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The Legend of Nimway Hall #4
1940: Josie
USA Today bestselling author Linda Needham brings you the fourth story in a series of romances touched by magic as old as time.
A courageous young woman is just managing to keep up with her family's vast, wartime farm when a handsome Lt. Colonel and his staff of officers take command of her home. A private war ensues between them, and the couple soon learns that resistance is futile when it comes to love in the heat of battle.
World War II has come to Nimway Hall, and with it an endless series of wartime challenges that its lady and guardian, Josie Stirling, must overcome. As passionate and courageous as each of the guardians who have come before her, Josie is fiercely determined to defend her family’s ancient and beloved estate from all possible threats. But with the recent evacuation of Dunkirk and the bombs of the Blitz raining random terror all across Britain, even the once-pastoral manor farm of Nimway has become as dangerous as any battlefield.
Loved and respected by everyone in her circle of care, Josie is knee-deep in evacuee children, Land Girls, the local Home Guard, a much-reduced estate staff, two cranky tractors and her widowed father she has just rescued from the London Blitz. Her days and nights, and even her dreams are chock-full of wartime charity fund raisers, meeting the strict requirements of the Ministries of Agriculture and Food, organizing knitting circles, leading her local WVS, tending the acres of orchards, the mill, and fields of grain. And even with every tillable square inch of Nimway planted in crops for the war effort, her beloved Baleswood is being threatened with destruction by the Timber Commission.
And to add to her problems, not only has the military requisitioned an entire wing of Nimway Hall, they’ve sent the most arrogant officer in the entire army to command the unit and impose his orders on the finely-tuned workings of the estate. A man as arrogant as he is handsome. Not that Josie has time in her life to notice!
The very last post Lt. Colonel Gideon Fletchard ever wanted was to be holed up in the wilds of Somerset, in an old manor house, far from the front line. But he was seriously injured on a secret mission early in the war and has recovered just enough to command of a team of Royal Engineers, commissioned to build operational bases for Churchill’s new Secret Army. Once a highly respected intelligence officer, Gideon resents his demotion to the “Home Front” and has little respect for the so-called civilian army he’s been assigned to recruit and train. War is waged by soldiers in the field, not by farmers and factory workers.
A sentiment the contentious lady of Nimway Hall disputes at every turn. She seems to believe that her work for the war effort is as critical as his. Though the woman’s opinions are seriously wrong-headed, she is as beautiful as she is devoted to her people and he can’t help admiring the firm and resourceful way she manages the estate. Can’t help noticing her fiercely green eyes and the sun-blush of her cheek. Not that he should be noticing such distractions. Not now. Not with a war to win and contact to make with a secret agent named Arcturus.
As the war between the sexes heats up, so does the ancient magic of romance. Josie and Gideon may not be looking for love, but at Nimway Hall they’ll soon discover that love has come looking for them.
Fourth book in the Nimway Hall series. A historical novel of 55,000 words,
entwining romance, mystery and the magic of love.
Praise for the works of Linda Needham
“Trust Linda Needham with your heart–you’ll never regret it.” Lisa Kleypas
”Linda Needham has the ability to mix laughter with tears
to touch a reader's heart." Romantic Times
”Ms. Needham has a knack for drawing her readers from page 1,
and not letting go even when the story ends — “ New and Used Books
A courageous young woman is just managing to keep up with her family's vast, wartime farm when a handsome Lt. Colonel and his staff of officers take command of her home. A private war ensues between them, and the couple soon learns that resistance is futile when it comes to love in the heat of battle.
World War II has come to Nimway Hall, and with it an endless series of wartime challenges that its lady and guardian, Josie Stirling, must overcome. As passionate and courageous as each of the guardians who have come before her, Josie is fiercely determined to defend her family’s ancient and beloved estate from all possible threats. But with the recent evacuation of Dunkirk and the bombs of the Blitz raining random terror all across Britain, even the once-pastoral manor farm of Nimway has become as dangerous as any battlefield.
Loved and respected by everyone in her circle of care, Josie is knee-deep in evacuee children, Land Girls, the local Home Guard, a much-reduced estate staff, two cranky tractors and her widowed father she has just rescued from the London Blitz. Her days and nights, and even her dreams are chock-full of wartime charity fund raisers, meeting the strict requirements of the Ministries of Agriculture and Food, organizing knitting circles, leading her local WVS, tending the acres of orchards, the mill, and fields of grain. And even with every tillable square inch of Nimway planted in crops for the war effort, her beloved Baleswood is being threatened with destruction by the Timber Commission.
