Poignant, captivating and enthralling, Catherine Law’s The Officer’s Wife is storytelling at its finest.

American heiress Vivi Miles found herself falling head over heels in love with naval officer Nathan the minute she set foot in England. With the gathering clouds of war fast approaching in 1939, the future is uncertain for the two young lovers, so Vivi and Nathan decide to marry after a whirlwind romance before he leaves to join his ship. As Vivi waves her new husband off, she is full of hope and optimism for a future of marital bliss with the man she is going to be spending the rest of her life with – regardless of Hitler’s bombs and the Nazis’ ruthlessness. When Nathan returns from Dunkirk injured, Vivi thinks that her husband’s life is no longer in danger. However, the man who has returned from war is not the man she married as she quickly discovers…

Nathan is far removed from the dashing officer Vivi had met and fallen in love with. He is distant, curt and aloof and seems to have erected an impenetrable wall around him that Vivi simply cannot breach. However, it is not just the atrocities and brutalities that Nathan had witnessed during the war which are responsible for this heart-breaking change. Her husband has a secret and Vivi cannot shake off this horrible feeling that it might be linked to the mysterious evacuee at the secluded house in the woods of his Kent estate.

With war showing no sign of slowing down, Vivi has her own demons to fight. As she battles despair, sorrow and loneliness, can she untangle the mystery behind her husband’s secrets? Is the Nathan she fell in love with lost to her forever? And will he ever find his way back to her?

Having read and loved Catherine Law’s previous novels, I was over the moon when The Officer’s Wife was released. Catherine Law is an outstanding storyteller who makes the past come to vivid and colourful life by writing historical novels that are heart-wrenching, emotional, hard to put down and simply unforgettable. The Officer’s Wife is an exceptional tale of illicit passions, tangled secrets and the power of love that brought tears to my eyes, held me spellbound and kept me turning the pages until the early hours of the morning.

Romantic, dramatic and beautifully written, Catherine Law’s The Officer’s Wife is historical fiction at its most dazzling.

It's 1939. American heiress Vivi Miles falls for naval officer Nathan Callaway shortly after she arrives in England. Under the threat of war, they marry in a whirlwind before he leaves to join his ship. But their marriage means Vivi must move in with her in-laws who are less than welcoming. When Nathan finally returns home from Dunkirk, he's injured, distant and aloof. Vivi gives him space even though that means she remains alone. And it’s not just his brutal war experiences that affect Nathan. He has a secret that's linked to the mysterious evacuee and a secluded cabin on the Kent estate.
At first, I was really into this book. I liked Vivi and wanted her love story to have a happy ending. But after Nathan's war experience and the plot twist, I lost interest. The story transformed from a war romance novel to a three-way love affair that wasn't appealing to me.
The title is deceptive. The book isn't just about Vivi. All the main characters have chapters dedicated to their stories. I would rename the book "WW2 Love Affair" or something like that.
Vivi is resilient. And Bella and Robin share a heartfelt love story. I also like how they embraced the past and created a new future. For these reasons, I give the book three rather than two stars.

A stunning and heart breaking read that I really took to my heart and have been thinking about long after it ended

*I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I'll just come right out and say it: I found this book depressing, and I spent much of it angry.

Vivi (probably 18ish at the start of her first chapter) was phenomenal. She was solid, steady, poised, compassionate, and merciful--but it wasn't in a "look how merciful I am" way. It's just who she was, and I adored her. She endured so much, and she deserved far better than she received. Her character was the best part of the book, by far.

I liked Nathan (also probably 18-19ish when Vivi met him) for part of the book. He was inherently kind and patient, which was quite a feat considering who his parents were. But there came a point when my opinion of him changed, and he never quite redeemed himself. He made very poor choices over and over again. Even his attempt to not follow after his despicable father's example was only a kindness towards himself and the other person involved in his poor choices. He hid everything from the person he truly wronged and never seemed truly penitent. He was not a violent man, unlike his father, but I viewed him as weak and cowardly.

As for Elise (about their same age, I'm sure): Her very first chapter as a young girl was fine. After that, I disliked her.

