The third novel in the series about the Fry sisters and In Love and War does not disappoint.
Following the lives of Celie, Etta and Jessie the reader becomes embroiled in 1930s history- the Spanish Civil War, the Golden Age of Hollywood and the Great American Depression all play a part in this novel. I really enjoyed the historic backgrounds used and the author's research really shines through the writing. I was fascinated to find that the Depression part of Celie's story was based on true experiences of the author's family, and this adds so much depth to the book overall. The Fry sisters are such engaging characters- each very individual in their own right- and their experiences and lives kept me fully engaged in this story. Fascinating! I cannot wait for the next installment to find out how their lives developing that the Second World War has started.

In the Shadow of War is the third book in The Fry Sisters Series, I have enjoyed following what’s happened to Cecelia, Etta and Jessie and their scheming mother Christiana Fry.

Celie and her husband Frank Jefferies moved to Alberta, Canada as part of the Soldiers Land Settlement Scheme, and he has no idea about being a farmer and especially in a different country. The couple have a daughter Lulu, Frank isn’t an easy man to live with and Celie feels trapped. Life on the Canadian prairie is hard, the weather is fickle and a grasshopper plague strikes, then no rain and a drought and many families in the area have lost their farms and will the Jefferies be next?

Etta has been struggling with her mental health, her daughter Adrianna has been raised by her grandmother Christina and is angry at her mother. Etta leaves England and travels to Hollywood, California, she lives with CJ Melton and wants to be an actress, and she has to lie about her age and finds it very difficult to get even small role in a movie.

Jessica is married to Dr. Aziz Khalid, they live in Cairo, Egypt and they have a daughter Shani. Jessie is studying to be a doctor, she and the other female students are frustrated by how they are being treated, made to sit at the back row of the auditorium and ignored. The Young Egypt Party wants to end British rule and are protesting, her mother-in-law Layla is still being difficult and the two women don’t agree with how Shani should be raised and what faith she should follow?

I received a copy of In the Shadow of War by Adrienne Chinn from NetGalley and HarperCollins UK and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The author's narrative is inspired by her grandparents settling in Canada and she’s very aware of the sacrifices her grandfather made serving in The Great War and immigrating to another country.

This story follows the three sisters from London, to Hollywood, Cairo, Spain during the Spanish Civil War and ends at the beginning of the Second World War in London, England. An historical saga about the changes in women’s roles and how working mothers were judged, the personal struggles of each sister and the challenges they faced, a long kept family secret and will it finally be exposed?

I highly recommend reading all three books, Love in a Time of War, The Paris Sister and In the Shadow of War, I wonder if there will be another book in the series and about what happens to Adrianna and Lulu? Four stars from me, my favourite characters are Jessica for her resilience and how she coped with adversity, Mavis, Fred and Ben Wheatley who helped to Jeffries family when they first arrived in Canada and Mavis was Celie's best friend and Hettie Richards Christina’s housekeeper and she always makes me laugh out loud.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, for a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

I find that I sometimes connect more with historical novels than with novels set in the present day, as they help me to escape. When I first started reading this, I felt that if I escaped into this book, I might be there for a while.

I felt there were a lot of characters to keep track of, but I enjoyed getting to know them while I was reading. The characters interested me, and I felt that each of them may bring something different to the story. I didn't really identify or connect with any particular character, and that was something that interested me, as in most cases, it would prevent me from enjoying a book. In this case, it did not.

I think one of my favourite qualities about this book was its naughtiness. It seemed that the characters were harbouring secrets, and I sensed a possible scandal. I found myself turning the pages in anticipation, waiting for something to be brought out into the open.

I felt there was a clever efficiency in the writing, and that was something that held my interest. The reader was told everything they needed to know, and no more. For example, there were no explicit love scenes, just suggestions.

This is the type of book that I might choose for an escape, rather than a light read, and I would recommend reading a little at a time, rather than in one. If you like historical fiction or sagas, you might like this.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, Rachel's Random Resources, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

This is a third book in a series about three sisters who are spread all across the world. Each sister tells their story and it is interesting to see global events in history in the book. This book can be read as a standalone but I would recommend reading the series in order because things from prior books play parts in this book. I’ve enjoyed this series from book one and watching the sisters grow. If you enjoy reading about historical events from around the world and a complex family you will want to read this series.

