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Over There

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★ A historical lesbian romance with plenty of heat ★



A gripping lesbian romance novel spanning two continents…

Ruth Carroway is twenty years old and can’t wait to escape the confines of her small hometown in Indiana. But on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor sets into a motion a series of events Ruth could never have imagined.

With the country at war, Ruth first rooms with a newlywed war bride whose husband is at the front. Ruth blossoms when she realizes that, not only is she “one of those girls,” it seems her roommate may be as well. Eventually, Ruth is moved to volunteer for nursing duty overseas.

Landing in war-torn London, Ruth is forced to grow up quickly as she bears witness to the chaos and brutality of World War II. Along the way, she meets many people who have a profound effect on her life, including a sexy, enigmatic French nurse, eager to introduce Ruth to the delights of lesbian love. More surprises, and heartbreaks, await.

Ruth is no longer the same small-town girl from Indiana and now faces impossible choices. Will she make the right ones?

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Award-winning author Rachel Windsor has written a WWII era historical novel that shines with romance and sizzles with steam. A can't miss from her catalog!

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2016

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About the author

Rachel Windsor

25 books31 followers
Rachel Windsor is a boring attorney who enjoys writing in her free time. To spice up her day-job writing of appellate briefs, pension plans and tax documents, she writes lesbian fiction, specializing in romance, romantic comedies, historical romance and erotica.

In addition to writing, Rachel enjoys spending time with her wife and their two children, traveling, enjoying good food and wine, and reading.

Contact Rachel at AuthorRachelWindsor@yahoo.com to keep in touch and be informed of new releases.

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5 stars
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4 stars
9 (32%)
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6 (21%)
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Agirlcandream.
755 reviews3 followers
October 5, 2016
I like historical fiction and I appreciated the author's attempt to show the impact of war on families along with the challenges faced by lesbians in this era but this novel fell short of the mark.
The third person narrative made it difficult to warm up to the characters or the horrors of war they were witnessing. We were told how each woman felt and dealt with their emotions but didn't form more than a superficial connection with them. It was hard to care about Ruth and her voyage of discovery and maturing process when she came across as remote and distant, almost calculating in her decision making. Helene was a convenient one dimensional training partner and Tess spent most of her portion of the story pining for her girlfriend Rose with no interest in Ruth.

It could be that the author tried to fit too much story into a short novel leaving the reader no time to develop bonds needed for a satisfying read.

2.5 stars

ARC received from publisher via NetGalley for review.
Profile Image for Pippa D.
230 reviews14 followers
September 30, 2016
3.5 stars

Ruth Carroway is a strong 20 year old rubbing up against the social constraints of family and culture during the Second World War. The attack on Pearl Harbour entices her brother to join the military, following in their father's footsteps. Ruth also finds work to help with the war effort, and is relieved when it means she can leave home and avoid the emotional hole left by her brother, the favourite child. Unexpectedly, it gives Ruth the opportunity to find her own way in the world.

This book is about the maturation of one woman who dares to confront her own fears and the social constraints of the time. Ruth finds love in unexpected places, and learns more about herself from each woman she encounters.

Ruth is a gutsy character who becomes more interesting as her story progresses. She is appropriately naive at the start of the book, and the depth of her understanding of the world changes as the story develops. This is really well done, as there is a sense of innocence in the early stages of the book without Ruth ever being simple, stupid or uncomplicated. Windsor handled the scenes when Ruth first realises that she is attracted to women really well. Also beautifully handled was the sense of time and place, and the attitudes appropriate to each.

This book is a drama at its heart, but there is a lot of romance in it too, and the sex scenes are suitable steamy. However, I don't really want to go into much detail in this review, as it would give away too much of the plot.

This was an entertaining read. Windsor struck a good balance between the characters, and developed an interesting plot that fitted the main character and the setting well.

ARC copy provided for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lex Kent.
1,683 reviews9,876 followers
December 9, 2016
This is a short, quick read and my first book by Windsor. While this book flowed well and I liked parts of it, I just didn't get into the storyline as much as I was hoping.

