acts-of-love-and-warBook synopsis “1936. Civil war in Spain. A world on the brink of chaos. 21-year-old Lucy feels content with her life in Hertfordshire – not least because she lives next door to Tom and Jamie, two very different brothers for whom she has equally great affection.
But her comfortable life is turned upside down when Tom decides he must travel to Spain to fight in the bloody Spanish Civil War. He is quickly followed by Jamie who, much to Lucy’s despair, is supporting General Franco.
To the dismay of her irascible father, Lucy decides that the only way to bring her boys back safely is to travel to Spain herself to persuade them to come home.
Yet when she sees the horrific effects of the war, she quickly becomes immersed in the lifesaving work the Quakers are doing to help the civilian population, many of whom are refugees.
As the war progresses and the situation becomes increasingly perilous, Lucy realises that the challenge going forward is not so much which brother she will end up with, but whether any of them will survive the carnage long enough to decide . . .“

My Review

This was a wonderful historical fiction set during the Spanish Civil, by a new to me author, Maggie Brookes.

I do love historical fiction, especially when I don’t know much about the setting. I’ve only read one book set during the Spanish Civil War, so I was eager to read this and it did not disappoint at all. I was hooked right from the first page and enjoyed every single minute.

I loved the main character Lucy, and could understand her frustration about her home situation, and the reason why she went off to Spain to bring the brothers back. She was very brave, but also a little naive to think she could bring them home. The romance was complicated but good, and I could understand why she felt the way she did about both Jamie and Tom. 

I was fascinated with the situation in Spain and how the two brothers were facing it, and how Lucy got stuck in to helping the refugees. I felt like I was there with her and the other characters trying to help. I particularly liked the information about the children’s homes and the printing presses, really fascinating. the author’s note at the end of the book was illuminating, definitely worth reading.

Highly recommended if you enjoy historical fiction.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Cornerstone for my digital copy