An Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller.From the USA Today bestselling author of A Curve in the Road comes a spellbinding novel about one woman’s love, loss, and courage during wartime.After a crushing betrayal by the man she loves, Gillian Gibbons flees to her family home for a much-needed escape, but when she finds an old photograph of her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, … her grandmother in the arms of a Nazi officer, Gillian’s life gets even more complicated. Rattled by the discovery, Gillian attempts to unravel the truth behind the photos, setting her off on an epic journey through the past…
1939. England is on the brink of war as Vivian Hughes falls in love with a handsome British official, but when bombs begin to fall and Vivian’s happy life is destroyed in the blitz, she will do whatever it takes to protect those she loves…
As Gillian learns more about her grandmother’s past, the old photo begins to make more sense. But for every question answered, a new one takes its place. Faced with a truth that is not at all what she expected, Gillian attempts to shine a light not only on the mysteries of her family’s past but also on her own future.
This gorgeously written multigenerational saga is a heart-wrenching yet hopeful examination of one woman’s struggle to survive, perfect for fans of The Nightingale and Beneath a Scarlet Sky.
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Julianne MacLean has written a very interesting, well-paced, and intriquing novel about WWII and its effects on London in the early days of the war and on France as Hitler’s troops attempt to take over Paris. After an antique sea chest is found in her grandmother’s attic, Gillian’s grandmother tells her son and granddaughter the truth and takes us behind the scenes to show the many ways that England was preparing to deflect the movement of Hitler’s troops into England, as well as plans to stop his progression and takeover of France, including the SOE groups that plotted the ruination of Hitler’s military commands and the French Resistance who did everything within their power to thwart the enemy in being successful in gaining strongholds within France.
A handful of British, French, and American men and women are the main characters leading and fighting against the German forces and trying to stop the Germans from actively taking military control of Paris, then France. When two female British SOE operatives are captured, detained, tortured, and questionned by the Gestapo, a very high ranking General Lieutenant is brought in to question them, but after hours of unsuccessful results to try to get them to talk, he sends them off as punishment for not answering his questions to Ravensbruuk, one of the most cruel Jewish women’s labor camps on record.
The author’s prose is spectacular, and you feel you’re in the same room with Gram, listening to the story for the first time. The fear, the poignancy, the trials, and the close calls. Hearing Hans at the airfield while they’re waiting on supplies. Being thrown around in the back of the truck when it’s wrecking on the way to Ravensbruuk.
When the second tea chest is discovered weeks later, everything comes full circle, and the puzzle is completed. Gram finally has her answer to the one question she never knew, and Gillian and her father are able to look at their own lives from a different and more diverse and open perspective. Love can be good or bad and often much more than we ever imagined it could be.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and this author’s writing and will definitely look for future novels by her! Highly recommend this novel!!!
A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean is not what I expected and yet so so much more than I expected!! Twists and turns that dropped my jaw! I couldn’t put the darn book down it was so good!
Gillian’s story begins with her long time boyfriend breaking her heart, which leads her to head home to her father and grandmother to lick her wounds. A shocking find by her father adds to her confusion, and takes them back to her grandmother Vivian’s past during WW2. What the family had though was her story turns out to be a fabrication and with the find from her father, her grandmother is confronted and compelled to explain. What comes out turns out to be a heartbreaking and shocking story of her true live during WWII.
The writing was phenomenal! I fell into the pages from the beginning of the story. I loved the complex complete characters. I cared about what happened to them and was involved in their story.
I fully recommend this wonderful
historical fiction/ romance / suspense! 5 stars!