And to add to her problems, not only has the military requisitioned an entire wing of Nimway Hall, they’ve sent the most arrogant officer in the entire army to command the unit and impose his orders on the finely-tuned workings of the estate. A man as arrogant as he is handsome. Not that Josie has time in her life to notice!
The very last post Lt. Colonel Gideon Fletchard ever wanted was to be holed up in the wilds of Somerset, in an old manor house, far from the front line. But he was seriously injured on a secret mission early in the war and has recovered just enough to command of a team of Royal Engineers, commissioned to build operational bases for Churchill’s new Secret Army. Once a highly respected intelligence officer, Gideon resents his demotion to the “Home Front” and has little respect for the so-called civilian army he’s been assigned to recruit and train. War is waged by soldiers in the field, not by farmers and factory workers.
A sentiment the contentious lady of Nimway Hall disputes at every turn. She seems to believe that her work for the war effort is as critical as his. Though the woman’s opinions are seriously wrong-headed, she is as beautiful as she is devoted to her people and he can’t help admiring the firm and resourceful way she manages the estate. Can’t help noticing her fiercely green eyes and the sun-blush of her cheek. Not that he should be noticing such distractions. Not now. Not with a war to win and contact to make with a secret agent named Arcturus.
As the war between the sexes heats up, so does the ancient magic of romance. Josie and Gideon may not be looking for love, but at Nimway Hall they’ll soon discover that love has come looking for them.
Fourth book in the Nimway Hall series. A historical novel of 55,000 words,
entwining romance, mystery and the magic of love.
Praise for the works of Linda Needham
“Trust Linda Needham with your heart–you’ll never regret it.” Lisa Kleypas
”Linda Needham has the ability to mix laughter with tears
to touch a reader's heart." Romantic Times
”Ms. Needham has a knack for drawing her readers from page 1,
and not letting go even when the story ends — “ New and Used Books
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2018
100 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Linda Needham
18 books44 followersLinda Needham is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author of ten historical romance novels, seven full-length musicals and two stage plays, with four novellas scheduled for release through 2015. She writes full time from her home office near Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 2, 2024
3 stars.
This one started off quite interesting, being set during WWII. It was enlightening what was happening on the home front in Britain when the war was being fought overseas. However, once the romance began, the story started dragging for me and I wasn't particularly interested in Gideon's seesawing attitude towards Josie.
This one started off quite interesting, being set during WWII. It was enlightening what was happening on the home front in Britain when the war was being fought overseas. However, once the romance began, the story started dragging for me and I wasn't particularly interested in Gideon's seesawing attitude towards Josie.
October 7, 2018
Enjoyable read in the series but again could have been a bit shorter in length. Becoming a little too formulaic in the unfolding tale now set in the early days of World War II.
March 6, 2022
My rating: 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars. This low rating was mostly due to my dislike of Gideon, because I really thought that Josie could find someone so much better.
I had not read any of Linda Needham's work before this book, so I didn't really know what to expect. I found, though, that this book was a bit boring at times. It just seemed to move slowly, and the two main characters seemed to have repetitive thoughts and behavior. I also found it difficult to follow some of the acronyms (WVS, for example), since the author didn't always define them before they were used.
Since the magical properties of the moonstone orb are a large part of the overarching plot of this series, I was surprised that Josie didn't really understand or believe in it. In fact, she was upset when it first found her and Gideon, because she felt it would interfere in her life.
I liked Josie, and liked that she cared so much about Nimway and the people living in the area. I did wonder exactly what she saw in Gideon, though, since he obviously had little respect for women's abilities. I get that she was attracted to him, but how could she actually fall in love with someone who thought so little of her?
I really didn't like Gideon, and his chauvinistic attitude toward women. He was convinced that regular people -- and certainly not women -- simply could NOT assist with the war effort. He even ridiculed Josie when she mentioned all that she and the local people did to assist. I get that his attitude was typical, since this book was set in a time before women's liberation -- but still. I honestly couldn't understand why Josie fell in love with him, when he truly believed her to be incapable of so many of the things she had been doing for years.
My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
I had not read any of Linda Needham's work before this book, so I didn't really know what to expect. I found, though, that this book was a bit boring at times. It just seemed to move slowly, and the two main characters seemed to have repetitive thoughts and behavior. I also found it difficult to follow some of the acronyms (WVS, for example), since the author didn't always define them before they were used.
Since the magical properties of the moonstone orb are a large part of the overarching plot of this series, I was surprised that Josie didn't really understand or believe in it. In fact, she was upset when it first found her and Gideon, because she felt it would interfere in her life.
I liked Josie, and liked that she cared so much about Nimway and the people living in the area. I did wonder exactly what she saw in Gideon, though, since he obviously had little respect for women's abilities. I get that she was attracted to him, but how could she actually fall in love with someone who thought so little of her?
I really didn't like Gideon, and his chauvinistic attitude toward women. He was convinced that regular people -- and certainly not women -- simply could NOT assist with the war effort. He even ridiculed Josie when she mentioned all that she and the local people did to assist. I get that his attitude was typical, since this book was set in a time before women's liberation -- but still. I honestly couldn't understand why Josie fell in love with him, when he truly believed her to be incapable of so many of the things she had been doing for years.
My rating system is below.
1 star -- Hated it, or did not finish. I usually only give this rating if some of the content is truly objectionable to me, like if one of the main characters does something really awful, and gets away with it.
2 stars -- Didn't like it. This rating usually means that I thought the writing wasn't very good, the editing was terrible, I didn't like the characters, or it had other major flaws.
3 stars -- I liked it, but had some minor issues with it. This rating means that there were minor editing issues, the story needed more character development, it was just too unrealistic, or had some other fairly minor issue. The majority of books I read get this rating – I do not consider it a bad rating.
4 stars -- I liked it a lot. This is a high rating for me, and I rarely give a higher one.
5 stars -- I loved it, and will probably read it again. Very few books are good enough to get this rating from me. The ones that do are usually classics.
April 20, 2018
Rating 6 of 7
I have a huge problem with this book.
I must confess that if this one was in 19th I would gladly give it a 7 of 7 rating. But as the things are, I spend half of the book annoyed by the century and bitching about the absurd fact that they had cars. I don't read 20th century books, I don't read contemporary romance. This book was really hard for me. Incidentally, one of my grandfather literally was born in 1940. Honestly I was thinking about giving it only 5 of 7 but I decided that I couldn't let myself down two stars just bc I hated the timming. Also, I'm still wondering if i have a problem with the wwii talk bc it's something like too close to today or if it's just the 20th problem again
I hated the sex scene. I hated when they're declaring their love. I have no idea if that's a problem with the author (it's my frist book from Linda) or if it's just bc I'm used with 19th style language or whatever. I just hated it. I felt like nothing was seriously like they're joking - lord knows I do it all the time - and the sex itself I felt like a intruder reading it (I can't put in words how preposterous it is). I'm not sure if I will look for Linda's other works tbh which makes me pretty sad cause I loved Karen Hawkins books and I'm really happy with the ideia of discovering more new authors with this series.
With all that said, I loved this book. The plot was one of my favourites and the plot twist™️ was so amazing I started screaming here cause like omfg fucking brilliant you know. I loved Josie and I loved the Colonel and I loved the plot and I loved her father and honestly I just loved this book, I only would love better if it was 19th century
I have a huge problem with this book.
I must confess that if this one was in 19th I would gladly give it a 7 of 7 rating. But as the things are, I spend half of the book annoyed by the century and bitching about the absurd fact that they had cars. I don't read 20th century books, I don't read contemporary romance. This book was really hard for me. Incidentally, one of my grandfather literally was born in 1940. Honestly I was thinking about giving it only 5 of 7 but I decided that I couldn't let myself down two stars just bc I hated the timming. Also, I'm still wondering if i have a problem with the wwii talk bc it's something like too close to today or if it's just the 20th problem again
I hated the sex scene. I hated when they're declaring their love. I have no idea if that's a problem with the author (it's my frist book from Linda) or if it's just bc I'm used with 19th style language or whatever. I just hated it. I felt like nothing was seriously like they're joking - lord knows I do it all the time - and the sex itself I felt like a intruder reading it (I can't put in words how preposterous it is). I'm not sure if I will look for Linda's other works tbh which makes me pretty sad cause I loved Karen Hawkins books and I'm really happy with the ideia of discovering more new authors with this series.
