It is the beginning of World War I, and Cora  is leaving her home in South Australia with a group of other Australian Nurses, whereby they are  travelling to England to work as a Nurse to help set up an Australian Hospital not too far from the city of London.    The beautiful home which has been donated to the Australian Army, from a wealthy Australian family that had migrated to the UK, is like nothing Cora has ever seen.

At first it is an adventure for Cora, travelling overseas, assisting in the set up of a new hospital in a beautiful English Manor House, with luscious gardens and lakes.

Cora meets new friends, and forms life time friendships with the other Nurses and also the English volunteers.

Jessie is a local, and Jessie and her Mum have their own sewing business.   Jessie and her Mum, Win help clean and set up the hospital also.    Jessie ends up volunteering at the hospital, in whatever free time she can find inbetween sewing dresses and caring for her Mother and Brother.

Jessie and Cora's stories are both stories of romance, love heart ache and sadness.    

I have read many WWI novels, but the Nurses War by Victoria Purman would have to the absolute best  so far.   Victoria puts a lot of research into her novels, and the history that you learn whilst reading such a beautiful novel like this is inspiring.   I have learnt a lot about Australia and the sacrifices our Anzacs made for the future of Australia whilst reading this novel.

Don't try and rush this book, sit down read it slowly and truly relax, enjoy and let the story sink in.   There will be tears, but you will experience joy and relief also.

I am so in love with this book, that I will be buying multiple copies when it is published, a copy for my personal library as long as a couple more for gifts.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for my advanced copy for my honest review.   I rate this novel 5 stars.

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Review: Small Acts of Defiance by Michelle Wright

 

Lucie was born and raised in Australia, it is the only home she has ever known.

After an unfortunate incident where her home caught on fire and her father passed away in the fire.

As Lucie and her mother Yvonne have nothing left, they are left with no choice but to move to Paris, to receive assistance from her Uncle whom Lucie has never met. There are rumours of a possible war , but they are currently only rumours, and it is currently being labelled as a "fake war", as Lucie and her Mother cannot survive on their own in Australia, they take the little money Uncle Gerrard has offered them and use it to for their passage to France to live with relative in his small apartment.

Although Lucie is in a foreign country, that is on the edge of a war breaking out, Lucie is able to spend a little bit of time familiarising herself with Paris, and really starts to love and enjoy the city just prior to the breakout of the war.

Lucie finds herself a job at the local art gallery where she paints postcards of Paris. It is here in this job that she forms some special friendships, and learns about her Parisian friends who are making these "small acts of defiance".

Lucie is shown, by her Parisian friends the true extent of the war, and what is happening when the Jews are extracted from Paris. Lucie needs to make a decision as to whether she will stay safe and secure and turn a blind eye, or will she join her friends in their small acts of defiance.

I enjoyed the thrill of this book, Lucie and her friend Aline are both wonderfully dramatic characters. I highly recommend this book, and it will definitely hold a permeant place on my shelf for good books.

Big thank you to Allen & Unwin for the copy.

Rated 4 stars


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