Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook. I didn't get a chance to listen to the full story but the narrator did a decent job narrating.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a story of a nurse, Ginger, stationed in the Middle East during World War I who just wants a meaningful existence, and then she is dragged into a world of spies, secrets, and hidden identities. With the exception of the beginning of the book, Ginger spends very little time nursing and a lot of time "in the middle of things." Ginger is not one of those annoying heroines who spend a lot of time getting in the way of the action, and instead spends her time trying to determine who in her circle she can truly trust so she can pass on the intel she has received from a patient, relieving her of her involvement in wartime espionage. Her motivations are overall relatable, but there are a few incongruencies in her personality that were too odd to integrate into the story and left me scratching my head. I won't go into specifics as that would be a serious spoiler! I opted to pretend I didn't hear those sections, and plowed on through the fast-paced and exciting story. There was so much action in the story, I wish more time had been spent developing the two main characters, Ginger and Noah, and there had been more interactions between them where they weren't in crisis mode because I enjoyed both of them and would like to know them better. I couldn't believe how many loose ends weren't tied up at the end, until I realized it was Book 1 of a series. I will DEFINITELY be listening to the next installment when it becomes available.

The narration of the story was SUPERB. Elizabeth Grace did a wonderful job bringing the distinct characters to life and drawing me into the story. I especially loved Noah. There were a few flourish-y bits that may have been a bit hammy, but that may have been the writing. I will definitely be seeking out other titles narrated by her as I am now a fan.

After hearing great reviews, I couldn't wait to start this audiobook. I have loved some historical fiction audiobooks and was excited for this one.
I was a little perturbed by the length of it initially, as it was showing as nearly 15 hours! I was unsure how it would hold my attention for that long, and I hoped the story would grip me and transport me so much I wouldn't notice.
Initially, I was drawn in and was enjoying the experience, but this only lasted for around a quarter of the book and I soon found myself not as engaged as I was, and frustrated by the mystery of the patient not really progressing. Every scene lasted much longer than necessary in my opinion, and I persevered, but only really thanks to a faster listening speed.

story dragged, characters rather unlikeable

I would like to thank Annabelle McCormack and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it was incredibly well researched and I loved that McCormack explored an often overlooked area of WWI; it was an interesting change of scenery that lent itself to fascinating descriptions and unique conflicts. On the other hand, several aspects of the novel were not to my taste.

It was so long. Thank god for playback speed options; if I hadn’t been able to listen at 1.5x, I probably would have DNF’d it. Granted, it’s not freakishly long, but definitely longer than it needed to be. It always felt like they accomplished very little from scene to scene, drawing out the plot and letting the mystery and tension go stale. I got so weary of not knowing who could be trusted and often forgot what the protag’s goals were. My attention wavered when Ginger was fired and there was a big setting shift, then by halfway I was only half-listening. It didn’t help that I didn’t much care for the characters or the plot. It also didn’t help that I’m not super into reading about war (I needed something to listen to and there’s not much audio selection on NetGalley yet).

Aside from the story dragging on and on, I didn’t like Ginger much. She struck me as incredibly self-centered, whiny, and arrogant. She often just did whatever she wanted. So irritating, insisting on getting involved in matters that didn’t concern her and for which she was not at all prepared. At times it felt as if her irresponsibility was used to propel the plot and infuse tension—which could work with a likeable character, but not with Ginger. Dealing with her felt like telling someone annoying to sit down and shut up so you can concentrate on important work, but the person keeps popping up and asking questions and criticizing your actions, telling you to do it differently when they have no actual knowledge or experience of the matter.

I didn’t like Noah, either. He seemed like a selfish and at times immature prick who only lusted for Ginger, not cared about her. Their “love” felt so forced. He also came across like he had no idea what he was doing; it just seemed like he could not get his shit together and focus. His plans seemed half-assed and/or reckless. And that engagement nonsense really pissed me off. That was totally a cheap twist meant to appear clever and astonish the reader, but I wasn’t having it; if he was supposed to appear engaged and I was supposed to respect him, he wouldn’t have taken advantage of Ginger the Dumbass that first time. Just—whatever.

