Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Book Review: Not By Sight by Kate Breslin


Purchase HERE

Title: Not By Sight

Author: Kate Breslin

Series: Standalone

Genre: Historical

Audience: Adult

ABOUT THE BOOK

Gripping Sophomore Novel from a Rising Historical Romance Talent

With Britain caught up in WWI, Jack Benningham, heir to the Earl of Stonebrooke, has declared himself a conscientious objector. Instead, he secretly works for the Crown by tracking down German spies on British soil, his wild reputation and society status serving as a foolproof cover.

Blinded by patriotism and concern for her brother on the front lines, wealthy suffragette Grace Mabry will do whatever it takes to assist her country's cause. When she sneaks into a posh London masquerade ball to hand out white feathers of cowardice, she never imagines the chain of events she'll set off when she hands a feather to Jack. 

And neither of them could anticipate the extent of the danger and betrayal that follows them - or the faith they'll need to maintain hope.

~ MY REVIEW ~
**5 stars**

I won Not By Sight by Kate Breslin in a giveaway, and I'm oh so happy to add this gorgeous book to my five-star-reads-list! I loved it! It is simply one of those historical novels that sweeps you away to another time and tells a delightful story - with dashes of danger and intrigue!

Set in Britain, during World War I, this novel introduces us to the lovely patriot, Grace Mabry; and the roguish heir to the Earl of Stonebrooke, Jack Benningham. They speak not a word to each other on their first meeting, but never forgot that day. Months later, they are pushed into each other's lives, and are in for quite the beautiful, and bumpy, ride.
     Where secrets abound and masks are intact, is there any room for love and new beginnings?

I love books set during WWI and WWII ... the historical detail is so wonderful! In Not By Sight, we attend balls, learn about the white feather cowardice, witness bombings from enemy planes overhead, and travel to a farm where a group of young women work hard to aid the war effort. It was all so interesting to read about.

I really liked Grace. There was something about her personality, both fiery and sweet. And she's a writer! ^_^ Jack frustrated me sometimes, but you definitely could understand where he was coming from. Overall, it was a perfect delight to get to know these two. They had some fun, kind of summer day, adventures.

Oh! And did anyone else feel like there was a fairytale-ish thread going on? Yes, this is certainly a Beauty and the Beast tale! ^_^ While I was reading, I kept thinking Jack was kind of like the Beast. And now as I'm thinking back over all the scenes, I'm seeing all kinds of nods to Beauty and the Beast! I just love it!! *hugs book* What an enchanting idea to incorporate that classic fairytale into this World War I romance story. It's so lovely, my friends.

It was also great getting to know the young ladies Grace worked with. They each had a little secondary storyline filled with secrets and mishaps. I loved watching the friendships develop.

It was just a fabulous story that kept me captivated from beginning to end. I loved the plot, and all the different little things that happened. And the fairytale thread. And the bit of suspense and mystery. Wonderful, wonderful book. The little faith theme was also beautiful.

The only concern I had was while Grace was a faith-filled woman and strived to help others find healing, physically and spiritually; she failed to take a step back when she realized she was falling for a man who wasn't very interested in following God at that point. The man did find his way back to the Lord in the end ... But that doesn't always happen in real life. I don't think women should believe that they can date a guy who isn't a strong Christian and somehow they'll lead them to Christ. It doesn't always work that way.

But other than that, I adored this book. If you are a fan of Christian historical (especially set during WWI or WWII), or if you love Beauty and the Beast stories, you must give Not By Sight a try!

I can't wait to read more by Kate Breslin!

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for the lovely review, Shantelle. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story!

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    1. You're welcome, Kate! Thank you for gifting me with your beautiful book! ^_^ I'm so excited to read For Such a Time now! :)

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  2. Great review and glad uyou enjoyed it! I thought it was funny that you related better to Grace right away than Jack, because that was opposite for me when I read it! XD
    And yes, you have to read "For Such a Time"!! I adore that one!

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    1. Thank you, Raechel! :) Haha ... that's funny! Different personalities! :)

      I'm excited!! It sounds like such a good story.

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