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Clubmobile Girls #2

Carry a Crusading Spirit

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In love, as in war, truth can be the greatest casualty.

When her New Orleans editor refuses to grant war correspondent credentials to a woman reporter, Hadley Claverie finds another route to the front lines: overseas duty with the Red Cross. She wants nothing more than to carve out a career as a respected journalist, but a sexy pilot set on playing by the rules undermines her determination to expose truths about the war, no matter the cost.

Struggling to overcome emotional trauma linked to Pearl Harbor, once-freewheeling B-25 bomber pilot Skip Masterson longs to prove he is worthy to carry on his brother’s legacy. Duty compels him to avenge the horrors his brother and friends suffered aboard the U.S.S. Arizona, but all Skip really wants is peace on a quiet porch back home. His heart has other plans, in the form of an intrepidly curious Red Cross girl who threatens his resolve to fly straight and subvert his hell-raising past.

As Allied forces wrest control of the Pacific, one island at a time, and the military taps skilled pilots for a highly-classified and unprecedented bombing mission from which Skip may not return, Hadley’s journalistic fire places her squarely in an ethical drop zone where truth harms, secrets protect, and love just might be the most harmful weapon of all.

From the sunny beaches of Australia to the lush and oppressive jungles of New Guinea, Carry a Crusading Spirit is a sexy and thrilling continuation of Clubmobile Girls, a series that champions the trailblazing role of women in World War II.

464 pages, ebook

Published May 22, 2020

42 people are currently reading
24 people want to read

About the author

Eleri Grace

3 books18 followers
Eleri Grace writes historical romance novels featuring trailblazing Red Cross Girl heroines and flyboy heroes. Her debut novel Courage to be Counted was selected as a finalist in the National Reader's Choice Awards for 2019 for Best First Book and Best Historical Romance.

Before penning her first romance novel, Eleri honed her writing skills as a corporate lawyer, a historical researcher, and an avid writer and reader of fan fiction.

Like many authors, Eleri is a voracious bookworm, happiest in bookstores and libraries. The TV mini-series "Roots" kindled a life-long enthusiasm for genealogy, though she concedes that meandering through rural cemeteries and spending hours in the musty basement archives of a county courthouse is not for everyone. Eleri is a scrapbooker, eschewing newer and perhaps more efficient digital media in favor of traditional paper (some might say she is a paper addict). She enjoys pilates and other cardio-based group exercise classes. A long walk at sunrise is the perfect start to Eleri's day. She loves to travel and has been fortunate to experience time in many wonderful locations in the US and abroad.

Eleri majored in history at Texas Tech University. She regrets that she ignored the advice of her history professors, who urged her to pursue a graduate degree in history with a concentration in World War II, and instead joined the legions of other liberal arts majors in law school. She is thrilled to have found another career path that allows her to immerse herself in World War II studies. Eleri hopes her novels will reflect her passion for the 1940s era and that her readers will come away with an appreciation for the many couples who were swept up in war-time courtships forged in a time of larger-than-life uncertainties.

Eleri lives in Houston, Texas with her teenage son, college daughter, and two feuding cats.

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Profile Image for Caroline.
Author 6 books244 followers
June 8, 2020
I loved this book! CARRY A CRUSADING SPIRIT is another in Eleri Grace's excellent WW2 "Clubmobile Girls" series which is following, book by book, the women of the Red Cross as they travel all over the world to support the men at the battlefront. This fantastic story follows reporter Hadley as she sails across the Pacific after Pearl Harbor to Australia, New Guinea and eventually . . . well, that would be telling. And of course, there's a rather gorgeous bomber pilot around too for her to fall in love with! So if you like strong women, amazing flying sequences, and deep-hearted romance, I cannot recommend this enough.
Profile Image for Shreedevi Gurumurty.
1,018 reviews8 followers
October 6, 2020
In love,as in war,truth can be the greatest casualty.When her New Orleans editor refuses to grant war correspondent credentials to a woman reporter,Hadley Claverie finds another route to the front lines:overseas duty with the Red Cross.She wants nothing more than to carve out a career as a respected journalist,but a certain pilot set on playing by the rules undermines her determination to expose truths about the war,no matter the cost.Struggling to overcome emotional trauma linked to Pearl Harbor,once freewheeling B-25 bomber pilot Skip Masterson longs to prove he is worthy to carry on his brother's legacy.Duty compels him to avenge the horrors his brother and friends suffered aboard the USS Arizona,but all Skip really wants is a quiet life.His heart has other plans,in the form of an intrepidly curious Red Cross girl who threatens his resolve to fly straight and subvert his hell-raising past.As Allied forces wrest control of the Pacific,one island at a time,and the military taps skilled pilots for a highly classified and unprecedented bombing mission from which Skip may not return, Hadley's journalistic fire places her squarely in an ethical drop zone where truth harms,secrets protect,and love just might be the most harmful weapon of all.The Red Cross clubs there,where workers prepared meals,planned social affairs.The clubs were open 24/7 and the women who ran them had to be prepared for anything.Their purpose was to provide care for pilots returning from flying missions over enemy territory.There were mobile and stationary canteens.Stationary canteens were often placed on air strips and later turned into area clubs.Mobile canteens travelled to and from air strips by jeep or another vehicle.Both are stocked with drinks and flight kits,containing snacks.First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited the South Pacific and saw the Red Cross facilities there.The South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was 1/4 major Allied commands in the Pacific War.This included the Philippines, Borneo,Dutch East Indies,East Timor,Australia,PNG,and Solomon Islands.General Douglas MacArthur was its Supreme Commander.
Profile Image for Helen.
2,912 reviews66 followers
September 27, 2020
I have been looking forward to this book since reading and loving the first one in the series, and this is just as good meeting new Red Cross girls helping to make the servicemen’s lives a bit better while they are fighting the enemy and this time this one is set in my neck of the woods, Australia and Papua New Guinea, I do hope that you pick this one up especially if you are a fan of World War 2 stories.

