Review and Giveaway - Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford

Gifts of War by Mackenzie Ford





rating: 4.0/5.0






From Amazon.com:

During the Christmas Truce of 1914, Hal Montgomery, a British soldier, is given a photo by a German soldier, Wilhelm Wetzlar, and they make a pact. Hal promises to find his enemy’s English girlfriend, Samantha, and let her know her fiancé is alive and thinking of her. Several weeks later, Hal—now injured—is discharged from the army and goes to Stratford on Avon to fulfill his promise. But things take an unexpected turn when he meets the woman in the photo and falls in love with her himself. As their romance blossoms, Sam shares with Hal her most private confidence: Her newborn son is of German lineage, information that threatens her reputation and her job as a schoolteacher. Fearful that he will lose Sam, Hal holds tight to the secret—and the photograph—that brought them together.

The scene shifts to London, where Hal becomes involved with military intelligence and is introduced to Sam’s sisters and a different kind of secrecy. Against the broader landscape of England in wartime, Gifts of War captures the era and the fates of men and women caught in the sweep of history. A vivid tale of romance, adventure, and intrigue, the novel is a remarkable narrative that explores what made War World I so tragic, so revolutionary, and so exciting. It also announces a gifted new novelist.

I started reading this before my surgery and finished it up in the week after it. What's funny is even when I couldn't read in the hospital this book stayed on my mind. I don't read much historical fiction, but what little I have read I have enjoyed and it has made me want to delve into this genre even more.

As far as history is concerned I know very little except the highlights after 1900 - I blame this on my schooling and also on my lack of interest. Now I enjoy reading about historical time frames even in fiction because there is some hint of fact in the story and I learn something.

Gifts of War taught me a lot - it only goes into the battlefields of WWI in small doses, but it introduced me to the social impacts of WWI especially in London. As I followed Hal, Sam and Sam's son, I learned about the people during the war and how everyday life was affected. I learned about the spy-type efforts that went on and the anti-German sentiment that was rampant. It taught me that there is so much more to war than what I thought.

I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship building between Hal and Sam even though there is a secret between them. Watching these complex characters interact during the war was very interesting. It was hard to get away from the book for any period of time and it never seemed to drag. I enjoyed the aspects of Hal's job and the intrigue there, the people he met and Sam's family. It was all very interesting to watch play out in front of me.

I honestly cannot say enough about this book. It's rich in descriptions, characterization and plot that keeps it moving. I enjoyed it from the first page to the last and the twists and turns along the way.

If you enjoy good historical fiction - pick this one up. If this is a new genre to you - pick this one up - you won't regret it.

Binding: Hardcover
On-sale Date: July 7, 2009
Publisher: Nan A. Talese
Pages: 464

Also I would like to give away my copy which is an arc. I will open the contest today through August 29th. US and Canada residents only please. Please enter by:

1. Commenting on my blog, make sure I have a way to contact you. (+1)
   
2. Become a blog follower or let me know if you are already a follower (+1)
3. Tell me the best historical fiction book that you have read or tell me why you haven't tried historical fiction (+1)
4. Tweet about this review and giveaway, use @cfulcher in the tweet so I can find it (+1)
5. Follow me on Twitter (or let me know if you are a current follower) (+1)
6. Blog about this contest and let me know the link (sidebar or post is fine) (+1)

So there you go - 6 ways to get an entry into this contest. You can leave them in separate posts or one post, it doesn't matter, I will make sure you get your entries, just make sure to let me know what you do.

Mailbox Monday - August 10th

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. To see this weeks list of participants go here. Click on any of the book pictures to find my post on the book or more information on the book.

ARC/Review Copies of:

Books Won:

And from Paperbackswap I received:

Review Copy Arrival: Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby

Secrets of a Christmas Box by Steven Hornby

I received this from Golriz Fanai, Marketing Manager of Ecky Thump Books.

Publisher: Ecky Thump books
Publish Date: September 1, 2009
Pages: 284
Age Level: 9-12

From the book cover:

Enter the magical festive world of the Christmas 'Tree-Dwellers', as Larry, a Christmas snowman, wakes up after the long sleep in the Christmas box, to find his brother is missing.
Desperate to find him before Christmas, Larry, along with his girlfriend Debbie, a newcomer Splint, and Larry's companion Tinsel, break the laws of the 'Tree-Elders' and escape down the tree and away into the house, to look for clues.
Away from the safety of the tree and in an unfamiliar world, the Dwellers stumble upon a dark and sinister secret that threatens their entire world. Can Larry and the group make it back to the tree in time to warn the others, and finally uncover the truth behind the 'Secrets of a Christmas Box'?

I am very excited about this one. I plan to share it with my 8-year-old for our reading time as school starts back up in a few weeks. I was even more excited to learn that Steven Hornby is the one who animated Gollum in The Lord of The Rings trilogy (the recent movies). I knew I had heard the name somewhere. This looks to be a very fun book.

The Sunday Salon - August 9th

This is my second week joining in on The Sunday Salon which is hosted here.

Time spent reading - A trip to Duke early in the week and then back to work on Wednesday plus evenings at the pool with the hubby and children put a major crimp on my reading time this week. Not even a relaxing day out in the boat added much to my time yesterday. But it was a great week. It felt good to be back to work and in the regular grind again. I feel like everything is really getting back to normal. And the evening time in the pool was a blast especially since I am allowed to actually get in again now!

What I read:

I didn't finish a book this week but I worked on:

• I Can See You by Karen Rose (only about 50 pages left in this one - I started it last Saturday and it is good - just haven't had the time to read)
• Seven Up by Janet Evanovich - started this one at the gym this week (hardbacks easier to read in the book holders) and it's a laugh a minute - probably not the best book to read at the gym since I almost fell off the treadmill laughing.
• Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb - my audiobook that I listen to in the car to and from work.

I did finish one thing - the August issue of Family Circle - I read that on the boat yesterday.

Thoughts on my reading:

• No new-to-me authors this week. I've read Karen Rose, Janet Evanovich and J.D. Robb before.
• I had thought about the fact that I haven't read a lot of romantic suspense lately, well I guess I'm working on that now :)
• I usually listen to the Stephanie Plum books on audio, but have been limited by library problems, so I checked out the books. It's funny how much I hear the voices that the reader uses for the characters while reading this.
  
• Only one of the books I'm reading this week is a review book - I Can See You by Karen Rose which came out this week. The Evanovich is a library book and the J.D. Robb is an audiobook from audible.com.
• I will finish a book today!
  

What I'm reading now:

I Can See You by Karen Rose (an ARC - it came out last week)
Reunion in Death by J.D. Robb (on audio in my car)
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich

Up Next:

Wait Until Twilight by Sang Pak (review book)
Club Dead (Sookie Stackhouse challenge)

DH and I will embark on another day of our kids-free weekend today, but I believe the boat is out as he has a sunburn and I have a little bit of one, but yesterday was a blast. Not sure what is in store for us today, but I will get some reading done and some blog-hopping too. Our kids are having a blast with my parents, going to minor league baseball games and playing in the hotel pool. They'll be back home tomorrow night.

Everyone have a great week!

Friday Finds (Aug. 7)

Friday Finds is hosted over on Should Be Reading. It's all about what great books you have heard about/discovered in the past week. Here is my entry, and head over to the Should Be Reading Blog to read others and find books to add to your TBR pile!

I'm still catching up on blogs and it's more difficult now that I'm back to work. We've been taking the kids to the pool several nights this week so that has made it even more difficult - but hey - they are only young once!

So here are a few of my finds:

Night of Flames by Daniel W. Jacobson found at Book Addiction blog

Painting a vivid and terrifying picture of war-torn Europe during World War II, this tale chronicles the lives of Anna, a Krakow University professor, and her husband Jan, a Polish cavalryman. After they are separated and forced to flee occupied Poland, Anna soon finds herself caught up in the Belgian Resistance, while Jan becomes embedded in British Intelligence efforts to contact the Resistance in Poland. He soon realises that he must seize this opportunity to search for his lost wife, Anna.

