When I won this book I was over the moon, but that quickly came crashing down when I realised that it was the fifth in a series. All motivation for reading went out the window. I was so sure I wouldn't enjoy it or understand any references that were sure to feature throughout the book.
So imagine my surprise when I not only liked reading it but found myself fully involved in the storyline. I was completely engrossed for hours when reading it. There were certain moments where I didn't feel like I understood the full scene, and a reader who had followed the series along would have, but they were few and far between.
The vibe of this book, and the characters, reminded me of Call the Midwife, which isn't a bad thing. I fell in love with Archie, I just thought he was wonderful and loved reading about his bomb disposal unit, and all the struggles that came with it, and the moment Cathy and Archie met outside the church, I was in love with them both. I shipped them so hard, it was such a cute relationship.
There is a big red flag with a random sexual assault that took place (around the 240-page mark) which I felt was written to draw Archie into a more protective role, and it just didn't sit right with me.
I will say the most interesting of all characters was Violet. I despised her, yet loved whenever a chapter had her involved. She was such an evil person that I felt nothing but hatred for the woman. She was so cruel to Cathy, and just got worse and worse as the book went on.
Personally, I found the book ended so conveniently. I just wasn't happy with how easy peasy it all seemed. After everything, it got wrapped up so neatly that it just bored me slightly. I wanted a bit more drama if I'm honest.
So imagine my surprise when I not only liked reading it but found myself fully involved in the storyline. I was completely engrossed for hours when reading it. There were certain moments where I didn't feel like I understood the full scene, and a reader who had followed the series along would have, but they were few and far between.
The vibe of this book, and the characters, reminded me of Call the Midwife, which isn't a bad thing. I fell in love with Archie, I just thought he was wonderful and loved reading about his bomb disposal unit, and all the struggles that came with it, and the moment Cathy and Archie met outside the church, I was in love with them both. I shipped them so hard, it was such a cute relationship.
There is a big red flag with a random sexual assault that took place (around the 240-page mark) which I felt was written to draw Archie into a more protective role, and it just didn't sit right with me.
I will say the most interesting of all characters was Violet. I despised her, yet loved whenever a chapter had her involved. She was such an evil person that I felt nothing but hatred for the woman. She was so cruel to Cathy, and just got worse and worse as the book went on.
Personally, I found the book ended so conveniently. I just wasn't happy with how easy peasy it all seemed. After everything, it got wrapped up so neatly that it just bored me slightly. I wanted a bit more drama if I'm honest.