In the final Edwardian Brides novel, Penny Ramsey has been helping her sister and her husband corral eight adopted orphans, but when the Great War reaches London, she, her sister, and the children take refuge at their old home, Highland Hall. Responsibility for the rambunctious orphans falls on Penny while her sister struggles with her pregnancy, but Penny has one consolation: letters from the dashing pilot Alex Goodwin. But fatalities are high among the pilots--will Alex return unscathed so their friendship has a chance to turn into something deeper?Turansky does an excellent job putting history at the forefront of this novel. WWI generally receives significantly less attention than WWII, so it's interesting to learn about the differences between the two wars. I especially enjoyed learning about beginnings of air warfare.
I really liked the inclusion of the German internment camp. One often hears of the internment camps in Germany during the World Wars, but the reality is that other nations had them too--including the US and Great Britain. And it wasn't for just POWs; immigrants and citizens of German descent were rounded up and imprisoned unfairly, and they were often not treated well. I appreciate Turansky's diligence to bring this less noble side of the war to the light, juxtaposed against the bravery and heroism of the troops.
The chaos caused by all the children made for some fun and realistic conflict, and it was nice to follow up on Julia and Kate, heroines of the previous novels. However, I didn't think that Alex's issues with his family were completely resolved; I didn't notice an explanation as to the missing letters between him and them, and there didn't seem to be a definitive reconciliation between him and his mother. Was the stepfather to blame for the continued rift? Was it all just his mother's way of getting away from the past? I would have liked more of an explanation there.
Thank you Blogging for Books for providing a free book to review. I was not required to make the review positive, and all opinions are my own.
Edwardian Brides
1. The Governess of Highland Hall
2. The Daughter of Highland Hall
3. A Refuge at Highland Hall
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