Barbara's War by Fenella J. Miller

 

Summary:
 

Barbara Sinclair is desperate to escape from her home in Hastings. Her beloved half-brothers, Tom and David, are being sent to boarding school because the town is likely to be a target of the German Luftwaffe when the bombing starts and John Thorogood, a childhood friend, is also leaving to join
the RAF. Caught up by the emotion of the moment Barbara agrees to marry him when the war is
over.
She discovers her paternal grandparents know nothing about her and she is determined to find them.
Dr Edward Sinclair, her grandfather, is delighted to welcome Barbara to her father's ancestral home
but her reception from her grandmother is frosty. Nevertheless, she is enjoying her new life.
Barbara is obliged to return to Hastings and her grandfather accompanies her – this visit changes her life for ever.
Now she not only has John as a dear friend, but also has Simon Farley, the son of a local industrialist and Alex Everton, a handsome Spitfire pilot, taking an interest in her.
Then everything changes. Evil stalks her paradise. Will Simon, Alex or John be the man to save her
life?

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 272 pages (Kindle)

Source: Review Copy

Available Formats: E-book

Publication Date: October 2nd 2012

While I utterly adore historical fiction I find that my preference for the genre is in those novels set before the 1900s, so when I got the review request for Barbara's War I saw it as a lovely opportunity to read something out of my comfort zone with this being set against the backdrop of World War II.

I really enjoyed reading Barbara's War. It gave a wonderfully realistic glimpse into days of time gone by. Life was so much simpler then in that era and while there are certain things that I couldn't do without, the picture that Fenella J. Miller paints was lovely despite the wartime backdrop.

I thought that the characters were very developed. Barbara was a refreshing character. She was a little naïve at times but hey, we all have those moments. I really felt for her in this book because she didn't have a great home life which is where we start off in the book seeing her go from a meek young woman to a more self aware and confident which is what I like to see. Plus it's what needed to happen especially with critical times in the war about to happen.

I liked the other characters in the book at all especially Barbara's grandfather. He added a lot to the story to offset the romance brewing between Barbara and her suitors. Yes, I said suitors 3 of them in fact and no I'm not going to tell you who she ended up with because this story was so wonderful you have to read it yourself.

Overall, I had a great experience with reading my first Fenella J. Miller book. I thought she brought the time period to life and wrote a realistic tale of love, life and personal growth with great characters.

I would recommend Barbara's War to fans of historical fiction with a romantic twist and drama set during World War II. The pacing is good and I think if you have an afternoon to yourself you could delight in reading it curled up with a cup of tea.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.

Really Enjoyed It!
★ ★ ★ ★

 

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