I loved this novella which is part of the Fly Me to the Moon series. It is 1948 and Joe is a midshipman who has fallen in love at first sight with the admiral's daughter Frances. Frances has reasons for not wanting to date a Navy man and Joe is determined to find a way to be with her. It is a truly sweet story and since it is so short I don't want to reveal too much. I thought it was told in a way that is true to the time period. I don't think there will be many readers who will not fall in love with Joe. I'm not normally a fan of novellas because I like more development of the characters, but this one was perfect. ( )

4.5 stars

Read this for 12 Tasks of the Festive Season:
Task the Ninth: The Happy New Year:
- Every year you get a little bit older! Read a coming of age novel or any old favorite comfort read to start the new year right.


Y'all. Seriously.



Set in 1948 we have Frances, a nineteen year old Admiral's daughter who has basically had to take on the responsibility of wife, setting up dinners and functions, after her mother passed away. She is constantly hounded by young naval men only wanting to date her to get in good with her father.



In walks Joe, a midshipman who has one conversation with Frances and gets struck by love at first sight. It's a novella, so I'll forgive the insta-love but only because how the rest of the story went.



Just, gah. I don't know, it was so romantic! The way Joe pursues Frances, y'all, he gives her books...



THAT HE READ. He read a Georgette Heyer for her.



AND I DON'T EVEN LIKE KIDS!

As she watched him, he didn't touch her; He looked. Merely looked. Looked in a way that made touching beside the point. His hands were in his pockets, and her heart was in her mouth.

You're going to swoon hard for Joe. Frances was a bit of a tough cookie but oh how you understand her when she says she doesn't want to be a Navy man's wife. I loved Frances' family, sister, and father. Her father may anger you at first but with few words and one amazing scene where he sits on the floor with Frances, you'll sympathize with a man who did a tough job and maybe doesn't fully understand raising girls but loves them. I loved how the authors had Joe showing respect for the Admiral and a bit nervous but in a couple scenes show him standing up to him and for Frances. Y'all, again,



There's not too much of a holiday feel to this but who needs that when you have Joe. This story is just so romance-y and if you want your face to hurt from smiling and your heart to feel like it is going to burst out of your chest, you must read this.
Surprisingly, the only down fall was the epilogue for me. Reminder it is 1948 so their sex scene is a bit..awkward and I don't know, it kind of dented the chemistry I felt from the couple earlier. Or maybe it's just my 21st century womanhood screaming, "Get at it Frances!" cause, y'all, again,



So, I know this review is basically me telling you I have the hots for Joe but I had to let someone know, couldn't keep it to myself. Read this book if you at all like romance. ( )

I stayed up till two in the morning to finish this. I thought I could just read a few pages but I was so very wrong. What a wonderful story! I don’t know if it is because my parents were married around this same time period and my father was in uniform for the wedding or if it is just a story that would have tweaked my heartstrings anyway but I could not put it down till I finished the last word.

Frances Dumfries is the eldest daughter of a career naval man and knows just what it means to become the wife of a man married not only to a woman but also to his career. She is pursued by many men on base but has not fallen for any of them. Joe Reynolds is a romantic at heart and at first sight of Frances he is pretty sure she is the one for him. Frances knows what she wants and does not want and is pretty sure what she wants is NOT anywhere on base. Joe knows what he wants and is smart, persistent and different than others in uniform who have set their sights on Frances. Joe has a way about him that really grabbed me and made me feel good and hope that he would win Frances’s heart. This was definitely a feel-good book that I will no doubt read again.

Thank you to the author for the copy of this book to read and review. ( )