It was also very unsatisfying to not see Steven (Stephen?) get his comeuppance, especially since I won’t be coming back to see what happens to the scumbag.

The narrator, Elizabeth Grace, was okay, she did voices well and I didn’t notice any distracting habits or mispronunciations—I failed to note if she was good at accents or not—actually, I remember that someone was supposed to sound Irish and Grace either did a very poor accent or didn’t do one at all, take what you will of that. What I did note about Grace was that she reads at rather a low somewhat-monotone, and in the beginning she made the story sound boring and made me feel tired. It was as if she were reading ASMR or something, audio meant to help someone relax or go to sleep. But eventually I got used to her and the boring/tired effect faded, or at least ceased being noticeable.

This book was absolutely fantastic! I loved Ginger and her will to do what is right. I could only imagine being in her world! I kept going back and forth on who I thought was good and who I thought was bad. I honestly felt like I was right there with her every step of the way good and bad. I did listen to the audiobook thanks to @netgalley while following along with the paper copy from @anna and I have to praise the narrator! She did an amazing job!!! I highly recommend listening while following along. It really brings the book to life! I loved this book so much and I really think you all would too!!!

4 Stars of, Yeah Okay It is Pretty Great

This is the sort of book that is brilliant because it left me unsettled. I think on the surface that may seem a sort of Red Flag signaling, “stay away!!! but oddly, in this instance, it’s not. It isn’t something I can adequately describe, simply that Annabelle McCormack’s rather ambitious debut was a whirlwind. So much so that I had to listen to this book twice over and then sit down with my husband and talk about it. And look, while I love Historical Romance for its Guarenteed-HEA-or-Your-Money-Back sort of motto, I love Historical Fiction for its capacity to mess me around a little. And Windswept was a cocktail of divided loyalties, desperation, longing, and intrigue that messed me around soooooo gooooodd.

This is an adventure/epic historical fiction format with a romance b-plot and is a rather big book, so there is a lot to unpack.. Ergo, I shall do my analysis in chunks—what? Morgan is writing a structured review again? Yes. I know, I am shocked too.

Anyways.

First and foremost, I think this book is grounded by a very well researched foundation. I don’t mean it in the HR way (titles etc. blah blah) but that she clearly heavily researched this region during this period not in search of convenient anecdotes to sprinkle throughout but until she knew it well enough to build a plausible plot, save a scene here and there. Several times I turned to my husband and said, “is it just me or is this super solidly researched?” My husband, the WWI junky so obsessed it spawned my own obsession with this period said, “Uhhhhhhh, yeah. Yeah it is.” My husband is, and I say this with love, a Scourge. So that is PEAK praise. If this sort of thing matters to you, that is. But I guess if you read HF you probably care.

But I digress.

She plops readers practically mid-action into Egypt in 1917—a very intriguing period in WW1, geopolitics, and selfish me… Archaeology (the relevance of which to the former two were conveyed in lovely little details). The state of Ottoman/Ally relations was well described to establish a tense, fraught backdrop for what would be a tense and fraught adventure for our heroine Ginny/Ginger Whitman.

But where the magic truly lies is, in my opinion, the prose itself. While MacCormack might be ‘debuting,’ when you investigate her some more and she has spent her adulthood studying/teaching writing. With her WW1 universe well established here, my-oh-my did she demonstrate her skill and experience.

I genuinely don’t think I’ve read something with such direct and solid writing that is so delicately constructed since Bridget Collins’ The Binding. This book has nuance, and I am a sucker for that. The mystery and suspicion is this ever-present shadow hovering over and seeping into every inner thought and every conversation Ginger has from that first moment she comes to the aid of an enemy soldier. And because this is a single POV structure, everything is tainted by that suspicion, and no character is safe from that, not even Ginger. The fear of what was actually going on was wonderfully juxtaposed by moments of passion and brightness, as against all odds Ginger finds herself defying good sense, family expectation, and a fiancée… and falling in love with Noah Benson, our suspect/hero. There were even moments of welcome humor which came from the American operative Jack Darby (raised by an archaeologist, and will be getting his own books it’s seems and I’m 100% down) but these never felt free of the main mystery. I loved all of this intensely.

