Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.

I am organizing my Netgalley library and this book was never read for it was downloaded on a computer disk that stopped working. I am sorry not to be able to give you feedback and I hope you will still approve future requests of books

The horrors of WWI loom large in this fable like tale of Eva and Michael who meet, bond,, and heal in a small British village away from prying eyes. Until....It's unusual in so many ways. Michael has been psychically wounded and struggles mightily but Eva,, the Beauty to his Beast. pulls him through. Lovely writing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This was a well-written book in the format of a fairy tale. I'm not the biggest reader of fantasy elements, so this is more of my problem than the book's, but I did have struggles getting involved into the story. Even so, the themes present throughout were well executed. I'm sure lovers of fairytale fiction will appreciate this unique story.

This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it. thanks for letting me have an advance copy. I'm new to this author.

This was a strange and ethereal book but I did end up enjoying it. Certainly not a favorite or even that memorable but I did enjoy the time I spent reading it

This is a beautifully written retelling of Beauty and the Beast set immediately after WWI. It tells the story of traumatized soldier Michael Evans Sheehan and the village who couldn't see him as anything other than an outsider. The only person who sees past his silent, dirty, enigmatic surface is local schoolteacher Eva Williams. This is a powerful story of loss, grief, and the redemptive power of love.

This novel about the aftermath of war was brooding but well-written. It blends folklore and realism in an interesting way with characters that are compelling. Good for fans of WWI novels.

This was so different from my usual reads but I really enjoyed it. This book was inspired by the Grimm Brother's fairy tale The Bearskin. I really enjoyed it despite the mythological element of it. Set during the great war we meet Michael who is suffering from shock and stress after being a POW during the great war. He meets American school teacher Eva who is kind, considerate, caring and very compassionate. This story was beautifully written even if the tale was a little long winded at times. I loved the language and will remember it for a long time to come.

This was a middle-of-the-road read for me. While I liked a lot of aspects, there were some things I disliked, and overall, I just didn't feel strongly enough about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

This book is a combination of genres I love - Historical Fiction, mythology, and fantasy and a cleaver interweaving of folklore and realism. I find the story remarkable and intriguing, however, it was not an easy read for me. I find myself pondering the meaning behind the narration, but I guess that's the beauty of this book.

I got drawn in by how attractive the cover was for this and this made me want to pick it up. The story was okay for the first 65% but as it progressed, the more I did not care about the characters. I did find the man who was found more interesting than the woman but that was down to the mystery aspect of his character and not knowing who he is.

Generally, I enjoy fairy tales and retellings but this one didn’t work for me. I didn’t find the story to be engaging and it couldn’t keep my interest.

I did not finish this book. It was beautifully written but I just couldn't stick with it. Still it should be in a literature textbook as it is a great example of literature. Maybe I will return to it someday.

I received an electronic arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was first pulled in by the gorgeous cover of this book and the fact it was presented as a fairy tale of the great war. I'd still hail the book for having the ability to pull me in again every time I look at that cover - honestly, it's the best thing it had going for it. I found myself constantly bored with the story and having to re-read sections to get back into the story. I really wanted to like the characters better and in essence, like the book better, but I spent so much time getting pulled towards other books and other activities that it was a struggle to even finish this one.

Unfortunately, I was unable to get into this title. It just wasn't a good fit for me. Thanks so much for the opportunity to read this title. I will not be posting a review online, in order not to skew the ratings.

Magical realism meets historical fiction in this tale of love and war ; inspired by the Grimms fairytale “The Bearskin”.
Michael is suffering from shell shock and probably PTSD after spending years as a prisoner of war. He is either ignored or taunted by the community who consider him to be stupid and homeless. Until Eva, an American teacher, decides he is a person and treats him as such.

We flip back and forth between his life after meeting Eva, and his days in the war in a lyrical writing style. It was at times quite beautiful, and at others a little to wordy, but always a unique way to write about WWI.

Recommended to those who don’t mind a bit of magical realism in their historical fiction .

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Hawkman is a moving tale of love, recovery, and resilience. LaForge has an incredible gift, not only with storytelling but with making words come alive through her powers of description. I love the era she chose to set her story in as well; that time was rife with difficulty, fear, and prejudice. The perfect setting for a tale of love blossoming within hardship.

Set after WWI, The Hawkman is probably best described as magical realism, telling the very real, very painful stories of Miss Williams and Mr. Sheehan. Miss Williams lives in Britain but grew up in the U.S. under difficult circumstances. Mr. Sheehan is a veteran of the Great War - Irish born and considered a turncoat in his homeland for fighting for Britain, where he was attending university when the war began.

Everyone needs a fairy tale to survive the hardships of reality. Miss Williams knows this better than anyone - she was fed stories as a child to explain her father's disappearance. She goes on to study fairy tales and write some of her own, bringing her to the town where a very strange man lives. When she sees the young veteran who is almost bird-like in appearance and who is dismissed by the locals as troublesome and unworthy of kindness, Miss Williams shows kindness and love. Mr. Sheehan - the Hawkman - finally finds a place of peace and acceptance while his mind continues to torture him with memories of the war.

The Hawkman isn't perfect but it's beautifully written and that carried me through the points of the book that seemed a little less directed. Inventive and yet very real, LaForge takes us through difficult realities with a touch of magic to make it all momentarily more beautiful.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks go to Jane Rosenberg LaForge, Amberjack, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. The book starts with a death and a bridegroom, so one knows that's happening at some point. Then we are introduced to Miss Williams and a homeless, shell shocked soldier looking for his next meal and a roof over his head. Williams seems to be a bleeding heart. Well I think two and two can be put together. It's the fantasy portion of the story that has me still a bit thrown. I can't quite put my finger on why it happened. Like what's the meaning behind it? I think I missed something monumental? I know what I read, but it's just not clicking. Regardless the selflessness was beautiful. LaForge teases me enough with this book that I'm interested to see what she produces next.