Hadley Claverie is working as a journalist in New Orleans and she desperately wants to be a war correspondent but her boss says no because she is a woman so never to sit still Hadley decides to get closer to the front line another way and becomes a Red Cross girl and starts a new adventure to Australia on a ship filled with servicemen and nurses, here she meets Lieutenant Dreamboat he helps her out of a sticky situation and then he is ordered to be her helper, and that doesn’t sit well with him but there is a pull between them that both don’t want.

Skip Masterton has been through a lot, he was at Pearl Harbour and lost his brother there, he is now flying B-25 planes, he commits himself to avenge his brother’s death and stay out of everything else. That is until he meets Red Cross girl Hadley finding love is not what he wants here but eventually he wants to settle down and have a family and Hadley is determined to be a journalist and travel not a good match but love always finds a way.

This is such a great story so well researched and there are lots of emotions as we see what everyone went through, I felt as if I was there with these people, the horrors and danger that they went through and the love and support they all give each other was amazing. Both Skip and Hadley had things from their past they needed to let go off before they could move on and find happiness, love was always there between them and they have the best HEA. I loved the part that the Clubmobile Girls played during war time making donuts and coffee for the guys organizing dances all about caring for each other, this is a story that I highly recommend I loved it from start to finish and look forward to the next one.
Profile Image for Moya Somerset.
11 reviews2 followers
June 3, 2020
The story of is so riveting, I couldn’t put the book down for 3 days!  Eleri Grace does a masterful job of using her extensive research to propel the story, adding an authentic richness to Hadley & Skip’s experience in Pacific theatre.  She also explores the human emotions of the processing of being in a war zone - waiting for news, frustration with authority, ambivalence and pain of fighting, relief and guilt of surviving, and finding love.  Finally, a historical series set around WWII that is written from a woman’s POV - ready for book three!!!  
Profile Image for Amy.
5 reviews2 followers
June 5, 2020
I was really excited to see this come out because I really liked her first book - Courage to be Counted. This one was even better! I love how Eleri Grace makes WWII really come alive. She must spend so much time on research. It makes you really feel like you are there - the plane sequences, the backgrounds, everything.... If you are a fan of WWII romance or just love romance novels in general, please try this book. I really think you are going to like it. Eleri - when is the next one??? Keep them coming!
28 reviews7 followers
June 5, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this 2nd book about the Red Cross Girls and the war/romantic adventures of Hadley and Skip during WWII in the south Pacific. Eleri Grace's writing and research brings that historic time alive, including the aerial battles and the hardships of waging war in lush jungles, and reveals layers of the history that were unknown to me. I liked this book even more than the first. Thank you so much for writing about these courageous women and their important service during WWII!
Profile Image for Elaine Schroller.
Author 2 books41 followers
May 30, 2020
The story and the location were so immersive that I finished the book in two days! Hadley and Skip are wonderful, complex characters. Eleri's research of the South West Pacific Area theater, the Red Cross Clubmobile Girls, and the US Fifth Air Force perfectly underpinned their story without overwhelming it. I really loved this story and can't wait for the third installment in Eleri's Clubmobile Girls series.
609 reviews1 follower
August 25, 2020
Good historical and romantic novel

I enjoyed these two stories of the Red Cross Clubmobile women of WWII. I was unaware of them until coming upon these books. I am very grateful that they were written. Not much is known about the American women involved in WWII. I look forward to the third book about these women.
Profile Image for Kelly Fines.
33 reviews
August 26, 2024
Well crafted story

The pairing of historical detail and romantic fiction really helped make this novel a very enjoyable read. The author did a wonderful job of leading the reader through history of the war in the Pacific, without sacrificing the growing romance between Hadley and Skip. It was both informative and engaging, and a very enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews

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