A Fire Sparkling

Author: Julianne MacLean
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Amazon Publishing, 2019
Pages: 432
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: After a crushing betrayal by the man she loves, Gillian Gibbons flees to her family home for a much-needed escape,but when she finds and old photograph of her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, Gillian's life gets even more complicated. Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past.

1939. England is on the brink of war as Vivian Hughes falls in love with a handsome British official, but when bombs begin to fall and Vivian's happy life is destroyed in the blitz, she will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves. . .

As Gillian learns more about her grandmother's past, the old photo begins to make more sense. But for every question answered, a new one takes its place. Faced with a truth that is not at all what she expected, Gillian attempts to shine a light not only on the mysteries of her family's past but also on her own future.

Review: There was something about this book the drew me in immediately. I latched onto the story and didn't let go. I had sworn off World War II novels for awhile because it was starting to feel like that if you read one, you read them all. This was different.

I also felt the dual timeline worked for this novel. I still say it's an overdone literary device, but this author made it work.

I fall short of giving this a highly recommend rating simply because some parts were predictable, and it was light on historical fact. Yes the events in the novel actually happened, but that's where the "historical" ends. This is primarily a novel of fiction. Still a good read.