Anne Lovett

This is a coming of age story, set in the final years of WWII, Mae Lee an eight year growing up in rural Georgia is the narrator.

Curious Mae Lee is constantly eaves dropping on the conversations of her older sister Ava, her father Chap and anyone who may have some secret to tell. "Maise Flynn, girl reporter would get no stories if she were not nosy, Nancy Drew would solve no mysterys."

As the story unfolds, and Mae Lee grows up we are taken through her life. Through the early death of parents, as she is taken in by the sister she never understood and never really liked. Ava treats her more like hired help, and Mae Lee becomes resentful of the sister who is prettier and has the husband Mae Lee has had a crush on since she was a little girl.

The depth of the book sends the message of family. How no matter what we suffer from our siblings, we always seem to care and try to protect them. Unfortunately, I thought the author dragged out the story for too long. If the she would have summed up the ending in 100 less page, I may have liked it a bit more. For a debut, it was a good first effort.… (més)

I really wanted to read this, it finially downloaded to KINDLE and I couldn't put it down.

Adult, not too graphic, deals with difficult situations, well developed characters, a thoroughly good read.

Highly recommended.

FROM AMAZON: Georgia, 1941. Mae Lee Willis may only be eight years old, but she has her heart set on her older sister’s boyfriend. Frustrated by her sibling’s infidelity to the dashing paratrooper, she takes matters into her own hands. But the little girl never expected spilling the beans would have fatal consequences…

When the long-forbidden apple of Mae Lee’s eye returns years later damaged in mind and body from his battles in Burma, she can’t shake her naïve longing. But when a sudden tragedy commits her to her sister’s care, the heartsick teen is forced to face the brutal fragility of family bonds and selfless sacrifice.

Will Mae Lee’s WWII flame be smothered by reality?

Rubies from Burma is a captivating standalone coming-of-age story. If you like wartime novels, tumultuous relationships, and relatable small-town characters, then you’ll adore Anne Lovett’s enthralling page-turner. A world at war. Romantic tension. A forlorn girl determined to win over a man she cannot have.

https://www.librarything.com/work/19058205/edit/202047311… (més)

REVIEW: Sunny’s acting skills are put to the test as she pretends to be a long-lost cousin in a high society family. She was hired to provide nursing care as well as protection for a feisty matron of the old South. Suspicious accidents, money grubbing relatives, and a handsome, reclusive widower are cleverly woven into the plot. Well-developed characters and believable interpersonal dynamics make for an entertaining read. I am voluntarily reviewing an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: Nurse Sunny Iles, whose ex-husband died leaving her to bring up her disabled daughter alone, thinks she’s found a handsome prince. She hopes he’ll give her a Cinderella life far from her troubled childhood. But when she finds out he’s a wolf, she flees to a job with a grande dame in an elegant old Atlanta neighborhood. Sunny finds that the feisty lady is in danger from a relative who wants to take over the family’s unspoiled island off the coast of Georgia. The woman ruthlessly attempts to stage an “accident” that would cause Miss Lillian’s death.

Sunny fights to keep Miss Lillian safe from the would-be murderess. But when Sunny’s job takes her to Issatee Island with Miss Lillian, the island naturalist she meets is anything but a prince. He’s a loner who can’t get over his wife’s death. Unfortunately, the island’s magic and moonlight weave a spell on the two—a spell they feel they must break. They have to work together, though, one last time to defeat the killer, and Sunny must face her two greatest fears.… (més)