Where the Sky Begins is a wonderful story of a young lady who embarks on a journey of self-discovery in WWII England. She is forced to leave London as an evacuee after having been bombed and finds a different life in the British countryside. She finds purpose in serving others in her community and eventually finds a new life far away from the horrors of the London Blitz. Rich with historical detail, readers will appreciate the little details of how the war affected life on the home front. With a little bit of mystery and romance, I found this to be an entertaining read.


***I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this. Josie showed great spunk and kindness.
Reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

I absolutely love the Royal Spyness series, but Bowen’s stand-alone books don’t have the same appeal for me. This novel was fine, but just not as much fun as Georgie’s adventures.

Loved this book, was surprised to read the hospital Royal Herbert as I trained as a nurse at the Brook hospital next door. The characters were wonderful and came alive. Hurry up and write the next book

Didn’t like this story certain parts dragged on making it hard to focus. There was t much plot line and I lost interest half way through and didn’t finish the story

Plot:
* Set in London and the English countryside
* One woman’s bravery and courage put to the test
* A story of loss, danger, love, and second chances
* WWII historical fiction


My Thoughts:

This was such a well-written and compelling historical fiction read. I absolutely love Rhys Bowen’s writing and this was yet another knockout read by this author. I truly couldn’t put this gripping and emotion book down! I absolutely fell in love with Josie’s character here and was inspired by her strength snd resilience amidst trials. Another highlight for me was the way the setting came to life here on the pages as well and made for an atmospheric read that painted vivid images in my mind. It added so much to the story, which in and of itself was paced beautifully and wound up so well. There was a lot I walked away with and much I learned here about this time in history, which to me is always the mark of an excellent read. With elements of romance and even some mystery, this book really had it all. It’s surely one I won’t forget my time with anytime soon. What a wonderful read!

Many thanks to Lake Union and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy!

Josie is such a brave woman! The things she goes through are inimaginable but they're the stories of a lot of people from those cruel times. It had the right amount of history and fiction and I loved the amazing adventure of the characters.

I love this Josie Banks character. Such a wonderful attitude despite her setbacks. The story took some twists and turns, but I'm happy to say all turned out well in the end. It is nice when I'm reading other challenging material to find an author I can rely on for a feel good read. Kept me engaged and turning pages. A wonderful escape. Good narrator!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This is the first book I have read by this popular, best-selling author. The historical accuracy of the book is questionable, such as the mention of a photocopy of a letter from Stan which was clearly impossible at that time. Events cover many of the war years but from 1942-1945 are written over the last 10% of the book, glossing over a time when Josie supposedly worked at Bletchley Park. This gave the storyline an odd weighting. The author repeated a common issue with Americans writing about Britain: many words were spelt the American way which is irritating to me as it belies the setting.
The storyline is unrealistic but if you're happy with a light romantic read set at this time and a good helping of poetic licence you're likely to enjoy it.

A woman’s future is determined by fate and choice in a gripping WWII novel about danger, triumph, and second chances by the New York Times bestselling author of The Venice Sketchbook and The Tuscan Child..

Ratings out of possible 10.
Writing Quality - 9
Image / Illustration Quality - 8
Character Development - 9
Couldn't Put It Down"-ness - 8
Intellectual Depth - 8
Originality - 9
An excellent book club recommendation. Members will be entranced and turning pages quickly.

I've been a Rhys Bowen reader for years and adore her "Her Royal Spyness" series. Her more recent stand alone period books I had a harder time with and I let this galley be archived before I could read it so I checked this out from my library. It was well written and I enjoyed it, but I wasn't my favourite Rhys Bowen.

This was a wonderful read! WWII, women, children, survival, destruction, death, etc...This book has it all!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Press for this advanced readers copy. This book released in August 2022.

Just a classic WWII story with a resilient heroine, romance, unlikely friendships, and a little intrigue. This was a comfort read!

A married woman, Josie, is evacuated out of London after her house is bombed. Unsure of where her husband is currently stationed during the war she tries to make the best out of living in England's countryside. She is placed in a large house that belongs to an elderly woman who has shut herself off from her community. Josie also has to contend with a grouchy maid who resents her being in the house too.

Josie is outgoing, friendly and a strong worker. It was fun to read how she wins over the owner of the house, befriends the townspeople and makes life better for the RAF workers who are stationed next door. Josie suffers lots of loss throughout the book but manages to find romance and lifelong friends.

Overall, this was a good book. I felt that the first few chapters were a little slow but the rest of the book was great!

Loaded with atmosphere and the consequences of war. I really liked Josie.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a Rhys Bowen fan. Thank you NetGalley. Another great story set in wartime. I learned alot about The Blitz and how it had an effect on women and children. Josie is a very resilient, delightful and unforgettable character. If you like stories set in WWII I highly recommend this book. You know going in if it's written by Bowen you will be transported to another time and place!

Josie Banks’s home town is being destroyed round about her. The only thing going in her favour is when her overbearing husband Stan is called up. Josie goes to work for madam Olga in the Copper Kettle tearoom until this too gets bombed. Then Josie gets evacuated to the countryside to stay with Miss Harcourt who is very set in her ways, even more so is her live-in help Kathleen who has hidden depths.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and will definitely look up some others.

I loved this story. Josie Banks is homeless after her house is bombed during WWII. Her husband is off in the military and so she is sent to a small village as an evacuee and finds herself staying with an austere gentlewoman and her bitter Irish housekeeper. Josie is an outgoing woman and soon meets and is welcomed by members of the community as well as members of the local military base. This is a wonderful love story and I enjoyed every page.

This is the lovely story of a young London woman sent to the countryside during World War II. As she changes during her time there, she also changes the people around her, for the better. London 1940: Josie Banks’ unpleasant husband is off to war. The tea room where she worked is bombed and the owner is killed. Then Josie’s home is also bombed leaving her with a broken collar bone, no clothes or possessions and no home.

Josie is evacuated to the countryside and placed in a country estate with the elderly aristocrat lady Miss Harcourt, who is not happy to have a stranger in her home.
While the story takes place during WWII it is not exactly a WWII story nor is it exactly a romance, it is a story of many facets that keeps the reader engaged throughout because the characters are nothing if not interesting.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy!

I really liked Where the Sky Begins, it’s well done historical fiction. I love reading different genres, historical fiction is a nice change from romantic fiction!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.