This story spans 30 years from the prologue (1932) until the end and is told from the third-person perspective of three women: Elise, Vivi, and Bella. It's divided up intro three sections: 1939-1941, 1944-1945, and 1959-1962. The missing years were rather frustrating to me because of the events that were skipped over during those times. Yes, the most relevant information was shared or reflected on during the sections that followed, so we know what happened. But the brief "what" was never accompanied by a "how," nor anything showing its affect on the characters or their relationships. I wanted to see Vivi and Nathan work things out. I wanted to see him make a conscious and deliberate choice rather than just allowing things to happen. In truth, Nathan was essentially relegated to the sidelines when his actions would have meant the most; he didn't even have the opportunity to redeem himself to the reader, and his "choice" was made for him by circumstance.

As I said, this book just made me unhappy. I suppose I'm supposed to be left with a feeling that it all worked out, but it felt more to me like a resigned ending.

Note: Maybe some mild swearing. Implied, completely off-page sex.

What a story. Characters that will stay with you long after you finish the story. Moments in life that you don';t expect but will change the life as you currently know it. One of the most beautiful novels I have read in a long time.

I am sorry that I chose this book, I didn't like any of the characters, not even Nathan, the British Naval Officer, which is shocking for me. Two children meet on a beach, Elise and. Nathan, how profound that meeting will prove to be. Vivi, a wealthy American young lady who goes to England in 1939 and meets Nathan, a Naval Officer with whom she falls madly in love, or lust, neither last. Vivi is forced to stay behind with Nathan's parents, who don't understand her, or her Americanism, nor does she understand them, nor is she mature enough to understand her husband, once he returns from the horrors of Dunkirk, not only is he withdrawn due to the trauma, he has met Elise, the little girl from his childhood has become his Nurse, and much more. I found the entire story depressing, and the characters unlikeable. I was actually sorry that I asked to read it, I am a Happy Ending somewhere type of person.
Thank you #Netgalley #BoldwoodBooks
carolintallahassee

An interesting story about a war wedding and the resulting marriage. I really connected with Vivi, the American, and her struggles throughout the story. Heartbreaking but very relatable for any military wives.

1939, Vivi and Nathan have a whirlwind romance and marry quickly. But they are soon separated by war and become emotionally distant as well. Nathan returns home injured and they need to rediscover their relationship. Can Vivi live with Nathan's past...?
The Officer's Wife is an historical novel set in three parts: at the start, end and after the Second World War.
Vivi is a glamorous American heiress who travels to England in 1939. She meets dashing Nathan, a naval officer and they fall in love. Shortly after their marriage he leaves to fight and Vivi is stuck in his family home with his parents. She feels awkward and frustrated as a wife without a husband and as a foreigner in a war-torn land. Meanwhile Nathan meets a nurse who he remembers from his childhood and this meeting has huge consequences for all of the main characters.
Chance and coincidence play a key role in this book. Nathan and Elise have a chance encounter on a beach as children then reunite when she nurses him after his injury. Another accident changes the lives of all the main characters significantly as we move into the final part of the books.
I felt desperately sad for Vivi as she is forced into a life she didn't want. Nathan's behaviour was appalling even when you accept that you can't help who you fall in love with. Luckily Vivi has enough strength for both of them and makes the best of her situation.
There were some unexpected twists in the final part of the book. Secrets from the past are expanded upon and revealed which creates additional tension as we wonder how events will play out.
The Officer's Wife is an engaging and emotionally tense historical novel.