With all that said, I loved this book. The plot was one of my favourites and the plot twist™️ was so amazing I started screaming here cause like omfg fucking brilliant you know. I loved Josie and I loved the Colonel and I loved the plot and I loved her father and honestly I just loved this book, I only would love better if it was 19th century
April 5, 2018
This was the story I liked best from Nimway Hall
And the one I have wanted to read since I first heard of Nimway Hall. I liked the idea of hearing more about the home efforts of WWII in England. I loved that aspect of it. I didn't realize how many things they did. I really liked both Josie and Gideon. I guess my only quibble is how easily Gideon changed his mind at the end. As stubborn as he seemed to be, it didn't seem to flow. That made the ending seem too easy to me.
That being said I loved many aspects of this story. Gideon and Josie are great characters, the setting in both time and place was well detailed, the steamy scene was near the end and the action was interesting with a big twist at the end, and there were some scenes that made me laugh out loud. All in all, it is a great story, except for the one thing I pointed out earlier. Try it yourself and see that the Greatest Generation did as much at home as in battle. Enjoy!
And the one I have wanted to read since I first heard of Nimway Hall. I liked the idea of hearing more about the home efforts of WWII in England. I loved that aspect of it. I didn't realize how many things they did. I really liked both Josie and Gideon. I guess my only quibble is how easily Gideon changed his mind at the end. As stubborn as he seemed to be, it didn't seem to flow. That made the ending seem too easy to me.
That being said I loved many aspects of this story. Gideon and Josie are great characters, the setting in both time and place was well detailed, the steamy scene was near the end and the action was interesting with a big twist at the end, and there were some scenes that made me laugh out loud. All in all, it is a great story, except for the one thing I pointed out earlier. Try it yourself and see that the Greatest Generation did as much at home as in battle. Enjoy!
August 26, 2021
-2 stars. kindle 244 pages.
-multi-author series. i didn't care for this authors writing. i ended up skimming a lot of this book because it was excessive details that were unnecessary to the story. and it felt like there wasn't much to the story parts. i think with appropriate editing this could have been a short story, not a novel.
"you presume more than any woman in my experience."
"then you must be a man of very little experience with women."
"you were looking right at me, gideon, looking for me, so blinded by your narrow-mindedness that you couldn't possibly see me as your equal."
"[gideon] dismissed her and her intelligence work as though she'd high-jacked the code name from a more deserving agent. her allegiance and experience held no more value to him than a toast crumb settled on his sleeve, brushed away and easily forgotten."
-multi-author series. i didn't care for this authors writing. i ended up skimming a lot of this book because it was excessive details that were unnecessary to the story. and it felt like there wasn't much to the story parts. i think with appropriate editing this could have been a short story, not a novel.
"you presume more than any woman in my experience."
"then you must be a man of very little experience with women."
"you were looking right at me, gideon, looking for me, so blinded by your narrow-mindedness that you couldn't possibly see me as your equal."
"[gideon] dismissed her and her intelligence work as though she'd high-jacked the code name from a more deserving agent. her allegiance and experience held no more value to him than a toast crumb settled on his sleeve, brushed away and easily forgotten."
December 23, 2018
Be taken back when a women was a arm for the military!
This sequel tongue Legend of Nimeway Hall was very special to my. My parents were in theaters as nd both worked to help our Country win the war. It was a beautiful love story of excitement, intrigue and suspense. Josie was a true self sufficient lady that had no problem with her own ability to take care of her legacy, but when she meets the right man, she realized that her independence must step back and take her offered trophy into her life. It was a beautiful love story of down right cupid hitting her arrow into the hearts of two perfectly wanting people,
This sequel tongue Legend of Nimeway Hall was very special to my. My parents were in theaters as nd both worked to help our Country win the war. It was a beautiful love story of excitement, intrigue and suspense. Josie was a true self sufficient lady that had no problem with her own ability to take care of her legacy, but when she meets the right man, she realized that her independence must step back and take her offered trophy into her life. It was a beautiful love story of down right cupid hitting her arrow into the hearts of two perfectly wanting people,
May 17, 2023
The Legend of Nimway Hall Continues
Set during the beginning of the second World War, gave an amazing view of the home bound and their very real effect on the
war. Without the farmers doing their best to supply food for all, the people would have starved.