The place that I got stuck on was Ginger herself. She had Claire Beauchamp qualities that, inherently, grated. She was self-righteous, pigheaded, and at times atrociously entitled. But this was in contrast to what my husband aptly described as, “Ginger’s adherence to Truth, Honor, and Duty.” She was incredibly dedicated, and while she makes some questionable decisions I think she is inherently good and earnest which saved her for me. Also, she was self-aware. She knew when she was dead-weight on the investigation but didn’t know how to extricate herself, she knew when she was being selfish and recriminated herself. She was complicated, and real… so I think I liked her quite a lot in the end. But it was definitely a love-hate relationship.

Noah was superbly done, with his swoon-worthiness and infuriating goodness, which I thought worked really well considering the entire book we teeter on the edge of trusting him and totally NOT trusting him. I loved how I genuinely was suspicious of him almost until the end and that I HATED being suspicious of him. When guns were going off after a sandstorm—that was about when I accepted the truth. It was right when I felt like my heart was being slapped around (see updates) and oh my masochistic side loved that too.

Secondary and tertiary charters were great too, and I especially enjoyed that none of them were surplus to requirement. Everyone was deliberately placed, had a role. No one did anything or was present for convenience, and if that isn’t the sign of a stellar author I don’t know what is.


This is a book I’d recommend to someone on the scale of “I enjoy spy adventure historicals” to “Spy books are literally crack-cocaine to me.” It’s not a historical romance, so my HR loving GR friends, be warned: the is historical fiction. But yeah, basically…This was great. There were two or three critiques I had for Ginger that irked me enough to keep this out of perfection. However, I am aware that this isn’t the end of a Ginger’s arc so I am forgiving. But I loved the setting, the rigorous attention to detail, the writing, and I fully intend to read the next installment in Ginger’s (mis)adventures in espionage and love. Either way Annabelle McCormack is a writer to watch.

Thanks are extended to Annabelle McCormack, as a member of Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), as well as NetGalley for this Audiobook ARC. While I did recived a copy of the audio, free, I ended but buying it on Audible anyways! Review is volutnarily given, and all opinions are my own.

Oh, PS: The narration by Elizabeth Grace was utterly sublime. I am with narrators, and she did it for me. I hope McCormack doesn't change narrators for the next book or Jack Darby's saga. Grace joins the ranks of favourites, and I am so pleased by this.

This book kept me riveted, although I will say the beginning was a tad boring. The narrator did a fantastic job with not only the voices, but also the sound effects, very impressive!! I did notice in the epilogue that one sentence is related twice. It was long, but kept need on my toes. I never knew what would happen next. Annabelle McCormack is a new favorite author. I've never heard of read a book written from there perspective of Egypt during the war. It will captivate you from beginning to end.

This was wonderful! What an epic saga, Annabelle McCormack nailed it - fabulous narration too.

I can't get enough of these strong historic women, petulant but gorgeous males and epic love stories. Seriously looking forward to book 2 in this series.

Thanks so much Annabelle McCormack, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), via Netgalley, for gifting me an audiobook copy - loved it!

"Windswept" by Annabelle McCormack is an audiobook that's a step above!

Lady Virginia "Ginger" Whitman leaves her life of wealth and privilege in England to serve as a battlefield nurse on the frontlines in Palestine during the WWI British Gaza Campaign.

It's May 1917 and she's dedicated to her work caring for the wounded and doing what's right - even if it means going against the many rules she is expected to follow without question.

Ginger discovers a gravely wounded Turkish soldier named Ahmed, hiding in her camp and knows she shouldn't help him. He speaks perfect English and informs Ginger he's carrying intelligence revealing a secret plot against the British.

He speaks about traitors within the British intelligence who are searching for him. Not knowing his fate, Ahmed entrusts Ginger with a coded message that needs to be delivered to his contact.

Ginger is thrust into unforeseen dangers in her endeavor to ensure the coded message gets delivered to the right person. Who should Ginger trust?
- Major Noah Benson, a handsome British Intelligence Officer?
- Lord Steven Fisher, who Ginger refused to marry?
- Her brother, Henry, who is Steven's best friend?
- Or, her father, who wants Ginger to marry Steven?

This is a fast paced Historical Fiction story that held my attention from the first chapter. It has a mix of mystery, suspense and romance thrown in that brought it up a notch, too!

Ginger is my favorite character! She's intelligent, determined and passionate about her unrelenting point-of-view. Her courage, integrity and decisiveness to carry on during challenging circumstances is remarkable. Her contributions as a wartime nurse are more important to her than her elevated station in life.

I listened to the audiobook and it is a step above anything I have listened to thus far. The narrator, Elizabeth Grace is phenomenal! Her voicing skills are believable and the extra efforts she tosses in gives this audiobook a true theatrical feel.

However, I was looking for a stronger backstory. It felt like the reader may have entered the story midstream, without vital knowledge of the characters. I'm hoping this will be resolved with Book #2 to provide a needed boost to this series.

3.5 for the story, 4.5 for the audiobook averaging to 4 solid stars! I recommend this book and I highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley, IBPA-Members Audiobooks and Annabelle McCormack for an ALC of this book. It is my pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review.

Windswept by Annabelle McCormak is a bright, broad historical fiction novels that covers a lesser-known part of the conflict during WWI - the front in Palestine. McCormak seamlessly blends the historical atrocities of trench warfare with politics and family drama. Ginger is a spunky narrator that pulls you into her experiences. This book kept me hooked through all it's twists and turns and I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of the series.

When I began this book, I had no idea just how much I would love it & how much of an impact it would have on me. I felt like I was with Ginger and felt her pain throughout such a difficult time.
To me, Windswept is up there with The Nightingale in my mind. I really hope someone takes notice so I can see this as a movie with Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard or Sophie Turner as Ginger.

This book has made me a lover of historical fiction, for sure. Not only does it have the war and strife that comes with that, but there’s suspense, tragedy, adventure, and best of all a wonderful heroine with a love story.

Annabelle McCormack introduces myself to a time period in history that I have not read much about. The setting begins during World War I on the Palenstine front. Ginger is a nurse on the front whom is facing a hearing for past decisions when she comes upon a soldier in hiding. There the story picks up as the reader goes on a fast ride with Ginger as she tries to solve the mystery of the soldier and whom to trust. I enjoyed the mystery and the details around it. I found myself rooting for Ginger every step of the way with her strong personality and through the obstacles! I listened to the audiobook of this story. The narrator was great for this story! I felt as I was watching a movie play out in my mind while I listened due to the emotion behind the narrator's voice and their ability to command the story.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Transport back in time to the war, feel the stress, the courage and the terror. So well written I felt like I was there!
I did not want to stop this reading and thought about it constantly until I could start again. The heartbreak then triumph even in the toughest of times leaves you torn in your loyalty.
When it ended I wanted to find out more, wanted the story to be real so that I could find out exactly how the heroine’s life turned out.

In a Nutshell: Great research, good plot, average characters, outlier opinion. Please read other, more positive reviews before making up your mind.

Story:
1917, Gaza Strip. Ginger Whitman, a wealthy and privileged young British lady, is serving in the Great War as a nurse. While on the walk through the battle lines, she comes across a wounded soldier in a Turkish uniform. However, the soldier claims to be undercover, and carrying some secret intelligence with him that could turn the tide of the war for the British. He also warns her of a traitor within British intelligence. Left with no choice because of the severity of his injuries, he entrusts Ginger with the coded message. Now she is left with a great responsibility of making sure that the intelligence is passed over to the right hands. But whom can she trust? The most reliable person seems to be the suave and mysterious Major Noah Benson. Is he the person she’s looking for, not just to deliver the secret message but also to hand over her heart? (Yeesh! What a cheesy line! Sorry!)

What I loved about the book:
✔ The historical timeline: The story being based in World War I makes for a refreshing reading. (Somehow, WWI seems to be pretty ignored among historical fiction writers, while WWII is the popular favourite!) Furthermore, rather than focussing on the usual European battlefields, the story unfolds in the Egypt-Palestine area, which sheds light on a hitherto unseen aspect of the war.
✔ The research: The efforts taken by the author seem meticulous, and they show in the book. The factual historical elements seem to be pretty accurate. Even if she hadn’t detailed out the events in the author’s note at the end, the book would have still proven her firm grasp over the events of 1917.
✔ The pace: It seems to be pretty fast-paced despite the number of pages. (Mind you, I heard the audiobook. So don’t take my word for this.)

What went so-so:
⚠ The first 30% or so of the book is fabulous. I was hooked on to the story as it seemed to be so unusual – a nurse finding herself with secret intelligence makes for such a fabulous storyline. However, soon, the romance begins and the story goes swinging between romance and spy thriller, thereby diluting both experiences.
⚠ Ginger was a pretty impressive and unusual lead character for a historical heroine. She is intelligent, brave and courageous. She doesn’t mope over past losses but deals with the war a day at a time. Her role as a nurse also gives us an interesting perspective into a WWI caregiver. At the same time, she is quite opinionated and irritating at times. She seems to follow one standard for her own behaviour and a different code of conduct for others’ behaviour. There are many scenes where she goes “Why didn’t you tell me?” and the men in question explain that they couldn’t and/or they apologise. But the point is, if they are with the intelligence agency and Ginger is just a nurse, wasn’t it against their professional code of conduct to reveal intricacies to her? Still, she is a memorable character to a great extent.


What could have been better:
❌ The rest of the characters: Hardly any of the main characters except Ginger made a mark on me. Most are clichéd. The closest to being a decently-written character was Major Noah Benson, but he irked me with his patronising attitude towards Ginger.
❌ All the secret-keeping: This might be a hangover of the last audiobook I heard (a mystery-thriller) where every single chapter contained a secret. I was fed up by all that secrecy and was hoping for a different experience with a historical fiction. The last thing I expected was for this audiobook to proceed in a similar vein. Almost every interaction between Ginger and another person (whether her father or Major Benson or the wounded soldier or any other significant character) included at least one exchange of “Tell me!” and “I can’t!”, or ‘Why didn’t you tell me?” and “I wanted to but couldn’t.” It became really irritating after a while.
☠ The detailed sex scenes were absolutely unnecessary. *eye roll*


The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at almost 15 hours duration, is narrated by Elizabeth Grace. She performs the characters pretty well and I’ve no complaints about her narration. If you wish to try out this book the audiobook would be a wonderful choice.

Overall, I know my opinion is in the minority. Most readers have loved this book, and to a great extent, I can see why. But I’m in a phase where the minute extended sex scenes come into a story repetitively and without justifiable reason, I lose my patience with them. Plus, as I said, I found Ginger’s behaviour irritating sometimes and couldn’t see why all the men behaved only in two ways around her: either patronising or demeaning. So the book might just work better for you if these two points aren’t a deal-breaker for you.

My thanks to author Annabelle McCormack, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and NetGalley for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

War and Romance in the Desert

A mesmerizing story of intrigue, Romance and danger in the hot desert of Palestine. A story so captivating you cannot stop until the end..

WWI is declared and Ginger Whitman , a privileged young lady in England, trains to be a battlefield nurse. She is sent to a clearing station for wounded soldiers in Palestine. Upon discovering a wounded soldier in an abandoned hut wearing the uniform of the enemy she decides to help him when he tells her he is an ally working with her government.

Ginger never dreams that helping this soldier can lead to a complete change in her life, affect her whole family and her closest friends. She puts herself in danger the moment she helps the soldier and danger stalks her every moment after that.