I didn’t love this book but, I did enjoy it in many ways. The story was good although a little slow at times. I did find myself wandering during the read. I managed to get through this to the end. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I want to preface this review with the fact that I did want to love this book. As an avid reader of historical fiction, the concept really interested me and I thought the air of mystery surrounding the identity of the mysterious evacuees added something really different to your usual WW2 fiction story. But unfortunately, the book really missed the mark for me and I was left really disappointed.
One of the biggest issues I had with the book was that Vivi and Nathan’s relationship was so flawed that it was so difficult to root for. They have a real whirlwind romance and don’t actually see each other between their first meeting, getting engaged and getting married, instead only communicating via letter. A mere forty letters to each other does not seem like a solid basis for a marriage so it was a given that their relationship was going to have its troubles. The second relationship in the story is between Elise and Nathan and again it was really difficult to root for as we see very little interaction between them. Seeing such little of them made it even harder to comprehend why Nathan would show a woman he’d briefly met once as a child more affection in a single air raid than he did to his actual wife.
The characters in the story lacked really any real depth whatsoever and felt ultimately really unlikeable. Vivi was a naïve and immature protagonist and anger at her husband for being away at war and not there to support her, despite marrying him in full knowledge he was actively serving in the navy, showed such immaturity. You really wanted her to be the strong support her husband needed after returning from war with the trauma that experiencing something like Dunkirk would have brought but she was pretty useless to be honest. She had a slight reprieve towards the end of the story with how she stood by her husband but it ultimately felt like a little too late.
In Nathan we had the potential to have a really interesting and powerful exploration of the psychological impact of war, particularly as a result of his experiences at Dunkirk, but this unfortunately wasn’t well executed. It wasn’t really taken beyond descriptions of him being distant and aloof and we saw very little of how he started to recover in order to return to work. I thought that this was the biggest disappointment in the story as it had the potential to set the story apart from other historical fiction works of a similar nature.
The story felt incredibly rushed and therefore lacked any real depth to it. Certain aspects of the story – such as the circumstances surrounding the death of Nathan’s father – felt skipped over despite having the potential to be really interesting and this was disappointing. We had frequent jumps forward in the timeline and frequent changes of perspective with no real structure to the narrative and this made it difficult to keep track of the progression of the story. Whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers, I thought the choice to give Elise the ending that she got was a distasteful and badly written solution to Vivi and Nathan’s fertility problems and it ultimately resulted in me finishing the book with a bad taste in my mouth.
Overall, The Officer’s Wife was a really interesting concept but it was disappointing overall.

⭐️⭐️/5

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

Here is a book with a very strong and courageous female character. Vivi, an American heiress, falls in love with Nathan, the English son of her father's friend. They marry very quickly, after exchanging letters while he is at war and then soon after he is gone. Vivi then finds herself set up in the country living with her new in-laws, albeit a very strange father-in-law, while her husband is at sea. But then tragedy strikes when her parents are killed returning to America and her husband is badly injured. He returns and both are much changed from the carefree young couple in love. But Vivi is bound to do all she can for her husband Nathan and help them find their way back. She longs desperately for a child. Nathan's parents are odd. His father resents Nathan, thus Nathan detests him while his mother fears her husband and hovers too much over Nathan. After his father dies unexpectedly, Nathan fears becoming his father, a philanderer and spendthrift and tyrant. However, when Nathan is given a desk job at the naval artillery, he seems to find his way. Needing to be in London often, he rarely sees Vivi, although they do share affection. But Nathan has a secret. Who is Elise and why when Nathan was recovering from his wounds, did he cry out her name? Also, who is at the cottage found in the woods? This family is full of secrets, and history just may repeat itself, but Vivi preserves and makes difficult choices when faced with them. These will be choices that shapes her future. Told from many perspectives and from varying time spans, we see the effects of war on those left behind. I like how this story begins with a story in childhood of two children meeting on the beach which becomes important in context later on in the story. This story makes you think, what choices would you make for those you love when faced with the decisions that Vivi had to make, or even her mother-in-law? This book had me hooked from the beginning and I could not put it down. Well done. Loved it.
Thank you to #netgalley #theofficerswife #catherinelaw for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Officer's Wife begins with a flashback of two children meeting on a Kent beach – a girl called Elise and an unnamed boy. Little did they know how fateful that initial meeting would be...

We move to 1939, and a whirlwind romance between rich American heiress, Vivienne, and Nathan, an English Naval officer. With the threat of war hanging in the air, they quickly marry, and Vivi settles into his family manor with his parents. But her unfriendly father-in-law makes her feel like a stranger. She tries to make the best out of an unusual situation, but their attitude towards her – having called her a Wall Street Princess behind her back – doesn't help.

Nathan is off to war, but returns, injured, and distanced, and Vivi is at a loss as to how she could help him with the horrors in his head. Little does she know that there is another reason for his aloofness – he met Elise who worked as a nurse in a hospital.

The story continues in Vivi's and Elise's points of view. We also learn Nathan, worried he may turn out just like his father, feels torn. Is Vivi correct in not trusting her estranged husband? Or is there something else?

