Learned many interesting facts about daily life during world war ll told through the trials and challenges of characters living in a difficult time in history. A fab read good story enjoyed it so much

This is the second book in the Wartime Bakery series and I have loved them both - you are fine to read this one as a stand alone but if you possibly can I would really recommending reading the first book if you are planning to read the series as it is very, very good and it has the same characters as Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes.

This is a great book, I loved the story, I love the characters and the setting and time period of 1941 is great. A genuinely emotional book at times and Audrey is a great characters - it is great that she as a strong woman has the lead in the book. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves reading a good historical fiction story.

Five stars from me, I loved this book!!

In Bournemouth in 1941, women are feeling the effects of war. The bombing in England has put everyone on edge, and Audrey is determined to keep her bakery going. Her brother William is engaged, but is having trouble adjusting to home life after a serious injury. As a piece of historical fiction, the book is interesting, but also seems lighter than most books on the war and its impact.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a nice family saga. Easy and enjoyable read.

Review: I adored these books. Amy Miller has created a really good historical saga. 

They are written and both kept me engaged right until the end. I adore these type of books and these have become firm favourites of mine. We have strong characters in the time of war. Bournemouth is a lovely setting for this story and in a bakery, which is not where I have read this type of story from before. 

This is a saga full of drama, love, hope, friendship, family and love during the war. 

I cannot wait for the next one.

Wonderful heart-warming story! Engaging characters in a challenging war setting. I can't wait to read the next book! Please hurry!

This is the second book in the series concentrating on the lives and loves of those involved with the bakery run by Audrey & Charlie Barton. I thought that the first book was good but blimey oh riley this book is even better. I absolutely blinking well loved it but more about that in a bit.
What’s not to love about Audrey Barton? She is only in her twenties but she has the wisdom of a much older woman. She never turns away those in need and she is always ready to provide a shoulder to cry on and a cup of tea to those in distress. She manages to do this despite having a busy work life and worries of her own. In Charlie’s absence, Audrey is managing the bakery single handedly although she does have help preparing and cooking the bread. Despite the restrictions on food thanks to rationing, Audrey still manages to prepare lots of lovely cakes and she always shows others that she is thinking of them or is grateful to them, by sending them a couple of rock buns or little cakes. Audrey’s husband Charlie is in the army and as you can imagine, Audrey worries about him every day. She doesn’t know exactly where he is and she doesn’t know how he is because his letters home are infrequent. Audrey has taken in an evacuee, called Mary, who is 8 years old. Audrey loves Mary so much and considers her to be one of the family. Mary thinks ever so much about Audrey and she feels safe with her, which is just as well because most of Mary’s family have gone. Audrey and Charlie would love to have their own child, but the possibility of that happening appears to be remote as they have been trying to have their own family for years. The bakery suffers a setback but Audrey and some of her loyal customers see this only as a temporary hitch and they do what they can to get the bakery back up and running. There are a few surprises along the way but my lips are sealed as to what they are because it would give too much away.
As I indicated earlier in my review, ‘Wartime Brides & Wedding Cakes’ is a fantastic book. I thought that ‘Heartaches & Christmas Cakes’ was good but ‘Wartime Brides & Wedding Cakes’ blows it out of the water. This book really did knock my socks off and blew me away. This book appealed to me on so many levels. I am a history nerd and I love anything to do with the social history of the Second World War. It might sound daft but reading about the social history side of the Second World War helps me to feel closer to my grandparents, who died before I was born. I am also a huge fan of the saga genre as to me it’s the book equivalent of a soap opera. Oops I digress so back to my review I do go. I started reading this book whilst I was in need of a distraction from my chronic back pain and put it this way, I soon forgot my pain as I was hooked on reading about the loves and lives of those people connected with the bakery. No word of a lie but I was genuinely hooked on the book from reading the first word on the first page and reading it became an addiction. I just had to read one more chapter, two more chapters and well you get the picture. I was so focused on and into the story that I didn’t notice how quickly the page numbers were flying past. Before I knew what was happening, I had finished the book, which I was genuinely disappointed about. I was loving the writing style, the story and the characters so much that I just wanted the book to continue. The author clearly cares about her characters and this shines through in the quality of her writing. The descriptions of the characters were so vivid that I began to think of them as friends, even though they are fictional. The descriptions of Wartime Bournemouth were so vivid that if I closed my eyes, I could imagine that I was actually there with all the bombing, safety measures, the rationing and so on and so forth.
In short, I absolutely 100% ADORED reading ‘Wartime Brides & Wedding Cakes’. I eagerly (& impatiently) await the next book in the series. Here’s hoping that we don’t have too long to wait…….hint hint. I would wholeheartedly recommend Amy Miller and her books to other readers and especially to those people who are fans of historical fiction and to those who like the saga genre. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a well deserved 5* out of 5* but I would have awarded more stars if I could have because I really enjoyed the book that much.

