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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a military history buff (I got my Bachelor’s degree in history with a concentration on American history) this is the type of book I have been itching to find. It didn’t romanticize World War I. It showed it the horrifying moments that men had to face. We were witness to the emotions, the acts the forced themselves to commit in the name of their country, and the consequences that war has on those brave souls.
War forges bonds between those involved. They find their moments of peace, share the bits of joy when they can, and do what they are ordered. It is no different for Captain Ashleigh Dalton, no matter how he has come to think of the men in his company. He blows his whistle and they rush forward greeting death.
During one of those rushes, Ash suffers a devastating injury and by the will of Private Harry West, he is carried to safety. A desperate kiss being the only communication between the two of them. Ashleigh survives, losing his leg, and being sent back home to recover. West continues fighting hoping Ash had survived.
The war ends and Harry West drifts aimlessly in London as he searches for work. He swallows his pride and goes to the man who kept him going during the war. Captain Ashleigh. The connection they formed hadn’t dampened. Seeing each other, all their feelings resurface and intensify. They’re who they chose to be when they are alone with each other.
There was this burning chemistry between Ash and West from the first pages. They understood each other’s needs and how to calm war raging inside. It was as simple as a cup of tea, a few pages from a book, and sitting shoulder to shoulder. West was the only rays of happiness Ashleigh had after the war. Their friendship wasn’t accepted by Ashleigh’s parents or anyone in his social circle. But they found time and a way to be there for each other.
Once they admitted their feelings and acted on them? It was beautiful.
There were moments my heart hurt for them, and times I didn’t want to take my eyes from the pages because I could feel their happiness. I feel like I could go on and on about what I liked about this book, but I would spoil it for ya’ll. I want a physical copy of this book for my bookshelf.
War forges bonds between those involved. They find their moments of peace, share the bits of joy when they can, and do what they are ordered. It is no different for Captain Ashleigh Dalton, no matter how he has come to think of the men in his company. He blows his whistle and they rush forward greeting death.
During one of those rushes, Ash suffers a devastating injury and by the will of Private Harry West, he is carried to safety. A desperate kiss being the only communication between the two of them. Ashleigh survives, losing his leg, and being sent back home to recover. West continues fighting hoping Ash had survived.
The war ends and Harry West drifts aimlessly in London as he searches for work. He swallows his pride and goes to the man who kept him going during the war. Captain Ashleigh. The connection they formed hadn’t dampened. Seeing each other, all their feelings resurface and intensify. They’re who they chose to be when they are alone with each other.
There was this burning chemistry between Ash and West from the first pages. They understood each other’s needs and how to calm war raging inside. It was as simple as a cup of tea, a few pages from a book, and sitting shoulder to shoulder. West was the only rays of happiness Ashleigh had after the war. Their friendship wasn’t accepted by Ashleigh’s parents or anyone in his social circle. But they found time and a way to be there for each other.
Once they admitted their feelings and acted on them? It was beautiful.
There were moments my heart hurt for them, and times I didn’t want to take my eyes from the pages because I could feel their happiness. I feel like I could go on and on about what I liked about this book, but I would spoil it for ya’ll. I want a physical copy of this book for my bookshelf.
Short and lovely and tender M/M post WWI historical romance. Just so sweet. A story that made my heart ache from the love that emanated from it. 4.5/5
Quite a short book and has a simplistic plot but is very enjoyable and sweet. Loved both of the MCs and adored Olives character.
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Really beautiful WWI story, filled with angst and drama, along with hope and joy. (ALL THE FEELS, f'real.) One of my last KU reads for the foreseeable, will probably purchase to reread in future.
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
Loveable characters:
Yes
I thought this was incredibly moving and so beautifully written. There were quite a few parts that ripped my heart out to the point that I had to put it aside and come back to it later. I'm not sure when I've felt such intense anger towards a character as I did with Ash's dad here. I'm not against skipping ahead to assure myself that there's an HEA when I'm feeling particularly stressed about characters in a book, and I had to do that here because things just seemed so hopeless at some points. But rightly so, because the situation these characters are in would have been incredibly bleak, and reading about their struggles only made the HEA that much more meaningful. This one is basically the opposite of fluff, but well worth reading. I thought it was excellent and loved the characters and their relationship so much.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The was an enjoyable read. I think what I liked best about this book was the way it dealt with the aftermath of World War I. You could tell Sally Malcom put a lot of research into this book, and then made it her own by translating the facts into personal and emotional stories.
If you're really in the mood for a World War I LGBT love story, this is perfect!
If you're really in the mood for a World War I LGBT love story, this is perfect!
Quite a short book and has a simplistic plot but is very enjoyable and sweet. Loved both of the MCs and adored Olives character.