Robyn Reviews: DEFIANCE by G.G. Vandergriff

From Amazon: Hitler’s armies overrun France, Rudolf von Schoenenburg, a young Austrian baron, is living in exile in England. Though his true love, Hannah, is engaged to another man, Rudi and Hannah risk their lives together to help rescue thousands of British Troops from Dunkirk. Their powerful love story develops against the backdrop of the Battle of Britain and an old world being blown to pieces.

Rudi’s family and friends suffer under the nightly barrage of bombs and rockets of the London Blitz while he pilots a British fighter plane in what looks like an impossible defense of the small island. Each night is a desperate fight for survival, each dawn a miracle.

While Hannah spends her days and nights helping to provide early warning of German air attacks, she realizes that every hour of every day is precious. Each moment carries the threat of sudden death. As the world around her changes, should Hannah allow her passion for Rudi to overcome promises she made to her dying father in what seems like another lifetime?

Audience: Adult (Clean)

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 272 pages

Rating: 4

Review:

This is a great story about Rudi, an Austrian baron, and Hannah, a Jewish girl. They love each other, but Hannah has promised her father that she will marry a Jewish man, Samuel. She convinces herself that she loves Samuel and will marry him to please her father. I like the growth Hannah experiences as she lives through war torn England and starts to make her own decisions regarding what she believes and what she thinks about the war. Hannah is very brave and sets out to prove herself a loyal Briton and helps defend her country and also helps save many others through her efforts. I felt the turmoil that was surrounding Rudi’s family and Hannah. It’s kind of hard remembering that these were very real events that were described. I had a little bit of a hard time believing some of the things that Hannah participated in, but since I’m not an expert on history at that time, I’ll give the author the benefit of the doubt. Hannah turns out to be a very brave girl and make some hard decisions. Rudi is a very likable hero. He is brave and patient. I liked him because he had what I would call true love for Hannah and wanted what was best for her, but still held out hope for a happy ending. I liked Rudi’s family, too. They were brave and fun people. The historical events described in this book had great detail and I felt like I was part of the war. Sometimes, I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t wait to turn the page. I thought the actions of those involved in the war and the British people were very realistic and true to life. You should read this book, it is a  fun, educational, enjoyable and clean romance full of true love.

Content:

Sex - 0

Violence - 1 (war violence)

Language - 0

Overall Content Rating - PG

Source: Review Copy

Robyn Reviews: MARRYING CHRISTOPHER by Michelle Paige Holmes

From Amazon: Having seen both his sisters Grace and Helen happily married, Christopher Thatcher is free to pursue his dream of life in America. With adventure in his heart and mind, he boards one of the first steamships set to cross the Atlantic in the record breaking time of only twenty-five days. Within the first two of those, his resolve—to avoid women and the complications they often bring to a man’s life—falters when he meets Marsali Abbott, a young woman with a past even more troubling than his own. Whether from years of habit protecting his sisters, or simply because he feels drawn to Marsali, Christopher chooses to help her and becomes her friend. As the truth about what awaits Marsali in America becomes evident, he is faced with a more difficult choice, one that will impact their lives far beyond four weeks together at sea.


Audience: Adult (Clean)

Genre: Historical Romance

Length: 347

Rating: 5

Review:

Welcome back to the Thatcher Family! This is the story for Christopher, and it's just as fun as the first two books.  I enjoyed getting to know Christopher as much as reading about Helen and Grace. This story tells of Christopher’s adventures aboard ship and his struggle to be true to himself. He plans to get settled before falling in love, but, as is true for all, love comes when you are least expecting it. Marsali grew and became a true woman. She was a very likable and fun heroine. She grew and developed into a great heroine.  Watching these two fall in love was lots of fun. They had adventures and the usual misunderstandings.  Their determination to do the right thing was nice and fun even though what they thought was the right thing wasn’t always what I wanted to happen. This author is very good at drawing you in and keeping you interested. This is a very fun book to read with lots of good lessons to learn. Great, clean romance!

Content               

Sex - 0

Violence - 0

Language - 0

Overall Content Rating - PG (romance meant for adults)

Source: Review copy

Playing for Keeps Vlog!

Remember WAY back when I asked you guys for questions about PLAYING FOR KEEPS and said I'd do a vlog? SO. I finally did that. And then I finally edited it. And then after fighting with it all day, it finally uploaded.

Disclaimer: I kind of hate the way I talk on camera, but don't we all? Don't make too much fun of me. ;)

I talk about why football is important to me, what I learned from writing a secondary character with a mental illness, my favorite PfK scenes, and MORE!