Okay, so, I WANTED to love this book. I mean, it has dual timelines. It delves into both WWI and WWII, two timelines that I have come to love reading about. There is a focus on the two bookstores, one run by Charlotte Holt and the other by Amos Darby who have this little "war" going on between the bookshops, instead of the bookstore they had once dreamed have having together. There is a second chance love story (definitely wouldn't classify it as enemies to lovers). Charlotte, an earl's daughter, and Amos, a tenant farmer were close as children, and had fallen in love once upon a time, back before WWI. Though they wouldn't admit the reality of that love as they knew a relationship would never be able to happen in that world. Charlotte indeed was wed to a man she didn't care for, a man who sort of had it in for Amos, partially because he was jealous of the relationship Charlotte and Amos had. During the WWII timeline, Charlotte has remained a war widow and Amos has been living as a recluse.
Though there IS also another love story developing that could possibly be considered “enemies to lovers,” as Jacob Cole, a solicitor from America, has come to England with a lawsuit that will impact their lives, especially that of Eden, Charlotte’s daughter. Yet he remains in England to help out and a relationship starts to develop between him and Eden.
I do love that as we go back and forth between timelines their history is slowly revealed and we see how it has impacted their present.
I loved learning more about WWII. One of the reasons I have started enjoying historical fiction so much is I get to learn things I don't remember learning about in school. I had never heard of the Coventry Blitz though I've learned that it was the "single most concentrated attack on a British city" during WWII. And there were Land Girls who came from London to help on the estate, several ladies who we hear about from time to time in the story, some of whom played a more important role than others.
There is also what seems to be an insignificant side story during the time Amos is a soldier during WWI that ends up playing an intriguing part in the story.
I would have to say my rating is really between a 3 and a 4. I didn't want to give such a low rating, but one of the things that will bring my rating down is if the book can not keep my attention and I struggle with wanting to pick it up, plus having trouble struggling to comprehend what I am reading without reading it over and over again to make it make sense.
But I also didn't care for the fact that the whole lawsuit angle of the story didn't really have a satisfactory conclusion. In addition to the fact that it sometimes popped up during the story, as if the author went, oh right, there was supposed to be a lawsuit going on here. That lawsuit didn't really have the strength behind it that the blurb made it out to be.
All in all, I did enjoy this story, it just took me so long to finish it and I had trouble focusing on it. And I can’t really pinpoint why. I will say my attention was grabbed a bit more about halfway through the story. And I loved some of the details that were revealed.

I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.

I enjoyed this dual time WWI and WWI novel that worked well to compare how both wars were alike but also different and how it affected the British people. Using a bookshop as the backdrop of what didn’t change.

Between the not very well-known story of the Nazis bombing the Coventry countryside during the Blitz and the rich girl/poor boy love story of the main characters Amos & Charlotte, (plus a secondary love story of Charlotte's daughter Eden) The British Booksellers is a really interesting book.
Although the book opens during the opening months of WWII, the back story is a large part of the plot. Without giving too much away, both Amos & Charlotte love music, books, and each other, but Charlotte is forced to marry the soon to be Earl of Harcourt and give up Amos forever. The outbreak of WWI intervenes, and fate puts Amos under the command of Charlotte's husband, who has made it his life's mission to keep Amos down and possibly dead.
After the war, both Amos and Charlotte open bookstores -- right across the lane from each other -- but stay as far away from each other as they can in the years that follow, until WWII starts and a mysterious solicitor from the US shows up and events manage to push them together -- whether they like it or not.
There's SO much more to say about this story, class differences, the Land Girls, Charlotte's daughter Eden's love story, civilians involved in military subterfuge to defeat the Germans, all I can say is it's a riveting story and if you like historical fiction, this is a must read for you!

I really wanted to like this book but it just wasn’t for me. I felt like it dragged on. I thought a lot of the characters were unnecessary. I didn’t understand the lawsuit piece of it. Unfortunately it’s a no for me.

Loved this historical fiction book. A beautiful spin on life during world war 2 in Coventry. A different perspective about the Coventry Blitz which I wasn't familiar with. Lost lives, battling bookstores and a country terrorized by war.

I'm late in writing this review because I got shingles. But, I wanted to give my honest review of this book. Normally I love Kristy Cambon's books. She is a talented writer with great characters and story lines.

