Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for ORPHANS OF WAR by Sylvia Broady on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions Blog Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Kingston Upon Hull, 1941.
German bombs are raining down on the city. Racing to the nearest air-raid shelter, Charlotte hears an almighty explosion. Her mother’s haberdashery shop has taken a direct hit, reducing the shop to a pile of rubble — and killing her mother outright. Suddenly sixteen-year-old Charlotte is all alone in the world.
But then mysterious Aunt Hilda comes forward — an aunt Charlotte never knew she had — and offers her a home in the sleepy Yorkshire village of Mornington where she runs the local pub with her husband George.
Charlotte doesn’t mind helping out in the pub, but she can’t understand why her Aunt Hilda seems to resent her so. Nor why her mother never revealed she had a sister.
Everything changes when a group of French orphans are brought to live in the big house. Charlotte volunteers to help look after them — and finds a new purpose in life.
Then a band of Free French soldiers is billeted in the village, including a handsome young officer with the deepest brown eyes . . . But Emile has a tragedy in his past — and Charlotte must uncover both his and her own family’s secrets if they are to have a chance of happiness.
ORPHANS OF WAR by Sylvia Broady is an emotional YA historical fiction story set in the English countryside during World War II featuring a young protagonist and her tumultuous life during the war years. This is an easily read and engaging standalone book.
Charlotte is a happy sixteen-year-old who assists her mother in her haberdashery shop in the port city of Hull. As the Germans begin bombing England, their city is a prime target with its port and factories. Charlotte’s mother is killed in a raid and their business destroyed. Her father died when she was young, but a mysterious aunt shows up to take her to her home in the country where she works in the pub her aunt and uncle own.
Charlotte finds her uncle and aunt cold and indifferent, but she does not mind the work. When she has been there for a year, county aid workers open a large, abandoned mansion for rescued French orphans. She volunteers and finds she loves working with the children. At the same time a group of Free French soldiers are training on tanks just outside the village and she becomes attracted to a young French officer.
As the war continues, Charlotte finds her purpose in life working with the children and finds young love with Emile before he is sent back to the war. Over the next years of the war, Charlotte will learn many life lessons that will affect her, friends, and family.
I loved reading about Charlotte’s life. This is not a WWII set in the war zone, but a story of a young girl’s life at home in England and how the war affected her life over the five-year period and how much she matured, changed, and found love. All the characters were fully drawn, believable, and memorable. The romance between Charlotte and Emile was realistic. The story deals with family, friendship, hardship and hope during perilous times. Even with the war in the background of the story, it is still full of interesting historical details. I was pulled into Charlotte’s life and story.
I highly recommend this YA historical fiction!
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About the Author
I’m Sylvia. Hull is the city of my birth, but I have lived in the Beverley area for the past 20 years. I have a family in Hull and a family in Australia. Travelling to shores, both near and far, is often on my agenda. What keeps me young at heart? My grandchildren and my zest for life.
Welcome to Triple Stripe Stables, a farm in the heart of Canadian Thoroughbred horse country… He’s racing cross-country, looking for a safe place to land.
She’s dreading a future that was never her choice.
They both want the same thing: to leave the past behind.
September means school, but this year, Nate’s not going back. He’s heading east, and while everyone at home thinks he’s pursuing a career as a jockey, he’s really just running away.
After always being a student, he lands a job as a teacher — of young Thoroughbreds, starting yearlings on a small but classy farm in Ontario. It’s the perfect place to hide, until a jockey’s agent comes along promising to give him everything he thought he ever wanted. How can he say no to a fast track to the career of his dreams? But can he go back on his commitment to the farm that gave him a break when his world had fallen apart?
Liv likes the new guy she hired to start the babies, but she kind of hates him too. He’s doing what she wants to do herself — dropping out to chase a future on the front lines of horse racing. She wishes she could be content, accepting the path vet school has firmly set her on. But a filly named Claire has captured her heart and ignited her real passion: riding racehorses. Does everyone get to follow their heart?
Meanwhile, a cherished mare on the farm carries a foal that will change both their lives and remind them… good things come to those who wait.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Bright, Broken Things by Linda Shantz is a very enjoyable read. As with all her stories, this novella will allow readers to understand more about horses and racing along with very relatable characters.
