"Homefront Heroines" by authors Rita Gerlach, Lauralee Bliss, Johnnie Alexander, and Amanda M. Barratt is a pleasant collection of stories filled with love and sacrifice as women go beyond the call to help their nation during World War II. Each story takes the reader to a new situation where we learn that, in spite of war, love continues to find a way. The varied styles of the authors is obvious from story to story, but the book finishes very strong with the work of Ms. Barratt.



Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley and was not required to write a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

Homefront Heroines
By Johnnie Alexander, Amanda Barratt, Lauralee Bliss, Rita Gerlach
War is certainly not romantic but I always enjoy a good wartime romance story. This collection was full of adventure, intrigue, and romance although I didn’t care for Only Forever. These stories represented 4 different positions of heroines during WW2. I enjoyed thinking about what I might have done to aid in the war effort and if called to take action on how I would respond. This quote is from Blue Moon and reminded me how to simplify tough situations, “Assess the situation. Adapt to the situation. Act on the situation.” Prayer is action even if it doesn’t feel like much at the time. I am learning that prayer is the only action you can or should take at times and that is hard. I imagine that family and friends felt this way as they sent their loved ones to aid in the war effort. Our country seems to be at odds with itself and I can say with certainty that prayer is needed to see this country through. Take a minute with me and pray for our leaders both in Washington and locally. Pray for our educators and pastors. Pray for your community and church. Pray for your friends and family. Pray for yourself. We all need God to guide our path and lead us in His ways.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion shared here.

An enjoyable and inspirational collection of all new novellas, set during WW2 in the U.S.!
The settings include a good variety of places and jobs where women actually served during the war years. From small town Victory Gardens, nurses in military hospitals, factories with 'Rosie the Riveter' and 'Winnie the Welder', and security guards, they all work hard to do their part. These women showed a lot of courage and spunk to step out of their comfort zones--sometimes into dangerous situations--to help out the war effort.
They look to God for help in trouble, comfort in their losses, and encourage others to have faith.
I enjoyed each one of these stories, but especially the third one with some action and suspense. The old Hollywood setting in the last one was fun with familiar names and places too. The romance was especially satisfying in that one, with a sighworthy ending to cap it off.
Recommend for any reader interested in clean historical romances set during WW2. 4.5 stars

Homefront Heroines focuses on the stories of four young women who are supporting their country during WWII. The stories are set in North America following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the different roles that women took up including planting victory gardens, working in ammunition factories, nurses and various military roles that did not involve active duty.

Each story was charming and atmospheric and readers will be transported to the turn of the 20th century and get a sense of the anxiety that comes with longing for loved ones to come back homely. At the same time, readers will be inspired by the patriotism exhibited by the main characters and their menfolk that risked their lives for their country.

I would genuinely recommend this title because of its slice of life approach and heartwarming stories.

I love novella collections. The shorter length of each story is perfect for when you want a quick read. I usually find that I like two or three of the four stories within a collection. This rings true for the four stories within this collection.

Moonlight Serenade by Rita Gerlach gave me a glimpse into the lives of women who filled some of the jobs left open by soldiers. I never thought about the boarding houses or thankless work the women did—as they were looked down on by their bosses. The story was good with nice character development.

Only Forever by Lauralee Bliss stalled me in this novella collection. I finally skimmed to the end.

Blue Moon by Johnnie Alexander was a perfect novella. The character development was quick but did not feel rushed due to the previous history between the protagonists. I enjoyed the setting of the ultra-secret city where the atom bombs were built.

Dream a Little Dream by Amanda M Barratt was another good story within this collection. I see stories about soldiers and the homefront, but this was the first I’ve read one set in a rehab facility. Of course all those injured soldiers had to have a place to go for PT and OT (as well as nursing/medical care) so they could learn to function and thrive after burns, amputations, and other injuries. The author did a good job with the setting, characters, and story.

Overall, I give this collection 3-stars.

I follow the GoodReads rating system. Please note that this means even the 3-star books are ones I liked.
1 star – didn’t like it
2 stars – it was OK
3 stars – liked it
4 stars – really liked it
5 stars – it was amazing; I’ll read it over and over and/or it will impact my daily life.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to give a positive review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This is a very well written book. Each of the stories deal with how women helped during WWII and how strong and resourceful they had to be. This is a wonderful collection of clean inspirational stories that the authors brought to life with their words. All four of the authors did an outstanding job of writing this collection and each story holds your attention from the beginning until the end If you like historical christian fiction, you will love this book. Thank you Barbour Publishing via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Each of these four books is about a girl who is working on the homefront to help with the war effort, but they are all about different aspects of the homefront war, including victory gardens, Oak Ridge, the USO / entertainment, and Rosie the Riveter (or in this case, Winnie the Welder). Each story has a unique feel to it, and they incorporate some of the shadier sides of war that most people either have forgotten or gloss over, such as sabotage and con men. Overall, a nice little collection of novellas.