Very well done and atmospheric historical fiction. Fans of novels set in India will enjoy this one. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

A captivating tale that transported me to another world, A difficult read at times but balanced the themes excellently.

ndia, 1940. When Nadine learns that the Indian woman she thought her nanny is, in fact, her mother, she rebels against her English father and he arranges for Nadine to be wed to an Australian merchant many years older. She whisked off to his plantation in Malaya but as the Second World War rages throughout the East, Nadine is taken captive by the Japanese. She is held at a camp in Sumatra with other women and forced to provide sexual favours for the soldiers. In the most unlikely circumstances, Nadine finds an ally and protector in a Japanese-American general, caught up in the war. The two bond over the conflicted identities and gradually fall in love. But can Nadine survive long enough to find happiness?

Don't miss this emotional and powerful saga about a women's determination to beat the odds, perfect for fans of Renita D'Silva, Dinah Jefferies and Julia Gregson.

I really loved this book. I found this book engrossing and I could not put it down; reading it in 2 days. Great story with an insight into the atrocities of world war ll from a perspective other than the French and the English. Its an empowering read for women. I would recommend that everyone read this!

Although I only read an excerpt, I can see what beautiful writing the author has used.
The description of the colours, I could vision them.
Beautifully written and has my attention piqued.

I really enjoyed this novel. It’s an uncomplicated read, a delight to sit down with. I loved all the characters, even the not so nice ones, they all held my attention. I particularly enjoyed the story from the time that the central character, Nadine, ends up in captivity. The horrors endured by the women are sensitively handled, their predicament horrific but written about by Brown in such a way that I did not find the story unsettling to read. The writer’s style and the period which she has written about are just my cup of tea. I’ll certsinly lookout for more by Erica Brown. With thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the opportunity to review in exchange for an honest review.

Stubborn, 15-year-old Nadine has been brought up in India safely while WWII threatens the rest of the world. Finding out that her housekeeper is actually her mother turns her world upside, and she becomes even more of a trial to her father. Marrying her off seems to be necessary, so off to Malaya she is sent. Even as I tried to engage with these characters, I found it difficult, perhaps due to the writing style...not sure as to how to rate this book...

I gave this story four stars. It’s an entertaining read, once you get into the meat of the story where the main character is dealing with survival under Japanese occupation. However, the first 20%-25% should be cut in half, as this portion reads like a “woe is me” YA, as opposed to the historical fiction work that I’d hoped for when I downloaded it.

I did not expect that I would enjoy this novel- I expected a standard romance that I would race through. How wrong I was! The strong character of Nadine drives the novel, and I really started to care about her & her group of friends.
Towards the end I felt emotional and it was hard to put down. A good summer read, it is unflinching and memorable

I love history and historical fiction is always a firm favourite. East of India takes us to India in 1940 where it is still very much governed by the British, Malaya and Sumatra. I will have to admit I have been struggling with the review for this book, not because I didn’t like it but because I wasn’t sure that I could do it justice.
Nadine has led a sheltered life in India. Her mother died when she was a baby so she has been brought up by a local Indian woman who she became very close to. When she comes home from school one day to find that her nanny had been dismissed that is when her world comes crashing down around her. She finds out her father has been lying to her all her life and the woman she had always believed to be her nanny was in fact her mother. From then on she is determined to embrace her Indian heritage that leads her to the inevitable clash with her father. In his determination to protect his reputation and hide her true parentage he marries her off to one of his friends who has a plantation in Malaya. This action changes Nadine’s life forever.
For me the story really started to get going and gather pace once Nadine had been captured by the Japanese Army and imprisoned at Sumatra. Whilst I am not totally convinced someone as young as Nadine would be quite as tenacious and resourceful in the face of the Japanese Army, I am sure that during this time there were women just like her that did whatever it took to stay alive and make it through that terrible time. The author managed to convey all the horrors that the women had to both witness and endure without being too graphic. You know the women are being raped and tortured but at no time does the author go into detail of the actual events.
There is also a love story going on throughout this between Nadine and one of her captors Major Genda Shamida. He is there more by circumstance than choice. Originally from the US he was visiting his grandparents when the war broke out and out of a sense of duty and family honour he joined the Japanese Army. Whilst he does not agree with what his superiors are doing at the camp he is unable to do anything to prevent it as he knows that it would only make the situation worse and end up with him being killed. Whilst you can never condone the treatment of prisoners of war by their captors, there will always be those like Genda who did not agree with what they were made to do, but had to do it as it was an order from a superior officer and to disobey was not an option.
Don’t let the picture on the cover of this book fool you. The story is by no means cosy but deals with some real issues that many had to face during the war. Often the stories of what the women in P.O.W camps are not written about. Erica Brown has managed to capture this in a sensitive way that lets you feel what they went through. East of India is a thoroughly enjoyable book that I would recommend to anyone who loves historical fiction.

This book kept me wanting a better written story. A lot of people will probably like it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. Disappointed.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley.
All opinions are my own,

Fans of Dinah Jeffries and Santa Montefiore are going to love East of India, a sweeping epic of love, lies and loyalty sure to keep reading turning the pages late into the night.

In 1940s India, Nadine Burton is a young woman who chafes at convention and finds the rules imposed upon her by her father and society to be stifling and constraining. Headstrong, determined and a free spirit who wants more from life than to do any man’s bidding, Nadine is adamant that she will be the mistress of her own destiny. But it seems that fate has got other plans in store for her. A shocked Nadine is stunned when she discovers that the woman she has always believed to be her Indian nanny is not merely a family retainer, but her biological mother. When she rebels against her father, she ends up paying the ultimate price when she is married off to an Australian merchant many years her senior. However, with the Second World War raging through the East, Nadine’s problems are only just beginning…

Having been taken to her husband’s plantation in Malaya, Nadine is taken prisoner by the Japanese and held in a camp in Sumatra with other women. As a prisoner, Nadine – alongside the other women – is forced to cater to her captors’ every whim and entertain them and fulfill their desires. Nadine finds herself trapped in a hell from which there is simply no escape – until she finds help in the unlikeliest of sources: a Japanese-American major caught up in this cruel and terrifying conflict.

Thrust together by destiny, the two of them quickly form a bond that sees them growing closer and closer. Falling in love is inevitable, but with so many obstacles standing in their way, does their relationship stand any chance of surviving? Or will they be condemned to a lifetime of loneliness and regret?

East of India is a sumptuous saga that I couldn’t put down. Erica Brown writes with great insight, flair and sensitivity and with bold and vivid colours that sweep the reader off to the past and into a world of danger, passion and excitement which they will never want to leave. Wonderfully evocative, wholly intriguing and riveting from beginning to end, East of India is a terrific historical tale with a resourceful, three dimensional and believable heroine readers are sure to like and admire.

A first-rate historical saga which I highly recommend, East of India delivers on all counts.

East of India was a fascinating book. It was quite hard going in parts, and it was also quite slow, especially at the beginning, but the pace did pick up. It also has beautifully descriptive scenes which made it easy to visualise the Asian countries.

I liked Nadine. She was a woman who wouldn’t let anything get her down and tried to find the positives in life, even through the hard times.

The book covers a lot of subjects, some quite dark, yet they are all written quite jollily, which at times did seem a little surreal. It showed the brutal side of the Japanese involvement in World War II, but without the real gory details.

The story did captivate me and I couldn’t wait to see how Nadine’s life would pan out. Would this young woman ever get a fair chance in life? You’ll need to read this stunning book to find out.

What a book! East of India by Erica Brown was if you are a fan of Renita D'Silva, Dinah Jefferies this is a book for you.

I found this book just gripped me from the first few pages, Nadine who is half Indian and half British lived in India. She learns that her nanny was her mother. Then, her english father arranges Nadine to be married to an Australian merchant who is 15 years older than her.
Nadine is then shipped off to his plantation in Malaya. Second World War breaks throughout the East and Nadine is captured by the Japanese. She is held in a Japanese camp with other women and children. Nadine and other women who were with her had to do terrible things and entertain the Japanese to stay alive in this prison camp.
Nadine becomes very close to a General and finds out his history he is Japanese-American who was caught up in the war. He becomes her protector and a good friend.
I found Nadine came across a very Strong young Lady and witnessed so much at a very young age.
However, I did find my self getting confused on what I was reading.......Did I miss a page whilst I was reading it in some parts of the book. But then was on track. Apart from that I did enjoy this book.

I am looking forward to read more by Erica Brown as I have never read this author before.

Big Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for a copy in return for an honest review.

I found the topic of the book very interesting. I knew something about the WWII in Asia, but the book offered a new perspective and an interesting context. This way it was easier to get some new information about the era. I like the characters, they are not only black and white, and the reader can at least try to identify with their actions and ideas. There are, of course, also some flat characters, but it doesn't diminish the value of the book, I think this fits the author's intention perfectly.
In some cases I was not really sure about the sequence of time in the book, and that was a bit confusing, as well as some mentioning of characters, I could not fit in. But that didn't completely change me liking the book in general.

4.5***** This book engaged me fully from the beginning. This is a story of courage and horror during the second world war. What would you do to survive? Nadine half Indian, half British is married off to an older man by her father at only 15, two years later war breaks out in Singapore and she is captured by the Japanese. The choices she makes and the chances she takes are extraordinary, and though this is a fictional tale, there would be more than enough truth in it that other women like her would have lived through this same fate. This story does not shrink from the terrible things endured by the women who found themselves in this situation or the other women who were in the normal prison camp. My heart lived every bit of this story along with these women.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for a copy in return for an honest review.

Review: I would like to thank Canelo for asking me to review and be apart of the blog tour for this book. 

This is an amazing story I loved it from this first look of the cover to the last page read. It is brilliantly written and has such amazing depth to it. The plot takes us to some amazing places in different countries, which are beautiful described. The action and emotions jumps out from the page. 

Nadine grows from a little girl into a very strong women. She has to as life is tough on her. I don't want to give too much a way as this is a book that as to be read to fully get the understanding and feel of the novel. The romance in this book gives it a light feel in amongst the tough hardship faced by Nadine. 

A marvelous story!

I really enjoyed reading this book and found I could not put it down. Highly recommended.

I tend to read in bed at the end of the day and it generally has the affect of helping me go to sleep. Not so with this book. My attempt to do the same with this book left me reading till nearly 3am as I was so engrossed in the story.

It was, however, a slow starter for me; for example I was unconvinced by the way in which, in one of the opening scenes, Nadine reacted to the death of her ayah. Apparently she knew by that point that her ayah had been her mother but even if she was acting on autopilot the scene lacked authenticity to me.

I felt as if several such early scenes lacked detail and sometimes it was though the author was rushing through what background she needed to get out of the way before getting into the story proper.

Whilst the author took her time to warm up, the further I got into the book the more I was drawn in to the story. Earlier the story had progressed a little too fast for it to contain enough detail for my liking but after a while the pace did slow and I found myself more able to immerse myself into the story the further I delved.

Before too long the pace of the novel picked up once again and it was due to this that I found it so hard to put the book down that night. Yet despite my best attempts I was unable to keep my eyes open for longer and I did not manage to complete it that night. However the story tugged at my consciousness all of the next day whilst I was at work. I couldn’t wait to get home and read it. For me, that’s the mark of a good book.

The final third of the book resumed the faster pace of the first and I especially enjoyed the fact that the storyline was not predictable in it’s various changes of tack.

Overall I found this a good book with a great storyline although overall I felt the storyline sometimes ran a little too fast for the narrative to keep up with.

The story is a chronological account of a woman born to an English father and Indian mother. It follows her life through multiple abusive relationships against the backdrop of WW2. I tried my best, but I could not get myself interested in any of the characters. I guess my expectations were too high for this book. The premise was really interesting, but in the end, none of the threads really came together.