The story includes the backstory on how Nate and Liv meet. She decides to hire him to help train the horses. Although there is an attraction at first sight, Nate realizes that Liv is hands off. What they do have in common is the love of horses and racing. Along with her sister Emilie who is the direct opposite of Liv, and a filly named Claire that stole Liv’s heart, readers get more of an understanding of the personalities of each character.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Why write this novella?
Linda Shantz: After the books I had readers who requested a prequel. This will lead those who have not read any books into the series, the backstory of Liv and Nick. I am thinking of writing the backstory on some of the other characters.
EC: You have this quote by Liv about her feelings?
LS: You are referring to this one, “The safest place is on the back of a racehorse. It is sanctuary.” Take for example what happened to me. I hurt my ankle. So being on the ground is hard, while being on a horse allows me to borrow their body. Horses provide for Liv the safety where no one can touch her.
EC: How would you describe Claire, the young thoroughbred?
LS: Flighty and excitable. She has a good head on her shoulders. Nothing ruffles her. She is ready to take on the world. A solid buddy who is a horse.
EC: What about the sisters Liv versus Emilie?
LS: Even though there is a physical resemblance they are quite opposite. Emilie does not have the competitive drive that Liv has for riding. Emilie is much more balanced. She is not obsessed with horse racing like Liv. She does not have the same need to be immersed in the whole horse racing world that Liv does. While Liv is standoffish, serious, with trust issues, seeing the glass as half empty, broken, and aloof; Emilie is mischievous, carefree, talkative, and easy going.
EC: What did you want to point out about horses being drugged?
LS: There are people who put money above horses. Racing gets a bad rap because of the drugging of horses. The vets play a big role. I point out in the book the vets are essentially working for the trainers who know what drugs are available and do things under the radar. Sometimes people have an unfair advantage because testing has not caught up with finding the drugs. Unfortunately, the vet received a very light sentence. Up here in Canada it is taken very seriously.
EC: Why is it so bad?
LS: There is not one governing body in horse racing. Each state gets to make their own decision on horse racing and drug testing. If the US adopted a single governing body, I am sure Ontario, and the other Canadian tracks would be a part of it.
EC: Next book?
LS: I am going to write the Emilie and Tim book next, probably out around Christmas. In that book Liv is going to go to England for a big race so there will be a lot of Nate, but not her.
EC: Are you still painting?
LS: Yes, I have some commissions of horses and dogs.
THANK YOU!!
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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
Meet Linda Shantz, extraordinary artist and author of the Good Things Come series. All the books’ details are authentic with characters and events realistic and engaging. The author uses her own experiences to write captivating stories. She currently manages a small herd of retired racehorses, with enough time off to paint and write. She lives on a small farm in Southern Ontario with horses and her Border Collie. To view her artwork and all six books plus a novella, Merry Little Thing go to her website, www.lindashantz.com
The main characters Liv, Nate, Faye, Will, Emilie, Dean, and the horses Chique, Claire, and John Jay will tug at the readers’ hearts. They will fall in love with the characters, both horse and human. Schantz takes people on a journey throughout each story. It is not only a horse racing drama but also a story about family, friendship, and relationships. All the books will conjure up feelings from sadness to anger to laughter. People do not have to enjoy horses or horse racing to read this page-turner.
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Elise’s Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for the series?
Linda Shantz: For me, it is somewhat embarrassing. When I was a child, my mother read to me The Black Stallion. At the age of eight I started to write my own book. I did not get the idea from the “Heartland” series about horses since I developed this series before Heartland ever happened.
EC: Were you ever involved with horses?
LS: Yes, most of my adult life. I started working with them at the age of thirteen. At eighteen I galloped them. I also spent some time on a farm. The last fifteen years I have my own farm where I have a breeding operation with clients and help raise the babies. I have delivered horses. It is a combination of excitement and stress.
EC: What if the breeding goes wrong?
LS: There is a lot of money involved with racing horses. In Book 3 of Good Things Come one of the young horses, Feste, died of heart problems during a race. I think it is less than 1%, but every now and then it does happen. A lot of times during post-mortem they cannot determine the cause of death. There is no pattern to figure out what causes it. There is no correlation between the way the horse is bred and the young ones dying. A dog has a litter with many puppies where a horse has one foal, once a year. It is harder to get feedback on the breeding than dogs.
EC: In your later books you discuss ovarian cancer and abuse. Why?
LS: Ovarian cancer is directly related to a friend of mine. She was diagnosed and has survived. Those scenes in the book are a tribute to her. With the abuse I wanted to explain why the female lead, Liv, is an introvert.
EC: How much of you are in your characters?
LS: I am an introvert like Liv. Part of me is Liv and part of me is Nate who has my humor. They are both horse people like me. I put in these characters some of my personality and some of my experiences. I am not so lucky to have found a new Nate yet.
EC: How would you describe Liv?
LS: Very serious and responsible. Horses is something she understands. She is reserved, aloof, prefers animals to people, sarcastic, guarded, compartmentalizes, sometimes lacks confidence, and has a sly sense of humor.
EC: How would you describe Nate?
LS: He feels too much. He tries to hold himself back. He has a case of imposter syndrome because he has lost his confidence and direction. He is a gentleman because he is willing to wait for Liv. Nate is also steady, reliable, friendly, and loyal.
EC: Interesting quote by Liv about women jockeys?
LS: You are referring to this one, “The constant security by the trainers, the owners, the horseplayers in the grandstand…all of them sure they could ride a horse better than her.” I wanted to be a jockey but at twelve years old I was 5’6 and 120 pounds. This option was not one for me. Everyone tends to be a Monday Morning quarterback. Women jockeys have it better in Canada than in the US. I just finished a biography about one of the very first women jockeys, Diane Crump, and the hell she went through in the sixties. It is better than it was but there is still attitude and push back.
EC: It is great how you put tidbits about horses in the books, blending the facts into the story.
Horse care versus the sport?
LS: It is sad because I have been involved with racehorses for forty years. There are still people out there who care more about the money. It is part of why I am not so involved anymore. Those directly involved with the horses are the ones who care versus the big trainers who want to win at all costs. Liv would put the horses before the sport.
EC: The horses Claire versus Chique?
LS: Claire is the horse that was not to be special, not well bred. Her personality is like my favorite horse. She is laid-back. She is Liv’s extra special horse. She is big and gentle. Physically Claire is like the horse a friend of mine trained and has the personality of a horse I raised. While Chique is a little bit C-C-Crazy, temperamental, unpredictable, a wild card, gutsy, brave, and erratic.
ES: Relationship between Liv and Nate?
LS: Liv is not aware of her physical attraction and spent a lot of time in denial. There is a long burn. They both spend a lot of time fighting the attraction. He comes to the realization a lot sooner than she does about their feelings. He is willing to give her space. She has a hard time expressing her feelings and trusting. They have this bond around horses, the common ground. They have the same passion for the horses. The starter point for their meeting in the first place was horses.
EC: How would you describe Faye, Liv’s best friend?
LS: She likes to protect her heart and comes across as a girl who just wants to have fun. She had a rough past when she lost her parents and brother. She appreciates a horse but is also afraid of them. She is little lost because everyone she knows are horse people including her older brother. She is bitter, resentful, outspoken, protective, direct, and has fears about tying down. She is pretty much the direct opposite of Liv. Faye might have found her soulmate in Will. They work together with a restaurant.
EC: How would you describe Will?
LS: A nice guy, reliable, funny, caring, and a music person.
EC: How would you describe Liv’s sister, Emilie?
LS: Liv is the one who runs the farm while Emilie is the entrepreneur. Her major is physiotherapy, and she applies it to the horses. She is more stable and had a clearer picture of life than Faye and Liv. She is direct, self-sufficient.
EC: Why the Labrador retriever in the novella?
LS: Emilie latched on to a rescued lab. There were characters in the first books who had labs. I think they are amazing dogs. I did train dogs. They are the best dogs. I have had border collies, but I do want to have a lab, a black lab. I guess I live vicariously through Emilie.