Linda Need ham continues the series staying true to its premise of true love and the connection to Merlin and Nimue.
Thank you!
Looking forward to reading about the Christmas Wedding.
Set during the beginning of the second World War, gave an amazing view of the home bound and their very real effect on the
war. Without the farmers doing their best to supply food for all, the people would have starved.
Linda Need ham continues the series staying true to its premise of true love and the connection to Merlin and Nimue.
Thank you!
Looking forward to reading about the Christmas Wedding.
April 7, 2018
Heroes on the Homefront
Oh my goodness, I loved the wartime setting of this Nimway saga. Ms. Needham's protagonists are believable characters with strengths and follies common to all of us. It was certainly fun to see the ancient wonder of Nimue juxtaposed against World War II. I found Josie and Gideon very worthy additions to the Legend.
Oh my goodness, I loved the wartime setting of this Nimway saga. Ms. Needham's protagonists are believable characters with strengths and follies common to all of us. It was certainly fun to see the ancient wonder of Nimue juxtaposed against World War II. I found Josie and Gideon very worthy additions to the Legend.
April 8, 2018
Still at Nimway Hall
The orb clearly has no problem moving around, a war wound has more of a problem, the caretaker of Nimway has a legacy of training which helps make this match solving all. I thought this was the last of the series but I found two more in the works both written by favorite authors. I'm anxious to these next to complete my history of Nimway Hall.
The orb clearly has no problem moving around, a war wound has more of a problem, the caretaker of Nimway has a legacy of training which helps make this match solving all. I thought this was the last of the series but I found two more in the works both written by favorite authors. I'm anxious to these next to complete my history of Nimway Hall.
April 8, 2018
Read alone or as part of the series.
While each book is a complete stand alone novel and enjoyable i it's own right, the experience is more enjoyable in order as a whole series. The trouble that darn moonstone orb gets the Heroes and Heroines into. You can't help but stop to giggle each time!
While each book is a complete stand alone novel and enjoyable i it's own right, the experience is more enjoyable in order as a whole series. The trouble that darn moonstone orb gets the Heroes and Heroines into. You can't help but stop to giggle each time!
April 26, 2018
The Legend of Nimway Hall _ Josie
The story of Josie and Gideon is very good. The spy twist and the under story is well written and the Orb is up to its tricks again! So far I am really enjoying this series.
The story of Josie and Gideon is very good. The spy twist and the under story is well written and the Orb is up to its tricks again! So far I am really enjoying this series.
May 27, 2018
This was an interesting read because I'd never read a historical novel set in the 1940s. The writing was good and all the details about civilian efforts against the war were fascinating. The best in this series so far.
June 5, 2018
Very enjoyable, definitely my favorite in the series so far! Josie and Gideon both had a lot of depth and were very well matched. It was also great to see that Nimway was still thriving almost 200 years later; modernized but didn’t lose any of it’s charm!
September 18, 2018
1940. Josie
Nice romance in England during WWII including the ongoing stories of Nimway Hall. A time when women were coming into their own and men were learning to compromise and don't forget the ageless story of Merlin and Nimue. Great series.
Nice romance in England during WWII including the ongoing stories of Nimway Hall. A time when women were coming into their own and men were learning to compromise and don't forget the ageless story of Merlin and Nimue. Great series.
April 7, 2018
Best of the series so far, really enjoying these.
April 25, 2018
Not as strong as the other books in the series. Much harder to stay interested in the book.
May 11, 2018
Really enjoyed this one! Great story!
June 15, 2018
Characters were beautifully written; and their interactions were totally credible.
loved the WWII history.
loved the WWII history.
August 13, 2020
Great story set during a traumatic time in the world.
Lovely romance story with lots of twists and turns.
Lovely romance story with lots of twists and turns.
October 31, 2022
A fun story. A real rom-com. Though the ending is quite....HOT! (fanning myself like a Southern Belle)
January 27, 2023
Interesting look at wwii in British. She did all the things. Ha!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews