I enjoy WWII stories and this one was great. Beautifully and relatable issues of life during wartime with a touch of romance.

Honestly, I wasn't sure how well I would like this as I'm not really a fan of historical fiction, but the synopsis peaked my interest. I was plenty surprised by this book and actually enjoyed this. It was a heartwarming and beautiful story. I did listen to the audio version, found the narrator to be a great voice actress, and felt she really brought the story to life. As this book is part of a series, I look forward to more books in the future.

Such a good listen! Books about the war are not usually my thing, but this was a cute story with a happy ending.

During the wartime in 1940 England, someone left a hatbox at nurse Annie Russell’s doorstep in Bramble Heath village. Annie opened the box and found a newborn baby inside. Annie held baby Clara up and found a precious ration book underneath.

The ration book showed the baby was not abandoned. It’s desperately seeking for help from the trusted nurse. Annie needed to find the baby’s mother as soon as possible to stop the Child Social Services to take the baby away.

During the wartime, the pilots kept fighting hard and protecting the country. It’s sad to see the pilots passed away and would one of these pilot be the baby’s father?

A warm but heartbreaking WW2 story. The love relationship between Annie and William, the mother-daughter relationship and the people in the small village to take care of the baby which built the depth of the story.

The desperate mother, the calm but worried nurse and the brave pilots were all alive under the narrators presentation. The Polish accents and intonation were fabulous.

Audiobook received for free through NetGalley

I loved this audiobook and the characters. Perfect companion while cleaning.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the free audio book in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Polly Edsell who does a fantastic job!

This is such a heartwarming and emotively written story centred around an abandoned baby and a whole village taking her into their hearts, during WWII. There is nothing like having a helpless baby dropped on the doorstep of the home of the village nurse, midwife and constable to give people a good thing to focus on during a war. It brings out the best in people during a difficult time.

The characters are well developed and the plot is expertly woven. This story has it all for a historical fiction novel: romance, hope, war, injured soldiers, mourning and a few heartbreaking moments. Its all so well done! I loved the hero and heroine, their banter and their love and support for each other, especially after all they went through.

My heart. It is warmed! What a heartwarming and lovely story! I loved every aspect of this and I can’t believe how quickly it disappeared. Annie from the get go was such an easy character to love and I enjoyed getting to know the community and the set up of the plot.

And little miss Clara. Aw. It was lovely to see the whole village band together. The audiobook too was just absolutely fab and the narrator had such an amazing repertoire of accents, it made it even the more enjoyable.

It had romance, wartime spirit, drama and many a twist to keep you reading. Not a bad word I could say about this book!

This was a lovely heartwarming feel good novel. Set in a small village during the Second World War, nurse Annie discovers a baby in a hatbox with a ration book. Annie takes the baby, Clara, to live with her, and her parents. Whilst she and the rest of the village, from family and friends, to airmen, the veteran’s hospital and the newly established community of Polish immigrants who have flown the war, and come to join the fight to win the war quickly fall in love with the child and determine to find her birth mother before social services remove her from their care.

Whilst the atrocities of war are not shied away from at all, and nor should they be. This was a really lovely heartwarming read. The audible narration was lovely, although I should point out that there was a fair bit of background noise in parts, it sounded a bit like there was work being done, that said I appreciate this was an ARC and I don’t expect perfection, it’s worth highlighting. Look out for this on July 25th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookature for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

The Ration Book Baby (A Village at War)
by Ellie Curzon, narrated by Polly Edsell

Bramble Heath is a small English village next to an air base and a military hospital. The village does what it can for the flyers who are protecting their country but they also do what they can for the Polish people who have fled for their lives, suffering great losses and trying to fly under the radar of those who want to harm them even in this idyllic village. Nurse Annie Russell tends to the Polish community but they are secretive and leery of any outside help after the persecution they have received at home and wherever they have gone since they fled their homes.

Annie and her parents are caring for a newborn baby that was left on their doorstep. If only they can find the mother, then this baby they have adored from the moment they met her won't be taken away by child social services. The village and especially the Polish community do all they can to support this little baby and Annie is sure that a scared mother would want her baby back if she only knew how it drew people together.

It's so interesting to watch all these people go about their daily lives during wartime. The war is on their doorsteps, in their skies, as their planes fly off to battle and often don't return. When they do return many of the men end up in the hospital or sent to places that will give them the extra care they need. Tara does all she can to treat the wounded, ill, and healthy people in her care as she also tries to ferret out who might be the mother of the little baby.

The story made me teary eyed more than once. Young men coming back maimed or dead, funerals for those who've been lost, even the death of young German men can tear at the heart. Then there is the suffering of the living, those who have to learn to live in a way they never imagined after horrendous injuries that can change everything about their lives. Polish men giving their lives for the cause while they and their families are tormented by those who want them to go away when they have no where else to go. It really is heartbreaking but the story is also uplifting because it shows the good in people and how they can work together to do what is best for each other and the community.

I'd like more about this little world of Bramble Heath and I can see the potential with how the story ended. Of course that means we'd see more loss and heartbreak because the war is far from over but I loved so many of the characters in this story and didn't want to say goodbye to them. Polly Edsell did a fine job of the narration and I'd like to listen to her again. Plus, I'd love to look at the recipes of the foods that are mentioned. I'm amazed at the creativity that comes with making dishes from items that were never meant to be in such dishes. The foods are intriguing and a bit off putting and I admire all that goes into life going on despite the hardships of war.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Ration Book Baby, by Ellie Curzon

Beautifully and emotively written, this is an uplifting story centred around an abandoned baby and a whole village taking her into their hearts, during WWII.

Annie is a community nurse and her mother is a retired midwife. The tiny baby, who they name Clara, is left on their doorstep and with social services closing in, Annie is determined to find the baby’s mother.

The writing is, quite simply, exquisite. I teared up so many times, I found myself smiling often, and most of all, rooting for Annie, Wing Commander William and of course, baby Clara and her unknown mother.

The hamlet has taken in some polish families too, most of the Bramble Heath villagers welcome them with open arms, but Jamie, a misguided teenager, grieving for the loss of his brother in the war, has a hard lesson to learn about acceptance. I felt Ellie Curzon handles the racial issues incredibly sensitively and realistically.

The characters are well developed and I particularly liked Ewa and her loyalty to her countrymen and women.

I would love to read a sequel to this and see how Bramble Heath fares as the war continues.

Absolutely a 5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Ellie Curzon and Bookouture Audio for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Many thanks to Bookouture Audio and Net Galley for an audio ARC of The Ration Book Baby for an honest review.

Annie, a nurse, answered a knock on her door, only to find a baby in a shoe box. She sets out to find the mother of the baby. Meanwhile, her friends who are pilots, are in the war. She is able to help save some.