“One Star-Spangled Night” – A
Romance So Alive & Unique I Checked to Make Sure it Wasn’t Non-Fiction!”
I don’t think I’ve ever read
a romance that seemed so different and so ‘real to life’. I even talked to a
retired Navy Commander I know to see if this story might have really happened.
I asked, “I’m reading this romance and the author mentions the name of a real
navy ship and even gives the ship’s number. I give him only the number and was told,
“That’s the Enterprise.”
I said, “Can the author use the name of a real ship in
the Navy?”
“Yes, she can name the ship but she can’t use real people. Her
characters will have to be fictional.”
So I asked, “Was there a scandal
involving the Enterprise?”
“There sure was!”
We had a talk but the
scandal is not the one in the book. The book is fiction no matter how real it
seems.
Since I'm an Air Force vet I checked what facts I could about the ranks and positions and the running and staffing of an
aircraft carrier that were mentioned in the book. All checked out with this Commander –- who
was in a position to verify them.
All in all, “One
Star-Spangled Night” is truly a ‘one
night novella’ – a fun filled read you can enjoy in a single evening. The heroine is a
Navy chaplain who is much younger than the hero who is a navy Captain. (A
Captain in the Navy is a full bird colonel in the Air Force and Army). This is not a typical
love story. It’s refreshing and different. The novella short format allows an author to experiment with different approaches to the romance and Rogenna Brewer is one of the best.
The book is also a genuine
novella -- a little novel -- with 5 chapters. It is a fully developed story.
The romance is central as you would expect but there is also so much more of
interest going on that it makes for a fascinating reading experience. The
author’s voice and writing style are also ideally suited for a fast-paced
novella. I enjoyed her other novella, “One night in Reno” so much that I
immediately bought this book. However, when I went back to buy another Brewer
novella, there were none! I hope the author writes more and writes them soon. I
am going to miss not having a third one to read tonight.
Get this book for a really
original and Entertaining Romance Reading Experience.
Hi Vince;
ReplyDeleteThis is probably my favorite review! I shared it with my RomVets.com sisters. All women who have served or are serving in the armed forces and write romance.
I do have another short story coming out in time for Christmas called One Silent Night. The heroine loses partial hearing in a bomb blast while an embedded journalist. I don't want to give too much away, but the story takes place after the fact and the hero and his dog work with bombs.
Also, if you're looking for more shorts stories right now, One Star-Spangled Night is part of the multi-author anthology Celebrate! There are four other awesome short stories and the whole package is Only .99. (Sorry, if that sounds like a sales pitch, didn't know how else to get across that it's also a great bargain :)
Take Care!
Hi Rogenna:
ReplyDeleteI just downloaded "Celebrate"! So many top selling authors. And I like holiday stories. Thanks for the heads-up.
I'm glad you liked this review. I'm going to have read the story again. I really like a romance where I never know what is going to happen next. I'll be looking for your Christmas novella. I would have bought it at once from the cover alone. I really get 'novel-size' enjoyment from your novellas. I'll always be on the lookout for more of them.
Vince