A great book really enjoyed the story and read it in 2 sittings.. I am looking forward to more publications from Lorna.

This book started really well. It was filled with suspense right from the offset. Kate Ward is a widow whose ex husband has supposedly committed suicide but she grow suspicious about the sudden appearance of two heavies Reed and Clarke, an appearance which coincides with her ex husband's suicide. Through a number of locations she meets a variety of strange and unsavoury characters. We great insight into life in post war England through Kate's eyes, this story being told in the first person. It was really informative and entertaining too. I give this read 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ecopy for my Kindle.
I enjoy reading historical fiction, but this one was a combination of historical fiction and romance. The "who done it" concerning the murders and stolen items made the book interesting, so it was just o.k. for me

I really enjoyed the intricate plot of this book. Right from the start I was drawn in through the suspicious circumstances placed around the characters and the real battle of feelings.
The scene is set so well and Aberystwyth 1947 becomes a place I can visualise without ever having visited. The rollercoaster ride of ups and downs and twists and turns accumulated in a satisfactory ending to a book I enjoyed very much.
My thanks go to the author, publisher and Netgalley in providing a arc in return for my honest review.

I was drawn to this book by its location, Aberystwyth in Wales and I just love anything set around WW2. Kate goes to the seaside town because her ex-husband had recently ended his own life there. She feels that she is being followed and that her life is in danger. At the hotel where she is staying, she meets a charming author who shows interest in Kate but she feels that she can trust no-one. The book is narrated by Kate, a woman on the verge of a breakdown, so the content was a little confusing at times, to portray the mental angst that she was going through. The book is different from the usual post-war stories I tend to go for. The author keeps the reader in suspense throughout and the characters are described extremely vividly, but I do feel that parts of the book were slow paced.

The book gripped me from the first page and I loved reading it. One of my favourite books so far and I intend to re-read it at some point in the future..

Well, what can I say about this? What a corker!! It really is an incredible read, this is the first book I have read by Lorna Gray and it definitely will not be the last. I will admit that I am a fan of war era romances and I have read a lot of them but there is something very special about this book. This book is right up there with the best I have read right alongside the likes of Pam Jenoff and Kate Mosse.

Set just after the war in 1947, After Kate Ward’s ex-husband committed suicide she found herself being nearly kidnapped, injured and then followed by two unknown thug’s who are wanting answers to questions that she doesn’t know, she doesn’t understand the questions or why these people would be after her. She flees her home in Lancaster to Wales where she stays in the Aberystwyth Hotel, in the very same area where her ex-husband had spent the last of his days. She hopes that she can try to figure out what is going on and why she is being followed, but those answers aren’t coming as she thought as she finds herself under the gaze of the other hotel guest’s who see her as an unhinged, paranoid and grieving woman who by all accounts could be suffering from her own mental break down.

No one believes that she is in as much danger as she states, she is fearful and alone with terrifying events that even start clouded her own judgment. She can’t trust no one and yet she can’t seem to find the answers she needs. She eventually finds an ally in the form of elusive veteran come crime writer Adam Hitchman who is in Aberystwyth doing research.

Along with Adam, Kate takes off a journey to find the truth and discover why her life is in danger and who is behind it, along the way they keep bumping into the mysterious Jim Bristol who keep’s turning up along the way. But is he more than he appears to be? As they become embroiled in a dark and dangerous, life or death game of cat and mouse, Kate and Adam become closer until a romance develops between this unlikely couple.

This is written I first person you see the story unfold though Kate’s eyes, you feel her troubles her fears her few joys and this creates a connection to her that you very rarely get in other books. I know a lot of readers don’t like first person books, but this is a must read it is stunningly beautiful book, it really is too good to be true. Ms Gray has done an astounding job at conveying Kate’s circumstances and her fragile frame of mind, her confusion, unease and fear is palpable from that first page. Kate has a complexity and honest vulnerability about her that is engaging to the reader, even when there is lightness like when she is reading Jane Eyre in the hotel there is raw edginess to her that draws you in.
It is a timeless and thought-provoking story that gripped you from the onset and doesn’t let you go, with characters are intriguing and strong each one is precise and consistent stories of their own that runs throughout to keep you engaged.

Absolutely incredible

The War Widow,  Lorna Gray

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

WW2 isn't my favourite time setting for reading, but the amazon sample of this intrigued me, very mysterious, had me wanting to know what happens next.
Sadly I carried on wanting to know what came next, as for most of the book it seemed to me to be hinting at various events and revelations that didn't come out until the very end, and even then I'm still unsure of just how all the connections tied in.
Its – for me, not for everyone clearly – a novel that was well written, had a fabulous use of language and yet was incredibly confusing. For much of the novel we know that Kate has experienced so many bad things, its her voice telling the story, but then the hints are there that maybe its all in her head, trauma from the suicide of her ex husband, trauma from the accident she head, so what she tells us may just be what she believes and not what actually happened.
I didn't really like her, but of course she's very true to the time, recent history it maybe but still a period when Men Ruled, and the ladies were expected to defer always.
I did like Adam, though sometimes he appeared brusque.
The other hotel residents were a mixed bunch and I just loved the way Mary's sister was so determined to see Mary in the running for Adam's affections, and the way she tried to discredit Kate constantly.
Overall it was an OK read, I did keep putting it aside as I was so confused at what was happening and incredibly frustrated not to know what was the big secret, what the guys after her wanted, what the police were really doing etc. It works perfectly that way for many readers, thus the five stars of course, but we're all different and it didn't suit me.
It does all tie up neatly, though even then the bluffs and obfuscation and constantly in presence, and getting to the end I had to re-read some parts to see exactly what had happened. I still can't say I fully followed all of it :-)

 Stars: Three, its not a story I'd reread, and one I did struggle with, but that's more a case of me not the book. Not all books suit all readers, that doesn't make them bad books, just ones that will be loved by some and disregarded by others.
ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

I really loved this book! Excellent story with brilliant main characters. I would recommend this book.

