historicalfiction – She Just Loves Books

Silent Honor by Danielle Steel

Published on October 18, 2019April 2, 2022 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

What I Loved: The book’s main character, Hiroko’s determination throughout the book was empowering. I loved to see how she continued to overcome obstacle after obstacle.

How I Felt: The book is a love story, so I did feel the love, but the topic of internment camps tugged at my heart strings and had me feeling angry and protective for Hiroko. It was nice to read a historical fiction story set around America during WWII.

To Read or Not To Read: If you enjoy Danielle Steel books this is a book for you. It’s also great for historical fiction fans as the book focuses on WWII American history. This is great book and remains one of my favorites by Danielle Steel!

Separation Header with book pages and "What's This Book About Anyway" text

Hiroko moves to California to live with her American relatives at the request of her mother and father. She starts school at a women’s college and falls for one of her professors. They are just getting in a rhythm with their romance, and then Pearl Harbor is attacked. Hiroko and her family are separated in internment camps on American soil. We follow her story of being imprisoned through this terrible time and find out if her love for her professor survives.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

Published on October 16, 2019October 13, 2019 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

My Thoughts:

What I Loved: This book wove Ann Eliza’s 1875 story with a modern-day mystery and it was so great to read. Stories with time-jumps, going between two stories lines of Then and Now, always intrigues me!

How I Felt: I was like a detective trying to figure it all out in this story. The current-time story has a mystery to solve. I also learned so much about the Mormon Church’s history from the timeline of the 19th wife.

To Read Or Not to Read: This a good read with murder mystery to keep you guessing! The historical fiction part with Ann Eliza Young is captivating!

What’s This Book About Anyway?

This books follows Ann Eliza Young, the 19th wife of Mormon Church leader Brigham Young after she separates from him in 1875. We follow her as she tries to stop polygamy in the US. The second story is the murder mystery set in current time. Jordan’s father has died and he must re-enter the world of Mormons after being thrown out years earlier.

Footnotes:

#the19thwife #davidebershoff #shejustlovesbooks #historicalfiction #mysterynovel #bookreview #bookblog

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Published on October 13, 2019October 12, 2019 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

My Thoughts:

What I Loved: Learning about the early life of Katherine of Aragon was so fascinating. It seems that she is always featured in books, but only as the wife that Henry is trying to get rid of so he can marry Anne Boleyn. It was nice to learn about Katherine before that time.

How I Felt: I was so intrigued by a story I had not known before. I had no idea who Katherine’s parent were, what kind of family she came from, etc. I felt the story brought to life this woman and her history.

To Read Or Not To Read: If you like historical fiction this is a great one for you. Readers interested in Henry the VIII will find this book quite enjoyable!

What’s This Book About Anyway?

This story starts with Katherine of Aragon, engaged at the age of 4 to the Prince of Wales, Arthur. She is raised to be the Queen she will one day become. When she finally sails for England, she is introduced to a father-in-law she doesn’t like and a husband who isn’t much better. She slowly starts to become comfortable in her new life, but then Arthur dies. She was raised to be a Queen and determines to set her sights on the next King in line.

Footnotes:

#philippagregory #theconstantprincess #historicalfiction #shejustlovesbooks #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreview

The Child of Auschwitz by Lily Graham

Published on October 12, 2019December 10, 2019 by shejustlovesbooks4 Comments

My Thoughts:

What I Loved: The writing in this book was descriptive, yet never over-describing so that I lost interest. I loved the way the author built this story. The timeline would jump back and forth between Auschwitz and before the war. The way Lily Graham made the time jumps helped to build the characters and was done just right.

How I Felt: I loved this book. The story was so powerful, shedding, yet again, new light onto the experiences of people in Auschwitz. I was completely connected to all the characters and drawn into the story. Loose ends were all tied up, making me feel complete at the end of the book.

To Read or Not To Read: Of course, if you enjoy historical fiction, especially surrounding WWII, this is a perfect read for you. If you think you might enjoy historical fiction, this is a great one to start with. Just want to say this one more time. I loved this book.

What’s This Book About Anyway?

Eva Adami and her entire family have been placed in a smaller concentration camp awaiting their placement at their next camp. She meets Sofie, looking for her cousin who last had Sofie’s son. Eva finds her husband pushed onto a train headed for Auschwitz and she volunteers to follow him with Sofie coming with.

Together they support each other, saving each other, and looking for Eva’s husband and Sofie’s cousin. They endure the horrors of the camp, find ways to barter and trade for survival necessities, and try to steer clear of the guards.

Eva and Sofie find Eva’s husband and arrange a clandestine meeting with the help of a guard. Soon, Eva realizes she is pregnant and must hide her pregnancy to avoid death. She and Sofie vow to survive to raise their children in the aftermath of this terrible war. Their story, while heartbreaking, is a rewarding story for any reader.

Where to Find This Book:

Footnotes:

This book was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher, Bookouture for free. I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

#netgalley #shejustlovesbooks #lilygraham #thechildofauschwitz #historicalfiction

The Beekeeper’s Bullet (Wind in the Wire Book 1) by Lance Hawvermale

Published on October 5, 2019 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

I was provided this ARC by NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press in exchange for my honest review.

My Thoughts:

What I Loved: The main character, Ellenor Jantz is a great character. She’s full of spunk and personality. Her opening scenes were great, and I thought I was going to really enjoy the book, however, the book fizzled for me a bit after that.

How I Felt: I couldn’t quite get into this book the way I wanted. I liked the characters, but not enough to truly connect with them. The premise of the story was very interesting, but I just never felt invested the way I wanted to.

To Read or Not To Read: This is a romance, rescue mission and would be great for romance readers who enjoy historical fiction. If you enjoy other books by Lance Hawvermale, this might be a good read for you.

What’s This Book About Anyway?

It’s World War 1, and Ellenor, an American, is living in Germany. An English plane (the enemy) crash lands right by her and she ends up taking the very injured pilot (Alex) captive. Once she gets him home, she is given news that some of the German pilots will be staying on their estate. She has to move her captive pilot, and in the process, gets to know him and understand why he is there. He must find and save his sister from a planned bombing of the factory she works in. The remainder of the book focuses on the escape from the estate and the travel to save Alex’s sister.

Footnotes:

#netgalley #shejustlovesbooks #thebeekeepersbullet #lancehawvermale #historicalfiction #romancebooks

The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson

Published on September 30, 2019September 29, 2019 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

My Thoughts:

What I Loved: The book follows the life of Catherine Parr, last wife to King Henry the VIII. I knew about her life up until his death, but did not know anything about her life after his death. I was so interested in this story!

How I Felt: Carolly Erickson writes a great historical fiction book with details that are true woven with the fabrication of a fiction novel. It takes you away into the story, and I felt that it was done extremely well.

To Read or Not To Read: Historical fiction fans will love this book, especially if you enjoy the Henry VIII stories. If you read Philippa Gregory and you haven’t checked out Carolly Erickson, you really should!

What’s This Book About Anyway?

Catherine Parr was the last wife to King Henry VIII. It is well known that he ruthlessly got rid of wives as he found an attraction to a new woman. Catherine managed to escape his wrath for a long time, but soon it was her turn. Henry had her imprisoned, but the released her, and finally died before he could move forward with executing her. She became a member of a very small club of surviving a marriage with Henry the VIII. Follow her life and marriages through this wonderfully written book!

Footnotes:

#historicalfiction #shejustlovesbooks #henryviii #catherineparr #carollyerickson #thelastwifeofhenryviii

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Published on September 29, 2019September 29, 2019 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

My Thoughts:

What I Loved: The characters that Kathryn Stockett created are just perfect. They each pull to you in their own way, and you cannot help but become completely immersed in this book.

How I Felt: Oh, I went through all kinds of emotions in this book. I laughed, like the out loud kind at some of the things said and done in this book. There were also moments of sadness though, where I truly felt my heart hurt for someone.

“I always thought insanity would be a dark, bitter feeling, but it is drenching and delicious if you really roll around in it.”
― Kathryn Stockett, The Help

To Read or Not To Read: Everyone can read and enjoy this book. It is so well written and just takes you away with the story.

What’s This Book About Anyway?

“Wasn’t that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I’d thought.”
― Kathryn Stockett, The Help

It’s 1962 in Mississippi. Clear racial, and economical divides are still present. We follow three African-American women as they raise other people’s babies, clean their houses, cook their food, and everything else. Aibileen, Minnie, and Constantine begin to feel that how they are treated is not right. They start down a path to make a change, one that will have ever-lasting changes on their hometown and the people that live there. Get ready to laugh, cry, and everything in between while reading this book. It is so wonderful.

Footnotes:

#thehelp #kathrynstockett #historicalfiction #shejustlovesbooks

Leaving: A Novel by Richard Dry

Published on September 29, 2019 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

My Thoughts:

What I Loved: The stories follow three generations of a family in American really giving the reader a full view of the initial events in the timeline and the reactions to event caused, even generations later.

How I Felt: This book is full of sadness. This is not a book meant to make a person happy, however, I felt everything the author intended us to feel.

Additionally, I noticed on Goodreads that this has a total of 13 reviews! I was so surprised. This book was at least nominated for awards, and just has not been found by many people. While I gave it a 3 star, it was still a good read, and I would recommend it to people.

My reasons for 3 stars: The book jumped around a lot in time. The writer tells the story in bits and pieces so that each story is in chronological order, but each chapter is a different part of one of her family’s lives. The reader jumps from 1950 to 1998 and back. It was an interesting way to write the story, but it did bother me. I got used to it and was able to get through the book, and I did appreciated the way the story unfolded by the end.

To Read or Not To Read: If you enjoy historical fiction, or Civil Rights books, this would be a great read for you. It’s definitely worth picking up and trying it out!

What’s This Book About Anyway?

This book tells the story of one girl’s life, along with her brother, daughter, and grandsons. Ruby Washington is newly widowed, and pregnant, and leaves South Carolina, heading to California with her brother. We follow her struggles through the 1960’s: her brother becomes a Black Panther and Lida, her daughter, has secrets that become detrimental to her. The third generation in this book is Lida’s two sons. They are constantly moving from one place to another trying to survive and find a place to call home.

Footnotes:

#leavinganovel #richarddry #shejustlovesbooks #historicalfiction #civilrightsfiction #fictionbooks

A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist

Published on September 28, 2019December 16, 2021 by shejustlovesbooksLeave a comment

What I Loved: The female lead, Constance is full of fire and vinegar and I love her. She’s angry about her situation and there is no way she’s going down without letting every man around know about it.

How I Felt: I loved the evolving romance. It’s a great trope of hate to love. I laughed at Constance, but also felt her embarrassment when she went overboard.

To Read or Not To Read: This book is for any romance-lovers! It’s also set in colonial US, adding another fun piece to the story! Deeanne Gist write a great love story that you enjoy all the way through!

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