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Historical Disasters #6
Pearl Harbor, 1941
When 20-year-old Bekah Martin completes her nurse's training in San Francisco, her aunt begs her not to return to her sheltered life on the Hawaiian Islands. Aunt Miriam insists that the Territory of Hawaii will look very different after all she's seen on the mainland. What her aunt does not realize is that Bekah had come to California not to seek adventure, but refuge from the tragic fire that had claimed the life of David MacLaughlin -- her fiance. Bekah now plans to return home and marry David's twin brother, Ian, who shares David's last name but none of his independence.
On the journey home she encounters Scott DeAngelo, a brash New Yorker and naval ensign. Scott is pushy, opinionated, and overwhelming, and Bekah steels herself against the undeniable attraction that develops between them. That is, until the morning of December 7, when a surprise attack on American warships takes the island by storm, and Bekah is forced to choose between her sense of responsibility and her love for Scott....
On the journey home she encounters Scott DeAngelo, a brash New Yorker and naval ensign. Scott is pushy, opinionated, and overwhelming, and Bekah steels herself against the undeniable attraction that develops between them. That is, until the morning of December 7, when a surprise attack on American warships takes the island by storm, and Bekah is forced to choose between her sense of responsibility and her love for Scott....
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
200 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Holder
352 books2,407 followersNancy Holder, New York Times Bestselling author of the WICKED Series, has just published CRUSADE - the first book in a new vampire series cowritten with Debbie Viguie. The last book her her Possession series is set to release in March 2011.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
Nancy was born in Los Altos, California, and her family settled for a time in Walnut Creek. Her father, who taught at Stanford, joined the navy and the family traveled throughout California and lived in Japan for three years. When she was sixteen, she dropped out of high school to become a ballet dancer in Cologne, Germany, and later relocated to Frankfurt Am Main.
Eventually she returned to California and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California at San Diego with a degree in Communications. Soon after, she began to write; her first sale was a young adult romance novel titled Teach Me to Love.
Nancy’s work has appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, amazon.com, LOCUS, and other bestseller lists. A four-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association, she has also received accolades from the American Library Association, the American Reading Association, the New York Public Library, and Romantic Times.
She and Debbie Viguié co-authored the New York Times bestselling series Wicked for Simon and Schuster. They have continued their collaboration with the Crusade series, also for Simon and Schuster, and the Wolf Springs Chronicles for Delacorte (2011.) She is also the author of the young adult horror series Possessions for Razorbill. She has sold many novels and book projects set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Saving Grace, Hellboy, and Smallville universes.
She has sold approximately two hundred short stories and essays on writing and popular culture. Her anthology, Outsiders, co-edited with Nancy Kilpatrick, was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award in 2005.
She teaches in the Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing Program, offered through the University of Southern Maine. She has previously taught at UCSD and has served on the Clarion Board of Directors.
She lives in San Diego, California, with her daughter Belle, their two Corgis, Panda and Tater; and their cats, David and Kittnen Snow. She and Belle are active in Girl Scouts and dog obedience training.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 4, 2021
When I was 14 I was OBSESSED with this book. Upon rereading it as an adult, I have no clue why since it's not good. I'm going to blame it on my love of the Pearl Harbor movie (which is probably also terrible but I was so so into it as a teen). To be clear, this book and that film aren't related, I just really enjoyed both of these tragic and dramatic love stories. I find it so troubling that I thought Scott was a solid romantic hero haha.
March 31, 2023
The book started out intriguing and I wanted to now what had happened in her past to haunt her so. The relationships were kind of flat and I didn't feel any connection to any of the characters. That ended was so confusing!
January 16, 2024
Grammar errors, spelling errors, and just a truly terrible book. Read this because I thought it was what the movie was based on but wow, yikes.
June 29, 2012
Up until the last page I was planning on giving this book 3 stars and saying that it was equally as stupid as it was sweet. But the last page was soooo stupid that I have to just warn you. Consider yourself warned.
November 3, 2012
Awful story they never develop a.true relationship and you never fall in love with any of the characters! it was just so lame, only saving grace was that it was only 200 some pages.
May 22, 2024
I don't get all the negative reviews, I enjoyed it, I also thought the ending was sweet and sad, but yes it has an open ending that leaves hope for a miracle. I just love early 1940s films, they're my favourite of all films and this just reminded me of a small early 40s romance movie so that's why I liked it. There were flaws in the writing but overall it's what it says in the description at the back of the book. I think the book could have done with being longer to flesh out the characters and story more, the ending was also rushed, but since I looked at it like an old romance movie it just kind of evened that out for me and helped me enjoy it more. I don't get all the people saying it was terrible, what exactly were you expecting in the book?
