Fiona Ford

The Good Time Girls at War by Fiona Ford takes us back to 1940 in London to the Hammersmith Palais de Danse. We get to meet Renee, Nancy, Violet, Maisie, and Temperance who work at the esteemed Palais. The Good Time Girls as they are called are a diverse group with each woman having a different job at the Palais. They all work together to entertain the people who visit the beautiful dance hall. There is drama, romance, action, a touch of suspense, and a wee mystery or two in The Good Time Girls at War. There is quite a bit going on in this historical novel. Each character has their own backstory and storyline. We also get to meet family members and other workers at the Palais. I like the diverse cast of characters in this story. We get to see how the attitudes of people and the war affect each one of them. I like all the strong female characters in the book. We get to see how the friendships at the Palais help each one of them and bind the group together as a family. Of course, there are a few bad eggs (what family does not have a black sheep or two). I thought the author captured the time period and the location. It was interesting learning about the Palais. I would have loved to have seen in its heyday. I did find the pacing to be a little slow because there were so many characters and storylines. The Good Time Girls at War is a good book, but a little fine tuning would have made it a great tale. I liked seeing the employees at the Palais come together as friends and a makeshift family. It was great the way they were there for each other. The ladies had each other’s backs. I thought The Good Time Girls at War was an emotional story with grief, fear, joy, kindness, anger, frustration, and love. The Good Times Girls at War is a charming historical novel with shocking secrets, dazzling dancers, bombs bursting, a bungling buffoon, a churlish MC, a meddlesome mother-in-law, and forever friends.… (meer)

I do love a book set in a shop so you can see why Christmas at Liberty's appealed to me. Mary arrives in London in 1941, estranged from her family and with things in her past that she would like to forget. She finds a room in London, living with Dot and Alice, and a job in the fabric department of Liberty's department store. Over the next few months she makes some wonderful friendships but she also makes one or two enemies who are intent on ruining Mary's fresh start.

First of all, I loved Mary. She's quite aristocratic but has come down in the world. She's such a lovely person though and never behaves as though she is better than anyone else. Finding herself living in Elephant and Castle, she comes into contact with many different people. Her landlady, Dot, is a salt of the earth type and Alice, Flo and Rose, who all work at Liberty's, take Mary under their wings and look after her.

I really liked the camaraderie between these characters and some of the other ones too. I felt like I would have loved to work at Liberty's and be part of their 'family' during those war years, despite rationing meaning that there was very little incoming stock to sell. There's a kind of magic surrounding the store and I admired the way it managed to not only keep going but to almost thrive. That was due to the way that everyone pulled together. But there were also some unpleasant characters who I wanted to shake as I got very annoyed with the way they behaved, especially towards Mary.

I think the author has done a lot of research and has done a really good job at capturing the spirit of the time and also that worry when loved ones go off to fight, as the girls from Liberty's find out.

Christmas at Liberty's is a really heart-warming story with plenty of ups and downs for the characters. It's perfect for those who love sagas and stories set in wartime. I shall look forward to catching up with all the characters again in book two, The Liberty Girls.… (meer)