Review: Fascinating Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2013
Sometimes a letter is enough to get you through a war. Set during WWI, fellow officers Tom Donald and Frank Foden strike up a friendship. Tom loves to hear about the various letters Frank gets, from his mother and aunt as well as from his loyal wife, Veronica. When Frank is tragically killed during a skirmish, his last wishes are for Frank to deliver two letters, one to his mother and another to a friend named Ronnie. Tom soon figures out there is no Veronica, only Frank's lover Ronnie. Ronnie and Tom begin to write to each other as Frank and Ronnie did, something Tom clings to during the harsh times of war.Promises Made Under Fire is a sweet historical romance with no explicit sex. The main character, Tom, is engaging and much older than his mere twenty-three years would seem. Struggling to carve a life and relationship for himself amid serving in a seemingly never-ending war, Tom is at first shocked to discover Frank's double life. As he learns more about Frank and Ronnie, Tom maybe wants some of that love and companionship as well. The novella is a lovely, lyrically written tale about a young man in search of romance. However, it's not as simple as that either. The characters of Tom and Frank are fully three dimensional and interesting from the start.The story uses several clever antics including the letters between Tom and Ronnie. This really shows how the two men develop their own relationship without the specter of dead Frank. There's no explicit sex but enough euphemisms to get the idea. Although the relationship between Tom and Ronnie feels a bit forced, it has a charm and romance that's appealing. More than that, the writing is so engaging from the very start. There's a lovely sense of old world elegance in the prose, even amid war, death, and dying.Although this is a shorter novella, it's easy to recommend. It's a perfect blend of historical, sweet romance, and charming writing.Originally posted at Long and Short Reviews