I think my love for Russia as setting got to come from my love for ballet as a child. I have since devoured many books which are set in Russia including some of those big classics like War & Peace. And as the setting in this book is WWI and just before the outbreak of Russian Revolution, there were bits of it which reminds me of War & Peace even if, in time, they are a century apart.

Gone by Nightfall is told strictly from the perspective of Charlotte Mason. When her mother died, she has promised to take care of everything and so she took on her mother’s mantle in caring for her family and also the hospital her mother built. I love this family and their easygoing way caring for each other. It is a big blended family (6 children including Charlotte) with a rather older man as head (Charlotte’s stepfather).

Even as Charlotte struggled to find the time and energy to oversee all, help comes in the new tutor, Dmitri. However, he seems to be a figure of contradiction. As certain warm feelings arose between them, hot tempers are rising outside with the people and with violence threatening her family, Charlotte must decide whether she could trust Dmitri to ask for his help.

I was listening to War & Peace soundtrack (BBC) while reading the book so maybe that’s another reason why I got that vibe. But also, the way the romance was conducted with sweet whispers (so cute!). The ending and the overall feeling for this novel, however, was that it is unfinished. It doesn’t look like being series but yet why all these unconnected strands… I hope for a sequel at least if not a series.

My thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for having me on this tour and copy of ebook in exchange of honest review

This was a fun historical romance with lots of serious elements and consequences. I would recommend to teen readers with any passing interest in history. The story was well-written and well-paced.

I loved it!! I will be buying a copy for the library! The writing is clear and creates a vivid image to follow. Very good historical fiction choice for any YA collection.

This is one of the most richly written historical novels for young adults that I've run across, one that truly brings the time frame to life.

Charlotte Mason is a young girl living in Russia in 1916. Since her mother passed away, it's her dream to continue the dream of helping others, and she's determined to go to medical school. But with the world around her revolting, chaos is found around every corner. She's told to leave and return to her relatives in America, but with her siblings, her mother's hospital and a man, who isn't what he seems, she's determined to do what she thinks is right.

This one surprised me. While many young adult historical novels tend to feel a bit 'light', this one dives in with a very rich and vivid world. Charlotte does have a lot to learn and makes usual mistakes for girls that age. It's easy to connect with her and makes her believable, but never is the atmosphere of the time frame scratched. The tension and the danger growing coming from the world falling apart around her hits from the very first page and holds through the entire read. And while a few handful of moments, especially in the romance end, weren't as smooth as they might have been, these didn't hurt the story by any means.

It's an exciting read which not only historical fiction fans are sure to enjoy.

If you enjoy calmer, historical novels with a hint of romance thrown in. This one may be perfect for fans of Russian history!

We follow a main character who aspires to be a doctor, but struggles with societal norms and family dilemmas. This is a story of safety, survival, and siblings.

If you are looking for a historical romance, this plot may not be what you are looking for. While it is there, it doesn’t take up the bulk of the plot’s attention. There were moments that I felt like there could have been a little more oomph to the pace of the book, but it wasn’t something that distracted me.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that is perfect for a snowy day snuggled up with a warm cup of tea! 3 out of 5 stars from me.

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fly by the seat of your pants fast paced read and I absolutely loved it. Lottie had to make big decisions for her family and once she made them she swiftly and efficiently carried them out.

My heart was in my mouth so many times while reading this book. Lottie and her family faced some very scary situations and going into this book totally blind I had no idea what the outcome was going to be. I thought a few times about enlightening myself and checking out the blurb while I was reading but I think I enjoyed everything so much more because I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted to read this because I think the cover is beautiful and it totally payed off by being a great book.

I really enjoyed the first Dee Garretson book I read and I can honestly say I loved this one a whole lot more.

While this book was mostly about the conflict that was happening in Russia there was also a very sweet, naturally occurring romance and while the ending was not how I like or expect my romance novels to end it was perfect for this book because it was a book with romance rather than a romance book.

All I ask for my books historical and other wise is a strong female and bonus points if they are aspiring to a life that isn’t expected of them and that is exactly what I got here. This was a wonderful book from Dee and I’m already looking forward to the next!

I truly enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction. It takes place in Russia during WWI and it deals with historical events that are not often seen outside of Anastasia re-tellings. I loved Charlotte as a character. She was strong amidst all of the chaos in her life and the love interest was decent enough, but it did feel a little rushed and insta-love like. To be fair, this is not a very long book so there was only so many pages to tell this story. Which leaves me to my main gripe about this book, which is that it read so fast that everything felt a bit rushed to me. Granted, the Russian Revolution happened quickly and things really were that chaotic and rushed but I would have appreciated a bit more time to get into the story and a little more depth to what was going on. That said, such a pace allows the book to be read quickly. It's definitely not slow in any way.
What I did really appreciate with this novel is that it showed a side of the Russian Revolution that isn't often seen in YA literature. I've seen a lot of Anastasia re-tellings and books that kind of show the royalist side of the story, but this story gives you a glimpse of how awful things were outside the palace and what things were like for the common people in Russia. Obviously that's not what this story is ultimately about, but that backdrop is an interesting one and I can see myself using this in a classroom eventually.

As anyone who has ever read my reading history I am a sucker for a Russian revolution historical novel. When I first came across Gone by Nightfall I was immediately swept away by the premise of the story. In Gone by Nightfall we follow Charlotte Mason as we uncover secrets and hidden danger. Do I think you should read this book? Yes without a doubt. It has everything one could want from a book, secrets, action, romance and self love.

I usually do not read a lot of historical fiction, but the setting of Russia immediately before the Revolution grabbed me. I enjoyed the characters within the book, who felt real, and the romance was appropriately chaste for the level and time period. I'd recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in Russian history, specifically the Revolution, or for younger readers who enjoy historical fiction.

I really appreciated the period and location details - it really brought a specificity to the narrative. I will say that things went at an absolutely breakneck pace. This did feel authentic to Charlotte's character as the person juggling a million plates mostly on her own, as well as reflecting the upheaval and rapid changes of the Russian Revolutionary period, but it also didn't leave much time to settle into the story or connect with most of the characters. (At one point Celeste tells Charlotte that she's "like a daughter to her" and I was like, "really??") Even Dmitri was pretty lightly characterized, especially for a love interest. He was nice, somewhat intellectual and/or revolutionary, and showed up whenever Charlotte was in trouble, but I couldn't help but feel that she liked him mostly because he was the only person who seemed to actually look to help her with things. There was a vagueness to their ending, as well as the ending in general (is the family safely reunited? How do they feel about the longterm change of Russian society? Does Miles last long enough to find effective treatment) but I actually didn't mind it. I was more off-put by the way there seemed to be hints that plotlines would flower into something more (Miles and Raisa, the reporter and his whole bit) that never really did. Overall an interesting read from a historical standpoint but hard to fully engage with on a character level.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I enjoyed the historical fiction. I enjoyed the setting and even learned new things. I loved the character growth and interaction. Great read!