The story is action packed, romantic, and captivating. Once you start you will not want to stop until the end. The Narrator on the audio book is fantastic making the story come alive. The Characters are wonderfully portrayed, even the evil ones. The sights and sounds of the desert are amazingly brought to life.

This is one of the best stories this year and I truly would recommend it.

Thanks to Annabelle McCormack, IBPA Audio books, and NetGalley for allowing me a complimentary copy for my honest review.

{3.5 stars}

There’s so much great WWI fiction out there, it’s hard to find a book about a topic I haven’t read before. But Windswept brought me to a new front of the war, in Palestine where the British are fighting the Turks. I learned so much about the impact of the war and British colonialism in this region.

In this story, we follow a nurse who is so dedicated to saving lives that she doesn’t care what side of the war the injured are on. When she saves a man who has an intriguing claim about his identity and mission, her pluckiness gets the best of her and she is drawn into a much more complex world than she anticipated. Ginger struggles with just who she can trust and who is working for the war cause and who is working against it. She certainly gets into a lot of dangerous scrapes in this one!

I found the plot around spies and the politics of the time intriguing, it was fun to figure it all out with Ginger. The role of the media in influencing the populace is still a relevant theme today. There were a lot of characters to get to know it first, but stick with it as it will all become clear in the end. I was frustrated at times by the way men around Ginger dictated her decisions but I’m sure it’s accurate to the time, in fact I doubt she would have had as much leeway as she did. I also felt that Ginger, despite her modern attitude, often fell back into the spoiled rich princess role, especially when it came to the romantic aspects of the story. I think I would have enjoyed the story more without those theatrics.

This is the first time I read a book half in print and half on audio, I enjoyed the multi-media experience. Thanks to Kate Rock Book Tours and Netgalley for access to this novel. All opinions above are my own.

When a British nurse finds a wounded spy, her choice treat him rather than turn him in, leads her life down many twists and turns. She must sluice out who to trust; her ex-fiance, the handsome officer she just met, her brother, her father or none of them? Through the course of days she is nearly killed, falls in love and is betrayed. But her choices could mean the difference between the British winning the war or the Germans.

The narrator is very good. It was hard to stop listening.

Let me count the ways that I enjoyed this story. All ways, including notably a beautiful story, so well-written I would get lost. The narrator was equally skilled. She mesmerized me in different scenes. Throughout the almost 15 hours I never wished for another narrator.

This might be only the second time I've recommended the author's notes. They are insightful. I found them to be interesting partly as Windswept is written in a time period I have never read or studied before.

I can appreciate a good story, and love that the author wrote beautifully capturing waves of emotions and did not use profanity.

I would gift this faster than a heartbeat.

Thank you NetGalley, Annabelle McCormack and Elizabeth Grace for accepting my request to read and review this amazing book.

#NetGalley
#AnnabelleMcCormack
#NarratorElizabethGrace
#WorldWorldIEgypt
#HistoricalFiction
#Audiobook

I love the cover, the title, and the premise of Windswept. The historical detail is rich and compelling. The pace is steady beginning in chapter one and not letting up until the end. I love the fire and passion of Ginger. I love the mystery, intrigue, and clandestine meetings. I prefer a cleaner telling of love stories, but even in this, I can appreciate a good story. This is a good story. I had the added privilege of listening to an audiobook, truly bringing the characters to life. I think that is contributed to my enjoyment of this story.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

Windswept by Annabelle McCormack
Elizabeth Grace Narrator
Although I am not usually a fan of wartime romance novels, this turned out to be a very gripping story. This was a different kind of romance because it is a combination romance/spy story/thriller set in Egypt during WWI.
Because it is the beginning of a series, there is a lack of resolution related to one character which is something I don’t really like. But truthfully I don’t really care what happens to him so I’m not sure I will continue with the next book.
There are some sex scenes which are really pretty tame compared to a lot of romance novels.
The narration was excellent. The voice actor is equally good at male and female characters which is not always common.
My main complaint was that at 14 hours it a little long and I confess I did increase the speed to 1.25.
So I give it four desert camels
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