The British Booksellers is a sweeping work of historical fiction encompassing two world wars and concluding with the utter devastation wrought by the Coventry Blitz of WWII. I found this book extremely well written and historically accurate. It begins with two childhood friends, Lady Charlotte Terrington and her secret friendship with a local farmers son Amos Darby. They are from two different worlds and are not supposed to be friends at all. As they grow up together they fall in love but Charlotte is promised to William Harcourt and so their love cannot be realized. Both William and Amos enlist during WWI and end up serving together. After the war Amos returns home and William does not. Amos is a shadow of his former self, haunted by nightmares of the war. And even though Charlotte is now a widow she and Amos do not reunite. Charlotte is busy raising her daughter Eden and running her estate and a quaint bookshop. Amos opens a competing bookshop and they spend their years ignoring each other. When World War II begins the two former friends realize the should pool their resources to help their community survive the war and become friendly again. So much happens in this novel, it is full of excitement with the battle scenes and repeated bombings of Coventry. I really learned quite a bit about what people had to live with to survive a war in their own country. Some of it is quite harrowing. I enjoyed the authors anecdotes at the end of the novel very much, very informative. This book is perfect for fans of historical fiction, especially WWI and WWII. Highly Recommended.

Many thanks to Net Galley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing | Thomas Nelson Fiction for a chance to listen to an ARC audiobook of this novel.

I had seen this book and was drawn to the beautiful cover. My actual reading time is limited, so I skipped buying the book since I am not drawn to WWII, or really any war, books.

Then a couple months later, I saw the audio was available and I changed my mind. I didn't read the blurb again. I just started listening. I was captivated.

I am not one to read wartime books because I don't like the looming possibility of someone dying. And I don't love reading books with flashbacks, because of the angst/anxiety it gives me while reading. I usually love them afterwards though. And such was the case here.

I just loved these Amos and Charlotte. Discovering about their lives, past and present, was captivating. I listened to this book in a day and a half. I didn't want to stop.

I learned a lot about little known historical events and activities. I really was glad to see that the author's notes were included in the audiobook. I wish all publishers would include them. They added to the overall experience for me.

The one issue I had with the audiobook was that it is harder for me to stay in the current time line. I have to be sure to catch the date as it's being read. And with this one I particular, I sometimes confused 1914 and 1940. The narrator's accent and perhaps my listening speed did cause slight confusion a time or two. That is a very small detail, but one I did want to mention.

I wish to thank Thomas Nelson, Zondervan fiction and Netgalley for the audiobook. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

A big thank you to Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio and Net Galley for allowing me to listen to an advanced copy of the audio book!

Wow! I was blown away by how much I liked this book!

When I was reading the description, I thought this book would be full of drama and be a little annoying, but It was nothing like that.

The flow of the story is very enjoyable. The main characters are childhood friends turned lovers that were not allowed to be together because of their class levels. It starts off with you only knowing the basics, they like one another when they were young then the WW1 breaks out, some time passes and some how they both ended up back in the same town with rivaling book stores on the verge of WW2. You, as the reader, learn through flashbacks what happened between them and how the first war affected their lives.

Their love is tender and beautiful, and we got a secondary love story developing at the same time. I loved that in the end all main characters were connected to one another.

I do have to admit that I am a WW2 story lover, so I would understand if this book is not a cup of tea for a lot of people.
BUT I would urge romance readers to try this book because Amos and Charlotte's stories deserve to be heard.

I'm so grateful to authors who research and study and learn about a moment or more in history and share that with us in beautiful and powerful stories! Kristy Cambron is one author that I automatically read. I love when I see that she has a new book coming out and I can't wait to dive in and experience the emotions of it all. Because let me tell you, there are so many emotions in her books. This one is one you'll want some tissues for. Especially at the author's note when she discusses some of the historical dates and facts that she based her book on. I was in tears. My heart went out to those who experience and lived through these moments. The strength they had and the resilience as they had to pick up and rebuild all while mourning and grieving and trying to process so much loss—family members, homes, belongings, friends, communities. So many emotions!

