The Light Over London by Julia Kelly is a terrific addition the women in WWII collection that is so popular. (The Lilac Girls, The Nightingale). What sets this book apart is its spotlight on a different aspect of the war: the women who were part of the anti-aircraft gunnery units. This story focuses on Louise Keene, who we meet through the diary discovered by antiques dealer, Cara Hargarves. She finds the diary as part of an estate sale and wants to return it to her family. Author, Julia Kelly expresses the essence of war-beleaguered England well and her introduction of this particular facet. of war was captivating.

The Light Over London was Julia Kelly's first novel and it was wonderful. From the onset I could not put this book down. I wanted to keep reading. It jarred my curiosity and heightened my emotions. I was sorry when the novel concluded. I became so involved and caught up in the lives of the characters Julia Kelley created in The Light Over London.

Julia Kelly alternated the chapters in The Light Over London between Louise Keene's story, about a young, shy and quiet girl growing up in a small English village at the beginning of World War II and Cara Hargraves' story, about a divorced woman working for an antique's dealer who appraised the contents of homes for clients, living in present day England. During one of these appraisals, Cara found an old box hidden in the back of an old piece of furniture. When she opened the box, among other things, Cara found a diary, written by someone with the initials LK, dating back to World War II. Cara was given permission to keep the diary. She was determined to find out who wrote the diary and perhaps be lucky enough to return it to that person or the family of that person. Cara also discovered that the girl that had written the diary was in the same branch of service as her Gran had been. Her Gran had always been reluctant to speak about her days in the ATS. Cara thought that the discovery of this diary would help her Gran open up to her about her service during the war. There was also romance for both Louise and Cara.

I really enjoyed reading The Light Over London and am a big fan of Julia Kelly now. As I mentioned, this was her first novel. I hope she decides to write more. Thank you Netgalley, Julia Kelly and Gallery Books for allowing me to read this remarkable novel. I highly recommend it.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, WWII in particular. This book has dual storylines, Louise Keene in 1941 and Cara Hargraves in the present.

Cara is recently divorced and looking for a simpler life working for an antiques dealer. She comes across an old diary from WWII which she is determined to return to the family. Her neighbor Liam is a history professor who ends up helping her.

Louise is 19 and lives in a small Cornish town with a mother who has a predetermined course for her daughter's life. Louise resists the path set for her after meeting an airman at a dance. She ends up joining the Ack Ack Girls in the RAF along with her more outgoing cousin Kate.

This was an entertaining read, however, I wish there was less romance and more history.

This book shifted effortlessly from past to present. I found myself liking both stories very much. It was a quick hard to put down book. I loved it! Definitely recommend!!

As a big fan of WWII historical fiction, this novel grabbed my interest while I was perusing the featured releases on NetGalley. I put in my request to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books, and they accepted! So, huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cara Hargraves is restarting her life. A recent divorceé and newly appointed antiquarian for an antique dealer, she immerses herself in work to forget about her rocky marriage to a secret alcoholic with a gambling addiction. While clearing a large estate, she finds a diary in a small 1950's tin, and reading a couple quick passages, finds that the diary is an account from World War II. Though it isn't worth much to the dealer, who preaches "Furniture, Silver, Paintings. Find, Sell, Profit. F-S-P.", Cara knows it has to mean a lot to someone, and she wants to find out who. Off the clock, she spends what little free time she allots herself on reading the diary, looking for clues to find the owner. Eventually, she enlists the help of her neighbor, a history professor named Liam with the same sentiments and excitement of finding the owner.

Louise Keene is nineteen in 1941, and she's lived in the same small Cornish town all her life. Her cousin Kate, a more extroverted girl, has cajoled Louise into attending an airman dance, where the young local military men have gathered to dance and have fun in their off-time. Louise is quiet and cautious, used to beautiful Kate being the center of attention. While making introductions with a group of airmen, a man catches Louise's eye, and before she knows it, she's being swept away by Flight Lieutenant Paul Bolton. As their relationship blossoms, Louise finds herself trapped by the love for the pilot and the expectations of her mother, who has declared her almost engaged to local wealthy boy who has already shipped off into combat. There is no romantic interest between Louise and the boy, and the last thing Louise wants is to live a complacent life. When Paul has to ship out, Louise decides she is going to do something for the war effort... by enlisting.

As Louise share's her story with the reader, and Cara connects the diary to Louise's family, the plot twists ensue. Kelly had me hooked from page one, and the more I read, the further I fell into the mystery, action, and love surrounding Cara and Louise, years apart. Their stories are multidimensional, revealing their layers of struggle with personal identities, relationships, and the past. Just when I thought I'd figured out where the plot was going, I was thrown for another loop. As a historical fiction fan, I also loved reading about Louise and her time with the Ack Ack Gunner Girls- which is a new aspect of WWII that I didn't know about. I thoroughly enjoyed The Light Over London, and am already recommending it to everyone.

(This review will be posted at a future date on my blog: www.thelexingtonbookie.wordpress.com)

This book is fiction but Julia Kelly did a great job in describing the emotions of a person having gone through a bad marriage and how hard it's to recover and trust a new relation ship after the divorce is final. At the same time we get a glimpse of what live was like in a small English town back in 1941. The courage of the woman that joined the armed forces during World War II in various capacities not always appreciated by the menfolk's that they had to work with. The romances that were on fast forward as a result of the war situation. The realization of the girls that knowing about the bombings and having trained for the job is very different from experiences it.
This book is a fast read with a very satisfying ending.

I loved this book. Kelly artfully weaves together the story of Cara with her challenges of living a new life, with the story of Louise during WWII, who desperately wants to leave her small village and see the world. What a surprise to learn about the women involved in protecting London during WWII as part of the women's gunner brigade. It's encouraging to read a book about and for women - where romance is not the sole purpose of a woman's life, but is still present and integral. Thank you Julia Kelly and Simon & Schuster for a great job.

The best part of this story- the Ack Ack Girls!

The present meets the past in this pleasant book by Julia Kelley. Cara is the modern day character, broken by a divorce and the death of her parents. Louise is a young woman in the 1940’s, growing up in a small village in Cornwall.

Cara has left her posh life in London and retreated to a small town, where she works for an antique dealer. She discovers a diary in a dusty armoire, reads it and bonds with the writer. She decides to track down the writer, or at least the young diarist’s family.

Cara and Louise’ stories are told in alternating chapters, which works because much of Cara’s story is based on the diary, that we know is Louise’s. Each woman has a love interest and both of their men are appealing.

Louise has dreams to go to college and yearns for California. She is ready to leave her confining small town life, so when a British airman sweeps her off her feet, she runs away and joins the Auxiiliary Territorial Service (ATS). She qualifies to be a Gunner Girl and serves in London and other posts, shooting down enemy pilots.

Thanks to the author for featuring the story of the Ack Ack Girls. The stories of their brave service should be remembered. The historical part of the book interested me the most.

The romances of Cara and Louise were interesting but not compelling. The mystery involving Cara’s grandmother- the grandma is a fun character, didn’t move me. Perhaps this book needed to be longer, so that that the coming of age story of Louise could really shine on the dramatic stage of World War II.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

2 women in 2 different time periods. Love the dual storyline format. Part romance, historical fiction, and mystery. It was well written and definitely kept my interest Thank you Net Galley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I received 'The Light Over London' by Julia Kelly from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book was not what I expected. I was expecting historical fiction with some romance but instead I got a romance novel with some history. With that being said, I was pleasantly surprised by 'The Light Over London'. It is well written. This book captured my attention right from the start. Louise, the character whose life we followed through her diary was a strong, intelligent woman who I found admirable. This extraordinary woman freed herself from a controlling mother, became an invaluable soldier working as a anti-aircraft gunner in the woman's branch of the British Army during WWII, and overcame the loss of the love of her life. I was mesmerized by Louise and her fascinating story. If you like a virtuous love story mixed with some interesting history, you'll thoroughly enjoy this book as I have.