The Officer's Wife is a moving tale of friendship, love, loss – and secrets. The novel portrays the human side of war well, showing the struggles between old friendships and ’modern' relationships, and it explores links between the past and the present.

I liked Vivi's character. Her internal journey takes her from superficial society girl to disillusioned wife to determined mother. She deals with her fate with a strong sense of self-preservation and dignity.

Elise, from a different class to Nathan and Vivi, is a young woman who shares her home with her healer mother. We learn a little about her in her point of view, but I felt she still evaded me.

As for Nathan, I found him the weakest link. Some of his reactions would now be regarded as PTSD, but I felt he still could have acted more responsibly. At times, his conflicting emotions seemed like an excuse. It was Vivi who always picked up the pieces.

The Officer's Wife draws you into a deftly-woven plot interlinking past and present (within its WWII and post-WWII setting), with opportunities, secrets, and the dangers that came with the time. I found the story engaging and intriguing.

I would recommend The Officer's Wife especially to readers of well-plotted women's fiction.

First things first, Wow what a gorgeous cover. It definitely catches your eye and you just want to dive in. I don’t often mention the Cover but this one really stands out.

Anyway back to the book. Set in WW2 and based around the rather stunning American heiress Vivi Miles as she moves the the UK and we follow how her life changes far beyond anything Vivi could have imagined; and just what is going on in the cottage with the woods? Intrigue aplenty. I was quickly immersed in this story of friendship, love and family. The characters are written superbly well and are all realistic in the trials and tribulations they have to endure at this terrible time.

The history and it’s accuracy only serves to add to the drama unfolding. Ever the Lady in every sense, Vivi conducts herself in the only way she knows, with honesty and integrity. Nobody knows when love will strike, when strong bonds will be formed and whether forgiveness with be forthcoming. I can not explain further without there being huge spoilers so I heartily recommend you go and grab a copy of this beautiful book and immerse yourself in the drama of WW2 and beyond. Find out how it all turns out for Vivi, her husband, her friends, her family, her future.

Falling in love with Nathan at the beginning of WWII, American Vivi finds herself alone with his parents' in their mansion while he goes to war. Upon his return, he is changed and Vivi wonders how the mysterious cottage she found in the woods plays into this change. Well written and recommended.

Vivi falls for Naval Officer Nathan but when he returns from war a different and broken man, what other secrets are lurking. With the war still raging, will Vivi be able to overcome her grief and loss and have a normal life? This story is stunning and spellbinding, the chapters told from different points of view make it engaging. The love and romance I could feel seeping through the pages even through the war. An enjoyable read for historical fiction and romance lovers.

It’s ten years now since I began reviewing books on my blog – and, if I go back to the very beginning, I see names like Kate Morton and Katherine Webb, and remember how much I loved their brand of historical fiction before I sidetracked into crime and psych thrillers, and finally found my comfortable place amidst the lighter end of romantic fiction. And this book really made me remember those books that used to be my first choice of reading – it’s an emotionally compelling family drama, with just the right degree of historical detail for a story that begins at the start of WW2 and spans the years through to the 1960s, entirely consumed me for as long as I read, and stayed with me for some time thereafter.

There’s an intriguing prologue where a young boy, on holiday in Margate with his parents, meets a young girl collecting seaweed for her mother’s cures – don’t overlook it, even if it seems disconnected from the story that follows, where we meet Vivi, an American heiress, visiting England with her parents, her father visiting a business associate, and her unexpectedly finding love with their son Nathan. They marry after only one previous meeting, followed by an exchange of letters – and she finds herself living with his parents as he takes up his duties as a naval officer. He returns a changed man – but the character who always draws the eye is Vivi, finding an extraordinary strength to see her through every new challenge, facing up to all the losses, challenges and betrayals that blight her life. I won’t stray outside the book’s description, but this really is quite a story – secrets that surface and shake the family’s foundations, and a story of survival and tenacity quite wonderfully told.

The characterisation is just superb – Vivi, a wonderful mix of strength and vulnerability, is always at the story’s core, but there’s a very strong supporting cast – and I loved the way the story was told, its pacing entirely perfect and every new revelation emotionally quite perfectly judged and moving the story forward. And I loved the settings – wonderful descriptions, the family home and estate and the mysterious cottage in the woods that becomes central to the story. The focus of the book changes in the post-war years – beautifully handled, edge-of-the-seat as yet more secrets surface, and the whole story races towards an uncertain but wholly satisfying conclusion.

