You can read Anna's 5 Moon review HERE

Author: Carrie Lofty

Publisher: Pocket Star

Release Date: 9/4/12

Genre: Historical Romance

Source: Provided by The Novel Sidekick

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Author’s Website:
http://www.carrielofty.com/

Description

After the War took the lives of Lulu Davies’s parents and her fiancé, she promised herself she would guard her heart carefully and concentrate on her great love—flying the biggest and best airplanes in the sky. Lulu is a pilot in the British civilian air force, ferrying planes around Great Britain and keeping her eye on a coveted spot in a training program for world-class pilots. She’s perfectly content to strive for greatness in the skies, and dance with a few GIs on the way.

Brawny, quiet American medic Joe Weber signed up with the paratroopers to escape his checkered past; he’s hoping that jumping out of planes and patching up soldiers will earn him respect and a hopeful future. Joe’s first real test of medical skill is on a pilot whose plane takes a hard landing in a training field; after rushing to the crash scene, he is stunned to come face-to-face with a gorgeous Rita Hayworth lookalike. And when the two cross paths at a dance hall a couple weeks later, he can’t resist the urge to find out more about this spirited, dark-haired beauty.

Their flirtation breaks all of Lulu’s rules, but dance by dance, week by week, walk by walk, she finds herself falling in love with this honest, vulnerable man on the run from his demons. But as Lulu and Joe’s undeniable attraction gains momentum, World War II steadily intensifies toward D-Day. The lovers only have one night together before Joe is transported to France for the Battle of the Bulge, where his skills and his instinct for survival will be pushed to their limits. Lulu distracts herself with flight school and the friendships of her colleagues, but she can’t get the handsome medic out of her head. Only time and hope will tell if her love will return unharmed from War, and if the two will be able to overcome their pasts to form a beautiful life together in peace-time.

Review

This was a really great book and the first of it's kind that I've ever read. It took me a while to get into it but once I did I fell in love with the story and the characters. Now I'm not a history buff, so I can't say how accurate this the events in this book are, since it takes place during WWII and quite a few real historical events take place, but it really felt like the author knew what she was talking about and did her research to make the history as accurate as possible. I really felt like I was there with the characters, going through the good and bad with them and I'll admit there were quite a few tears. I just couldn't help it! I can't imagine living a life like that. To find someone you can love, finally, and then to not know. It definitely kept me turning the pages because I had to know!

I loved all of the characters but it was Joe that I especially loved. He's not just the hero of this story, he's a true hero in every sense of the word. During the heartbreaking war scenes I could hardly breathe, I was on the edge of my seat hoping that everything turned out ok with him. I almost couldn't stand it but without those scenes this book wouldn't have been what it was. And then when he's with Lulu, just wow! He's really the best kind of man and no matter his background he definitely deserved the best! Although he did have those few moments where he was a regular stubborn man and I just wanted to pop him on the head and say "shut up already" but like I said, he's a man and things were way different back then so I can imagine that falling for a woman who risks her life flying on a regular basis wasn't very easy for him, so he gets a pass. :) I also loved Lulu. I loved her sense of humor and how she never backed down when a man challenged her choice to fly. She's a very headstrong stubborn woman but it fit. And it being such an intense war atmosphere she really needed all of the strength she had. I enjoyed the dynamics between the two also. With both of their backgrounds making it hard to love someone it seemed close to a miracle that they found each other. But oh did they find each other! Such beautiful romance between the two! I loved them even more together than I did apart!

Now that I've read this book I have a craving for more. More of this time period, movies, books, music, whatever I can get my hands on I plan to devour! Thank you Ms. Lofty for writing this heartwarming story about a critical time in our history! The perfect characters, the depressing but true setting of a real war and the love story of an army medic and a pilot really touched me! I give this book 5 Moons and I recommend all romance lovers at least give it a try, especially you Historical Romance fans. It made me love history when I thought I hated it and it's such a beautiful story that in my opinion shouldn't be missed! Well done Carrie! I am beyond impressed by this book!

Side note: The cover for this book is absolutely beautiful! It really captured the feeling of the whole story and the whole time period!

I received a copy of "The Wild Princess" from the publisher for the blog tour of the book on Innovative Online Book Tours for my honest review.  

I've always been a fan of the Victorian Era and of course historical fiction.  Let me just say the minute I finished reading "The Wild Princess", I was upset to find out that Stephen Byrne who I will explain about a little later in my review...was not real...but was the imagination of the author.  =(  *sigh*  You'll understand why I'm upset...once I read my review. 

Princess Louise has been deemed the "The Wild One" of Queen Victoria's children.  She's forced to marry a man, she really doesn't love and on their wedding night...she finds out even something scandalous about her husband.  She has to promise to keep it hidden and she believes her mother the Queen did the arrange marriage on purpose.  Princess Louise just wanted to become an artist and help women out...but unfortunately her mother had other plans for her.  

The Queen is getting threats and it's becoming dangerous even for her family and friends to be in the palace.  In comes Stephen Bryne who is the Queen's elite Secret Service.  He came from America to get away from what was going on there and also get over what happened to the last person he was to protect.  He's been blaming himself for what happened so he wants to redeem himself some way.  His job to keep the royal family safe from the Irish radicals who want to kidnap them or even kill them.  He knows the Irish radicals have something serious planned and he thinks someone in the palace is keeping them informed on what is going on with the royal family.  He must protect the Queen and her children...but in the mean time, he has become head over heels for Princess Louise who he can never be with since she's a married woman.  

Unfortunately, though he can't avoid her because he has to protect her also.  

Princess Louise asked for Stephen Byrne's help on a matter that happened back when she was attending art school.  Stephen actually finds out some things on the Princess and he's starting to see why Queen Victoria and Princess Louise are always butting heads.  He's also starting to realize there's another side to Louise..a side, he can't help, but adore.  

My thoughts on "The Wild Princess" are that I had a hard time putting down this book once it really started picking up in the middle.  I had a hard time getting interested in the beginning at first, except for the one part what Louise found out something about her husband.  I felt terrible for her.  The whole entire time I read the book, I was mad at Queen Victoria and what she did to Princess Louise.  I got even more mad when I found out something else about Louise.  I just wanted to go into the book and scream at Queen Victoria for her.  How dare she?  (but I remembered...its just a fictional book...or parts of it are anyways).  Princess Louise went through so much and that one part in the story had me in tears because I felt terrible for what she had to do. 

I love how Mary Hart Perry created a happy story for Princess Louise and...well... I fell in love with Stephen when he was introduced of course.  His manners and just his style captured my heart.  How he didn't really judge the Princess.  Instead, he helped her get over her demons and come to closure.  He was such an amazing character in the book...and when I found out he was just fictional...I actually got upset. I believe the Princess should have had a happy life in real life.  She deserved it for what the Queen put her through.  I'm definitely glad I was not born a Princess...because I probably would've been just like Princess Louise..."The Wild Princess" who just wanted some freedom away from the walls of the palace and of course away from her mother so she could enjoy her youth.  

I'm so happy though that Mary made it where the Princess in the story got some happily ever after.  =)  

If you're a fan of historical fiction, you will enjoy this book.  

I will be picking up the second novel of Queen Victoria's daughter's whenever it is published and I also plan on reading many more books from Mary Hart Perry.  =)