Until We Meet Again by Rosemary Goodacre
Published: 31st October 2019
Publisher: Hera Books
Pages: 312
Available on Kindle
Rating: 4/5
Blurb
The Great War drove them apart – but love kept them
together
Summer 1914: Shy young woman, Amy Fletcher, lives a
quiet life in Sussex. An office worker, she lives at home, along with her
parents and spirited younger brother, Bertie. But her life is transformed when
she meets handsome young man, Edmond Derwent, son of one of the wealthiest
families in the small town of Larchbury, and student at Cambridge University.
The couple are falling deeply in love when war
breaks out and, eager to do his duty for England, Edmond signs up as an
officer. The couple plan to be wed, eager to start a new life together - but
their happiness is short-lived when Edmond is sent to Flanders to lead his men
into battle. Amy trains as a VAD nurse and is soon sent to France, where she
sees the true horror of war inflicted on the brave young men sent to fight.
Separated by war, Edmond and Amy share their
feelings through emotional letters sent from the front line. But when Edmond is
critically wounded at Ypres, their love faces the biggest test of all – can
their love stay strong while the world around them is crumbling?
A romantic, emotional saga set in WW1 – readers of Rosie
Goodwin, Katie Flynn and Val Wood will be captivated by this story of love.
Review
Rosemary Goodacre’s first novel Until We Meet Again is a
lovely gentle wartime romance featuring young Amy Fletcher and handsome Edmond
Derwent.
At the beginning of the story Amy is an office worker,
living with her younger Bertie and their parents in their modest home. One of
Amy’s main pastimes is spending free time with the Suffragette movement and her
friends Florence and Lavinia. Edmond comes from the wealthiest family in the
village and is a student at Cambridge.
A chance meeting with Edmond, an old childhood acquaintance in
Hove leads to the beginning of a strong romance between the two. Initially its
class and wealth differences which seem to cause problems for their blossoming
romance. As the months past and war breaks out Amy and Edmond encounter more and
more complications which prevent their romance from developing, will they ever
find their happy ever after.
Although this book predominantly focuses on the romance of
Amy and Edmond there was plenty of details of wartime events which were
unfolding around them and how these affected both of their families, which made
for a very emotional read. Rosemary Goodacre seems to have captured the anguish
and hope faced by many at this time very well and there were a couple of times
I shed a tear or two.
I love that the author has hinted there will be a second
book as I did feel there were parts of the stories of the minor characters left
untold which left me frustrated at the end of the book. I’d love to know what
life has in store for Florence, Lavinia and even Beatrice as the war comes to an
end.
Overall this was an enjoyable read and if you’re a fan of Elaine
Everest, Elaine Roberts or Kate Thompson then I’m sure you’ll love this book.
Thank you so much to the author and publisher for sending me
a copy to review and to Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be part of
this blog tour.
About the Author
Rosemary Goodacre has previously
worked in computing and teaching. She has had short stories published and a
novella, A Fortnight is not Enough.
Her father's family came from
continental Europe and she loves travelling.
She enjoys country walking, bridge and classical music. She lives with her
husband in Kent, England.
Twitter: @RoseGoodacre
