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The Twirler Quartet #3
Learning To Twirl
Two devout teenagers faced love amid tragedy circa 1969. An Army enlistment during the Vietnam Conflict promised career opportunities but tore their dreams apart.
As a Roman Catholic, Nancy knew better than to succumb to temptation. She was following the example of her two older sisters: one a nun, and the other a wife who’d had three children in quick succession. But when a sweet-talking devilishly-handsome boy began charming her, it wasn’t just her baton that was twirling. It was her heart.
Peter knew he shouldn’t resent his older brother, the golden boy. Terry excelled in sports, academics, and winning friends leaving Peter stuck at home milking cows. Their parents expected Peter to hold down the farm when Terry’s world was upended by an accident. Once Peter fell for a beautiful red-haired angel, he knew his prayers had been answered.
Later, while Peter performed his patriotic duty in Vietnam, he discovered his brother was ambushing him on the home front, about to steal his cherished wife and daughter. Did his devotion to the Army’s cause create an unbridgeable rift in his marriage?
Return to the mythical Capital High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the third in the Twirler Quartet series that delivers more heartbreak and joy at a time when naïve teenage boys were being drafted, surprised college students were being attacked at protest marches, and the president promised peace and love to the youth of America.
As a Roman Catholic, Nancy knew better than to succumb to temptation. She was following the example of her two older sisters: one a nun, and the other a wife who’d had three children in quick succession. But when a sweet-talking devilishly-handsome boy began charming her, it wasn’t just her baton that was twirling. It was her heart.
Peter knew he shouldn’t resent his older brother, the golden boy. Terry excelled in sports, academics, and winning friends leaving Peter stuck at home milking cows. Their parents expected Peter to hold down the farm when Terry’s world was upended by an accident. Once Peter fell for a beautiful red-haired angel, he knew his prayers had been answered.
Later, while Peter performed his patriotic duty in Vietnam, he discovered his brother was ambushing him on the home front, about to steal his cherished wife and daughter. Did his devotion to the Army’s cause create an unbridgeable rift in his marriage?
Return to the mythical Capital High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, for the third in the Twirler Quartet series that delivers more heartbreak and joy at a time when naïve teenage boys were being drafted, surprised college students were being attacked at protest marches, and the president promised peace and love to the youth of America.
354 pages, Paperback
Published October 26, 2021
4 people want to read
About the author
Claudia J. Severin
11 books64 followersAfter leaving the chaos of call-center management and graduating from child-rearing, I’d earned my peace and quiet. Time to write some romance.
I started writing novels in 2019, after spending the better part of the year researching genealogy. I published my first book about my ancestors in 2020. The Twirler Quartet romance series followed, set in Lincoln, Nebraska. It explored teen pregnancy and other social issues of the 1960s through 1980s.
The Romancing Our Roots series connects through a theme of DNA findings, and how it began affecting modern lives.
Some of my tales are set in the present day, others in decades or centuries gone by. Love is timeless. Romance should be endless.
Unfortunately, I’m stuck in the real world, splitting time between several states visiting family, enjoying the itinerant author life. Home base is a farm in Nebraska, smack dab in the middle of the fly-over states, where my husband’s ancestors homesteaded over 150 years ago. You’re welcome to visit. It’s as easy as opening the book cover.
Come join my newsletter at https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
Claudia J. Severin
I started writing novels in 2019, after spending the better part of the year researching genealogy. I published my first book about my ancestors in 2020. The Twirler Quartet romance series followed, set in Lincoln, Nebraska. It explored teen pregnancy and other social issues of the 1960s through 1980s.
The Romancing Our Roots series connects through a theme of DNA findings, and how it began affecting modern lives.
Some of my tales are set in the present day, others in decades or centuries gone by. Love is timeless. Romance should be endless.
Unfortunately, I’m stuck in the real world, splitting time between several states visiting family, enjoying the itinerant author life. Home base is a farm in Nebraska, smack dab in the middle of the fly-over states, where my husband’s ancestors homesteaded over 150 years ago. You’re welcome to visit. It’s as easy as opening the book cover.
Come join my newsletter at https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor...
