The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel: Flying with the SwallowsVolume One By Cat Gardiner
Cat Gardiner loves romance and happy endings history and comedy A member of the esteemed National League of American Pen Women she enjoys writing across the spectrum of the romance genre from Contemporary to Chick Lit Romantic Comedy 20th Century Historical Fiction and Pride and Prejudice inspired Apart from her husband her greatest passion is writing Historical Fiction WWII era Her debut novel in this genre A Moment Forever was a 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award Romance Finalist Flying with the Swallows WWII Historical Fiction Romance released on April 2 2024 Readers can find the riveting duology on in Kindle Unlimited and paperback. NOW AVAILABLE NEW RELEASE FLYING WITH THE SWALLOWS duology The Lisbon Aff Cat Gardiner loves romance and happy endings history and comedy A member of the esteemed National League of American Pen Women she enjoys writing across the spectrum of the romance genre from Contemporary to Chick Lit Romantic Comedy 20th Century Historical Fiction and Pride and Prejudice inspired Apart from her husband her greatest passion is writing Historical Fiction WWII era Her debut novel in this genre A Moment Forever was a 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Award Romance Finalist Flying with the Swallows WWII Historical Fiction Romance released on April 2 2024 Readers can find the riveting duology on in Kindle Unlimited and paperback. NOW AVAILABLE NEW RELEASE FLYING WITH THE SWALLOWS duology The Lisbon Affair Volume OneRendezvous in Berlin Volume TwoWW2 Historical Fiction Romance Saga An Unforgettable Journey Available in KindleUnlimited Between writing and WWII home front re enacting Cat takes her readers on a swell 1940s journey at The 1940s Experience blog and gallery at cgardiner1940s. com DenialofConscience site_link site_link author catgardiner site_link Cat Gardiner is one of the most prolific and brilliant historic authors of our generation Her research love and understanding of the WWII era is amazing This story actually begins in the 1930s at Vassar where our Best Society gal Evelyn Evie Rousseau attended as one of the smartest debutantes of New York with her grace beauty and speaking several languages Evie has a mother who is cold and unfeeling towards her daughter When she leaves Vassar at the bequest of the Queen we learn the true life of what this young woman has been through and what she is expected to do Evie loved working on articles for the Vassar newspaper At Vassar she learned freedom of spirit and life far from Best Society s expectations Shortly after leaving Vassar she was married but did not want to be JUST a socialite wife She secretly started writing society articles for a New York paper After losing her husband in 1943 during his war efforts on a ship she returned to the newspaper and was greatly liked by her editor Hank Drucker. Her journey to Lisbon begins here With appealing to Mr Drucker about interviewing people affected by the war and Mr Drucker s request for her to sail to Lisbon to interview the ex King of Romania and to find his Jewish Drucker family who had gone missing somewhere in LisbonEvie sets sail. Her exciting journey starts on the ship as she hobnobs with key players in the war She meets Gen Wegener in Lisbon and becomes acquainted with Carl the enigmatic Swing Band clarinetist on the ship one who has secrets. This is an exciting end of your seat reading It is exquisitely written with such details you can actually feel the tension the emotions and the exhilarations of Evie as she walks through this book I cannot wait for Rendezvous in Berlin to follow Evie further into her adventure The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel Flying with the SwallowsVolume One Evie Somerset is a newspaper reporter She is sent to Portugal to interview Elena Lupescu who is the mistress of King Carol II of Romania She is also given a secret mission to rescue her boss s Jewish relatives who are stranded in Portugal Along the way to Portugal Evie meets the handsome and enigmatic musician named Carol Wilson Together they were to help make her secret mission successful Through Carol Wilson Evie eventually becomes a secret agent for the British government I really like Evie Evie was a former socialite After she became a widow Evie decided to work as a journalist in the women s pages Evie is very intelligent hardworking and kind I love how compassionate she is to others It is because of her compassion that she becomes a secret agent Therefore Evie is a very likable protagonist I also love her relationship with Carol Wilson Both of them are very similar At first they distrust each other but slowly they gain each other s trust Thus they made a wonderful couple Overall this book is about secrets love and justice I found all the characters to be very likable My favorite was Elena Lupescu I wish she was in the book I did think that The Lisbon Affair was rushed at times especially the ending Nevertheless it was a very fast paced read It had glamour suspense and a dash of action There was never a dull moment in The Lisbon Affair I can t wait to read the sequel Rendezvous in Berlin I recommend this for fans of The Librarian Spy Goodnight from Paris and The Invisible Woman Note I read an ARC copy of this book in courtesy of the author All opinions expressed are my own The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel Flying with the SwallowsVolume One If interested in romance and intrigue in the World War II era this book is for you Evie is a New York socialite widow who is dissatisfied with her life Her family has other ideas of what she should do while still mourning her husband Evie is very displeased with this idea and seeks out her old newspaper boss He sends her to Lisbon Portugal on the two missions that will make her career One is public and the other private She meets several men as she travels via ship to Lisbon Portugal They will change her life in many unforeseen ways She accidentally stumbles onto intrigue Once in Lisbon this intrigue grows into a life changing event that will affect the rest of her life. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel Flying with the SwallowsVolume One 
An unforgettable reading experience about one woman s brave determination to prove she is than a do nothing aristocrat and in her journey of self discovery and sacrifice finds a second chance at true unconditional love Epic adventure and romance Strong female heroine New York City 1943 War widow and Best Society s darling Mrs Evelyn Evie Rousseau Somerset is five months into mourning her husband s death when her family insists on an untenable plan for her future Desolate and disenchanted with life she s determined to remake herself and prove she s something than a useless socialite regardless of what her senator brother and domineering mother demand of her A previous clandestine job at a newspaper provides the escape she s looking a trip to Lisbon the spy capital of the world to use her money and connections to rescue a family of German Jews stranded in neutral Portugal While crossing the Atlantic to Lisbon she meets handsome and enigmatic Carl Wilson a cocksure ill mannered American musician with an agenda and secrets of his own Armed only with sophistication and moxie Evelyn reluctantly welcomes Carl s invitation to a new world one that ultimately lands her as a secret agent for His Majesty s government mature content The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel Flying with the SwallowsVolume OneFirst of all I want to thank Cat Gardiner whom I had the pleasure of meeting during a World War II event last September for inviting me to explore her ARC of The Lisbon Affair This is the first volume in her Flying with the Swallows duology In this premiere installment Gardiner takes her readers on a World War II adventure full of well researched events effortlessly infused with colorful characters and a gripping storyline complete with romance and intrigue In Evelyn Evie Rousseau Somerset we find a woman who struggles to find satisfaction within the expectations of her high society upbringing After the loss of her husband from an arranged marriage and desperate to escape the confines of wealth and class as defined by her controlling mother and politician brother Evie embarks on a dangerous quest to establish herself as a bona fide reporter and to carry out a request made by her would be editor Along the way she becomes involved with musician Carl Wilson Their time together leads to a shift in perspective about the war and her role in it as well as the discovery of the true love she s always been missing Evie s journey of growth and self discovery makes her a memorable protagonist and we can t help but find ourselves rooting for the end of the war and a happily ever after for Evie and her musician I look forward to the second installment in this series Rendezvous in Berlin The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel Flying with the SwallowsVolume One Flying with the Swallows Volume OneI was honoured to receive an extra early ARC of Cat Gardiner s eagerly anticipated two volume World War II story Flying with the Swallows and I am pleased to offer my voluntary review Book One The Lisbon AffairThis World War II historical fiction romance introduces Evelyn Evie Rousseau Somerset fairly sheltered daughter of a cruel Best Society mother sister to a US senator war widow at twenty four She is Vassar educated multilingual loves music and is an accomplished pianist. While still in mourning merely months after her late husband s ship was lost in battle in the South Pacific her brother pressures her to return to living with her mother as a companion and re enter society Having escaped her mother s abuse by getting married and tasting freedom at this moment she values that independence above all else Standing up to her brother she has decided to maintain it and remain on her own in her luxury apartment at The Dakota in New York City choosing to return to writing a column for a New York newspaper Her editor has other ideas and begs her help by using her wealth and position in society to find Jewish members of his Drucker family relations trapped in Portugal who have no way of obtaining the necessary paperwork to flee to America With a promise of advancing her career as a journalist in return she accepts Little does she know she is about to embark on the greatest most intriguing adventure of her life. On the ship to Portugal Evie s attention is captured by the handsome looks and charming demeanor of former music teacher Carl Wilson now a clarinetist in the ship s orchestra all true but there s to him he can t share These two very likable characters each have their personal secrets and phobias and their respective actions on ship make them suspicious of the other Beginning to fall for each other neither is ready to expose their true identity and purpose However during her efforts to find the Drucker family and navigate her way to them Evie finds she could use a little help Fearing for her safety Carl offers his aid he knows people This assistance comes at a cost to them both Rendezvous in Berlin. Mature content The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel Flying with the SwallowsVolume One It has everything you could want in a novel Slow burn romance mystery interesting locales and page turning excitement Cat T Gardiner does her research and she really takes you to WWII In this first book of the duology you go through the growth of our heroine Evie I m ready for book 2 to enjoy Evie s further adventures and growth. I received an ARC with no expectation of review The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel Flying with the SwallowsVolume One 5 stars Ms Gardiner s affinity for the WWII era is evident on every page of this complex riveting novel The Prologue starts us off in 1939 when Evie Rousseau has just graduated from Vassar These have been the happiest four years of her life away from her critical and overbearing mother Queen Louise Evie dreads rejoining her High Society family but believes that when she marries Richard Somerset the son of a British baron he will protect her from their smothering influence and allow her to soar. Chapter One jumps forward to 1943 and we learn Evie was widowed five months ago Her opulent New York City