The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club

Finished February 12

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson

This novel was a delightful read. It takes place in the summer of 1919, and follows several young people who are adjusting to life after the war. Many of the women worked during the war, and have now found themselves without those jobs. Some are trying to survive on the small war widows pensions by augmenting it by other work. They aren't the only ones seemingly locked out of the work they had been doing. Men who were injured also find themselves treated as incapable. 

The central character here is Constance Haverhill. Constance's mother grew up with another woman who married into a titled family, while Constance's mother married a farmer. They continued to call each other best friends, but it seems like Lady Mercer treated her friend as an unpaid worker, often calling on her to help with childcare and other household endeavours. During the war, Constance worked as estate manager for the Mercers, but found herself quickly ousted when the war ended. With her mother dead from the influenza epidemic, she found herself called on to nurse Lady Mercer's mother, Mrs. Fog when she was ill. Her 'reward' is to act as companion to Mrs. Fog while she convalesces at a seaside hotel. 

But it is in this town that both Constance and Mrs. Fog encounter second chances. Constance meets another young woman her age, Poppy Wirrall. Poppy is also the daughter in a titled family, and she spent the war, along with other young women, working as motorcycle messengers. Poppy has started a small company offering motorcycle taxi (using sidecars) and delivery services, with a variety of young women employed part-time doing this work. Some have other jobs or widows pensions that they augment by working for her. 

Poppy's brother was a pilot during the war, and lost part of one leg in action. He is back at home, but depressed by the loss of many men he considered friends, and the inability of others to consider him employable. 

Constance is a calming force to Poppy's impulsiveness and exuberance, and as she begins to take chances, and open herself up to other possibilities in her life, I found myself hoping for a more promising future for her than she expected at the book's beginning. 

I also enjoyed Mrs. Fog, watching her go from recovering invalid to putting her own wishes first, despite the pressure of those she'd given into previously. 

I also found the story of the German waiter Klaus Zeiger touching. He is the quintessential waiter, always observant, mindful of propriety, and empathetic to the needs of those he serves. He is also highly aware of his ethnic baggage and how it has affected his life both during the war and now. I really appreciated that Constance saw him as a person, beyond his role. 

This is a novel of a time of great changes and adjustments and not all of them are fair or pleasant. This novel has moments of outrage, sadness, and joy. Well worth reading. 

Racing the Sun

Finished March 6
Racing the Sun by Karina Halle

This romance novel has Amber MacLean on what she fears is the last leg of her backpacking trip. She's coming into Positano along the Amalfi coast in Italy and not only has little money left, she has dipped into the funds that were to purchase her ticket home. She really doesn't want to go home, as she still feels she hasn't figured out what direction she wants to go in for her future. Her father is pressuring her to return home and get a job rather than looking for her passion.
She decides she is going to have to find a job, even if it is just to get enough money to get back home, and answers an ad she spots in a cafe. The job is to teach English to two Italian children, and she figures that with her English degree, it is something she can manage. When the interview takes her to the nearby island of Capri, she is enchanted by the beauty of the island.
The interview is odd, but goes well, and she settles in to her job, finding ways to gain the attention of the children and find a friend she can connect to. The children's older brother and guardian is a distraction though, and she finds that the rumors she hears about the family don't fit what she sees living with them.
This is a story of a young woman searching for a life that makes a difference. And of a man recovering from a tragedy while dealing with responsibility he wasn't ready for. It is a story of connections and of growing up. And one of love.

Sweet Dreams

Finished September 27
Sweet Dreams by Kristen Ashley

I hadn't read this author before, and I found myself quite enjoying this romance novel. From the cover I didn't guess how sizzling the plot would be or how Ashley brings deeper elements of self-confidence, and trust into the plot. There is also a suspense element here that adds to the plot.
Lauren Grahame is wandering following the breakup of her marriage after she discovered her husband cheating on her and his decision to stay with the woman he cheated on her with, her best friend. She has arrived in the small Colorado town of Carnal, and likes the look of it, deciding to try to stay. She applies for a waitress job at the local bar, Bubba's, and gets a room at the local motel. Even before she been there a day she sees a local man Tatum Jackson and takes notice. She isn't looking for a relationship, but she is drawn to him despite herself.
Lauren is a farm-raised girl from a close family, who went on to college and made a corporate career for herself until her divorce. This is a new start for her at 39, and she isn't afraid to take chances. She knows she's a hard worker, and that that can go a long way toward making a new life. What she doesn't have is self-confidence in her own value and attractiveness, and this is what makes the novel deeper than the average romance novel. The personal growth that Lauren undergoes takes the book further than I guessed from the cover.
The suspense element is the serial killer of women that is out there. Tatum is a bounty hunter and has been hunting the killer off and on for a while. When one of the waitresses becomes a victim of his torture, the plot gets a new layer. There is lots going on here with both Lauren and Tatum's families, previous relationships, the biker town setting, and the romance and suspense layers.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.