The story stars Ruth, a woman from small town Indiana, living during the time Pearl Harbor was hit. While her brother goes off to war, she finds her self wanting to help anyway she can. After a failed relationship, with a married woman, Ruth decides to become a nurse on the front. After she arrives in London, Ruth can tell that her life is about to change forever.

Pearl Harbor Day was a few days ago, so I thought this was a perfect time to read this book. While I did think it dealt well with what families where going through during that time, I was hoping for more. I felt so much of this book was on the surface, never really getting into the details. I felt like this book had too much telling instead of showing.

Unfortunately, the characters came off a bit wooden too. While I liked reading about Ruth's journey, all the characters she met, lacked depth. I liked who Ruth wanted to pursue a relationship with, but I felt like I never really got to know her. And while the sex scenes were well written, they lacked chemistry because the characters lacked it. Had they been better developed, the scenes would have meant more to me.

This book wasn't bad by any means, but it just didn't come all together. A longer length could have help added details that were sorely missed. However, I would be willing to give Windsor's books another shot in the future.

An ARC was given to me by Sapphire Books Publishing, for a honest review.
Profile Image for Danni Mladenovic.
233 reviews30 followers
October 8, 2016
*The copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I'm not really sure about this book... All the elements for liking it were there, but still somehow fell short of it. Firstly, I really do have a problem with the plots placed in WW II, and then going through the book with barely even the fact about it mentioned in it - no, mentioning Pearl Harbor and war casualties doesn't count. And yes, I know it's a romance book, but still ! Then - Ruth and her emotions - it's like the writer wanted to go through Ruth's whole life in like 200 pages, and lots of the facts, emotions, people - left the book kind of superficial when it comes to emotional development - you can't really think it's enough to write couple of sentences telling the world Ruth is in love and thinking it's enough. I myself like to feel the build-up, to feel the chemistry between the characters, and I didn't quite feel it here.
Now, that being said, I like the writing style; I like how the adjectives, the sentences, the descriptions are put together, I like the phrases, and that all put together makes the book really literate and enjoyable to read, from the "technical" point of view, so to speak.
Profile Image for M.
289 reviews63 followers
October 4, 2016
ARC received through Netgalley for an honest review.

Struggled with this book. Felt manipulated and not in a good way.

Wish that the author had done a little research about the War and what was actually going on with medical staff.

Medical drama was only introduced so that literally the main characters could throw their hands in the air and proclaim 'the horror!'.

Never liked the main characters and felt no empathy for their situation. Sex scenes lacked any fire and passion.

Could have been an interesting saga, came off as an uber.
Profile Image for Katherine Jensen.
68 reviews7 followers
September 23, 2016
This book had a lot of promise, but unfortunately it fell a bit short for me. Historical fiction set during WWII is one of my favorite genres to read so I was excited when I saw this, especially since it was also a lesbian romance. I did like the characters (most of the time), but I thought the development was a little lacking. Also, the story felt a little stilted and rushed. There were many times throughout the book where I felt the plot or descriptions could have gone much further. I think this was a good effort, but with a little more development in characters and plot, it would have been a great effort.

2.5/5 Stars

ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review
2 reviews
March 26, 2018
A little gem :)

This is the perfect book to take a break from other, heavier material. A straightforward story with likeable characters, a plot that moves, and some love scenes that might make you do a double take around because you just know everyone can see you blushing. I'll definitely come back to visit Ruth and Co. again!
Profile Image for Cheryl.
247 reviews
November 28, 2016
Over There tells the story of Ruth Carroway, a young woman from Indiana, and her life and relationships during World War II.

I liked the easy writing style and fast pace following Ruth's life. As a short novel, it was well and truly full of life and loss and I recommend it if you like a glimpse of that era. Whilst it wasn't full of historical detail, I still felt connected with Ruth's journey.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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