apartment overlooks Central Park but it doesn t mean much to her without her husband They had too little time together before he enlisted at a time when it seemed unlikely that the U. S Senator visits he urges her to leave the apartment full of memories and move in with their mother After all without a husband a young sheltered woman like Evie needs someone to care for her She was groomed to be a socialite and Albert and Queen Louise have deemed that she s mourned long enough and must re enter High Society. Her brother s condescension lights a spark in the red headed Evie who has kept a secret from her family when her husband went off to war she started writing a society gossip column for the New York Daily Spectator under an assumed name She doesn t want to resume the society column but instead asks the newspaper s editor Hank Drucker to let her do investigative reporting As it happens Mr Drucker has the perfect assignment for her but she must agree to go to Lisbon Her sophistication social position and ability to speak several languages uniquely qualify her to succeed in getting close enough to interview the mistress of the former king of Romania a hot news story at the moment In addition Mr Drucker asks for what may be an impossible personal favor His Jewish relatives escaped from Germany into Lisbon but now it seems likely that Hitler will invade Portugal and they don t have the means to get out of the country without help Evie agrees she will try to find them and get them to the U. Consequently she flings herself into situations where her courage and instincts are frequently tested starting aboard the ocean liner crossing the Atlantic She finds herself drawn to one of the musicians on board Carl Wilson despite or perhaps partially because of his street smart manners But there are dangerous people on the ship and she s not certain that Carl is trustworthy At this point in the book the point of view starts alternating between Evie and Carl and the plot s pace gets even quicker In Portugal the peril to anyone of Jewish descent becomes and palpable as Evie searches for Drucker s family and learns the chilling truth about what bigotry has done to this part of Europe. I can t overstate the excellence of both story and storytelling Lots of impressive little details transport the reader back in time saddle shoes and checkered cabs to swing band music and 40s lingo From the time Evie boards the ship the book evokes a tense Casablanca like atmosphere All the characters are vividly drawn Romance is nicely incorporated into the plot without feeling forced Although there is a second book to this series this is a stand alone story no cliffhanger There is some Mature Adult content Highly recommend I received a free copy from the author and am voluntarily leaving a review The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel Flying with the SwallowsVolume One An American socialite recently widowed by the war is determined not to stifle under family duty and expectations but soar A newspaper assignment a special mission a sea voyage a charismatic clarinet player a city full of international intrigue and nobody being exactly who they say they are had me hooked The Lisbon Affair Cat Gardiner s latest WWII fiction effort promised big and was a stupendous hit. The Lisbon Affair is the first half of a duology that takes place during WWII Most of the narration is from young glamorous but relatively na ve widow Evie Somerset Evie grew up under the stifling and rigid rules of her mother who was all about family wealth and pedigree showing well before their equals in NYC society Evie escaped to a certain extent through marriage but so through her secretive job as a newspaper women s feature journalist. But her life changes when her husband s navy ship goes down Evie won t go back to her mother or follow her powerful senator brother s demands She blazes her own path by demanding her newspaper editor give her a big assignment He comes through with an exclusive interview with the former King of Romania s mistress The catch is the interview must be chased down in Lisbon and he begs her to do a side task of finding and spiriting out of Portugal his Jewish relations who escaped Germany but now are stuck. The Lisbon Affair was layered with colorful and accurate historical background vibrant period dialogue music and characters and of course at the heart of it all was the story of a woman coming into her own and a suspenseful spy caper with a sizzling low burn romance Evie captured my interest from the start as did that charmer Carl I ve always wanted stories like Casablanca and got one served up on a silver platter. Cat Gardiner has a gift for keeping the story in the lighter tones while writing about dark days and desperation I appreciate how emotionally engaging this story was without getting overly dramatic Evie has a huge learning curve to beat but the woman reaches deep Her high society education and polish served her well as did her command of languages but her guts served her best when she tangled with a crossroads of international espionage and power there in LisbonThe Lisbon Affair ended on a high note but showed where Evie will go next and I for one can t wait to get my passport stamped and tag along on her journey I ll be hearing swing music and thinking Portuguese poetry for a bit Fans of light WWII spy romances should definitely add The Lisbon Affair to their reading stacks: I highly encourage you to read this story which is a fast paced adventure It is a two book series so several afternoons with tea will be necessary I greatly enjoyed them. S would enter the war overseas but then Pearl Harbor happened and now he s dead When Evie s brother Albert a U. I rec d an eARC from the author to read in exchange for an honest review. 24 The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel Flying with the SwallowsVolume One
| The Lisbon AffairAn unforgettable WW2 novel: Flying with the SwallowsVolume One By Cat Gardiner |
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| Kindle Edition |
However.comConnect with Cat here cgardiner1940s.com site_link facebook.com cat.t.gardiner site_link facebook.S.My full review will post at The Reading Frenzy 4.11