October 10, 2018
I would much rather say I loved this book, but it was just ok. For elementary students this would be too much for them. I'm not sure that I would even recommend for ms or hs students.
June 26, 2020
Abrupt ending!
December 11, 2023
Such a sad but incomplete ending. It is almost like you interpreted what happened.
April 16, 2025
Did not like how the ending just left you hanging.
March 1, 2010
At twenty years of age, Rebekah Martin lost her beloved fiance David McLaughlin to a tragic fire. Even though she knew she did not, and would never, love him, she agreed to return and marry David's twin brother Ian once her heart had healed. And with that promise, Bekah leaves her sheltered life in the territory of Hawaii and goes to live with her aunt in San Francisco. Haunted by memories of the night David died and believing she could have done something more to save him, Bekah struggles to let go of the past. Her aunt tries to persuade her to stay, but after nearly a year on the mainland, Bekah decides it is time to return home to face Ian and fulfill her promise. It is November of 1941, and the United States is beginning to prepare for a possible entry into World War II.
On the sea voyage home, Bekah meets Scott DeAngelo, a naval ensign from New York. Although she feels an attraction to Scott, Bekah is afraid to fall in love again - she has forced herself to believe that a loveless marriage would be better than the possibility of another loss. But as war clouds loom on the horizon, Bekah begins to realize that sometimes the only thing a person can do is follow their heart, wherever it may lead them.
I enjoyed this book, and liked the main character - Bekah was a courageous heroine who faces many losses but struggles to build a new life. And I would have given it five stars until the ending - without giving anything away, I was just frustrated by how inconclusive/open-ended it was.
On the sea voyage home, Bekah meets Scott DeAngelo, a naval ensign from New York. Although she feels an attraction to Scott, Bekah is afraid to fall in love again - she has forced herself to believe that a loveless marriage would be better than the possibility of another loss. But as war clouds loom on the horizon, Bekah begins to realize that sometimes the only thing a person can do is follow their heart, wherever it may lead them.
I enjoyed this book, and liked the main character - Bekah was a courageous heroine who faces many losses but struggles to build a new life. And I would have given it five stars until the ending - without giving anything away, I was just frustrated by how inconclusive/open-ended it was.
October 10, 2011
I really liked how the plot was set up: young woman who experiences a very painful end to an engagement, runs away to the mainland to go through nurse's training, returns to Hawaii just before Pearl Harbor.
However, the book ended just when the plot really seemed to begin. The blurb on the back of the book took me right up to the last five pages of the book. I felt a little bit cheated out of the promised story.
I also found some of the romantic aspects contrived. The first male character we meet really doesn't seem to be very necessary. How Bekah got out of an unwanted engagement also played out far too neatly.
However, the book ended just when the plot really seemed to begin. The blurb on the back of the book took me right up to the last five pages of the book. I felt a little bit cheated out of the promised story.
I also found some of the romantic aspects contrived. The first male character we meet really doesn't seem to be very necessary. How Bekah got out of an unwanted engagement also played out far too neatly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2011
I enjoy the idea of the story, but every time I read this book, I realize how choppy it is. Mrs. Holder doesn't allow the story to flow. Instead she simply throws in new ideas.
I like it until I read it again.
I like it until I read it again.
September 5, 2012
read it a long time ago and then let my baby use it as a chew toy after that because it was so bad. would have used it as toilet paper had I run out. awful writing. awful story. I feel more stupid for having read it; it killed brain cells for sure.
January 29, 2009
I read this book in my 'tween' years. I absolutely loved it then!
October 3, 2010
great book very much reccomanded
June 27, 2017
It was doing so well until the ending that wasn't an ending.
SERIOUSLY THAT WAS THE ENDING??????
No. I demand an extra chapter because that wasn't an ending.
SERIOUSLY THAT WAS THE ENDING??????
No. I demand an extra chapter because that wasn't an ending.
January 22, 2013
boring until the end more for romance lovers
February 13, 2015
Leaves you hanging with no sequel!!!!
January 21, 2022
i love this book it shows m the love of two young people and a dangerous war,when beka found scott she fell in love all over again
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews