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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
What a beautifully moving and powerful book from Sally.
When I was a teenager, historical romances were where I was at, before I switched to my first love of Fantasy/Sci-Fi and Paranormal and they remain right at the top of my list for the genre of book I love to read the most within the MM world.
So it was such a joy to pick up this book and have a reading experience which was not only authentic to the time period, but which brought ALL the feels, both good and bad, set as it was in the closing stages of World War I and then 20s England.
Everything about this book felt utterly believable, the unimaginable horror of the frontline conflict, the fears about being a man who loved differently, even Olive and her desire to go outside her rigid class structure and change the world.
The men who came back from the War were changed, but so too was the society they left behind, none more so than women. Those of the upper classes who had found new meaning in the many convalescent hospitals, and those of the working class, who stepped into the jobs their fathers, brothers and husbands had vacated.
Sally Malcolm perfectly depicts that world, the old men with their Victorian sensibilities who couldn't understand how the world had changed, the brave new world that grew from that massive loss of life.
And firmly anchored at the centre are Captain Ashleigh Dawson and his batman Harry West, and I fell for them both and I rooted for their love with every fibre of my being.
When I was a teenager, historical romances were where I was at, before I switched to my first love of Fantasy/Sci-Fi and Paranormal and they remain right at the top of my list for the genre of book I love to read the most within the MM world.
So it was such a joy to pick up this book and have a reading experience which was not only authentic to the time period, but which brought ALL the feels, both good and bad, set as it was in the closing stages of World War I and then 20s England.
Everything about this book felt utterly believable, the unimaginable horror of the frontline conflict, the fears about being a man who loved differently, even Olive and her desire to go outside her rigid class structure and change the world.
The men who came back from the War were changed, but so too was the society they left behind, none more so than women. Those of the upper classes who had found new meaning in the many convalescent hospitals, and those of the working class, who stepped into the jobs their fathers, brothers and husbands had vacated.
Sally Malcolm perfectly depicts that world, the old men with their Victorian sensibilities who couldn't understand how the world had changed, the brave new world that grew from that massive loss of life.
And firmly anchored at the centre are Captain Ashleigh Dawson and his batman Harry West, and I fell for them both and I rooted for their love with every fibre of my being.
I finished this yesterday and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. It’s a very moving romance set during and after WW1 between Captain Ashleigh Dalton and Private Harry West, his batman (an officer’s personal servant). The first chapter is set during the first battle of Passchendaele and the fear is visceral. It’s a brilliant piece of writing, because we immediately care about these two men and their relationship, and dread what’s about to happen.
The majority of the book deals with the after-effects of the war on the MCs and the people around them. The barriers to Ash and Harry’s HEA seem almost insurmountable: as well as being two men at a time when it was illegal, they are from different classes – Ash is the son of a baronet, and Harry is an ostler (“Queerness aside, their difference in social rank made even friendship impossible”). There was so much longing and angst! Aka my favourite things. When the bleak moment comes it’s devastating and makes the ending so much more satisfying and cathartic.
As well as the central romance, the book covers PTSD, disability and inequalities in thoughtful ways. There’s also a great side character, Olive, an aroace nurse who wants to go against her parents wishes and train to be a doctor.
The majority of the book deals with the after-effects of the war on the MCs and the people around them. The barriers to Ash and Harry’s HEA seem almost insurmountable: as well as being two men at a time when it was illegal, they are from different classes – Ash is the son of a baronet, and Harry is an ostler (“Queerness aside, their difference in social rank made even friendship impossible”). There was so much longing and angst! Aka my favourite things. When the bleak moment comes it’s devastating and makes the ending so much more satisfying and cathartic.
As well as the central romance, the book covers PTSD, disability and inequalities in thoughtful ways. There’s also a great side character, Olive, an aroace nurse who wants to go against her parents wishes and train to be a doctor.
*Review written during the COVID-19 pandemic, I make no claims to being rational or coherent.
3.5 stars. Can we all just agree that the true hero of this book isasexual, aromantic Olive? Oh, I suppose Harry and Ash are very sympathetic characters. They barely survived The Great War only to find that the England they fought for wants everything to go back just the way it was, never mind all the veterans wandering around with physical and emotional injuries that may never heal. I truly felt for them as they pined for each other despite the class differences and the threat of scandal and prison if their feelings were discovered. Ash is a gentle, honorable and overly sensitive man who, as Harry says is "lacking a few layers of skin," while Harry is loyal, loving and self-sacrificing. But they are strangely passive, accepting society's limitations without questioning them.
But Olive actually gets things done. They never would have their HEA without her. Here's her response when Ash tries to console her.
and her medical studies .
The book is well-written if slightly slow and somber. In another time and place it probably would have been right up my alley, but I needed something that would grab me by the throat and make me forget real life. Still, if you like books in which the MCs are straightforward about their feelings but are kept apart because of external factors, you will enjoy The Last Kiss.
3.5 stars. Can we all just agree that the true hero of this book is
But Olive actually gets things done. They never would have their HEA without her. Here's her response when Ash tries to console her.
"Don't give up, Olive. Who knows what the next few years will bring?"Isn't she awesome? I wouldn't mind reading another book about her
Fixing him with a hard look she said, "Nothing. They'll bring nothing, Ashleigh. The men who run the world want to keep it for themselves, so the only way to get what we want is to take it. Bugger the rules and bugger the men who make them."
The book is well-written if slightly slow and somber. In another time and place it probably would have been right up my alley, but I needed something that would grab me by the throat and make me forget real life. Still, if you like books in which the MCs are straightforward about their feelings but are kept apart because of external factors, you will enjoy The Last Kiss.
Starts with a parting and then allowing the two men to find each other and start a romantic relationship. I do tend to like that plotline and was satisfied with it here as well. Kind of interesting in that the story drops you in right in the middle of the action--you don't really see the two fall in love, or understand exactly what it is that draws them together at first; you just get that they <em>are</em> in love, unspoken, and then grow to understand why. Or, actually, not even really that. There's no why--this isn't the kind of romance where two people have explicitly compatible flaws, or fill each other's pre-existing tastes, or anything like that. They just care about each other. And what's fascinating is that the book made me believe it basically from page 1. I'm not sure exactly how the author manages it, because I shouldn't care about two characters I've never met before or believe they're in love right when I meet them. Yet that's what happened. I just rooted for them from the beginning, and it didn't go away.
The ending was a little strange for me. Still, very pleased with this overall, and looking forward to reading more of the author's work.
The ending was a little strange for me. Still, very pleased with this overall, and looking forward to reading more of the author's work.
This might be the best book I’ve read this year? It’s so beautiful and so heartachingly real. Also, extremely romantic with unforgettable characters. I absolutely loved it and I miss Harry and Ash already.
This is a queer historical romance, which I always love to read. It's a *little* past the period I usually like to read (Regency and Victorian), instead taking place during and after WWI. I loved the idea of two soldiers falling in love. So much so that when it wasn't available on my usual platform (iBooks), I actually bought it from my nemesis Amazon. The book was really sweet, and I recommend checking it out if you like the genre. I want to note that there is some queerphobia/abuse against queer characters.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No