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly is a great piece of historical fiction/mystery that seamlessly blends together its past and present timelines. There are two main female protagonists; Cara and Louise. Cara (present) is struggling to move on with her life after losing some loved ones. She finds a diary from the 1940s and wants to discover who the diary belongs to so she can return it to its rightful owner. Louise (past) is the woman who wrote the diary that details the struggles of love and life during WWII.

The character development in this book was excellent for the most part, but sometimes Cara fell a little flat. She was easy to sympathize with, though, which I guess makes her a good protagonist. A cute and interesting read that I would recommend to any of my friends who are interested in historical fiction/historical romance, especially WWII era. The ending to Louise’s story was unexpected and left me utterly shook.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for a free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review #TheLightOverLondon

Enjoyable but I wanted more. We got such a descriptive look into a year in Louise’s life that to have the rest of her life wrapped up in a page was deeply unsatisfying.

Billed as:
"Reminiscent of Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, this sweeping, entrancing story is a must-read for fans of remarkable women rising to challenges they could never have predicted." S0--intrigued.

The dual storyline format--which I quite enjoy. Cara Hargreaves, present-day--newly divorced [and broken], working for an antiques dealer. Parents recently died in a car crash but still has beloved 90+ year-old grandmother [Iris, a real character--loved her]. Finds a diary [while evaluating items from a house] from 19-year-old Louise Keene, who is eager to escape her narrow existence in her Cornish village. Louise enlists in the women's branch of the British Army in the anti-aircraft unit [Ack-Ack Command] as a Gunner Girl. She falls in love with a soldier [not the local boy her mother wants her to marry]. And so it goes.

I quite liked the WWII story. It was engaging. I learned about life in a small village [before Louise moved to London as a gunner girl]--and when in London, setting for bombings, blackouts, and what is was to be a woman among men.

There were mysteries to both stories. Gran was hiding something from Cara--not revealed til the end. And something didn't add up in Louise's story--slow reveal towards the end.

Of course, there also is a romance in the present day. Surprise [not]; Cara's new neighbor, Liam [also somewhat damaged]. This story was the least interesting/most predictable. And sometimes the language set me off--not totally cringeworthy, but... lots of lingering lips and hearts jumping and leaping, etc.

Although the stories kept me going, the present-day romance detracted from the impact the novel could have had.

An antique dealer's assistant, Cara, who has lost her confidence after divorce discovers the diary of a World War 2 woman who started as a shy hometown girl yet rises to become a gunner girl in World War 2.

I was so captivated by Julia Kelly’s THE LIGHT OVER LONDON. It beautifully covers an era of history that I’m inexplicably drawn to, with the ultimate battle of good vs. evil.

Cara Hargraves works for an antiques dealer and one day, while going through an estate, discovers an old tin with secrets of a long lost relationship. Inside are a diary from WWII and a photo of a uniform-clad young woman. What she finds as she looks into the woman’s life astounds her.

She learns that the woman is nineteen-year-old Louise Keene, who had a pre-scripted life in 1941, awaiting the return from war of her wealthy beau. But Louise meets a handsome RAF pilot and their relationship alters her planned life, which alters again when he is deployed.

Wanting to contribute to the war effort, Louise becomes a “Gunner Girl,” part of a women’s division of the British Army that targets incoming enemy aircraft during the London Blitz. As the nights fill with bullets and battles, Louise clings to the hope of Paul’s return, only to be shattered when her letters to him are returned unanswered.

This is an utterly compelling tale of two women across decades who experience similar heartaches and joy. Highly recommended!

Pub Date 08 Jan 2019

Thanks to the author, Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and NetGalley for a review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#TheLightOverLondon #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Two women, two time periods.....both on a journey of self discovery & coming into their own.