This book made a nice change from crime & psychological thrillers! Following on from the first book we meet the characters we had got to know from that and continued to share in their lives as they struggle to keep cheerful and keep going through the second world war.

Audrey desperately misses her husband now he has joined up. Her brother is not the same happy go lucky chp who went away to war. He seems to be determined to cut himself off from everyone who loves him- including his fiancee. Lily finds being a single mother hard going. The evacuee, Mary is slowly coming out of her shell as she is welcomed into the busy world of the bakery giving Audrey the chance to be a mum to someone.

Throughout Audrey continues to do her best to offer a cheerful face and excellent produce to all in the area. I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me the chance to red & review this book.s to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this.

I had never read a novel by Amy Miller, but I am glad that I read this one. The characters in this book came to life and I found myself caring about each one of them. I felt as if I were experiencing the war and it’s hardships alongside them. Ms. Miller did a great job researching what it must have been like in an English village during the bombing raids and all the sacrifices that were being made by the people at “home” during wartime. Throughout the whole storyline, there’s a sense of hope and strength no matter the situation. I’m hoping there’s going to be another book in this series, as I’d love to know the continuing story of these characters.

I received a copy of this book for review. I was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Audrey’s life after Charlie went off to the war is what this book told. It’s about how she struggled run the bakery with help of neighbors and family at war. This book is not full of twisting and heartwrenching nightmare of war. But I guess I like this one.

The book brings a newperspective of war story, in my opinion. Amy Miller told a story about what happen in Birmingham at war. Not like war books that I already read, the story in this book is full of hope in the desperate times, full of flowers that tries to bloom in hell, full of life among the dead. It amazed me how Miller told the story of war from women who struggled to keep home alive even at war. Sometimes, when I read fiction about wars, all I could think is there’s no life in there. But in this book here, I learnt that there is life, there is hope, there is cakes, and there is wedding too at war times! Even if the situation is crazy, everyone still struggle to go on with their life, struggle to hope when waiting for the loved ones come home, struggle to keep alive at home. This is a new perspective for me, and it makes this book very interesting.

Even this book is the second one in series, I didn’t find it’s hard to follow along the story even when I haven’t read the first. The characters are so likeable. The storyline is interesting too. I found so many heartwarming story in this family saga. I found myself care about characters in this book and it’s enough to make me give this 4 stars.

I received this book as ARC from netgalley in exchange for honest review.

This is the second book in this series and the first that I have read. This book works well as a standalone. The story of determination and trying to do your best for the war effort is very well written and a pleasure to read. The importance of family and love shines through as well. It is a lovely book to curl up with. I will definitely be reading the first book in the series and looking forward to the next one.

Very good. The characters were well thought out and likable and the plot was good. Love every minute reading this book.

This is the second book in the Wartime Brides Bakery series by Amy Miller. I read the first book in the series and loved it and was so excited to have the opportunity to read the second book now in the series.
The book opens with Audrey's husband going off to fight in the war,leaving in the middle of the night so he won't have to say goodbye since he knows she'll be heartbroken at his goodbye. Charile and Audrey and have been trying to conceive a child since their marriage but no luck yet. Charlie wants a son to carry on in the bakery but with no luck yet it doesn't look like it'll happen. Mary is a war orphan Audrey has living with her and she loves her like her own. Will she be able to adopt the child or will other family members turn up? Loving relationships and understanding supportive friendships are featured . Heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time you will want to read this book full of very strong and courageous people. They did what they had to do including rationing,being in long ques and dealing with loss and good times as their lives were rebuilt!
Pub Date 07 Mar 2018
I received a complimentary copy from Bookouture through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Another great book by Amy Miller. Looking very forward to the third book in this series

Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes by Amy Miller is the second book in Wartime Bakery series. Audrey Barton wakes up one morning in January 1941 to find that her husband, Charlie left for his deployment without letting her give him a proper send off. Charlie and Audrey Barton own the Barton Bakery in Bournemouth, England and have been married for seven years. Audrey must now keep the bakery running while taking care of her family. The bakery is the central hub in their area and many of the families rely on the bread they produce. Thankfully, Uncle John has given up his retirement to take Charlie’s place in the bakery, but Audrey is worried about his persistent cough. Mary is the eight-year-old evacuee that the Barton’s have taken in. Her mother has passed away and Mary’s father is overseas fighting. Mary is coming out of her shell, and Audrey loves the little girl more each day. What will happen to Mary, though, when the inevitable happens to her father? Lily and her illegitimate daughter, Joy live with Audrey. The man she trusted betrayed her and her parents are ashamed. One day Joy’s biological father shows up at the bakery with an offer for Lily. She must now make a difficult decision. William Barton has returned home with severe injuries. Elsie, his fiancé, is grateful William is alive, and she is looking forward to marrying the man she loves. But the man she fell in love with is not the same man who returned home to her. Will there be wedding bells in their future? Maggie, Audrey’s sales clerk, has fallen in love with George Meadows. But she has not told George the truth about her home life. Will he change his mind about her when he discovers the truth and what Maggie did to keep her secret? One night an explosion rocks the area and tragedy strikes the Barton Bakery. Will they recover from this disaster? Come along to Bournemouth to spend with Audrey along with her family and friends in Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes.

Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes is a captivating story. It is realistic in its portrayal of life during World War II. How people at home work to survive the war with the men off fighting, rationing in effect and new items added frequently, bombs hitting the area, spending nights in air raid or Anderson shelters, quick weddings, the worry, the sacrifices, their perseverance and people in the community banding together to help each out. Amy Miller definitely captured the locale and time period. I thought Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes was well-written with a nice pace. The transitions were fluid between sections. I love the characters in this story. They are genuine, and you can feel their emotions. Audrey is a strong woman who is the mother figure for many as well as a confidant and pillar of strength. She has backbone, grit, strong moral character and a loving heart. Each character is different with a story of their own. I hope we see more of Arthur, the conscientious objector, in future books. He adds another perspective. While Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes is the second book in Wartime Bakery series, it can be read alone. However, I highly recommend Heartaches and Christmas Cakes. You can see where the story started and get additional background on the characters. Plus, it is just plain good. Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes is an emotional novel. Readers can feel the characters emotions (love, worry, sadness, grief, heartache) and it is amazing how they help each other through these trying times (the community spirit). They look for a bright spot (happiness) despite the adversity. Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes is a heartwarming, emotional story with a delightful ending.

Oh, this was a wonderful return to Bournemouth and Barton's Bakery for me. Having loved the first in this series, Heartaches and Christmas Cakes, I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next to these wonderful characters. I would recommend you read the books in order so you can follow their journey, but if not then it works well as a standalone as important facts from the first book are handily recapped.

The hub of the action is the bakery, run by Charlie and Audrey Barton. But despite baking being a reserved profession, Charlie feels he must do his bit for the war and so Audrey must cope alone. She's a wonderful person, absolutely central to everything and so strong, warm-hearted and kind. Mary, her little evacuee, is still with her, along with her brother, William, and stepsister, Lily. Where they all sleep is a mystery but I couldn't help but imagine how warm and cosy it must be above the bakery with this family who stick together no matter what.

As with any saga, there are many ups and downs before we reach a happy conclusion. As you will gather from the title, there are weddings to enjoy in this instalment and it was so interesting to read about how rations affected cake baking. In fact, there is quite a focus on the foods that were available and it's fascinating to read about the way people coped with so little. Blitz spirit and all that.

I whizzed through this book in two days. I was utterly engrossed in all that was happening, not just the events but the emotions. I can't wait for the next instalment now. I could read about Barton's Bakery and the characters in this series until the cows come home. This is heart-warming saga at its best.

If you've been following my reviews, then you know this isn't exactly the type of book I tend to go for but as soon as I finished the previous book in the series, Heartaches and Christmas Cakes, I knew I couldn't wait to catch up with Audrey and her family and friends again. All these characters wormed their way into my heart from the beginning and I very much care about what happens to them.

Audrey's husband Charlie has gone off to war, leaving her and Uncle John to run the bakery. Meanwhile Audrey's brother William has returned injured and is clearly struggling with something, while stepsister Lily is having a tough time dealing with motherhood. On top of that, either Audrey is losing her mind or someone has been stealing her supplies. But as we've learned in the first book, Audrey isn't one to take things lying down and she will do whatever it takes to get her family through this war as unscathed as possible.

