Fiction Addiction Book Tours - Gracie's War

Publishing 15^th October 2013

Pulse Romance

Do our actions and decisions mark us and stay with us for the rest of our lives? Gracie has her life before her as the dark clouds of the Second World War gather.

Though she and her family cope well with the stresses on the home front, Gracie's transformation to adulthood is swifter and more brutal than she could have ever imagined.

Gracie meets Tony, who arouses such feelings in her that she has never experienced before - not with Joe her regular beau who considers her his girl. Then, one night, one mistake, and she realises she is carrying Joe's child.

And now Tony has gone to war.

Review: This is a quick read about a girl and WWII. It is hard to think of any novel that is only about 95 pages dealing with this time period, bu Elaine Everest manages to  bring Gracie's story to the reader in a satisfying way.

Gracie's story is one that happened often in the war years and happens often today... A girl gets involved with a guy and ends up, as they say, in the family way. The only problem is, the guy that father's her baby is not a very nice guy, and the reader can see that from the start. Joe is controlling and nasty and you know there's something more too him, but you just aren't sure what it is.

Tony is the other part of Gracie's love triangle. He's the nice guy who is a bit of a mystery. As the story unfolds, you really aren't too sure what to make of him, except he's much easier to like. He's a gentlemen, which is something Joe is not.

I liked Gracie's friend Peggy at times even more than Gracie. She stood by her through thick and thin, even when it could have put her family at risk. We should all have a friend like her.

I only wish Gracie would have been more intelligent. Joe's dark side was evident from the very beginning, and even in wartime, I would think a woman would rather be alone than with a guy that was that nasty.

A wonderful short read for fans of historical fiction.

Rating: 4 flowers

                            

About the Author     

Elaine Everest is a freelance writer and lives in Swanley, Kent with her husband Michael and Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Henry. She has written over sixty short stories for women’s magazines worldwide. Her features have appeared in publications ranging from The Guardian, The Daily Express and the Daily Mail to My Weekly and Your Dog. Her opinion pieces have led to many appearances on radio including chatting to Jenni Murray on Woman’s Hour about having a husband under her feet all day long. Elaine has written numerous columns for canine publications centred around her expertise in the world of dogs. This has led to commissions to write three successful books for dog owners.

Elaine’s successful writing life led her to become a qualified teacher for adult education. Four years ago she founded The Write Place creative writing school and holds regular classes at The Mick Jagger Centre in Dartford Kent.

Elaine was BBC Radio Short Story Writer of the Year in 2003, short listed for The Harry Bowling Prize in 2012, Short listed for The Festival of Romance novel competition in 2012 and winner of the Myrmidon Books (Pulse Romance) Write for Us competition in 2013.

Gracie’s War is her first published novel and is set in North West Kent where she grew up. A member of the Romantic Novelist Association, Elaine is a graduate of the RNA New Writers Scheme. Gracie’s War is short listed for their Joan Hessayon Award in 2014.

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@elaineeverest

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