So glad this was free from Kindle First for March, because I'd regret paying for it otherwise. Boring, predictable plot that you could transplant to almost any other era--part of what draws me to historical fiction is the historical setting's unique effect on the plot, but in this book the post-WWII era is just kind of there. The author tries to describe what life was like in 1945, but it feels like someone mixed up a fun, descriptive history article with the pages of the novel, since the settin [...]

I'm a fan of the plot, but the execution is not the best. The story dragged on and on at points, and I felt like I was never going to finish the book, even though it's not that lengthy. Unlike some reviewers, I like Gwen, the main character, because of her selflessness, but I do agree with the complaints about her low self-esteem. This story had so much potential, but something was lacking for me and prevented me from giving it four stars. I'd still recommend it for someone interested in a mix o [...]

I could barely read through my tears as I came to the end of this book. So much magic, so much love, so much beauty, so much tragedy. A couple bonded by a baby, or rather a toddler, who brings them together, and who fall in love, but must face unforeseen consequences when the birth mother who abandoned the baby reappears in their lives. An exquisitely told tale, complex, provoking mixed emotions and reflecting deep historical significance based on the theme of war veterans and how they survive. [...]

You can find this review in English below.No he podido terminármelo. No es un mal libro, bajo ningún concepto, es sólo que lo he encontrado aburrido y muy lento. Al principio me pareció muy interesante, con todas las descripciones del final de la segunda guerra mundial, la referencia a la famosa foto del beso entre el marinero y la enfermera, las necesidades y penurias que cambian el estilo de vida de todo el planeta, la historia me tenía captivada. Pero llegados al ecuador de la misma, la [...]

After Magic of Ordinary Days ( a fabulous book), I knew I wanted to read more about love in unexpectedly quiet places.Creel holds soft command of the narrative and paints a vivid portrait of New York during a time in a nation's upheaval. Though the marketplace has been (too?) saturated with WWII set books over the past few years, Creel's stands out for painting a deft canvas of the homefront and a woman whose life will be changed in more ways than one.Creel has a way of painting relationships th [...]

Best part was the synopsis.

Luckily it was free! Characters were one dimensional. Plot was slow, then fast like there was a hurry to wrap things up! Same way I felt!

It is unusual for me to give a book I've finished one star, but if I could return a Kindle First book, I would. All the historical accuracy of a Time/Life glossy grocery-store aisle special and all the romance ofHamlet. No. Hamlet has more romance. It also commits the double sin of having a hero with the fortitude of a banana slug and a heroine with the self-esteem of a dishrag.

This book has all emotions packed in it!. love, hate, sadness, joy, passion, fear, longing, hope, anxiety. The list goes on and on. It was definitely a roller coaster ride for me. I enjoyed the idea of the story and you can clearly tell that times were different back then. There were many times throughout the book where I thought if I were Gwen, someone would have gotten an earful or worse because of their words and actions (or lack thereof). The author definitely pulled on my heart strings and [...]

Disappointing The story was ok but there was such a fuss about that the nurse and sailor picture from Life magazine at first.lted in nothing. I thought it would involve both of them instead of just the nurse. It was brought up a few times during the story but never led to anything Story could have written and been ok without the reference

4 While You Were Mine Stars I quite enjoyed this book, again it isn’t my preferred genre but the story was really well written. Gwen has a lot thrown at her but she rolls with it so well you almost forget that she is just as young as Mary’s mother was. I am so glad Gwen had some support in this book I don’t think I would have liked it if she hadn’t had Dot or the lady upstairs. When John enters the scene I was worried for a little bit but he too grew on me that was until his ex-wife came [...]

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But in the case of Ann Howard Creel's novel, WHILE YOU WERE MINE (Lake Union Publishing), a picture turns out to be worth an entire novel. We've posted the photo that inspired her book above. It's the iconic shot of a World War II–era sailor kissing a nurse in a back-bending swoon. Taken in Times Square, by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, to this day, people still don't agree who the couple is. The majority think they're Rhode Island sailor, Georg [...]

Title: While You Were MineAuthor: Ann Howard CreelPublisher: Lake Union PublishingReviewed By: Arlena DeanRating: FourReview:"While You Were Mine" By Ann Howard CreelMy ThoughtsI enjoyed reading this historical fiction 'While You Were Mine' was really a love story. This read caught my attention and I couldn't put it down until the end. The charactersGwen, Mary, Dot, Dennis, John, Lisen, and Georff to name a few were off the chart well developed, defined, portrayed and believable giving the reade [...]

There was much I liked about this book, but parts just dragged a bit. The story is based on the iconic photo of the nurse and serviceman kissing in Times Square after the WWII victory is announced. The character of Gwen is supposed to be that nurse. The story opens with Gwen sharing an apartment in NYC with Alice, a troubled woman whose husband is a MIA during the war. Alice is suffering from possible postpartum depression and cannot face the responsibility of raising Mary, her infant daughter a [...]

CreeperThis book was a creeper. It creeped up in my recommendations, and the cover caught my eye. I read the synopsis and was intrigued. I'm pleasantly surprised. This was a beautiful story of a WWII nurse who stumbled upon motherhood when her roommate abandoned her child to her. The father comes home, after being away at war and not a POW camp. A friendship is forged and, blossoms into a love born from a bond from one little girl. If you want to read something new and refreshing, give this book [...]

This book was okay-good. There were aspects I was really drawn to but I just felt it was very drawn out and a little idyllic (why I don't usually read "romance-y" books). I didn't agree with many of the characters' choices but it was nice for something different.

This was a freebie book I got ages ago (I believe it was a Kindle First pick?) and since I’ve been sick and working for a while, I wanted a little standalone to ease me into reading again. Usually when I look to books that are historical in setting, I steer more towards 1910’s and back, just because the closer we get to the 21st century the less I feel immersed. Overall, it was okay, but honestly, I’ve seen the concepts in this book tackled better elsewhere. This is definitely a quick, sim [...]

This is my last book of 2017. While You Were Mine is that kind of book that pulls at your heartstrings. Gwen is a nurse during WWII living in NYC. Her roommate and friend has a baby but she doesn't want it because maybe she has post par-tum depression or maybe she just wants to pursue her career. Anyway, Gwen takes care of the baby and comes to love her as her own. The roommate's husband comes back from war to discover that his child was abandoned but he is grateful that Gwen has taken good care [...]

The story is told during WWII, and Gwen and pregnant Alice are roommates while Alice's husband is off fighting in the war.Alice has the baby, but develops what is probably postpartum syndrome, and leaves her baby with Gwen and flees to parts unknown. Gwen takes care of baby Mary for nearly a year when she notices a man standing on her front stoop-John, Mary's father.That's the premise of the story without revealing too much. I will say that the story was enjoyable, but it was also predictable. H [...]

I loved it!I started reading it as my Sunday-reading-at-work but this book is so much more! I love the details, the story, the way that I fell in love with John and how Dennis made me cringe. A really good, light but fulfilling read

Very good book.First, I'd encountered Ann Howard Creel before when I read The Magic of Ordinary Days. I loved that book and really hadn't thought about finding anymore of Creel's work. However, this one popped up on my Prime and I downloaded it.Typically, I don't read the books I get for free from or I wait a long time but the idea behind this book intrigued me so I read it right away and I'm so very glad.The idea is that Gwen's roommate during WWII, abandons her baby with Gwen who can't fatho [...]

This is the first time I had ever gotten something from Kindle First. This is also the first book I have ever read from this author. I had just been snooping around looking for something new to read when the suggestion for this came up to read. I have to say I'm a big fan of Historical Romance's, but haven't read a really good one in a long time. In fact I haven't read a Historical Romance in a long time. I've just been busy with all of the other books I've been reading for my blog and I don't r [...]

Historical fiction is a tricky genre. Sometimes the work stresses real events and persons. Sometimes it’s a work of fiction with an historical backdrop. The latter is truer of "While You Were Mine," yet the book provides a few insights into the alleged glamor of post World War II New York City.Gwen tells the story. She’s one of many young women who came to the big city due to war necessity. In her case, she became a nurse at an unnamed New York hospital. Her work is only peripherally importa [...]

I enjoyed this book very much; I could barely put it down. I liked Gwen's character a lot, she was tough and independent, but vulnerable too. She didn't beat around the bush with her words or her feelings and I admired that a lot in her. She was able to look at herself and see her shortcomings and admit them. John sounded like a complete dreamboat of a man, strong but sensitive too, and more aware of things after his stint in war. I love the attraction that bloomed between them, and how well the [...]

The WW2 post-war setting was what attracted me to this book when making my Kindle First choice for this month. The author had a charming way of describing New York City during that time and I could almost feel as if I were there, seeing and feeling everything the same as the character. The book had a romance novel feel to it, but with the twist of the main character taking care of an abandoned baby. Even though events happened somewhat predictably, it had an emotional impact on me and tears ende [...]

TransportingThis novel, set in 1940s New York is a page turner. You are transported to a world after war and into the lives of richly written characters who live as real on the page as you and I do in real life. Gwen, Mary, Dot and Alice move you with their turmoil--bi-polar disorder, narcissism, PTSD, alcoholism, heartbreak and more. You live in the characters' minds as they live in your hearts. The setting--post-World War 2 New York--is so real you can see it--the cars, snow on the ground, the [...]

I rarely give a one-star review to a book and I feel I need to justify that. I chose this as a Kindle First, glad I didn't pay for it! The writing is adolescent, the story flat, and the main characters pathetically devoid of any substance. The story is not only exceedingly monotonous but it is so repetitive in its monotony that I began to skim through the pages just so I could get done with it. There is a bare glimmer of promise every now and then in the writing but it doesn't carry through and [...]

The imagery and prose of this book was wonderful. I felt like I was in NYC at the end of WWII. However, the characters frustrated me to no end! I don't like finishing a book mad, but this was the case. The only person I really enjoyed was the wonderful German lady who lived upstairs. Everyone else was either completely selfish or the ultimate martyr.

I'd like to give this a higher rating but I was so bugged by the characters that I didn't feel attached to themI did for awhile but then a twist would happen and I'd be disgusted with a character and they never redeemed themselves to me by the end of the book. It was hard for me to put down but I didn't feel satisfied by the endingIt was like it tried to hard.

Do not let the cover fool you. This is not some sweet, quick read of a romance. This is a story about love, war, how they intertwine and rip apart. I'm not sure I've ever had such a rollercoaster of emotions during one book. And I wept, not cried, but wept through a couple parts.This author, she tells a fantastic tale.