Love and War
A country under attack and the story of one woman’s fight to protect England and her heart.
1941. The German war machine has crushed all of Europe-only England holds fast. To force a surrender, the German Luftwaffe bombs cities and villages the length of the country. As the battle rages, Britain is in desperate need to put more pilots in the air.
To free up more men a new unit is formed: The Ack Ack Girls. These special teams of courageous women will now fight in the anti-aircraft stations. Determined to be part of the effort, Ava Armstrong, volunteers for one of the special teams.
Her unit just happens to be located near an RAF airfield teaming with pilots. Sparks fly, and not just from artillery, when Ava crosses paths with Chris Fairfield, a handsome and cocky pilot stationed there. But nothing is easy in time of war, not even love.
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London-October 1940
Ava’s blood froze in her veins at the growing roar, or so it felt. Her heart pounded in her ears. The hammering hardly noticeable against the raw fear that filled her as the air raid siren wailed.
Which direction were the planes coming from?
In the basement everyone sat on the floor, their backs pressed to the wall. No one spoke. Everyone held hands. In the flickering lamplight, Penny had grasped Ava’s.
And they waited.
The first explosion sounded from across the river, many blocks away. Ava closed her eyes and whispered, “Thank you.” A wave of guilt hit her. Part of the city was destroyed. Londoners were dying while she gave thanks. But she was grateful.
The ack-ack-ack sound of the anti-aircraft rounds cut the air and joined the warning wail.
Closer now, another barrage of anti-aircraft bursts rang out as the deep rumble from the German planes came their way. Ava and the Gordon family instinctively tightened their grips on each other’s hands.
“Miss us, please miss, please miss...” Ava repeated.
The roar of the Messerschmitts was overhead now. The bombers growled like gigantic, angry bears. Grandma Gordon fingered the imaginary beads of a rosary as she recited a Hail Mary.
At the first whistle of falling bombs, Ava pulled Peaches to her and cradled the trembling dog. Without thinking, she curled her legs up, buried her head between them, and covered her head with her arms.
The worst thunder clap times a million, that’s how Ava remembered the noise just before the bricks crashed around her. It sounded like the end of the world.
In a way it was.
About the Author:
I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.
My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.
I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream.
I’m currently working on the Bloodstone Series, which is historical suspense with romantic elements. I’m also writing a world war two romance series, The Love and War series.
My past series include my historical/time travel romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters.
Each series has a different setting and some cross time periods, which I find fun to write.
I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and two wild and crazy rescue dogs.
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buy links:
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London-October 1940
Ava’s blood froze in her veins at the growing roar, or so it felt. Her heart pounded in her ears. The hammering hardly noticeable against the raw fear that filled her as the air raid siren wailed.
Which direction were the planes coming from?
In the basement everyone sat on the floor, their backs pressed to the wall. No one spoke. Everyone held hands. In the flickering lamplight, Penny had grasped Ava’s.
And they waited.
The first explosion sounded from across the river, many blocks away. Ava closed her eyes and whispered, “Thank you.” A wave of guilt hit her. Part of the city was destroyed. Londoners were dying while she gave thanks. But she was grateful.
The ack-ack-ack sound of the anti-aircraft rounds cut the air and joined the warning wail.
Closer now, another barrage of anti-aircraft bursts rang out as the deep rumble from the German planes came their way. Ava and the Gordon family instinctively tightened their grips on each other’s hands.
“Miss us, please miss, please miss...” Ava repeated.
The roar of the Messerschmitts was overhead now. The bombers growled like gigantic, angry bears. Grandma Gordon fingered the imaginary beads of a rosary as she recited a Hail Mary.
At the first whistle of falling bombs, Ava pulled Peaches to her and cradled the trembling dog. Without thinking, she curled her legs up, buried her head between them, and covered her head with her arms.
The worst thunder clap times a million, that’s how Ava remembered the noise just before the bricks crashed around her. It sounded like the end of the world.
In a way it was.
About the Author:
My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.
I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream.
I’m currently working on the Bloodstone Series, which is historical suspense with romantic elements. I’m also writing a world war two romance series, The Love and War series.
My past series include my historical/time travel romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is Dangerous Waters.
Each series has a different setting and some cross time periods, which I find fun to write.
I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and two wild and crazy rescue dogs.
Website
buy links:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo
YouTube video
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My Review:
I would recommend this book for anyone who (1) loves history, especially military history and WWII, (2) anyone who enjoys historical fiction, (3) someone who thrives off the story of the untold hero. I enjoyed seeing the librarian become a female military participant. I was not aware of the Ack-Ack girls so the vivid descriptions and details rose from the read as a character in and of itself around the plot and romance in the story. On occasion the narrative gives more attention to communicating researched details of the Ack-Ack girls and their world than moving plot which might trouble some. For me, the historical portion captured me as much as the narrative and I enjoyed the great amount of research the author did to provide the scene and setting.
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteHuge thank you to Circumlocution for the terrific review and the opportunity to feature The Ack Ack Girl. Chris Karlsen
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