I find this series immensely entertaining and uplifting. Full of likeable characters, it's incredibly easy to sympathise with them and their circumstances and I adore that the spotlight is very firmly on all the women who showed immense strength on a daily basis to make sure their families were safe, that there was food on the table, that they managed to find joy in the little things when the world around them was falling apart while all the time worrying about fathers, husbands and sons who were off fighting.

Audrey, her family and friends and indeed their entire little community are an inspiration to us all. As hard as the times were, life went on and they had to make the most of what they had. Life is short, you never know what tomorrow will bring so live for today. And in the case of this story, that does indeed include wartime brides and wedding cakes. I look forward immensely to catching up with these characters again in future!

This is the first book I’ve ready by Amy Miller, and it will not be my last. I read this book without reading the prequel, and I wish I had read her first book of this series first. Although it can be read as a standalone, I think it would have answered some questions.

The book takes place in WWII, where bombings are a frequent occurrence. Audrey’s husband, Charlie has just left to fight against the Germans, and she is left to manage their bakery.

I loved this book. Audrey’s character is instantly likable and she is one of the strongest female characters I’ve ever had the pleasure to read about. She is the glue that holds her family and neighborhood together. Every morning, in the wee hours, she makes sure everyone has their freshly baked bread. It is the one normal thing people can count on in the time of war. She is unselfish and truly amazing.

The minor characters were also very well written and developed. I loved taking a glimpse into William (Audrey’s brother, just returning from the war – injured), and watching him cope with the aftermath of fighting for his country. I loved Mary, the sweet little refugee girl who Audrey is caring for as though she’s her own child. Honestly, I loved all of the characters, minor or not.

This is a beautifully written book about continuing to live, even though there is a war going on around you. It is optimistic and a wonderful read.

***Thank you so much to Bookouture for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This is the second book in the Cakes trilogy. I would recommend reading the first, Heartaches and Christmas Cakes. It's the 1940's and Audrey and her husband Charlie run a bakery. Charlie joins the army and Audrey, with her family and friends, are left to make sure the bread gets made. There is more drama and heartache in this book as we journey through the 1940's with Audrey. Brilliant story.

Right from the opening page as Charlie Barton without even uttering a goodbye walks away from the bakery on Fisherman's Road in East Bournemouth ' quietly slipping from one life to another' in the dead of night to fulfil the decision he made to sign up for the army during World War Two, I was instantly drawn back into the lives of the Barton family and all their extended friends. It seems like no time at all since I had read book one in the series Heartaches and Christmas Cakes and I am glad this was the case as I thoroughly enjoyed my first meeting with the Audrey and co. So I was delighted Amy Miller did not keep eager readers waiting too long for the next instalment Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes as all these characters had really found a place in my heart.

Combined with the fact there were good, solid story lines in book one and that something different as in the bakery featured I found this series to be new and fresh given how many war time saga are books are published every year. The story picks up a little bit from where we left off and we reunite with Audrey at a time when people's lives are in constant peril.Calamity abounds across the country with the threat of daily air raids, food rations are in firm place and families are worried for their loved ones fighting abroad. But one thing is for sure Audrey Barton will keep her bakery running and do the utmost she can for everyone in her community. She is a shining ray of light, a beacon of hope in a very dark time.


Audrey is one of the best female characters I have read about in a long time in a book of this genre. She is a tower of strength for everybody, a stalwart in the community and the rock that members of her family and friends always turn to when things get even tougher. She is all things to all people, full of simple kindness and common humanity. Her main goal is in ' offering everybody comfort and sustenance in an uncertain tense and dangerous time. She would never let her customers down'.Despite having her life turned upset down I felt nothing but admiration for Audrey because she never gave up even when the worst thing happened to the bakery. She was cheerful and resilient and I suppose one had to be in times of war otherwise you could go down a very dark and dangerous road of which there might not be any return.

Life won't be the same at the bakery now that Charlie has gone away. I did think how selfish was he to abandon his family given that a baker was a reserved occupation and he was not needed to sign up. He seemed so clueless that his family and members of the community depended on him to keep the ovens going and the bread made but still he went ahead with his plan. On further reflection , I think Audrey deeply understood him and she came to know that Charlie was bound by a deep sense of duty to his country. That he couldn't stand back and let other people fight and he remain at home. It was a brave decision to make and one he would not have chosen lightly. Still it didn't mean things would be any easier for Audrey. If anything they would be more challenging. 'Their marriage, the bakery and his extended family had plucked her from the lonely road she was travelling, giving her direction and strength without without him, would she fall apart?'.

