, and his own television show, he has no desire to be a celebrity chef. Andrea and James begin to sense these five days in Skye may just be God’s wild invitation into deeper life ... and truer love.

My Thoughts:
This is the first book I've read by Carla Laureano, but it won't be the last. I absolutely loved this one! The chemistry between Andrea and James was fantastic, and I loved the way they first met. My favorite part of this book was the fact that it took place over just five days. While that might seem fast for a romance, the author does such a great job growing the relationship between Andrea and James to a deep level, even in the short time they have together. I loved the reminder, too, of what's really important in life. This is the sort of book I'd enjoy reading over again!

My Recommendation: Like a Flower in Bloom by Siri Mitchell

What It's About:
It's all her uncle's fault. For years Charlotte Withersby has been free to pursue her love of plants and flowers by assisting her botanist father. But now that she's reached the old age of twenty-two, an intrusive uncle has convinced her father that Charlotte's future--the only proper future for a woman--is to be a wife and mother, not a scholar.

Her father is so dependent on her assistance that Charlotte believes he'll soon change his mind...and then Edward Trimble shows up. A long-time botany correspondent in the South Pacific, Trimble arrives ready to step in as assistant so that Charlotte can step out into proper society--a world that baffles her with its unwritten rules, inexplicable expectations, and confounding fashion.

Things aren't perfectly smooth between Trimble and her father, so Charlotte hatches a last gasp plan. She'll pretend such an interest in marriage that the thought of losing her will make her father welcome her back. Only things go quickly awry, and she realizes that the one man who recognizes her intelligence is also the person she's most angry with: Edward Trimble, her supposed rival. Suddenly juggling more suitors than she knows what to do with, Charlotte is caught in a trap of her own making. Will she have no choice but to leave her beloved flowers behind?


My Thoughts:
There was so much about this book that I loved! I loved Charlotte's character and her naivete for all things dealing with society. I loved that she simply said what she thought regardless of the "rules of etiquette." There were several times I laughed out loud! I loved the relationship between her and Edward. There were so many clever situations and poignant moments through the story, and I enjoyed learning about the world of a botanist. The secondary characters were equally as charming. This is humorous, historical romance at its best!