Claudia J. Severin
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 19, 2021
Title: Learning To Twirl
Author: Claudia Severin
Publisher: Pella Road Publishing
Series; The Twirler Quartet Book 3
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Learning To Twirl" by Claudia Severin
My Opinion:
'Learning To Twirl' was quite a read drawing out what happened to Nancy and Peter in what they were put through in 1969. Nancy and Peter had been friends, but things took a turn, and something blossomed between them. Do we find Nancy knew it was wrong as she succumbed to temptation not only with one but also his brother? I don't want to tell too much of the story, but we see that Peter's brother had been in a horrible accident, and a lot was thrown on Peter as he helped on his family's farm. During this time, Peter falls for the lovely red-haired angel. Both of them were in HS, and she was a 'Twirler' and a beautiful person; however, Peter's brother Terry noticed her. What will come of this and as Nancy and Peter become more involved? What would happen when he chose to serve in the Army in Vietnam doing his patriotic duty? Oh, did I mention that now Nancy and Peter are married after they just had turned eighteen?
Well, there was a reason for that quick marriage. Anyway, as the story continues will these cause problems in their marriage [new baby & him going into the service]? A few things caused me some concern, and this was as strong Roman Catholics needed more guidance from somebody. Nancy even had a nun as a sister, and a priest had been around...so what was the problem? Now my biggest concern was with Peter's brother Terry. What Terry was doing with his brother's wife Nancy ...I didn't care for at all. Now, I will not blame it all on Terry because Nancy was part of the problem too. It was hard to believe that she was that naive not to know just what she was doing and what trouble it would cause if it got out. I know things did come together by the end of the story, but this did cause me to have some problems with how it all came out in the end.
'Learning To Twirl' is one read to pick up and get a story with "heartbreak and joy at a time when naive teenage girls, boys were being drafted, college students being attacked at protest marches, and even the president comes into play as he promises peace and love to the youth of America."
Author: Claudia Severin
Publisher: Pella Road Publishing
Series; The Twirler Quartet Book 3
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"Learning To Twirl" by Claudia Severin
My Opinion:
'Learning To Twirl' was quite a read drawing out what happened to Nancy and Peter in what they were put through in 1969. Nancy and Peter had been friends, but things took a turn, and something blossomed between them. Do we find Nancy knew it was wrong as she succumbed to temptation not only with one but also his brother? I don't want to tell too much of the story, but we see that Peter's brother had been in a horrible accident, and a lot was thrown on Peter as he helped on his family's farm. During this time, Peter falls for the lovely red-haired angel. Both of them were in HS, and she was a 'Twirler' and a beautiful person; however, Peter's brother Terry noticed her. What will come of this and as Nancy and Peter become more involved? What would happen when he chose to serve in the Army in Vietnam doing his patriotic duty? Oh, did I mention that now Nancy and Peter are married after they just had turned eighteen?
Well, there was a reason for that quick marriage. Anyway, as the story continues will these cause problems in their marriage [new baby & him going into the service]? A few things caused me some concern, and this was as strong Roman Catholics needed more guidance from somebody. Nancy even had a nun as a sister, and a priest had been around...so what was the problem? Now my biggest concern was with Peter's brother Terry. What Terry was doing with his brother's wife Nancy ...I didn't care for at all. Now, I will not blame it all on Terry because Nancy was part of the problem too. It was hard to believe that she was that naive not to know just what she was doing and what trouble it would cause if it got out. I know things did come together by the end of the story, but this did cause me to have some problems with how it all came out in the end.
'Learning To Twirl' is one read to pick up and get a story with "heartbreak and joy at a time when naive teenage girls, boys were being drafted, college students being attacked at protest marches, and even the president comes into play as he promises peace and love to the youth of America."
November 29, 2021
This book is about life lessons. High school and teenagers seem to never change. The only difference is in the 60s if a girl got pregnant she was kicked out of school. I liked the way Nancy hid her pregnancy until the end of the school year and therefore was allowed to graduate. Her life with Peter was not all romance and many things go wrong. Life lessons can do a number on your life and this was a very good read. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 25, 2022
THE COMPLEXITIES OF BEING HUMAN. This is a lovely story, and well told. It's about a young woman, from aged 11 to 18 and beyond. It explores her emotional development and the way she negotiates the challenges of a Catholic upbringing whilst having normal sexual urges. It's also a story about love in all its dimensions - the good, the bad and the ugly. The complexities of the human condition are essentially what this book is about, and yet the story was told in a simple and "easy to relate to" way. Interesting. I suspect I might be thinking about it for a while ...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews