Review: Aiding the Enemy by Julie Rowe - Book Tour

Book three of War Girls

German-occupied Brussels, Belgium
December 1915

Rose Culver is in grave danger. For months the Red Cross head nurse has been aiding Allied soldiers caught behind enemy lines, helping them flee into neutral Netherlands. It's only a matter of time until she's caught. Which makes it the wrong time to fall in love with a handsome German military doctor as devoted to the sanctity of human life as she is.

The Great War has caused Dr. Herman Geoff to question everything he once believed. He knows Rose has been hiding British soldiers in her hospital—he's even treated some of them, refusing to go against his own Hippocratic oath. As a doctor, he admires Rose's skill and conviction. As a man, he can no longer deny his attraction to her. But when Rose is arrested for treason, Herman must choose between love for her and duty to his country...

For more tales of love and war, download Saving the Rifleman and Enticing the Spymaster, available now!

Publication Date: October 7, 2013
Carina Press
eBook
ASIN: B00E1UY67I

 Even though this is the third book in the War Girls Series, it works just fine as a stand alone.  I did read the first 2 books and enjoyed them, they aren't long, just over 100 pages each, plus they are more historical romance verses historical fiction. 

Though I am not a big fan of romance, I do have to say that I enjoyed reading all three books, but Aiding the Enemy would be my favorite. The author wrote in a way that I was able to connect with Rose, I could understand her need to help soldiers flee a country at war and as a nurse to help those suffering and care for their needs.  Briefly being introduced to Herman Geoff in the first book, it wasn't hard to see where he was coming from and feel his concerns and feeling for his country. The tough decisions he had to make while at the same time putting others at risk.

I think this book gave more details on the struggle and difficult's with getting out of the country and it added nicely to the story. 

For the size of this story I enjoyed it and think it was well written, though I do think that with a little more descriptions and historical facts that this would make a wonderful full length novel.

I am hoping that this series continues because I would like to know what happens to each of the couples. 
 

Monday, November 11
Review, Guest Post & Giveaway at Romantic Historical Reviews
Tuesday, November 12
Review at Just One More Chapter
Interview & Giveaway at Book-alicious Mama
Wednesday, November 13
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Thursday, November 14
Interview & Giveaway at Flashlight Commentary
Friday, November 15
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Guest Post & Giveaway at History Undressed

Julie Rowe’s first career as a medical lab technologist in Canada took her to the North West Territories and northern Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include medical details in her romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write about all her medical experiences because, “No one would believe them!”. In addition to writing contemporary and historical medical romance, and fun romantic suspense for Entangled Publishing and Carina Press, Julie has a short story in the Mammoth Book of ER Romance (releasing Sept 15, 2013). Her book SAVING THE RIFLEMAN (book #1 WAR GIRLS) won the novella category of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Her writing has also appeared in several magazines such as Romantic Times Magazine, Today’s Parent, and Romantic Times Magazine.

For more information please visit Julie Rowe's website.  You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.

Border Bride by Amanda Scott

Publication Date: March 26, 2013
Open Road Media
eBook; 344p
ASIN: B00BPJOBT6

Set in treacherous sixteenth-century Scotland, the first volume of Amanda Scott’s Border Trilogy tells the unforgettable story of a woman sworn to defy the knight she is forced to wed—only to discover a love she’ll do anything to claim

As Mary, Queen of Scots, languishes in the Tower of London as a prisoner of her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, war tears Scotland apart. To save her beloved homeland, a proud Highland beauty named Mary Kate MacPherson must wage her own battle when she’s forced into wedlock with a knight, Sir Adam Douglas, from the barbaric borderland of Tornary.

Even as she succumbs to her seductive husband’s sensual demands, Mary Kate vows never to give him her heart. She will belong to no man. But Adam burns with something deeper than desire. Sworn to carry out a long-awaited revenge, he won’t rest until he has vanquished his enemies. Accused of treason, the last thing he expects is to lose his heart to the woman he’s determined to tame but never to love: his own wife.

Here is a book that I really wanted to love.  When you read the cover it seems to have so much going for it.  Mary, Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth, accusations of treason, a dashing knight and a women forced into a marriage she doesn't want.  All the makings of a great story, but I have to say though that this story just fell flat for me.

How to say this without giving away the whole story is hard.  There were some things about this book that I found annoying.  The conflict between the queens is a very small part of this book, mentioned only a couple times.  Adam's relationship with his cousin was strange, especially for someone his age, I felt like I was reading about a couple teenagers, not mature adults.  I know women were abused by husbands in the 1500's, it was just part of life, but really a spanking?  That for some reason just seemed out of place.


I received my ebook copy from the publisher and can only hope that the grammar and punctuation is fixed up.  Many times I had to reread sentences and at times the dialogue was messed up because either quotation marks were missing or there were too many of them.  I found that rather distracting.

I did end up giving this book 3 stars because the author was able to grab my attention, I was genuinely interested to see what happened to this couple, the ending I thought was rather comical.  If historical romance is your thing, then you will most likely enjoy this book, for myself I like a little (ok a lot) more of the historical part.

For more information on Amanda Scott’s novels, please visit the official website.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule

Wednesday, April 3
Review at The Picky Girl Blog (Highland Fling)
Review at Books Like Breathing (Dangerous Illusions)
Thursday, April 4
Interview at A Bookish Libraria
Friday, April 5
Guest Post & Giveaway at In the Hammock Blog
Monday, April 8
Guest Post & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Tuesday, April 9
Review at Just One More Chapter (Border Bride)
Review at Overflowing Bookshelves (Highland Fling)
Interview at Tribute Books
Wednesday, April 10
Feature & Giveaway at A Writer’s Life: Working with the Muse
Thursday, April 11
Review at Overflowing Bookshelves (Border Bride)
Review at Flashlight Commentary (Dangerous Illusions)
Friday, April 12
Feature & Giveaway at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Monday, April 15
Review at Romantic Historical Lovers (Dangerous Illusions)
Guest Post & Giveaway at History Undressed
Tuesday, April 16
Review at Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind (Highland Fling)
Wednesday, April 17
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book! (Border Bride)
Review at The Musings of a Book Junkie (Dangerous Illusions)
Thursday, April 18
Review at Books Like Breathing (Highland Fling)
Review at Overflowing Bookshelves (Dangerous Illusions)
Friday, April 19
Review at A Chick Who Reads (Dangerous Illusions)
Review at Peeking Between the Pages (Border Bride)
Monday, April 22
Review at Peeking Between the Pages (Highland Fling)
Guest Post & Giveaway at Ramblings from a Chaotic Mind
Tuesday, April 23
Review at Flashlight Commentary (Border Bride)
Wednesday, April 24
Review & Giveaway at The Bookworm (Highland Fling)
Thursday, April 25
Review at Romantic Historical Lovers (Highland Fling)
Review at From the TBR Pile (Border Bride)
Friday, April 26
Guest Post at Flashlight Commentary
Interview at From the TBR Pile
Monday, April 29
Review at Books Like Breathing (Border Bride)
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book! (Dangerous Illusions)
Tuesday, April 30
Review at Romantic Historical Lovers (Border Bride)
Wednesday, May 1
Review at WTF Are you Reading (Highland Fling)
Interview at Bibliophilic Book Blog
Thursday, May 2
Review at WTF Are you Reading (Border Bride)
Interview & Giveaway at Ramblings of a Chaotic Mind
Friday, May 3
Review at Starting Fresh (Highland Fling)
Review at WTF Are you Reading (Dangerous Illusions)