For some reason her newest book, The British Booksellers, just didn't appeal to me. I couldn't get into the characters. I thought the synopsis sounded good, but didn't feel connected.

I still like reading Kristy Cambron and I hope her next novel is better!

The British Booksellers captured me from the first page to the last. A dual timeline story, it begins in WW1 with a secret friendship deepening to love between Amos Darby, the son of a tenant farmer, and Charlotte Terrington, the daughter of an earl, then continues through WW2. The story in both time periods centers on Amos and Charlotte, but with so many twists and turns! This one tugged my heart and made me laugh.
Historical fiction is my jam and Kristy Cambron does not disappoint, I will be looking for more of her books.

My thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this wonderful book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Wow. This book is amazing! Sometimes I’m in the mood for WW2 romance, and this one did not disappoint. I loved the dual time story. I think those can sometimes drag, but in this case, the story flowed nicely.
The characters were perfectly flawed, and I fell in love with them. Multiple viewpoints, timelines and love stories, with a little danger and a plot twist or two make this book a new favorite!
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

What a sweet story told in two timelines, 1914 and 1940, about a mother (Charlotte) and daughter (Eden).

You learn a bit about Coventry and the air raids that took place there in the 1940s. Most of the story is fictional and is a story of love lost and maybe found again, and the secret keeping two people apart. Clearly the characters (and author) love books, but they are not the topic of the story itself. I would classify this as a romance set in a historical time period, but not really "historical romance".

Recommended for light beach reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. #sponsored

This is a dual timeline story that jumps back and forth from the past(1910s) lives of Amos and Charlotte and the present (1940s) lives. This took me a little getting used to. I liked Amos and Charlotte and their love story however I wasn’t a huge fan of some of their interactions when she was supposed to be engaged to another man. Charlotte marries the man she was engaged to and has a daughter Eden, who is also in the 1940s timeline as an adult. Her love interest is Jacob and I really liked them. I did also like Amos and Charlotte finally getting their love story in the forties and that Charlotte still honors her deceased husband. There wasn’t really any Christian content though. Overall, a good story.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

"The British Booksellers" spans World Wars I and II, following the lives of Amos and Charlotte from their youth to their middle age. While they were childhood sweethearts, Amos was a farmer's boy and Charlotte was the daughter of nobility, so there was no conceivable way they could be together. And just as WWI was erupting, Charlotte was married to Will, the local earl's son. As Will and Amos head off to war, Charlotte is left behind to keep the homefires burning.

In the second timeline of this dual-timeline story, decades have passed since Charlotte and Amos were young and the country is bracing itself for an attack from Germany. The pair have had little to do with one another since Amos stood Charlotte up at the alter before going off to war decades before, but they own competing bookshops across the street from one another now and see the need to work together to support their community as fears increase.

And as the story weaves back and forth between the untold story of what happened while Amos and Will were fighting in WWI and the unfolding story of preparations for WWII, we start to see how all roads have led to where Charlotte and Amos are right now. The main question is, will they let old pain keep them apart or will they embrace the second chance they've been given?

I really enjoyed this story and all the intricate details that eventually are woven together to support one another.

Thank you to Kristy Cambron, Thomas Nelson, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

A fun sweet read! Highly recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC.

We have two timelines; 1908 and 1940, both world wars. In 1940, Charlotte and Amos have rival bookstores. Charlotte has a daughter, Eden. Eden knows about the rivalry, but doesn't understand the root of it or know that they have a past history. In this time period, London is underattack in the Blitz. It is a rich, enjoyable story.

A dual timeline novel that follows Amos and Charlotte from childhood friends to rival bookstore owners, focusing primarily on events from 1914 (WWI) & 1940 (WWII). Through the 1914 timeline, we get the backstory of the characters and what has led them to now. In the 1940 timeline, we follow Jacob, a lawyer from America, and Eden, Charlotte's daughter, along with Amos and Charlotte. The war is happening and Coventry is being attacked, we follow these characters as they are living their lives trying to save their homes and community. I really enjoyed following the main characters and discovering what happened with Amos and Charlotte in the past and wanted them to overcome all that had happened and reconnect. I had so many questions as I read, but they were answered the more I read. I especially loved how the connections between certain characters was revealed. The one thing I struggled with is that there were so many characters that at times it was difficult to keep straight who was who. This was such a horrific time in history.

