Book Review – Nancy Wake

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Russell Braddon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Braddon is the author of nearly 30 books and novels. _Nancy Wake: World War Two’s Most Rebellious Spy _was first published in 1956, then republished in 2019.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. I categorize this book/novel as G. This is the 56th book I have completed in 2022.

This is the interesting story of Nancy Grace Augusta Wake. She was born in New Zealand, then grew up in Australia. In 1939 as the threat of war was gathering in Europe, she was 27 and living in Marseille, France. She had just married the French industrialist Henri Fiocca who was 14 years her senior.

After France fell to the Germans, Wake became involved with the resistance. She helped downed Allied pilots escape the Germans and return to the UK through Spain. Wake developed a reputation with the German Gestapo and was known by them as the White Mouse. When the Germans began closing in on her, she escaped through Spain to the UK. Her husband was not so lucky. He was arrested by the Gestapo and executed.

After she had arrived in the UK, she was recruited by the SOE in 1943 and became a FANY. In early 1944 she parachuted into France as part of an SOE Team. The team worked with the Maquis in preparation for the D-Day landings in Normandy. Following the end of the war in Europe, Wake was awarded several medals in recognition of her war efforts.

I enjoyed the 8+ hours I spent reading this 281-page WWII history. This is mostly a biography of Nancy (Wake) Fiocca. As the title implies, she was a woman who did not always take to authority. She was also often audacious in her life, especially in her dealings with the German occupiers. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

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If you have an interest in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest. 

• The “World War II Resources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 590 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II era in history.
• The “World War II Timeline” page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
• The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII. Included are links to many fiction and non-fiction books on WWII that I have read and reviewed. There are also links to WWII oriented podcasts.

Book Review – Debt of Honor

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Christopher G. Nuttall https://www.hbnuttallwriting.com is the author of more than 100 novels. Debt of Honor was published in 2020. This is the first book in his Embers of War series.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Due to mature language and violence, I categorize this novel as R. The primary character is Commonwealth Admiral Kat Falcone.

The Theocracy may have been defeated, but a fleet of ships under Admiral Zaskar is still at large. An unknown power wants to support them, though without revealing their identity. The remnants of the Theocratic Fleet appear, spread their brand of terror, and disappear.

The Commonwealth, even though it won the way is struggling with the resulting peace. The turmoil is fueled by an economic downturn and unemployment. The colonies now want more say in their own destinies. The threat of civil war troubles the Commonwealth.

Falcone must try to find the Theocratic fleet and stop it before it is too late.

I enjoyed the 13.5+ hours I spent reading this 420-page science fiction novel. This is a continuation of Nuttall’s Angel in the Whirlwind trilogy. I was able to read all three of those novels: The Oncoming Storm, Falcone Strike, and Cursed Command. I have also read the standalone novel The Hyperspace Trap. I enjoyed those as much as I did this book. I like the selected cover art. I give this novel a rating of 5 out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Book Review – Echoes of Gravity

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – James Murdo https://www.jamesmurdo.com is the author of seven novels. Echoes of Gravity was published in 2021. This is the first book in Murdo’s Tapache’s Promise Trilogy.

I received an ARC of this book through a promotion on StoryOrigin with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as PG.

Tapache is a powerful machine intelligence. It has sent the Great Ship to investigate a powerful weapon. The ship is crewed by Roranians who Tapache has raised from the edge of extinction.

I enjoyed the 8 hours I spent reading this 263-page science fiction novel. I thought the story was a bit odd. It also ended abruptly. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a rating of 3 out of 5. You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).