Last Christmas in Paris: A Novel of World War I by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor has joined with Heather Webb to create this unforgettably romantic novel of the Great War.

August 1914. England is at war. As Evie Elliott watches her brother, Will, and his best friend, Thomas Harding, depart for the front, she believes—as everyone does—that it will be over by Christmas, when the trio plan to celebrate the holiday among the romantic cafes of Paris.

But as history tells us, it all happened so differently…

Evie and Thomas experience a very different war. Frustrated by life as a privileged young lady, Evie longs to play a greater part in the conflict—but how?—and as Thomas struggles with the unimaginable realities of war he also faces personal battles back home where War Office regulations on press reporting cause trouble at his father’s newspaper business. Through their letters, Evie and Thomas share their greatest hopes and fears—and grow ever fonder from afar. Can love flourish amid the horror of the First World War, or will fate intervene?

Christmas 1968. With failing health, Thomas returns to Paris—a cherished packet of letters in hand—determined to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one final letter is waiting for him…

my thoughts:

Last Christmas in Paris is epistolary fiction at its best! I absolutely LOVED it!!

Will and Tom are best friends who have volunteered to go to war for their country England.  They are so certain all the fighting will be over come Christmas, that they make plans to meet up with Will's sister, Evie, in Paris.  Unfortunately, life does not work out the way this trio planned.  Through their letters to one another we learn about the ways in which WWI impacted their everyday lives and their futures. We find out about the loss of loved ones, we watch the beginnings of a love blossoming, and we see a country forever changed.

Talk about a gripping read! I was hooked from start to finish and felt like I couldn't turn the pages fast enough - I was so eager to find out what would happen next. I fell in love with Tom and Evie - their stories captured my heart.  Not only do we get to know them, but we also get to know their worlds.  We learn about Tom's life fighting in a war.  We learn about Evie's desire to do more for the war, than to just knit socks.  We read about them growing up with this war and their lives afterward.  My heart soared and wrenched reading about the hopes, dreams, loves, heartbreaks, and losses that Evie and Tom endured - oh my!  I just loved this story so much - the characters were unforgettable and the story was unputdownable.  And the writing was superb! Gaynor and Webb created a story that is a must-read for their fans and anyone who loves reading historical fiction about WWI.  I would most definitely recommend Last Christmas in Paris!

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: Last Christmas in Paris

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!