Everett Anderson in a Hollywood movie star but joins the air force in WW2. In Hawaii he meets trainee nurse Elizabeth who also happens to be the daughter of a prominent milaitary man. They keep their romance a secret and are considering the future when the attack on Pearl Harbor changes their lives forever…
The Lieutenant’s Girl is a dual timeline historical novel set in 1941 and the present day. Elizabeth now suffers from short term memory problems. However, her memories of the war are as sharp as ever. She begins to recount her past and we step into her memory of love and loss.
Lizzie is our narrator and this wonderfully brings her experiences and emotions to life. She has been supporting her family on the domestic front since the death of her mother but is now ready to follow her own dreams. Her father has told her to stay away from the men at the base so she keeps her fledgling relationship with Everett a secret.
The unexpected attack on Pearl Harbor is graphically described and the horror of war is evident. However the bravery of the characters shines from the pages and I was torn between fear and pride as the plot developed.
I loved the depiction of Elizabeth in the present day. It felt really refreshing to have an older person portrayed so vividly. She is vulnerable as she experiences the deterioration of age but the strength of her passion and resolve are undiminished.
The Lieutenant’s Girl brings the 1940s to life with a beautiful historical romance.
Pearl Harbor, 1941. War planes hurtle across the horizon, skimming the clouds. Gunpowder fills the air as the earth shatters. Everett’s hands cup my cheeks. “If I lose you, Elizabeth, please know that the time I’ve spent with you has been worth every second I’ve been alive.”
On the fateful day that sirens rend the air and warplanes fly over the harbor, Elizabeth and Everett had sneaked away to whisper sweet nothings to each other. As bombs rain down, they cling to each other, the ground shaking and smoke suffocating them. Miraculously, they survive—but their world is ripped apart. The beautiful island, where the turquoise ocean once lapped the golden sand, is destroyed.
Over a sweltering summer, the couple had fallen madly in love. Elizabeth was in awe of Everett’s sacrifices for the Air Force, and Everett adored strong-willed Elizabeth, a Jewish girl who defied her father’s wishes for a sheltered life by training to be a nurse.
But tragedy changes everything. Although they are hopelessly devoted to one another, they vow to serve their country. Elizabeth joins the Army Nurse Corps in Europe and Everett flies across the world chasing down the enemy. With a tearful goodbye, they promise to write.
When Everett’s letters stop arriving, heartbroken Elizabeth fears the worst. Will she ever see the love of her life again? And what chance does she have of surviving Europe, where Hitler’s tyrannical rule places her in grave danger?
Fans of The Girls of Pearl Harbor, The Alice Network and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will be utterly addicted to this unputdownable tear-jerker about the heartbreaking reality of war and the power of love to overcome all.
Author Bio
Shari J. Ryan is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Women’s Fiction, WWII Fiction, and 20th Century Historical Fiction with a focus on the Holocaust and Pearl Harbor.
Shortly after graduation from Johnson & Wales with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Shari began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer. She then found her passion for writing books in 2012 after her second son was born. Shari has been slaying words ever since.
With two Rone Awards and over 125k books sold, Shari has hit the USA Today Bestseller List, the Amazon’s Top 100, Barnes & Noble’s Top Ten, and iBooks at number one. Some of Shari’s bestselling books include Last Words, The Other Blue Sky, Unspoken Words and A Heart of Time.
Shari, a lifelong Boston girl, is happily married to her personal hero and US Marine and have two wonderful little boys. For more details about her books, visit: www.sharijryan.com
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