Barbara Colley, Rachel's War

Rachel's War

Barbara Colley

Harlequin, January 2007, $5.99

ISBN: 0373198566

To escape her abusive father, Rachel Thompson marries Tim Davis. When he goes off to serve his country during WWII, she moves in with his family. When Tim returns home, Rachel welcomes him as a hero, but he dies in an accident.

Pregnant, Rachel obtains work from business mogul Jon Williams. He falls in love with her and pursues her until she agrees to marry him. He raises Tim's offspring Liz as his own loving daughter, and Rachel does likewise with his son JJ. As the years go by, the couple seems contented, but later Jon is accused of traitorous espionage for the enemy during the war. Rachel is devastated by the accusations.

This is an interesting historical tale that spans three generation of females, going decades beyond what is described above. An example is Liz marries a soldier and has children with him. Still, the prime focus of this second half of the twentieth century relationship saga between women and the soldiers they love and marry is Rachel, the only fully developed character in the family ensemble. Readers will enjoy this look at family members of our servicemen coping with the life of a military wife.