A beautiful novel based on an enduring love that lasts through some crazy odds. Learning about some war history was a bonus which included the Coventry Blitz of WW2.
This story also has linear flashbacks of the character’s early life and present life that included both world wars. A clean historical romance for anyone to enjoy!

I am usually not a fan of dual timeline books but this one did a pretty good job of it. I just had to pay attention to the time changes as I switched back and forth between reading and listening to the book. Besides going back and forth in time, there are three different perspectives to manage. It's worth the effort.

I loved the characters. Amos was amazing. Even though he carries deep hurts, he is protective of his former friends. I especially liked seeing how he interacted with Will during the War. Charlotte was a special lady as well. I appreciated that she accepted people of all stations. I liked the emphasis on books and authors and reading. The one part that didn't feel fully fleshed out was the inheritance. I wish there had been some clue as to why Eden was included. She didn't seem to question it which was odd.
Although I enjoyed seeing that part of the story come full circle, it was a bit of a miss for me in how it was handled. That was my only issue with the book.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Dual timeline historical fiction primarily set in Coventry, England. Charlotte and Amos are young and in love in 1914, but class differences keep them apart and Amos goes to war in France. The other timeline is in Coventry, 1940 and they each own a bookstore across the street from one another, they are competitors and don’t speak. Then the forgotten blitz arrives and secrets are revealed and the whole town must work together to survive.

Spanning the time between World War I and World War II s Britain, this is a story about Charlotte and Amos and Will and Eden and Jacob. Charlotte and Will are of the same class and their families are expecting them to marry.. Charlotte, however, is planning a future with Will's family's tenant farmer, Amos. They're going to open their dream bookstore. Unfortunately that's not what happens. The book goes back and forth between the two World Wars and covers the Coventry Blitz. Eden and Jacob come into the story shortly before WWII. They are on opposites sides of an inheritance dispute and their story plays out with the story of Charlotte, Will and Amos. The World Wars are well-trodden territory and yet authors keep coming up with new angles. The Coventry Blitz was new to me and the book does an excellent job illustrating how frightening that must have been. For those who enjoy this genre of historical fiction, this is an excellent choice. Many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy in exchange for my impartial review.

When I started this book, I'd forgotten that Kristy Cambron writes in dual timelines. I love that we get so much history, but there are times I'm too impatient to find out what's happening in one timeline, I want to ignore the other. I loved the story of Amos and Charlie. They were so sweet together when they were young, and it broke my heart to see the change in the future, but I loved seeing them come back together.

I loved the history in this book. I never knew about the blitz reaching farther than around the London area. It was disheartening to see the devastation, but also wonderful to see them come together. I love that Cambron enjoys bringing forgotten history to light.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Netgalley, and this is my honest review.

The one place I have always wanted to go is the National WWII Museum in New Orleans…and promptly spend a week inside its walls. My father instilled in me a love of history from a young age; I can’t count the number of museums we’ve visited. I have flown in a B-17 Flying Fortress and a PT-17 Stearman. A novel that combines WWI, WWII, and books?! I couldn’t read The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron fast enough. Cambron is a talented writer who seamlessly crosses timelines. The characters in her newest work captured my heart from the first page.

The British Booksellers exemplifies the resilience of the British people during the Blitz. I read a book a few years ago called The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell. In it, he talked about how the bombings became “just another day.” The British Booksellers demonstrates this, in a way, but also shows how people bonded together. Now older in age, Amos and Charlotte are rival booksellers rather than spouses; marriage had once been a youthful dream. When the bombs come down, they put aside their differences to help their community recover. Nightmares from the Great War still haunt Amos, enough that he always keeps a flask in his boot. As the book progresses, Cambron takes readers on a journey through Charlotte and Amos’s pasts, their presents, and their futures—and those of the people they hold dear.

This was my first Kristy Cambron book, and I will definitely read more. She paints beautiful pictures, creates heartfelt characters, and she provides a satisfying plot that leaves readers wanting more. The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron is not thrilling. It isn’t a novel that will leave you on the edge of your seat, screaming “WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!” like your life depends on it. For me, Cambron kept me engaged by her storytelling. I felt like I could’ve been listening to my grandmother, recalling the stories of her friends. The novel flows like a freshwater stream, drawing you in for its refreshing coolness on a hot day. The history, the romance, the characters—The British Booksellers is a beautiful novel.