This book took me a long while to read, partly due to me putting it down to prioritise other books and partly because I really wasn't feeling this book for the majority of it. I requested an ARC as I have a (slightly odd) fascination with WWII and the attitudes of the people for around two decades after the fact, which leads to me wanting to read absolutely anything set within this rather large time period.

The premise sounded interesting, a woman struggling to understand the apparent suicide of her ex-husband and the men who have suddenly followed her on her trip from Lancaster to Aberystwyth. Sadly, the execution of this book lets down the plot in my opinion. The first two-thirds of this book is mainly focused on what seems to be a continuous mental breakdown of Kate with small interludes of sanity and romance. Understandably, the book has to be set up, however, it felt like far too long was spent on this section of the book where everybody seems to be confused and nobody understands the series of events.

Eventually, we reach the last third of the book where things start to fall into place and explanations start to be forthcoming. Even within this section Gray attempts to keep the mystery until the very end, poorly, with lots of confusion and badly explained plot developments which don't become much clearer even after re-reading a couple times. This book really does seem to suffer from the writing not being quite where it should be in order to capture the reader, and I often got bored in the middle of chapters and had to force myself to the end of them (although the last 5-10 chapters were much better).

Although I have said a lot of negatives about this book, one positive I feel I should point out is that Gray really knows how to write characters which the reader will be able to fully flesh out in their minds. I absolutely love Kate, and I enjoyed seeing how the other characters (who were all suspicious at one point or another) start to develop, both on their own and within Kate's point of view as they learn more about this turn of events.

This isn't a book I'd read again, as it seems a little jumbled and all over the place. But there is a chance that's just me so maybe I'll give it another shot sometime. Thank you to NetGalley for a free eCopy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

This wasn't what I expected and not really the genre I normally read. I was very surprised and it certainly kept me reading.

This story isn't the traditional World War 2 or post-war story. It's a mystery with elements of a psychological thriller set in post-war Wales and England. The central theme of the story is Kate's journey of self-discovery. After years of having her self-esteem eroded, facing extreme danger, hardship and loneliness force her to acknowledge her real worth.
There is a clever mystery to solve and carefully built suspense, in this twisty plot, which is a little slow paced in parts. Character-driven this story has a complex protagonist who feels utterly alone, yet this doesn't quell her survival instinct, and she continually faces her demons and forces her adversaries to meet her head on. The cast of characters are not easy to empathise with, but they are beautifully intricate and seen through Kate's eyes many take on sinister characteristics. The reader is left wondering whether the threat she perceives is real or paranoia.
The story has various settings, all of which are vividly described with just the right amount of historical detail to make the period setting realistic.
An original, authentic period mystery that keeps you guessing, with a strong female protagonist who is easy to empathise.
I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

An interesting and well written crime thriller that is full of vivid descriptions of the settings that would make it feel like you are there. A good read.

Set in Wales, 1947, the story opens with protagonist Kate Ward, a divorcee who decides to visit the place where her ex-husband Rhys Williams apparently died but his body wasn’t found.

I wanted to like this book; the synopsis sounded promising to me. It seemed to have potential but overall it was bogged by overly descriptive prose. Everything was so long-winded. It just couldn’t hold my attention.

One thing I like about the heroine is that she speaks her mind whenever she can. Her inner monologues kept me going throughout (I loved that bit) while interactions and banter with the reserved Adam Hitchen was one of the major plus points. It was amusing to see how both of them chooses to disclose half-truths to one another.

It seemed to me that this novel was written in the style of the period in which it was set, that is just after the end of WW2. This is one of those psychological thrillers written from the viewpoint of a slightly dubious witness so that you are always wondering if you are hearing the complete truth. There are some interesting characters and the settings are lovingly described. After a slow start there is a relentless build to an action packed climax. Enjoyable.

Don’t disregard this book too easily, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Firstly, Kate Ward, the protagonist of this twisted story, is anything but a war widow, to start with the title of this novel. She’s a divorcee and her late ex-husband, apparently commits suicide two years after his return from war where he had gone to take pictures of its horrors (for artistic purposes) and not to fight. She soon discovers there is a link between her ex-husband sudden demise and the appearance of the two thugs, Clarke and Reed, hustling and chasing her from her new house and life in Lancaster to Aberystwyth and finally to Cirencester, but she’s not able to grasp it yet.
The story starts with her stay at the hotel in Aberystwyth, rapidly going through her ration cards. There are other colourful guests at the hotel, none of them friendly or trustworthy, deepening her feelings of alienation and powerlessness. Nobody believes her claim to be followed or that she didn’t try to commit suicide when she had an accident, she is perceived as a hysterical, paranoid and unstable woman. This opens older wounds, reminding her why she didn’t stay in a marriage where she was expected to yield to every whim of her husband, to abandon her own artistic life for that of his. Finally, when she is at the end of her strength and wits, hunted down like an animal, Adam Hitchen, a writer doing research in the area, reluctantly gives her a hand, while, at the same time, following the instructions of the undercover policeman, Jim Bristol, another guest of the hotel.
The last part of her ordeal, in which she takes part willy-nilly in exposing and capturing an art thief/ benefactor, is as disempowering as any other situation she has faced the last few days, and managing to survive it all is quite restorative and rewarding. In addition, she acknowledges the fact that the last days’ events deepened her feelings towards Adam, and freely declares them.
Secondly, the story is well written, the scenes are well staged. The author takes her time in vividly describing the setting (the waterfall, the ruins of a castle), light effects, and so many other details that enrich the storyline and make it more realistic and plausible.