I'm really starting to enjoy historical fiction and this sounds really good to me.



The Hidden Man by David Ellis found at BookBitchBlog

Jason Kolarich is a midwestern Everyman with a lineman’s build and an easy smart-ass remark. He’s a young, intelligent maverick, but he’s also struggling with an overwhelming emotional burden—one that threatens to unravel his own life, and possibly the lives of those around him.

Twenty-seven years ago, two-year-old Audrey Cutler disappeared from her home in the middle of the night. She was never found. All the detectives had to go on were vague eyewitness accounts of a man running down the Cutlers’ street, apparently carrying someone. Without enough evidence to suggest otherwise, Griffin Perlini—a neighbor with prior offenses against minors—was arrested, but never convicted.

The case is long closed when Perlini is murdered nearly thirty years later. Now a man named Mr. Smith appears in Jason Kolarich’s office, saying only that he represents a third party who wants the man charged with murder off the hook and that Kolarich is perfect for the job. The new client: Audrey Cutler’s older brother, Sammy—Kolarich’s estranged childhood best friend—a man he hasn’t seen in nearly twenty years.

But when Kolarich starts receiving violent threats from Mr. Smith’s enigmatic employer, he figures out that the secrecy behind this nameless third party—and the key to winning Sammy’s case—is entangled with the mystery of Audrey’s disappearance. With his own life and Sammy’s in the balance, Kolarich has to put aside not only the mounting anxiety of the job but also a heart-wrenching personal tragedy in order to find out what really happened to Audrey all those years ago.

That's it for this week. I need to do some more blog catch up. So what did you find this week?

Review Copy Arrival: The Bridegroom by Linda Lael Miller

The Bridegroom (A Stone Creek Novel) by Linda Lael Miller

I received this from Nancy Berland through Shelf Awareness.

Publisher: HQN books
Publish Date: July 28, 2009
Pages: 384

From the book cover:

Undercover agent Gideon Yarbro is renowned for stopping outlaws almost before they commit a crime. But now he must stop a wedding—despite the bride's resistance. Lydia Fairmont will lose everything if she doesn't honor her betrothal to a heartless banker. Unless she marries someone else instead…whether it's a love match or not.

Determined to honor his own decade-old promise to help Lydia, Gideon carries her off to Stone Creek and makes her his reluctant wife. Forget a honeymoon for "show"—not with a vengeful ex-fiancé on their trail and a hired gun on the loose. But there just might be hope for the marriage…and two hearts meant for each other.

This will be my first novel by Linda Lael Miller and it sounds really good. I can't wait to dive into this one.

Waiting on Wednesday - August 5th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My "can't-wait-to-read" selection for this week is:

Evil at Heart by Chelsea Cain

Release: August 11, 2009

Chelsea Cain’s novels featuring Portland detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell have captivated fans through two nail-biting entries, Heartsick and Sweetheart, both of them multiweek bestsellers in The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.

Gretchen Lowell is still on the loose. These days, she’s more of a cause célèbre than a feared killer, thanks to sensationalist news coverage that has made her a star. Her face graces magazine covers weekly and there have been sightings of her around the world. Most shocking of all, Portland Herald reporter Susan Ward has uncovered a bizarre kind of fan club, which celebrates the number of days she’s been free.

Archie Sheridan hunted her for a decade, and after his last ploy to catch her went spectacularly wrong, remains hospitalized months later. When they last spoke, they entered a détente of sorts---Archie agreed not to kill himself if she agreed not to kill anyone else. But when a new body is found accompanied by Gretchen’s trademark heart, all bets are off and Archie is forced back into action. Has the Beauty Killer returned to her gruesome ways, or has the cult surrounding her created a whole new evil?

Chelsea Cain continues to deliver heart-stopping thrills and chills in the latest entry in this dynamic bestselling series.

I loved the first two in this series, so I can't wait to read the third!

So what are you waiting on this week? Go here to see what everyone else is waiting on.