Review: Beautiful WWI Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 10, 2013
This is a beautifully written historical romance surrounding World War One.The author has crafted a tale that captivates the reader from start to finish in a complex, intricate plot that mixes war, romance, friendship, back stabbing behavior and intrigue.I'm not much of one for romance novels, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Margaret Tanner has done some thorough research on WWI and she writes so effectively about conditions in the trenches. Her battle scenes are gripping and come to life. Those were parts of the book I liked the most.Lauren is a young Australian woman who loses her fiance Danny in the war. But she finds new love in caring for another military man, Blair, who returns shell-shocked and suffering from amnesia. His fiance Helen deserts him during his convalescence. She is a selfish, vain and snobbish piece of work. Not very likeable. Lauren helps Blair recover and they fall in love. But trouble lies ahead. Helen returns determined to get her man back and send Lauren packing.There are some great characters in this novel. I must say I had some trouble accepting what Lauren saw in Blair since he sometimes acted like a jerk and was very ungentlemanly too many times. Not the most endearing of male leads.The Australian setting is wonderful as are the scenes at Blair's ranch, Coolibah. The book is very well written and edited with only a few very minor issues that do not hurt the story.Overall a very good read that most people will enjoy. Worth every one of its 5 stars.