Expected publication: August 1st 2019 by Lake Union Publishing
Wow- there were so many surprises in this book! Julianne MacLean did an amazing job with both the characters and the plot. I liked that the book was primarily focused on Gillian’s grandmother’s past mixed with some brief looks at the present time and Gillian’s own personal struggles. As the story unravels, Gillian gets a better understanding of true love and what is important in life.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
Wow! Just Wow! A truly inspiring multi-generational story where Grandma reveals her incredible past during WWII. Beautifully written with amazing twists and turns. Julianne MacLean takes the reader on a journey into the past where we learn about the perils of war and the bravery of one woman to make a difference. The ensuing story will leave you on the edge of your seat as page after page reveals one shocking twist after another. A definite must-read! I absolutely loved it.
If you are looking for an intense, emotionally rich story then Julianne MacLean’s latest book, A Fire Sparkling is it. As one granddaughter seeks to work through her own heartache she asks her grandmother some tough questions that cause her to relive hers. Not exactly what Vivian Hughes had planned to ever do, especially now. Told in such vivid detail and beautiful description it isn’t just a story that is read but one that is felt and experienced.
I was transported back in time to WWII London through Vivian’s eyes. Change is inevitable but war brings it on even faster. Choices are made, consequences follow, this is Vivian’s story; her family and her friends. Perhaps it is also Gillian’s story who now needs to find her own future. What I am sure A Fire Sparkling is, is a story that will stick with you long after you finish the last page; heartbreaking and inspiring, significant and evocative.
I absolutely loved this book. The story is so well told and kept me intrigued where I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Romance, sisters, secrets, war, and spies all the way from London to France to Berlin and America. Such a wonderful read!!
A heart wrenching historical fiction story about love and loss in England and France during the second world war. The story is told from a granddaughter’s perspective during modern 2011 in the United States with flashbacks being told by her paternal grandmother’s life during the war in England and France. Looking back on the choices that individuals made and the results of those choices it is sometimes hard to understand. The consequences revealed many “what if” questions. This story has a few twists and turns along the way and a current connection to the past. While the violence of war is never pleasant, the fact that love and life continue even during hard times shows the resilience of the human spirit.
WOW! This book will just blow you away, from the first page to the last page it keeps the reader engaged and you’ll never guess at the events that span a generation! An emotional read that will touch your very soul. Julianne MacLean is a master story teller, she weaves her web and pulls you in. It has some interesting history, some great characters and a storyline that just keeps you on edge. I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I have read other books by Julianne MacLean and this was just another one of her books that you won’t be disappointed in. An absolute MASTERPIECE! All I can say is WOW! What an amazing book. It’s well worth the read!
I received a complimentary copy from the author. This is my honest unbiased opinion.
The truth will see you free, and Julianne delivers a prime example of it with this story. A story full of compassion and of forgiveness. It takes courage to face the truth. Family secrets, personal secrets come to light and pave the way to a new chapter in these people’s lives.
Mystery, suspense, intrigue, this story, told from the current time time but based on WWII in England, has a little something for everyone. It kept me on my toes, kept me guessing and captivated.
Wow! I’ve enjoyed other books by Julianne MacLean, but this one was even better than the others. I don’t always like books that switch between past and present, but this was well done. The book was extremely well written. The storyline set in WWII made me feel like I was seeing what it was like. I could feel the emotions of the characters. I don’t want to give any details as the story has a lot of plot twists and has what I consider a perfect ending! I received an advance copy through NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was a great story. At one point in the book I gasped as I was so surprised. The author does a wonderful job with creating the character’s and setting the scenes. I visibly felt like I was there. What a sad and horrible time in our history and to think people went through this is unimaginable.
Who would have thought that I would read another ‘war romance’ and have loved it so very much!
I would like to thank the author, Julianne Maclean, for saying it just the way it was in this story, making known some of the atrocities and horrid things that the Nazis did and showing us some of the things the underground was able to do so successfully. Besides that she has cleverly interwoven some beautiful love stories (yes, the plural use of the word is quite correct) into war time England and France.
Wow! The characters! They are each and every one very definite and their own strengths and weaknesses are clearly shown throughout. I was delighted at the telling of this story which kept me so totally mesmerized and would like to recommend it to you.
I read an Advance Readers copy in the ebook format and this has been my voluntary and unbiased review of it
A Fire Sparkling by Julianne MacLean is a book with twists and turns. It is a novel of the Holocaust but such a different novel. It is a tale of love, of heartbreak, breaking of boundaries, and so much more. Gillian has just broken it off with the man she was to marry, a cheater as it turns out. She calls her father for a shoulder to lean on and he tells her he has discovered something in her 96-year-old grandmother’s house that has him wondering. By accident he had discovered pictures of her grandmother as a young woman, clearly in Berlin in 1940 and clearly in love with a Nazi officer. But, she had been in England and married to an Englishman at that time. What is happening? Gillian’s ex is making a pest of himself, apologizing, so shortly she decides she needs to know more and sets off for Europe.
One of the many reasons I loved this books was the research portion of it. Uncovering one small truth at a time and connecting them all until there is a clear picture. Gillian, hung in there; met people, followed leads, until she had the whole story and what a story it is. Eventually she returns to her father and grandmother and completes the picture. It would be spoilers if I told you much else. I have read many Holocaust novels, from many perspectives, but none have grabbed me the way this one did. It is not horribly graphic but the emotion is heart-rending and there is plenty of it. Please read this book. It is beautiful.
I received a free ARC of A Fire Sparkling. All opinions expressed herein are solely my own. #netgalley #afiresparkling
What an incredibly written and beautiful book spanning generations and a grand daughter’s search to find the truth behind a photograph. Her discoveries along the way shape her future and her relationships and the story line had me captivated from the first to the last word. Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title prior to publication–I simply could not put it down!!
Wow, what a fantastic read. Julianne MacLean does it again. This was such a great book. I love the blend of history and romance as it makes for a fantastic story line, this is a page turner that you can’t put down. She leaves you wanting more page after page but totally satisfied at the end. I look forward to reading anything this author writes.
So many “tags” could be put to this book, such as innovative, historical, romantic, etc. This book has it all – – heart-thumping romance AND action AND surprises. It is written from the viewpoint of the three central female characters, Vivian, April and Gillian. Ms MacLean writes with such precision and detail, but this book, with a strong historical premise, was rich with authenticity in her telling of the multiple-century-long lives of the main and supporting characters. A Fire Sparkling is the story of sisters,Vivian and April, whose mother during their young childhood, took her life during her struggle with cancer, leaving a husband and daughters with devastating loss, and how each daughter’s life took interesting curves in life. The story begins with Gillian and her father, the sole child of Vivian, and how Gillian discovers the photo of her grandmother in a very intimate pose with a man who is not her grandfather, and her investigation into her 96-year old grandmother’s past. Is it possible that the grandmother she loves above all is not who she is believed to be? This book intertwines through three women’s lives, and lands in surprising places and moves on. Ms MacLean writes with such accuracy and rich fact and personalization. You relive each step with each character as you read. I highly recommend this book for romance, history, a little intrigue, and a lovely HEA.
When I began this book, my first thought was “oh no. Not another granddaughter discovers that her grandmother had an exciting life in WWII.” I’ve read several of these lately, and most were pretty lame. This one, though, was pretty good. I think the WWII story could have stood on its own, and there’s not enough in the present day story with the exception of the grandmother learning a few things that allow her to close her past and put it behind her. Well written, with quite a bit of excitement.
A little too convenient. Not remotely possible.
A wonderful story that bridges the current day and WW2 timeframes. Characters are believable and pace kept you turning pages. A must read for sure.
This is a breathtaking story. Actually, it is more than one story. Yes it is a war story, and I am not a war story person, but I still enjoyed it. It is a book filled with love, forgiveness, acceptance, and adventure, which just happens to take place during World War II.
The author did a splendid job of weaving the details of the past with the current day. The author wrote an epilogue that gives the book closure, which I loved.
I have to note that there is one tiny error in the time line, although you probably wouldn’t notice it.
This was an incredible read.