Member Reviews
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
a german plane crashes near the gosling farm and its not long before they hear a german is hiding out in the woods.. a survivor of the plane crash...
its not long before people descend on the village looking out for a nazi....
matthew and his little niece are making the village their home, both have suffered from the war... losing closest family relatives and his new job as vicar is to bring peace to everyone he meets
lottie is one of the land girls in the village and she has felt loss as well... with her sister being a victim of a bombing raid...
life is hard for everyone but at christmas for this village they are about to be invaded and some surprises are in store for everyone
its a pleasant read.... though a bit repetitive at the beginning but the storyline gets better and you start to fall in love with all the characters
Wartime Wishes for the Land Girls by Ellie Curzon
Didn't realise this was part of a series so read as a standalone.
A very good book of this type of genre , I also learnt a lot from it as well.
Very good story.
This is the second book in the 'A Village At War' series that I have read, the first being The Wartime Vet, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It felt like I was coming home to familiar characters that I met in the previous book, but this can also be read as a stand alone novel.
Ellie has again created some wonderful characters for the reader to fall in love with, like Matthew, Daisy and Lottie, and the Land Girls, farmers and other villagers who all look out for each other.
This story has it all, love and loss, hatred and forgiveness, and it's set at Christmas time.
I will certainly ensure that I read the first two books in this series, as well as other novels that Ellie has written.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.
Thanks to the Publishers and Netgalley for an early review copy.
It was lovely to catch up with the land girls at Gosling Farm.
Lottie, is still dealing with the grief she feels about her sister who was killed when a German plane dropped a bomb, she’s not feeling festive, remembering all the happy times they spent together.
A new vicar, Matthew arrives in the village, he too has painful memories of those he’s lost due to the war.
When a crashed plane is found, and one of the crew in it is somewhere in the woods, they both unite to help the people in the village not take matters into their own hands, especially as this person has something that he wants to reveal that may help others.
But some villagers are finding it hard decide between helping him or seeking revenge.
I recommend this book.
Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in to return for my honest opinion.
I have to make an admission that I requested this book in error thinking it part of another ‘Land girl’ series I have been reading.
I had read one other in the series but found the fact it’s written by two authors under one name rather difficult to get to grips with.
I wonder how they write the books and why there needs to be two authors.
This book centred around Lottie and her relationship with Matthew, the new vicar in the village and his niece. Lottie has suffered the loss of her sister and her family and sister’s boyfriend are struggling to cope with the futility of this loss. Matthew had also undergone incredible loss.
Personally I found the vitriolic language used difficult to read. The actions of the Nazis were deplorable but this point seemed to need to be endlessly made whilst the actions of the RAF was glossed over. I presume vigilantes were around and searching out downed pilots but were their actions so outrageous.
Lottie eventually takes heart from her new relationship with Matthew and develops some empathy to the German airman in this instance. His family history was slightly unbelievable in my view. The part at the end involving Daisy being led away was unnecessary, and the way the perpetrator was dealt with was very unsatisfactory in my view.
All in all an odd book for me - I did at one stage decide not to read to the end but curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to know how the authors could tie up the loose ends. The relationships were too convoluted for me and unrealistic somehow especially concerning Matthew.
Not sure these authors are for me.
Ok listen i didn't know this was part of a series but I was able to figure out what was happening regardless. I loved it the magic of the holidays truly flew off the pages. The writer Ellie is fantastic and weaving a story and truly making you care about each and every character down to the last page.
A story that had my heart beating out of my chest with the danger while smiling with the festive spirit and friendship of the land girls. It made me scream, cry and laugh at times all at once. I couldn't ask for a more engaging and enjoyable tale.
It took me a while to get into this book but once I did I enjoyed it, very well written and all the characters were believable, some I liked, some I didn't but the storyline was interesting.
It is 1943 and we are back in Bramble Heath with the Land Girls at Christmas.
Lottie isn’t feeling the Christmas spirit, she’s still grieving the loss of her sister after an air raid burned down the barn she was working in.
When a German plane is shot down, Lottie feels all kinds of anger and distress. When it’s realised that one of the plane’s occupants is still alive, she wants to be the one to find them and kill them.
With the help of Matthew, the new village priest, with his niece Daisy, they help to start the healing process for Lottie.
Where is the pilot hiding? Can he be kept alive so that he can turn himself in, before vigilantes get a hold of him.
This was a fantastic ending to this wonderful series. I have enjoyed following the land girls life on the farm. The descriptive writing helped me conjure up the atmosphere for Christmas back in war-torn Britain in the 1940’s.
My heart went out to Lottie, such a lot for a young girl to go through, and I could understand her anger.
This is a tale of bravery and romance, as well as friendship and unity.
I shall certainly miss reading more about these particular Land Girls.
My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc
Another brilliant book in this series by a brilliant author
Family saga wartime what more could you want
A lovely story of friends and family on the Homefront, What will the people of Bramble Heath do when a German plane crashes near the village and the pilot goes on the run? Each person much confront their own feeling to decide, It's a gentle tale and those who have been following the saga will be pleased with the results. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.
