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Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for These Long Shadows by Jennifer Mistmorgan, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
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Title: These Long Shadows
Series: On Victory’s Wings #3
Author: Jennifer Mistmorgan
Publisher: Independently Published
Release Date: March 21, 2025
Genre: Historical Romance WWII
How do they rebuild a marriage that wasn’t real in the first place?
London, 1945: Two years ago, Jonty Ables married Katie Baines to save her and her unborn baby from shame. But now the war is all but over, the baby is gone and they must work out where their shaky marriage fits into lives irrevocably changed by war.
Clinging to the memory of a time before all happiness evaporated, Katie works hard during the day as a seamstress. At night she comes home to a tiny terrace on a bomb-scarred street, crammed with her extended family and their problems. Years of estrangement sit between her and her recently demobilized husband. She’s not even sure she loves him, so why is she so crushed that he calls out another woman’s name in his sleep?
Jonty is determined to honor the vows he made no matter how many ghosts now plague him, but with such separate lives his wife is more of a stranger than ever. When Katie’s friend goes missing, Jonty seizes the opportunity to help her find him just so they have a reason to talk. But the war casts long shadows over their efforts, and fighting for their future might just be the hardest battle of them all.
If you love epic wartime romance with a dash of intrigue, you’ll love this second-chance, marriage-of-convenience love story.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | buy from the author | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub
More in This Series
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About the Author
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Australian author Jennifer Mistmorgan sometimes feels like she was born in the wrong era. So she writes romantic historical fiction set in the 1940s, against the backdrop of WWII and its aftermath. She infuses her sweet romances with wartime drama, gentle faith and a dash of intrigue. She lives in Canberra with her family and a wonky-eared West Highland terrier.
Connect with Jennifer by visiting jennifermistmorgan.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.
My Impressions
“He’d arrived home to a sham marriage and to a family that wasn’t his own.”
Wow! When I was looking at the author of These Long Shadows, Jennifer Mistmorgan, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever read a novel by her before or not. After breathlessly finishing this WWII marriage of convenience novel, I will never forget Mistmorgan’s writing!
I would definitely recommend this book for a mature audience, due to the subject matter. During WWII, as part of the Women’ Auxiliary Air Force, Katie forms enduring friendships with Grace and Maggie that will support her during the hardest times of her life. She also is a victim of a cruel bet that will forever change her life in so many ways. Finding herself pregnant without spousal support, a good male friend, Jonty, proposes marriage to rescue her from scandal. When the baby doesn’t survive, Katie rejects Jonty. Is it even possible for them to pick up now, 2 years later, and rekindle their dying marriage?
Fear, jealousy, divided loyalties, shame, PTSD, and secrets all are a part of the world that Jonty and Katie must personally navigate if they want to save their marriage. I liked seeing how God uses even bad events, or unfair events, in their lives to propel them into different paths than they might otherwise take. I liked seeing how God is willing to use imperfect people, such as Katie’s mother, to give good advice. When Katie’s mom urges her and Jonty to find their own place, Katie is loathe to leave the security her family of origin provides. “But this is my home.” “No, Katie. He is your home.”
I love that Katie and Jonty have some good mutual friends who aren’t afraid to pull them aside individually and encourage them very strongly to keep working on their marriage. As Jonty admits, “I tried once. It didn’t work”… Maggie had something to say!
“Did you just say ‘once’?”
“…Once won’t cut it! If the nurses in the hospital changed your bandages once, would you have healed? They did it every day for months, and look at you now. Your skin has grown over and around. And yes, you have scars, and sometimes they hurt, but you can move on. Just because the wound is in her heart doesn’t mean she doesn’t need the same loving care.”
A few very surprising twists give the story extra interest. I sure did not see them coming!
I especially found this novel of interest as our own extended family has sent an unborn child to live with Jesus, and the novel highlights just how hard losing a child can be, how life-shattering, for the mother especially.
I received a copy of this book from JustRead Tours. I also bought my own copy. No positive review is required, and all opinions are my own.
Be sure to read the prologue. Also, historical notes are online.
Notable Quotables:
“Just like she couldn’t bear the thought of another child, he couldn’t bear the thought of admitting his failure.”
“When God makes a promise, he keeps it, Katie.”
“You shouldn’t have to pretend. You are perfect the way you are.”
“Happily ever afters are actually a lot of hard work, aren’t they?”
“That man is pure gold. He is good at his heart, you hear me. Good. And being married to a good man can see you through a lot in this life.”
“You don’t need to stay stuck in the sadness of death when you know there’s life beyond it.”
My Rating
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Magnificent!
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card (USD)!
(5) additional winners will each receive an ebook bundle of all 3 books in the “On Victory’s Wings” series!
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Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 25, 2025 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 1, 2025. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Open internationally. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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