This story was so touching! Two childhood friends and their experiences as life and the people around them make decisions and cause problems that affect their friendship and relationship. The story goes between 1914 & 1940. And if you're looking at those dates and recognize what was happening you'd be correct. World War I and World War II.

Kristy Cambron weaves together a story of family and friends and community over many years. The hope and joy mixed with heartache and sorrow, loss and love. It was so beautiful! There's so much within these pages. Another story is woven in that is so touching as well. I love how everything was connected together and how the further you read into the story, the more you see and understand and will be in awe.

I listened to the audiobook of this one and loved the narrator. She did a fantastic job. The emotions she shared through her voice were touching and brought more depth to the story. As I was listening I felt like I was transported to where these characters were and to their story. I highly recommend you pick up this book, whether it is the audio or paperback or kindle version. A definite Must Read for any lovers of Historical Fiction!

Content: Clean. This book does deal with war so there is death and loss and bombing and guns. But the author did a great job being sensitive to the subject and was not overly graphic. There are some kisses but nothing further. This is a Christian Fiction book but I felt it was not overpowering with the messages but very natural for the time period and characters. Beautifully done.

I received an audiobook copy from HarperCollins Christian Publishing, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

Set in Coventry England during World War II, The British Booksellers is about people and who they truly are, regardless of race or social status. It tells the story of rival bookshop owners and the history behind their relationship. It also provides a glimpse into the real history of the time while introducing the reader to land girls and nightly bombing raids.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to enjoy this audiobook!

Amos, a tenant farmer’s son, once dreamed of a future with earl’s daughter Charlotte. The Great War shattered their hopes. Scarred by the trenches, Amos returns home to open a bookshop. Now a war widow, Charlotte runs a rival bookstore. When an American solicitor threatens their future, they must set aside their differences to preserve their legacies amidst the looming danger of war and the local blitz.

I loved this book! It’s part romance, part mystery, part family saga against the backdrop of WWII. The characters are endearing, and the story engrossing. It’s fast-paced and complex, uplifting and deeply emotional. I also enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Many thanks to Netgalley for sending me an ARC for this in exchange for an honest review!

What I love most about historical fiction is that it takes events you might have vaguely heard of or have known nothing about, and completely immerses you into that world. As much as I am a lover of historical fiction (especially WWII era fiction), I also need to be in the right mindset for it when I pick up a new book. I admittedly might have not been in the right mindset when I first started this, but for me, the beginning was soooo slow. Sure, we knew the central focus of this book was going to be the Coventry Blitz and there was a lot of build up getting to that point...and we had romance and plot points spanning two major wars, so it was a lot of information. I saw some other reviews that said they had a hard time differentiating between the time flops and initially I thought that was a little silly, but I absolutely also struggled a little with that as well (again, it could be my brain being mush). However, knowing that the Coventry Blitz started on November 14, 1940, my ears perked right up when the sequence of events led us to that day. I was so interested in the last 30% of this book that I could hardly think of anything else. I really adored the ending we got (I almost cried). Also, I was so intrigued by the author's note (like holy crap, Churchill knew the Blitz was imminent but didn't warn anyone?). The Nazi adaptation of the word "conventrieren" (meaning to raze a city to the ground) sent chills through my body. There's so much to unpack in a book that was seemingly a romance about rival booksellers.

Overall, this was such an interesting read that I wish would have been a little more fast paced initially, because the ending was phenomenal!

A wonderful historical fiction novel that weaves its tale between WWI and the blitz raids on Coventry England. The story slowly uncovers what happened between childhood friends who fall in love but can’t be together due to class differences. A farmer was not a suitable husband for an earl’s daughter. The flashbacks between events during WWI and the present are smooth and help develop the story.