My music taste can be blamed on my brother. When I was about fifteen, I heard the songs he listened to. The music I like is now called Alternative. I have never been a country fan. Some of the groups I enjoy are Panic at the Disco, Counting Grows, and Killers.
EC: Painting versus writing?
LS: I do both. They are different and I use a different part of my brain. When I write I do not paint. I started painting when I was four. When I was eight, I started writing stories. Professionally painting is easier, and I have more confidence in doing it. I feel more vulnerable when I write. I operate a small thoroughbred lay-up time, and when I’m not busy with the kids in the barn, I’m in my studio painting them or writing about them. I like to use my artwork, when I can, to support the retirement group in my area: LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement. In my books and paintings, I hope to capture the part of the horses and dogs that touches our souls. My paintings are in oil, oil pastel and pencil, where I strive to capture not only accurate anatomy, but the spirit of the horse as well. When I write and paint, I want to show how horses are not the workhorses and war horses of the past, but are confidantes, teachers, comedians and much more. It is my goal to share these traits with the viewer.
EC: Next book?
LS: It will be more of Emilie’s story where she will get a romance of her own. Her passion is re-training horses, which will be in the plot. I am also thinking of writing a prequel to bring readers into the story, maybe late spring.
THANK YOU!!
BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.
I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for this enchanting YA fiction book. Normally I do not review YA books, but I love books revolving around the ballet. KISSES AND CROISSANTS by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau is well worth any readers time.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Mia Jenrow has always known she’s destined to be a professional ballerina. In fact, it’s in her blood—according to family legend, her too-many-greats-to-count-grandmother once danced for the Paris Opera and was painted by Degas himself! Her parents say it’s just a fantasy, but to Mia it’s so much more than that. It’s her fate.
Mia is planning to spend a magical summer in France pursuing her dream, but as she pirouettes into Paris, she soon realizes it may be a bit more complicated than she hoped. For starters, there’s her rival, Audrey, who will stop at nothing to show her up. There’s her ballet instructor, whose impossibly high standards push her to the breaking point. And then . . . there’s Louis. Devastatingly, distractingly charming Louis. He’s eager to show Mia his city—and Mia is more than happy to hop on his Vespa and wrap her arms around him as they pass the gleaming lights of the Eiffel Tower.
Mia’s summer was supposed to be about ballet—but there’s a reason Paris is called the City of Love. . . .
KISSES AND CROISSANTS by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau is an enchanting and heartwarming standalone YA fiction book about a seventeen-year-old American following her dream of becoming a professional ballerina one summer in Paris. I do not usually read and review YA books, but I love books about the ballet and I gave it a chance and I am so happy I did.
Mia has been accepted into the elite summer ballet program in Paris. She has worked single mindedly for this chance to learn and hopefully be asked to addition at the end of this summer for a position in a major ballet program preferably ABT in New York.
Mia has two challenges to her dream, her “nemesis” throughout her career, Audrey, who has always been perfect in her form and her major competition and a cute French boy, Louis, who makes her heart beat wildly for the first time in her life.
It is summer in Paris and Mia has many decisions to make.
I really loved this book! Ms. Jouhanneau brought the city of Paris in summer to vivid life on the pages with descriptions of the food and locations that make you feel like you are right there. She depicts not only the tourist locals, but also secret hidden gems to be discovered all over the city.
I believe Mia is a realistic depiction of a seventeen-year-old following her dream and some of the obstacles or distractions that can appear. While ballerinas seem so professional and composed, we sometimes forget just how young they are and what the demands are on their bodies and emotions and what they give up for their dreams of a professional life in their craft. I enjoyed the growth of Mia and Audrey’s relationship, both personal and professional. The first love interest, Louis was portrayed in a believable way with its ups and downs. The search for Mia’s family ties to the Paris ballet from the time of Degas added an interesting and inspiring subplot to the story.
I highly recommend this story for any reader!
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About the Author
Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau is a bilingual French author of young adult fiction and nonfiction. Her books have been translated into seven languages. Kisses and Croissants (Delacorte Press, 2021) is her U.S. debut. After graduating university in France, she moved to Amsterdam to begin a career in advertising. She then spent a few years in Melbourne before settling in New York City, where she lives with her Australian husband.