Historical drama set during World War Two. A small village community must deal with loss,crashed planes and missing germans.
I loved being in Bramble Heath during the holidays. There was a lot of Christmas cheer and the idea of forgiveness flowing through the pages. I was ready to dig out some crackers and have a jolly old time. Wartime Wishes for the Land Girls does take place around but it is so much more than a Christmas story.
Lottie, a Land Girl, is struggling after the loss of her sister. Thankfully, she has all the other Land Girls to help her out. Lottie's life, and that of the villagers becomes more complicated after a German plane crashes behind the Gosling Farm bringing back bad memories and instilling fear in the people.
The author does a fantastic job of showing the different personalities that may have lived in a village of Wartime England. When they learn one of the German crew has survived, some grabbed pitchforks while others grabbed a basket of food. It was shocking how quickly some would think vengeance was the answer. They forgot that good can conquer evil. We just need to remember that things aren't always as they seem.
I had a hard time putting the book down. The book has wonderful plot twists. "No way" became a favorite phrase as I read on. I was excited for the next mind blowing moment. I was excited to see how it would all come to an end. It was totally worth the wait.
A wartime story with the land girls is always a winner for me, as their tough determination and grit is inspiring. And no more so than in this book, where they band together to help their village and friends in need.
Shona, Nicola and Lottie have made a land girl army family of their own, and in times of trouble, their friendship sees through. It was such a heartwarming read and wow, was there a lot of growth in this book!
Lottie has a lot to work through, with her emotions at an all time high after her losses, she’s riled into a frenzy along with most of the village when they hear of a German on the loose in their quiet and quaint cosy village. The local vicar, Mathew, is a steady sea and influence of calm amongst all the hate and there is much more to the story than meets the eye.
Initially I did struggle to warm to Lottie but she won me over. As I read on, I got more and more hooked and could not have put the book down towards the end if I tried! Yay for the land girls!
Again, a lovely heart warming novel by the author! Even though much was predictable and Mottie was sometimes exasperating, I really enjoyed the storyline and the writing shows a lot of sensitivity. The novel shows (very clearly) how Germans were perceived during WWII, not making the difference between a Nazi soldier and a German soldier. Fair enough, what one heard about what was happening, it was very understandable to qualify all Germans as Nazis! The novel nicely portrays how a charismatic person charms his/her audience into a reasoning not necessarily sensible..... An interesting parallel to the historical events of the times... A very enjoyable novel!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.
Catching up with the land girls of Gosling farm was bittersweet.
Lottie is still grieving for her sister killed by a German bomb and Christmas isn’t looking very festive to her as she struggles with find memories of Martha.
Matthew the new vicar in the village has his own demons to contend with as his mother sister and brother in law also died due to a German raid.
They must come together to help the village when a plane crashes and one of the crew is wandering around the woods. But this prisoner is one with secrets to reveal and the village is struggling between empathy and revenge.
Loved this book and read in one sitting emotional and heartwarming at the same time very well written.
Another great instalment of a great series, wonderful book to get comfy and read, my favourite genre always a good read.
I liked the camaraderie of the land girls and the fact that they are welcomed into the farming family. That’s not to say that they don’t have their own problems/demons to conquer! There is one particular “friendship” that’s lovely to read how it unfolds. Also there are some surprises along the way that I really didn’t see coming. One in particular involving Matthew. Favourite character has to be Daisy, least - I wanted to say Sid but my feelings towards him altered as the book went on. I was intrigued by Wyngate. The thing I found most annoying was the continual reminder about what happened to Martha.
This book wraps up the series, A Village at War, and what a finale it is! If you have loved the series as I have, this final book brings all the characters together as the war draws closer to its end. This is Land Girl Lottie's story as her life continues on Gosling's Farm after the tragic death of her sister. The plot is action-packed from the very beginning when a German bomber plane is shot out of the sky, crashing near the farm. Shockingly, a lone survivor is hiding somewhere in Bramble Heath. There are a few new characters and the return of two of my favorites...the mysterious Mr. Wingate from the Ministry and sassy Sarah, the young evacuee from London's East End with her comfort cat, Winnie. Although I am saddened this is the end of the Bramble Heath saga, I loved that the authors brought the story to a beautiful yet realistic conclusion. Each book can be read as a standalone but do yourself a favor and start at the beginning because this is a series to savor. I highly recommend all of the books!
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are entirely my own.
“Wartime Wishes for the Land Girls,” by Ellie Curzon, is the fourth book in the “Village at War” series. This book can be read as a stand-alone as Ms. Curzon does provide backstory for the players, but I think reading at least book 3 in this series would help a new reader. In this book, Lottie (still mourning her sister Martha) has Blossom, a dog companion to try to help her cope with her loss. Ms. Curzon touches on loss in this book - but also about making quick judgements about people - even in this small town. While at first the new Vicar Matthew came across as unfriendly, it’s evident that he has deep feelings about not only his niece (Daisy) but also those in his flock. A little kindness does go a long way … as does forgiveness, even when it hurts on one level to give that forgiveness. Another enjoyable book in this series.