Jenny Ashcroft

I couldn’t put down from the moment I started reading it. I kept trying to find a spot that I could finish reading for the night but there wasn’t one and before I knew it it was 6am and 79% through the book!

Beautifully written dual timelines and characters as well as the descriptions of Singapore making the heat and sounds of the place creep into your subconsciousness, it certainly transported me from my boyfriends front room to a much warmer place thankfully! ( He’s to tight to put the heating on! )

Set in two time frames in Singapore, it is the story of Ivy, a Wren translator sent there at the height of World War 2 and Harriet and Mae who lived there in the 1890s.

Harriet and Mae are identical twins sent to Singapore as young women by their benefactor and forced to live with David Keeley, who is a rather cold, unlikable character who becomes very obsessed with marrying Harriet which will insure his inheritance from the girls’ father.

Ivy, a Wren translator receives orders to leave London to go to Singapore to make use of her expertise in Japanese. After a traumatic event she jumps at the chance of a fresh start even though she has to leave her beloved Grandmother Mae , her only living relative. There she meets some of the people her Grandmother knew but why did Mae never mentioned her time on the island? And the there is Kit! An Australian officer who she starts to fall in love with him. Would either one survive the war?

Their stories are irrevocably linked, past and present becomes heartbreakingly intertwined as secrets come to light and loves and losses are revealed chapter by chapter.

Both plot strands were compelling and normally in a book written in this way one part of the time line tends to resonate more than the other but in this novel I loved both settings.

The capitulation of Singapore and the atrocities perpetrated by the invaders were wonderfully written with an obvious amount of research to do the subject justice and making it tragically real.

This is a novel that has a bit of everything – love, war, betrayal, heartbreak, tragedy, redemption and hope. And as clichéd as it is, I really do highly recommend it, particularly if you like historical romance with a lot of suspense. This is by far the best book in this genre I have read for a long time!

And now that I have finished it … maybe I can catch up on my sleep!… (lisätietoja)

Rose has taken a unique job. She has been hired to accompany a small child, Walter, on a trip to Australia. Walter has recently become and orphan and he is about to lose his only caregiver. So, he is being sent to Australia to be reunited with family.

Rose has fallen hard for this sweet little boy. She has become his biggest protector. So, when they arrive in Australia and are faced with some strange challenges, Rose is going to fight to protect him at all costs.

I loved Rose. When she is first introduced in this novel, I was a bit hesitant to like her. She seemed a bit scatterbrained and not very “with it”. But she grew on me. And I found her resilient and compassionate as the story moved along.

I very rarely say this. This is probably a book I would have enjoyed more if I had physically read it and not listened to it. I had a bit of trouble with some of the mundane details (I tend to skim those when I physically read a book) Usually these things don’t bother me much. But this story moved a bit slowly in certain areas. I wanted a faster pace and a bit more action.

I did enjoy the location. Australia is on my bucket list. Plus, the narrator, Olivia Dowd, did a great job. She has become one of my favorites.

Need a good story with a fabulous location…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest opinion.… (lisätietoja)

An ad asking for an adult to chaperone a child to Australia sounded interesting to Rose considering her current situation, but how would this work during the war?

Rose answered the ad, visited the home where the sweet child was, and accepted the job.

In the home Rose finds a dying woman, Walter, the child, and information that Walter’s mother was killed by a bus and had family in Australia that were waiting for him.

Rose stays with Walter to get comfortable with him and him with her before they take off on the ocean liner.

The trip was long and arduous as well as having a lot of apprehension for both Rose and Walter. Rose hoped his new family was going to be kind to Walter...how would she leave this sweet boy with someone who may not fully love him?

Her fears were confirmed when they arrived. They actually were not expected nor were they welcome, it was pouring down rain, and they had to sleep in the barn that night because they weren’t let into the house. Vivian must have lied to her, but why? What now?

Well…Rose finds out why Vivian wanted Walter to be with this family in Australia.

Walter had inherited a great deal of money and has a complicated situation with his background and with being in Australia.

We get to share the sorrows of the situation, the joys, and also the beautiful landscape of Australia and its customs.

You will fall in love with Walter and Rose and not want the book to end.

You will also want to visit Australia.

A do not miss read for fans of historical fiction and women’s fiction. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.… (lisätietoja)