I received a complimentary copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity Group and was under no obligation to post a review. No compensation was received for sharing this review and all opinions are my own.
Published by Amazon Publishing on June 13th 2017
Source: Litfuse Publicity Group
Genres: Christian, Fiction, Historical, Romance
Pages: 337
In the midst of World War II, Ireland has declared herself neutral. Troops found on Irish soil must be reported and interned, no matter which side they are fighting for. When midwife Nan O'Neil finds a wounded young Canadian pilot at her door, she knows she's taking a huge risk by letting him in. Not only is she a widow living alone, but if caught harboring a combatant, she'll face imprisonment.
Still, something compels Nan to take in "flyboy" Dutch Whitney, an RAF pilot whose bomber has just crashed over County Clare. While she tends to his wounds and gives him a secret place of refuge, the two begin to form a mutual affection--and an unbreakable bond.
But Nan has another secret, one that has racked her with guilt since her husband's death and made her question ever loving again. As Nan and Dutch plan his escape, can he help restore her faith?
I’m struggling with the best way to review this book. I’m torn because part of me wants to slap a 4.5-5 star on this book and the other part compares it to other books in a Christian genre.
If you’re reading this book as a secular book with faith elements then it is a fantastic romance set in Ireland during World War 2. Nan is adorable and a little naive and Dutch manages to be sexy and irresistible while still being a gentleman.
If you’re reading this and comparing it to other Christian fiction, the innuendo and use of derogatory terms such as “lard-arse” can be rather surprising.
This left me in the awkward position of how to rate this book. Do I rate it solely on the story or do I take into account genre expectations?
I went somewhere in between and chose a four-star rating. This book is a good, clean, solid romance by worldly standards. I mean, there is a remark about a man’s “third leg” and many mentions of desire. But, the novel is not nasty or graphic.
Having said that, I think that people who read Christian fiction regularly will see this as being outside the norm for the genre and I have to take that into account.
I would love to read more from this author and I think she has a lot of promise. I appreciated her character building and the way that I was invested in the lives of Nan and Dutch from early in the book.
About Jeanne M. Dickson
Jeanne M. Dickson was born into an Irish American family, the only girl surrounded by four brothers. She credits her mother, her aunts, and her grandmother with her love of storytelling. Perfecting her craft, she attends many writer’s conferences and over the years, she has won and finaled in numerous RWA romance writing awards including the Daphne du Maurier Award, the Maggie Award, The Molly, The Tara, and she was the overall contest winner of Launching A Star. Today she lives in Coastal San Diego with her fabulous husband, her two wonderful girls, and a dozen disobedient rose bushes.
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