The first is Cara, an antiques dealer in the present day. Recently divorced & still reeling from the unexpected death of her parents two years prior; she is starting her life over in a new home & a new job. One day on location for an estate acquisition, she finds the diary of a woman written during WWII. The diary doesn't belong to the owner of the mansion, so she is intrigued to discover the identity of its author & return it to her family. With the help of her new neighbor, Liam, the two set out to unravel the mystery. That woman was Louise Keene. A country girl who left her small village to join the ATS & become an Ack-Ack girl to help with the war effort.

The chapters fluctuate between 'Cara' & "Louise" & their own individual stories. I was impressed how seamlessly the two threads of each lady intertwines. During the 'Cara' chapters, Louise's story isn't stalled. It keeps progressing by diary readings. The "Louise" chapters present themselves in a flashback-type feel. While I found Louise's & the WWII thread more interesting, Cara's story was by no means dull. Both ladies have similar qualities of self-doubt, shyness & fear. Louise's decision to defy her mother's expectations & join the war effort, coupled with her romance with Paul enables Cara to gain footing in her own life after her own tragic experiences.

Both protagonists are likeable; and have an earthy authenticity to them. They feel like 'real' people & neither are clichéd in any way. Throughout the novel, they continue to develop & grow. The supporting characters of Liam, Gran, Paul, Kate & all the Ack-Ack girls round out the two worlds for the reader. While supporting, these people are a large part of the story; & it was gratifying that the author let us know what happened to them. We weren't left wondering.

I found this book a joy to read. There were elements of mystery & romance wrapped up in a very lyrical & flowing prose. It was definitely a pager turner for me. I wasn't familiar with the ATS or Ack-Ack groups & very much enjoyed learning something new from an historical aspect.

Definitely recommend ~

(I do want to add there are some typos in this ARC. Not many & they weren't distracting. I could easily tell what the words should have been or how they should have been arranged. I would think the publisher will have these corrected when the book is published)

I was drawn to this book because of the comparison to The Nightingale, which I absolutely loved. It was similar in that both books have two main female characters during WWII, and the stories go back and forth between each characters' storyline. However I feel that this was more of a romance story that was set in the historical background of WWII, while in The Nightingale the story was more developed and contained many different aspects of tragedy, loss, betrayal, suspense, romance, etc.

All in all, this story kept me engaged and I found myself finishing the book in 2 days. I did enjoy learning about the "gunner girls" as I am by no means a WWII buff and had not heard of them before. It was suspenseful, well written, and I appreciated the fact that the author kept the story moving along and that there were no parts that I felt dragged on for too long.

An old diary from 1941 WWII England is the setting for this dual era novel. In 2017 finding the diary in an estate sale, Cara Hargraves, working with an antiques dealer, finds the unfinished diary while going through the estate. Immediately interested as she reads the first few pages, she wants to find out more. More about the soldier written about and the writer's relationship with him.

One would think there is little connection between the two protagonists. Cara, grieving the death of her parents and recently divorced, while Louise living in a small town, in her parents house with a dominating mother, eagerly wanting to become her own person. Yet they are similar in many ways.

The twists and turns, as well as the secrets help you stay glued to the book, it is quite compelling. Historical romance at its best. This is the first book I have read by Ms. Kelly, it won't be my last.

My thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced edition in exchange for an honest review.

Cara, a present day antique appraiser assistant, is intrigued when she finds a small box with a diary and mementos in an estate she is going through with her boss. She feels a strong need to return the diary to the one who wrote it, or their family; and the owner of the house seeing no worth in it, gives it to her. The diary was written by a WWII "gunner girl', a special unit of women who assisted the men who shot the large defensive guns at incoming bombers. The story switches between the gunner girl, Louise, and that of Cara throughout the book.

Both stories were interesting, full of twists and so compelling I just couldn't put it down and read it in one day! I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical romance.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher, Gallery, for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wonderful book! I loved how the two stories were. intertwined. I am going to read more about the ATS!!! If I lived during WWII, I hope I would have joined up and helped with the war effort!