Wings of Grace (Kiwi Land Girls Book 1) by Tania Roberts (Red Rose Publishing) (9 Reviews)    Price verified 10 hours ago

Learning about life the hard way By 1941 World War II has left New Zealand farms bereft of young men. Whipsnade Farm, home of the McKnight family becomes a training farm for several young women who leave the city to volunteer as land girls. Grace is 22, and freshly arrived on a country farm down in Canterbury as a Land Girl, helping fill the shortage of manual labor during the war. Arriving with her best friend Betsy, who is newly engaged and fretting about her fiancé Roland, but terribly attracted to the son of the farm manager, she takes all of Graces patience and care to ensure that she doesn't end up making some challenging life decisions to regret later. Meanwhile, Moira is sassy, ready for anything, and seemingly hell bent on finding a man to indulge her fancies and learns through some hard lessons about real rural life, and whether she's really cut out for being the wife of a farmer. They discover Ben, a recent army recruit who is AWOL and hiding from soldiers determined to seek him out and return him to his ranks, or maybe shoot him for desertion - either one being an equally terrifying prospect. They are joined at Whipsnade, by the diminutive Alice who sees no option but to sign up. She is sweet, shy but fiercely protective of a secret she doesn't wish to share with the others. A life spent milking cows, cleaning out pig pens, and butchering sheep was not something any of these young woman had planned for themselves, but they did sign up for it, and determined to make the best of it for as long as they feel the war effort needs them. Chaos, mystery, love, heartbreak notwithstanding, these girls are growing up hard and fast. Can Grace keep everyone safe under wings? Even the escaped soldier?

Genre: Historical Fiction

Brown River: A Novel by Matthew Balleza (38 Reviews)    Price verified 3 hours ago

Against the current, she found her course... Constance, a spirited tomboy from Maryland's coast, dreams of becoming a fishing boat captain. But her journey defies expectations, leading to heartbreak, betrayal, and the harsh judgment of those who doubt her path. Yet, amidst the struggle, she discovers the strength of family, the courage to follow her unconventional path, and the boundless beauty of life. Told in luminous language, Brown River is a heartfelt tale of love and loss, family and dreams... and ultimately a tribute to the wild spirit within. _________________ What readers are saying: "... you have written something precious... " "... a delightful, deeply satisfying book to read... " "... Brown River is a treasure... "

Genre: Historical Fiction