Lighting the Stars

Title: Lighting the Stars
Author: Gabriele Wills
Publisher: Mind Shadows
ISBN: 978-1-7750354-1-1

“There’s such healing peace and beauty here. I feel I could swim right up into the stars,” Roz tells Elyse in Gabriele Wills’s novel, Lighting the Stars

~ What ~
The fourth in the Muskoka Novel series, this four-hundred-and-ninety-seven-page paperback targets those who enjoy reading about residents of a charming Canadian town living and surviving during wartime. Using plenty of profanity and the Lord’s name in vain, its topics of premarital sex, alcohol use, war, and death may not be appropriate for immature readers. The ending includes the author’s notes, prior novel descriptions, and the writer’s biography.

In this story based during World War II, three young women from Muskoka, Canada, may be brought up in an opulent but small-town environment, but they are deeply challenged when they must do their part for the war effort. As Elyse becomes a Spitfire pilot and Peggy overcomes polio, Merilee must make decisions on a realistic romance. They sacrifice years contributing to the war effort, each experiencing love and loss while dealing with heartache, healing, and hope.

~ Why ~
Not having read any of the prior books in the series, I appreciate that this is a stand-alone with references to past characters. The read is expressively written with historical detail that shows research and accuracy. I like how the three women took different paths in life to find happiness during such a tragic time. Explaining how the Canucks treated their prisoners was engaging and interesting.

~ Why Not  ~
Those who do not like books about World War II, the seemingly endless bombings, and the prison camp environment may not want to read this book. Others may get confused about the many characters that are hard to keep track of, but there are over one-hundred names listed at the beginning of the book. Some may question the different spellings and punctuation rules, but this is because it is not written by an American.

~ Wish ~
At times, I found it hard to verify who was talking since there are a plethora of characters. I would have liked the book more if the profanity and swearing were eliminated. Adding a map of the Mukuska area would have helped.

~ Want ~
If you are a fan of World War II stories and how Canadians lived, loved, and lost during it, this is a nice read, but you may want to read the prior books in the series to get a better understanding of its abundance of characters. It’s “wizard.”

Thanks to Virtual Author Book Tours for this complimentary book that I am under no obligation to review.

#LightingtheStars #GabrieleWills #TheMuskokaNovels #VirtualAuthorBookTours #CanadianWWIISaga

https://www.virtualauthorbooktours.com/lighting-the-stars-by-gabriele-wills-on-tour/

There is a tour wide giveaway for the choice of print of ebook for 3 winners

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Print copies are open to the U.S. and Canada only. Gifted Kindle is open to the U.S only and Kobo is open to anyone who has a usable account on Kobo. It ends on June 30, 2021,midnight pacific time.

This book can be purchased at https://www.mindshadows.com or https://amzn.to/33GbyQi