BE BRAVE FOR ME

MY THOUGHTS:

Cornwall, 1941: With the war raging on throughout Europe there is so much sadness and grief people are dealing with.  As Maddie Brady strolls along the once beautiful beaches of Cornwall, she is overwhelmed by the horrible barbed wire fencing keeping people out.  Her thoughts are interrupted by the cry of a young child.  She runs in the direction of the cry and finds a young boy trapped within the landmines in the sandy beach.  But she isn’t the only one to hear the little boy.  A man named Rudi runs to rescue the little boy from the landmine infested area. To her surprise she recognizes the German accent that he has.  He is a German prisoner of war escapee.  He begins to tell Maddie how his home was destroyed and his father was killed by the Nazis.  She is required to turn Rudi into the authorities but instead she hides him in a nearby farmer’s barn.  She takes food and water to him, while at the same time they are bonding with each other.  They find love and comfort in a time of such uncertainty.  She must keep Rudi a secret for his protection and for her’s.

This was such a wonderful yet heart-breaking story with believable characters.  I really enjoyed the storyline and I also like the relationships that are made while trying to survive in such desperate times.  The risks that people took and demonstrating acts of kindness for complete strangers and their survival warms my heart.  This author does an outstanding job of describing the courage, heartache and sorrow of the characters in this book.  This is the first book I’ve read written by this author and it won’t be the last. I really enjoyed her writing style and the story flowed perfectly.  I look forward to reading more books by this author.  I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you Elaine Johns  for such a wonderful story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it has a great storyline and I highly recommend it.

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

DESCRIPTION:

BE BRAVE FOR ME 
Author:  Elaine Johns 
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: August 26, 2022 
Pages: 379 
Buy on Amazon 

Cornwall, England, 1941. Gazing at the coiled barbed wire and danger signs on this once-beautiful beach, Maddie suddenly hears a frightened little cry. Her heart pounding, she races down the dunes, but knows she will never reach the child in time…

Maddie Brady is overwhelmed with relief to see a brave soul ahead of her rescue a little boy trapped among the landmines on the beach. But thanking the man, Maddie is shocked to hear a German accent. Why would an escaped German prisoner of war rescue an English boy?

As a driver in the Army, Maddie is duty-bound to report Rudi immediately. But when he speaks of his home in a sheltered valley destroyed by Nazis, and how his father was killed for objecting to the war, Maddie feels a deep connection to this lost soul with sparkling blue eyes.

With Rudi hiding out in a farmer’s barn, Maddie can’t keep herself away, smuggling him bread and water. Their passion brings them comfort in the darkest days. But as their love grows, so does the terrible danger of discovery…

As her colleagues begin to suspect she’s hiding something, Maddie is torn between loyalty to her country, and the man she’s shared everything with. Helping Rudi flee across the desolate countryside would mean being parted forever – and if he’s captured, he may not even survive. But could she bear to betray her soulmate? As the war tears the world apart, will they survive the impossible – or will their secret love only bring them despair? 

ABOUT ELAINE JOHNS

Elaine Johns inherited her love of fiction from her Irish mother and a passion for writing was the happy result. She was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, came to London to attend the Italia Conti Performing Arts Academy, and made records with her twin brother in their teens that scraped their way into the charts. After an initial career as a jazz singer and flautist in big bands, she was a print and television journalist in Bahrain, editing and presenting the News in English at Bahrain Television. She is now freelance, writing mostly short stories for UK women’s magazines from her home in Cornwall and, before retiring, used to lecture part time at Truro College. She has written several contemporary women’s fiction novels, including Ice Cream for Breakfast and Lemonade and Lies. Her favourite genre is historical women’s fiction, and she particularly enjoys writing in the 1940s and 50s.

She is now well and truly transplanted to Cornwall and enjoys life with her long-time partner (her hero and rock), a jazz musician and artist. Elaine has two grown-up sons, and loves Zumba, music, walking with her friends, and getting the most out of life, whatever it throws at her!

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