Genre: Historical Romance/Saga

Publisher: Joffe Books

Publication Date: October 19, 2022

Book Blurb

1941. Bombs are falling all over Plymouth. Young Maisie O’Sullivan must make a choice that will change her life forever.

Maisie yearns for a family of her own. Raised as a charity orphan in a Catholic convent in Ireland, she believed she was all alone in the world.

But when she is twelve, her world is turned upside down by a shocking revelation. She is uprooted from the only life she has ever known and transplanted against her will to Plymouth, England.

Family might not be all it’s cracked up to be. But Maisie is resilient. She surrounds herself with a family of her own making. Lovely old Zeek, her grandfather-like neighbor. Feisty Kitty, her inseparable friend. Young fisherman Nick, her kind and patient boyfriend.

Then war breaks out across Europe, and a horrific tragedy occurs during one of the worst nights of the Plymouth Blitz. Maisie makes a momentous decision that will take her life in a very unexpected direction . . . But will she be able to live with the consequences?

My Review

The Convent Girl by Tania Crosse

What a book indeed. This is the first of Tania Crosse books I have read, and I admire her imagination and descriptive prowess. I appreciate how she laced true events with history. She mentioned at the end of the book that some characters were based on the lives of people she knew.

War is terrible, and it was sad reading through the horrors and devastations of war. The survivors must be shaken to think that their whole livelihood gone up in flames. The main character, Maisie, was interesting to read, and my heart went out to her severally in the plot.

Regardless, there were happy moments and beautiful characters. I learned new words, new knowledge, and some places in this book. I was surprised to discover that this book is the 10th book of 10 series, but I read it as a standalone without feeling left out.

The book cover and title are attention grabbing. Although some pages were long due to the overly description of the war or equipment, they didn’t take away the main plot.

I am rating this book 4 stars. I recommend you to read the book. I voluntarily reviewed this book. Opinions expressed in this review are mine.

Author’s Bio

Tania was born in London and lived in Banbury Street, Battersea, which is the setting for her two London titles. However, at a very young age the family moved to Surrey where Tania’s love of the countryside took root. She always enjoyed reading and has composed stories ever since she could hold a pen. After studying French Literature at university, she devoted twenty years to bringing up her family. But her passion for writing never left her, and side by side with her in-depth research into Victorian social history, she began to pen her novels in earnest as her family grew up.

When Tania discovered Morwellham Quay, the restored Victorian copper port in Devon, she fell in love with this magical place and felt a spiritual compulsion to create a story that would illustrate life there in times gone by. This led to the publication of her debut novel, ‘Morwellham’s Child’, recently republished as The Harbour Master’s Daughter, and now Tania has fourteen published titles with which to thrill her readers.

Tania has now written an entire series of novels illustrating the rich history of Tavistock and the surrounding area of Dartmoor from Victorian times to the 1950’s. Having completed a series of Twentieth Century stories set in London and the south east, she has now returned to Devon for her future novels. She draws very much on her own experiences of life to create her books. She hates being catagorised as a writer of historical romance. The history comes first, she insists, and the human tales develop from her research. The characters lead harsh, demanding lives and their stories are often cruel and harrowing.

Tania has been happily married for fifty years and claims she would never have achieved her success without her husband’s support. They have three grown-up children, two grandchildren, and three grand-dogs!