In the Shadow of War by Adrienne Chinn is the third in a series about three sisters with a very selfish mother. This books time frame is the inter war period, including the Depression. The story itself is written from multiple points of view.

I really like Ms. Chinn’s writing style. She has a wonderful command of the written word. Ms. Chinn’s characters are so well done. In some instances you can anticipate their next move. The letters between the sisters create another layer of each sisters personality and adds depth to the story. These characters are so well crafted that they easily come alive to the reader. You can picture what they are doing and what they are thinking. The oldest sister Celie is the one who is a traditionalist. The next two sisters are twins and are definitely different. Jessie is fulfilling her dream to become a doctor. Etta wants to be a Hollywood Starlit. Distance keeps the sisters apart. Each sister is going through their own struggle.

The settings are beautifully done. You can picture England, Canada, Egypt and Hollywood. You can feel the barren fields and cold in Canada. You can see the markets in Cairo and feel the temperature. Hollywood is just as we know it. Full of self absorbed people all trying to make it big.

I would not recommend this story as a stand alone read. I would definitely read them in order. Spoiler alert: this book ends abruptly. I am hoping that it means Ms. Chinn is planning a book four but I have no confirmation of that.

I would like to thank Ms. Chinn HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another novel in the saga of Christina and her three challenged daughters and their families. These novels always take me a while to get into, esecially as there is so much 'refreshing' of the prevous novels which can be irritating, but once that is out of the way, I do want to find out what disasters they are next going to have to face! I wonder if any man is safe in the hands of Adrienne Chinn; they always seem to be dying, even the nicer ones. Her characters are mostly fairly unpleasant, especially Christina, a mother no-one would want. The other irritating aspect is the way the novels each finish very abrubtly, very clearly a strategy to send us to the next book in the series. I do thig there could be a better way so that each novel seems more finished, and the following novel more a story in itself. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

This is book three in the Three Frey Sisters series. It was good to follow up with the three sisters. Each one trying to live their life with possible threat of another war. I thought this book was hard to follow and only because I had read the previous one awhile ago. Definitely read these in order, one after the other and I think you’ll enjoy them more

This third book of the series charts the lives of Etta, Jessie and Celia Fry between the wars. Their lives have separated them from each other and their rather selfish mother, in distance at least. Celie’s husband has taken her to his remote prairie homestead, not what she had expected at all. Jessie decides to train as a doctor, rare for a woman at the time, while beautiful Etta opts for Hollywood. As war looms again, how will it affect their lives? A great family drama but it’s best to read this series in order. Looking forward to a fourth book about these strong women.

This is the third book in the story of the Fry sisters.
For sisters Etta, Jessie and Celie Fry the Great war is over but they are still living miles apart from their mother and each facing their own trials and tribulations.
Etta runs to Hollywood to try and become an actress. Jessie gets caught up in Spain nursing the victims of the war and Celie is living on the prairie in Canada but stands to lose everything.

I love this series and look forward to the net one and finding out what happens to the family next.

Etta, Jessie and Celie Fry may be separated by geography and circumstance but these three sisters, who tell this tale, are bound by their love for one another. I missed the earlier book(s) but that didn't matter, This is a vivid portrait of three women in the period between the two World Wars. Etta might have become a Hollywood star and Jessie a doctor but I was most intrigued by Celie who struggles with life in the wheat fields of Alberta. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARc. Good storytelling make for a good read.

This is the third book in this series, I hadn't read the first but did the second. I'll be honest, this book wasn't for me, it is a family saga with multiple viewpoints, albeit clearly marked. However if you enjoy such types of books I'm sure that you'll love this one and hence I've given it 4*to reflect this. It covers the depression in the 1930s, the struggle for independence in Egypt and the film industry in Hollywood - I loved the "guest appearance" by Groucho Marx.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

The saga of 3 sisters who tried to make lives for themselves after the great war. They left their mother's house in London. One went to train to be a doctor and met her husband in Egypt. One left with her husband to farm in Canada. And the last sister went to become a star.

What a cracking book! So many different components make this such an interesting read.
I’ve learnt about the Canadian Depression, unrest in Egypt and the Spanish Civil War. Meanwhile, in England, is busy with her own ‘unpleasant’ business.
I love reading about the lives of The Fry Sisters and now I’ve finished I'm going to be bereft.

A fantastic book which kept me enthralled all the way through. I couldn't put it down and now I'm sad I've finished it. I love books like this one as they are so interesting. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A most enjoyable read about the three Fry sisters, Etta, Jessie and Celie. The war is over and the women are doing their best to resume life. Etta, recovering from a mental breakdown sets out for Hollywood and the glamorous life of a hopeful movie star; Jessie continues her fight to be recognized for her medical education in the paternalistic country of Egypt, and Celie is struggling to make a home for her family raising wheat in Alberta, Canada. As each faces the challenges of the life they have chosen, another war looms making it more difficult to move forward.

While this book can be read as a stand alone, reading the previous two books about the Fry sisters would have made this read a much more rich experience.


Thank you NetGalley for introducing me to a new author and the Fry sisters.

This is a book in a series about the Fry women. I hadn't read the first two books in the series, not knowing this was part of a series by Adrienne Chinn. It took a bit to figure out the cast of characters but the author does a good job catching an unknowing reader up on who's who for the series. The characters are in London, Egypt, Canada and Hollywood during the book. There is a character struggling with mental illness.

The book is definitely women's fiction and highlights relationships between mothers, daughters, granddaughter's and a mother-in-law and aunt. The book alternates between the three sisters and their mother point of view. There are both conversations and letters portraying the relationships in the book. The younger generation is pre-teens to teens in the book and you can see the different kinds mother/daughter relationships highlighted.

Since there are so many points of view and the book highlights the women's lives in the 1930's the book jumps around quickly between events. There are times when I wished there was more focus on one person's lives verses changing points of view. The book leaves a lot of loose ends leaving me to think there will be another book for this series coming in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the chance to read an ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Fry girls - mom, Christina and daughters Celie, Etta and Jessie along with their own daughters, lead very disparate lives. This story follows each of them in parallel and tells us each of their secrets. At first I found it difficult to follow each of them and how they related to each other but it quickly became easy to see how they intertwined.

Celie had moved to Canada with her husband a daughter, Lulu. Farming was hard and Celie was barely hanging on. As the oldest, her sisters looked to her as a confidante. But Celie had her own secrets she kept to herself. And her own burdens.

Jessica was studying to be a doctor while she was in Egypt with her husband, Aziz, and daughter. With all the civil unrest and fighting, Jessie ended up in Barcelona as a surgeon helping during their own uprising. Jessie is driven to being a surgeon and leaves her daughter with her mother Christina in London while she focuses on helping in Spain. Jessie seems to be the most financially solvent of the daughters and is always being asked for help.

Etta, Jessica's twin, dreams of being a famous actress. Actually I think she just liked being in the spotlight. Etta is in Hollywood and her secrets are catching up with her.

Put all these things together and you have the making of a great story with various wars in the background and the foreground. I recommend this book, especially if you enjoy family dramas and sagas.

This book was provided to me by NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley to read an advance copy of Adrienne Chinn's newest book, In the Shadows of War. It was a very powerful book looking at the many aspects of war from the aftermath of WWI to the beginning of WWII.

I think the list of characters at the very beginning of the book is a useful aid since so many characters are involved in this intricately woven tale of the three Fry sisters and their matriarchal mother.

This book does not candy coat the revolution in Egypt, the Spanish Civil War, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and Hitler's rise to power throughout Europe. Rather it tells the story of how real people are affected by the times and locale that they live in.

My only complaint with this book was the ending. It just ended - there was no building up. It seems as if the author had run out of paper! Therefore it missed the mark at the 5 star review I would have given to it.

Emotionally poignant and well written, this book was such a treasure to read. I loved the main characters and reading about them. The plot was well constructed and the background was rich and well written. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and I’ll keep an eye out for future works by this author!

I raced through this devouring every chapter as I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. The third instalment of the Fry sisters story travelling from Italy to Hollywood, Egypt to Spain and London to Canada. Brilliant storytelling. Highly recommended. I can’t wait for the next one.