I have to say I really loved this one – the author’s writing is stunning, and the story everything I wanted it to be. I can’t wait to see what she does next – I’m so delighted that this book didn’t escape my radar, and I’d recommend it really highly.

The Officer's Wife is a historical fiction novel by the author Catherine Law that takes readers through a heartbreaking story and battle between the love, loneliness, forgiveness, grief, scandal, and survival of an American heiress Vivienne Miles and Nathan a Naval Officer. Vivienne was thrilled to travel from New York to London to her own Mansion on Grosvenor Street. A new chapter in her life began as she began to establish herself at her childhood mansion on Grosvenor Street. She had come to London to see her friend, Genna, not to find her a husband, moreover, she was bored with New York. She had not expected to fall in love. But her parents and Nathan's arranged their marriage to each other so quickly all had happened.

Nathan was a fully-fledged naval officer and a lieutenant. who worked away from London at the war. Vivi was a bride, and a naval wife fighting to survive alone in wartime. Vivi as a naval wife wandered and spend each day alone against an exquisite pastoral backdrop, worrying about her husband Nathan, and his naval duties, expecting him to return home soon., or walking the rooms of the house in the dreary wake of her Mother in law. As Nathan heals from his injury at the same time, a job was waiting for him at the Admiralty to see out the war behind a desk in Whitehall. While working at Whitehall he could stay during the week at Grosvenor Street and be at the halls on the weekend.

Will Vivi be able to be his wife without him during the war? All she wanted was to be alone with him and be his wife. Will Vivi being a fifth avenue American girl reincarnated as an English countrywoman be able to tread carefully and find a way to fit in? An emotionally moving plotline, Thanks to NetGalley, Boldwood books Publishers, and Rachel Resources for a complimentary copy for my honest review.

The Officer’s Wife shows a different perspective on the impact of war- one of those left behind and how their strength often went unnoticed. It’s an emotional read and one I found intriguing. Vivi is an interesting character - she loses so much at an early age yet finds that inner strength to continue and keep her new family alive. I particularly liked Robin as a character, him and his dad were instrumental in so many of the family’s actions, yet quietly got on with their lives and their service.

My Review: I really enjoyed this book that skips through war years and post war years and is told from different perspectives. Elise, Vivi and Bella. Their connection is Nathan/iel. Nathaniel was injured in the war and is sent to office duty, much to his fathers annoyance. Vivi is an American who came to the UK with her parents and marries Nathan. Elise met him on a beach when she was a young girl and Bella is his beautiful girl. It's beautifully written and put together, I was fully invested and engaged in the story and it's characters. The book has a lot going for itself, Love, Scandal, Judgement, Relationships, Loss ...Forgiveness! I definitely fell in love with Snowdrop. My dad was a Snowdrop in the RAF and he loved Buddy Holly which gave me some moments of positive reflection.

I love those books that make you question what you’d do in the same situation.

As I turned the last page, I realized that Law had perfectly captured the essence of resilience in wartime and was reminded of the aphorism that suggests that what doesn’t break us will make us stronger.

Law explores the test that war played on marriages and what happens when the man you married returns from war completely different from the man who you fell in love with. She writes to uncover the depth of her characters’ love and if it is strong enough to survive.

I’d like to think that I’d have the maturity and patience to uncover the truth and see that a loved one gets the help needed before writing off a relationship. It’s easy to suppose how one would react, quite another to add into the mix the effects of war. Vivienne’s strength of character left me in awe.

I loved how the author structured the book into three time periods. This format allows me to completely immerse myself in one time period and offers a natural break where I can put down the book guilt free! I was in awe reading about dating during wartime and how quickly things progressed due to the uncertainty of the future. Despite arranged marriages, such a short courtship and so many external pressures, many relationships withstood the test of time. I was also reminded why so many women who edured the war years, matured into strong independent women.

Law’s exploration of trust, duty, and sacrifice will leave you spellbound and her heartwarming story about love during war will have you adding this author to your auto-read list.

I must mention that this cover was what drew my attention to the book; it’s phenomenal!

I was gifted this copy by Boldwood Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.