A brave midwife. A wounded pilot. A risky secret.
In the midst of World War II, Ireland has declared herself neutral. Troops found on Irish soil must be reported and interned, no matter which side they are fighting for. When midwife Nan O'Neil finds a wounded young Canadian pilot at her door, she knows she's taking a huge risk by letting him in. Not only is she a widow living alone, but if caught harboring a combatant, she'll face imprisonment.
Still, something compels Nan to take in "flyboy" Dutch Whitney, an RAF pilot whose bomber has just crashed over County Clare. While she tends to his wounds and gives him a secret place of refuge, the two begin to form a mutual affection-and an unbreakable bond.
But Nan has another secret, one that has racked her with guilt since her husband's death and made her question ever loving again. As Nan and Dutch plan his escape, can he help restore her faith?
While I've read many, many novels set during World War II, I've never read one quite like this. It's set entirely in Ireland, which had declared herself neutral during the war. Therefore, any troops found in Ireland—weather Axis or Allied—were subject to internment, and anyone found helping them would go to prison. So while the novel is set during the war, the war feels far away—sure, it impacts the characters, especially Dutch and the other RAF airmen who crashed near Ballyhaven, but with the fighting so far away, the novel takes on a small, local feel.
I really enjoyed the setting and getting to know the residents of Ballyhaven—some good, others not so good, but most (with the exception of Finn, the novel's villain) fiercely loyal to one another. Village life was fascinating to me, and it was especially interesting to see how the Catholic faith wove into everyday life. In fact, I would probably enjoy a series of novels set in Ballyhaven. (Note: I was not expecting Catholicism to play such a major role in the story, though the setting probably should've given it away!)
I did feel that the novel moved rather slowly through the first half while Nan was hiding Dutch in her house. Once a few other people learned of his presence, the pace picked up a bit, and I was especially engaged during the last quarter of the novel.
However, for as much as I liked the characters, setting, and plot, there's one thing I didn't enjoy at all (and you're not going to believe this is coming from me): the romance. The novel is much more sensual than I was expecting. There's no sex, but there's a lot of talk about it. There's also a lot of focus on the male and female form and what characters are thinking (sexually) as they observe each other. Additionally, there's bawdy humor. But for all that, I didn't actually buy that the attraction between Nan and Dutch went beyond the physical. I couldn't feel the chemistry between them, though I was constantly expecting to turn the page and find them jumping into bed. (Fortunately, that never happened—but it always felt like it was just around the corner.)
In a general market novel, the aforementioned content would be minor. In fact, this would probably be classified as "sweet" from a sexual content-rating standpoint. But I felt it was inappropriate for a Christian novel—Grounded Hearts is published by Waterfall Press, Amazon's Christian imprint.
While I would recommend this book for its unique look at World War II, I think that many readers of Christian fiction will not appreciate the content. 3 stars.
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Jeanne M. Dickson was born into an Irish American family, the only girl surrounded by four brothers. She credits her mother, her aunts, and her grandmother with her love of storytelling. Perfecting her craft, she attends many writer's conferences and over the years, she has won and finaled in numerous RWA romance writing awards including the Daphne du Maurier Award, the Maggie Award, The Molly, The Tara, and she was the overall contest winner of Launching A Star. Today she lives in Coastal San Diego with her fabulous husband, her two wonderful girls, and a dozen disobedient rose bushes.
Find out more about Jeanne M. at http://www.jeannemdickson.com.
Find out more about Jeanne M. at http://www.jeannemdickson.com.
What do you get when you mix World War II, a brave midwife, a wounded pilot, and a risky secret? Jeanne M. Dickson's new historical fiction novel, Grounded Hearts. When midwife Nan O'Neil finds a wounded young Canadian pilot at her door, she knows she's taking a huge risk by letting him in. Still, something compels Nan to take in "flyboy" Dutch Whitney, an RAF pilot whose bomber has just crashed over County Clare. While she tends to his wounds and gives him a secret place of refuge, the two begin to form a mutual affection-and an unbreakable bond.
Join Jeanne in celebrating the release of her new book by entering to win the Celtic Knots Giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of Grounded Hearts
- A Claddagh bracelet
- A Claddagh jewelry box
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on July 31. The winner will be announced August 1 on the Litfuse blog.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher and Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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