Audrey desperately longs for a family of her own but so far that wish has not been granted. So instead I felt like she became the mother hen to others. There was this deep urge inside her that she needed to satisfy and she did this by caring for others. I still think she would have had the same attitude even if she had had children of her own but there was this hole she need to fill. I loved how she took in evacuee Mary and treated her like her own flesh and blood. Mary had been through such a traumatic time and needed love, care and attention which Audrey supplied with ease and generosity. Poor Mary did suffer at times in this book because she misunderstood so much. All I wanted for her was to understand that she was loved and would be cared for. Audrey always showed such fortitude and strength when events continued to conspire against her and her family. I enjoyed how we got to further know more of the characters that had popped up in book one and it didn't take me long to re familiarise myself with their back stories. But for those who are new to this series this book is easily read as a stand alone and the reader is never made to feel like they have missed out.

William ( Audrey's brother ) does feature more in this book and I can't say I liked him until very near the end. Perhaps I was being too judgemental but the way he treated his family and his fiancée Elsie wasn't the way one would have expected a man to have done. Returning home early from the war due to horrific injuries it takes some time for Audrey, Elsie and the reader to comprehend that William is not the same man that left. He is a shadow of his former shelf, dominated by dark moods, tormented by what he has witnessed and the shell of the man he has become. He feels worthless and that he is not good for nothing or anyone. I did begin to feel for him and how hard it must have been to readjust to civilian life even though the war was still raging on but his actions at times and the way he spoke to those who loved him were they completely justifiable? He tore Elsie's heart apart with his words and she didn't need that given her own personal family situation which in itself was devastating to have to deal with on a daily basis. As one character said ' it was a difficult and complicated thing love in wartime' and for many characters their lives certainly lived up to that statement. William needed help, reassurance and at some points a good talking too. I hoped throughout that Audrey or even Elsie would gain even more strength to do just that.

Lily (Audrey's stepsister) again featured , although this time she seemed to have come down to earth with a bang given her experiences with a man in book one which has led to an estrangement of sorts from her family. She has a beautiful baby daughter but sadly she feels like she is not a good mother.'Fear that she was a complete and utter disappointment to her own baby gnawed at her confidence'. She is drowning and like William needs help but will she have the courage to admit she needs it? Lily believes she is not a natural mother and she is not in any way helping the war effort. I wanted her to feel better about herself, to be able to engage in the love she has for a different man but who is sadly away at war.Clearly Lily had a lot to go through before she would emerge stronger on the other side but also I felt a lot of growing up to do as at times she needed a good shake and needed to snap out of her funk. I know what she was going through but sometimes she did go overboard ever so slightly. Two other characters worth mentioning were Arthur and Maggie. John is old and not in the best of health but I loved how he battled on to help Audrey and get the bread made each day. He wouldn't stop until he literally dropped and he was like the father figure Audrey needed the most. As for Maggie she works in the bakery and I just knew she was up to something. She had ambitions for herself and despite her background I thought she came across quite haughty taughty. Upon discovery of what she was up to my dislike for her increased but when the bigger picture was revealed my opinion of her swayed to the other side.


Wartime Brides and Wedding Cakes was an excellent follow up to Snowflakes and Wedding Cakes. In fact I would go as far to say it was even better. Amy Miller really gets to the heart of the story and conveys such emotion through her writing. Everyone is struggling in the time of war and she doesn't in any way sugar coat this. Yes the men away fighting in Europe are experiencing horrific sights but those at home can't be forgotten either. They too have harsh lives to deal with. How can people cope given just a few short years ago their worlds were perfect in some ways and now death, uncertainty and struggles are a daily feature of life.? But what makes this book so enjoyable is the bakery as the focal point. The warmth of its ovens extends to the care, compassion and nurturing that Audrey shows to all who grace her doors. The residents and friends do appreciate the bakery and Audrey and this is demonstrated when they pull together when tragedy literally falls from the sky. Anyone else would have fallen apart but Audrey battles on as well as given advice and support to those experiencing difficulties around her.'It was up to her to keep her ramshackle family together and safe throughout the war, and she wasn't about to give up'. But who will be there for Audrey when she needs to let her guard down and let her own emotions re Charlie flow. I hoped someone would be and that Audrey too after helping so many others would experience a little glimmer of happiness. I hope this series will continue to go from strength to strength because so far it has been gripping and I am really eager to see what Amy Miller has next in store for the brilliant characters she has created in the Wartime Bakery series.