Review: And Now She's Gone

And Now She's Gone by Rachel Howzell Hall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Things We Cannot Say

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Winemaker's Wife

The Winemaker's Wife by Kristin Harmel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Dressmaker's Gift

The Dressmaker's Gift by Fiona Valpy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Dressmaker’s Gift

3.5 Stars

As much as I did not need Harriet’s present day story, it was interesting how the author tied her story in. I really liked Claire’s, Vivians, and Miriam’s stories better. The hardships the girls had to face were tremendous but I like how the author showed a story of survival and friendship.

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Review: The Third Daughter

The Third Daughter by Talia Carner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The third daughter

This was an interesting book. I did not really know anything about this time in Argentina’s history where prostitution was legal and about the white slave trade of the girls who were brought there.

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Review: The Girl in the Picture

The Girl in the Picture by Kerry Barrett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

East Sussex Coast, 1855 - Violet Hargreaves is the lonely daughter of a widowed industrialist, and an aspiring Pre-Raphaelite painter. One day, the naïve eighteen-year-old meets Edwin; a mysterious and handsome man on the beach, who promises her a world beyond the small costal village she’s trapped in. But after ignoring warning about Edwin, a chain of terrible events begins to unfold for Violet…

East Sussex Coast, 2016 - For thriller-writer Ella Daniels, the house on the cliff is the perfect place to overcome writer’s block, where she decides to move with her small family. But there’s a strange atmosphere that settles once they move in – and rumours of historical murders next door begin to emerge. One night, Ella uncovers a portrait of a beautiful young girl named Violet Hargreaves, who went missing at the same time as the horrific crimes, and Ella becomes determined to find out what happened there 160 years ago. And in trying to lay Violet’s ghost to rest, Ella must face ghosts of her own...

While this book was a bit slow paced, the story overall was interesting overall. Violet's character was incredibly naive and I felt really bad for Frances.

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Review: The Secret Messenger

The Secret Messenger by Mandy Robotham
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Venice, 1943
The world is at war, and Stella Jilani is leading a double life. By day she works in the lion’s den as a typist for the Reich; by night, she risks her life as a messenger for the Italian resistance. Against all odds, Stella must impart Nazi secrets, smuggle essential supplies and produce an underground newspaper on her beloved typewriter. But when German commander General Breugal becomes suspicious, it seems he will stop at nothing to find the mole, and Stella knows her future could be in jeopardy.

London, 2017
Years later, Luisa Belmont finds a mysterious old typewriter in her attic. Determined to find out who it belonged to, Luisa delves into the past and uncovers a story of fierce love, unimaginable sacrifice and, ultimately, the worst kind of betrayal…

I really enjoyed Stella's story set in World War II Venice but I could have done without Luisa's part. The 2017 mystery took me out of the actual story that I wanted to know about.

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Review: The Huntress

The Huntress by Kate Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope by Wendy Holden

Born Survivors: Three Young Mothers and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage, Defiance, and Hope by Wendy Holden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Eastern Europe, 1944: Three women believe they are pregnant, but are torn from their husbands before they can be certain. Rachel is sent to Auschwitz, unaware that her husband has been shot. Priska and her husband travel there together, but are immediately separated. Also at Auschwitz, Anka hopes in vain to be reunited with her husband. With the rest of their families gassed, these young wives are determined to hold on to all they have left—their lives, and those of their unborn babies. Having concealed their condition from infamous Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, they are forced to work and almost starved to death, living in daily fear of their pregnancies being detected by the SS.

In April 1945, as the Allies close in, Priska gives birth. She and her baby, along with Anka, Rachel, and the remaining inmates, are sent to Mauthausen concentration camp on a hellish seventeen-day train journey. Rachel gives birth on the train, and Anka at the camp gates. All believe they will die, but then a miracle occurs. The gas chamber runs out of Zyklon-B, and as the Allied troops near, the SS flee. Against all odds, the three mothers and their newborns survive their treacherous journey to freedom.

This was an interesting story of three woman's perspectives of what they went through while being pregnant in a concentration camp. I liked having the change of perspective, but I did find it hard to keep all of the characters and individual stories straight.

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