We glimpse a friendship between Amos and Charlotte from 1908 and follow their stories jumping between 1913/1914 and 1940 during the wars and their ever complicated love story. Charlotte was such a lovely character as well as her daughter Eden. I feel like both were so easy to like and feel empathy for during their own internal battles. Amos is honestly one of my favorite characters from this book. Such a genuine and caring individual from the very first chapter. I loved getting to know his character and also felt so much heartbreak for him. There were plenty of characters who surprised me in how much they were not as they were originally portrayed, which I really enjoyed. The way the book weaved perfectly into each chapter was incredible. Getting little bits and pieces that perfectly get explained within the next chapter in another time period was probably one of my favorite parts of the book. Especially the end, everything gets tied up perfectly with a ribbon—well done!

For the historical aspect of this historical romance book, I loved that there was a lot of well written and a lot of “forgotten” history written into this story. The book was centered around the Leicester Blitz and all that happened leading up to it. The author’s note was very informative and I loved that it was all written into the book.

This book was so entertaining, heartwarming and heartbreaking, and just so well written. I loved the writing style and never had any issues with the timeline.

Last but not least, for the narration of this book, I really enjoyed the pick. Barrie Kreinik had the perfect voice and tone throughout the book to keep me fully immersed in the story.

Wrapped up, I absolutely loved this book and could not stop listening while simultaneously never wanting it to end.

Thank you NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Kristy Cambron for the audiobook.

An engrossing dual-time line story detailing a Coventry, England family's experiences in both WWI and WWII. The harsh social divides that governed British society early in the 20th century gradually erode with the vicissitudes of war(s), and Lady Charlotte's childhood friend and first love is a different man during the blitz bombing from the youth she parted from at the outbreak of WWI. An American lawyer appears with startling information that makes the family examine the stories and ties they thought they understood in a new light, with loyalties and promises being reconsidered. The writing and the narrative (of the audiobook) were well done, except for the occasional annoying pronoun glitches ("Mr. Darby dug us out - you and I both").

This book really snuck up on me. It started off slower and the switching back and forth of years was a little confusing. Once the storyline really got going though, I was drawn in. The story switches between WWI and WWII as the characters experience it, including the Coventry Blitz. Books share an important role in the story and bring those of different stations in life together. The ending of the story really brought everything together and it had a perfect ending.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC.

3.5 stars

Such beautiful and easy to listen to narration.

The writing is good. The characters are complex. The way they have to go about their daily life with this constant threat of danger is interesting. However, it did feel like there was just too much to the story and not everything was needed.

I’m also not sure what makes something a Christian fiction so I can’t speak to that but this is a historical fiction based on a mother and daughter trying to keep their estate running during WWII. It is dual timeline and we get to see the mother’s history with their “rival”, who is actually a childhood friend she fell in love with.

There is romance woven with angst and a little bit of mystery.

I really like these historical books. This one is set in WW1 and WW2 and tells the story of Amos and Charlotte. I really liked the interactions and how the real stories where ingrained in the story. It was really telling and is a great read.

The British Booksellers is a fantastic Christian Wartime Romance! Charlotte and Amos are friends in love before the first war begins. Unable to wed, they are torn apart to live separate lives. We follow the timelines of their present as well as their past leading up to the current war. I loved how we gradually received more information about their love. A touching novel that I highly recommend!

YouTube Review: 04/17/24
YouTube Handle: KeenCat

The British Booksellers by Kristy Cambron is a must read for historical fiction fans.
It is a dual timeline between WWI and WWII. One of the historical things I loved learning more about were the Land Girls and how they did what they could to help with the war effort in their home villages. And I really loved the part of the story about the Christmas Truce, December 25, 1914.
Reading how the soldiers put down their weapons, played football with the enemy, exchange cigarettes and sang Silent Night together were just a few of the miraculous things that took place during that moment in time.
There is a second chance romance between two childhood friends, Charlotte and Amos who find themselves cruelly separated by circumstances.
Then fast forward 25 years and the two are rival Coventry booksellers on the verge of another war. Charlotte, now a war widow, with a full grown daughter who is in charge of a failing estate and Amos, who is her long lost love.
I loved this story depicting the tragedy of war, of loss, love and hope all taking place with characters you grow to love and so many conversations around books in a book store!
Wonderful narration by the amazing Barrie Kreinik.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Christian Publishing for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The British Booksellers takes the reader (or listener) on a journey with the two central characters, Charlotte and Amos, spanning both World Wars. It is a journey filled with secrets, loss and hardships, but also love, forgiveness and endurance. The story reaches a satisfying ending with a profound message that ‘light always overcomes the darkness.’

The author, Kristy Cambron, has done an excellent job of researching the ‘forgotten Blitz’ of Coventry in 1941 and portraying the impact and aftermath through an array of characters. The story is both educational and emotional, as the reader learns not only about the Blitz, but also the Land Girls, the physical and mental trauma of war service, and the way in which civilians united with courage and resilience.

The audiobook narration by Barrie Kreinik is perfectly paced and very skilful - all characters are brought to life so well, whatever the gender, the social class or accent.

Thank you to the audio publisher, HarperCollins Christian Publishing for an audio copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

So, let me start by saying that I was seriously considering DNF'ing this one... It did NOT grab me from the beginning. BUT, that said, I am so happy that I did in fact finish it, as it was terrific!!

Of Note: There are two different timelines going on here. If you take note of that before you start, it will definitely help!! (1915 ish and 1940's)

Lady Charlotte has grown up in riches her whole life. There is nothing she would ever need to want for... but, she forms a friendship with the farmer's son, Amos, and they are friends (and more) for quite some time... There is no way she can ever have anything with him, as he is a no-one....

As time goes on and they are growing up, they make promises to each other...but as we all know, sometimes life can take different paths...and even the promises that we WANT to keep, well, life gets in the way....

Eventually Charlotte marries (well). She has a beautiful home, but nothing like the love she felt with her friend.. Her husband signs up to be in the armed forces and he's off.

But guess who he runs in to while fighting in the war??

Beautiful, gripping tale of life, love, choices, wealth/riches and the poor...as well as family, and all that you will endure for those you love.

This apparently is based on the true story of the Coventry Blitz, and all the terror and destruction it caused to the community...not only buildings, but lives lost, families affected, and hopes and dreams shattered.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperCollinsChristianPublishing and #ThomasNelsonFiction for an ARC of the audiobook which has already been released, so you should be able to find now!

#TheBritishBooksellers by #KristyCambron and narrated nicely by #BarrieKreinik.

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This was an amazing book. I like how the main character knew what she wanted and fully went to it with open arms, the fact that Amos chose not to follow through was heartbreaking even though it was because he loved her. I definitely made assumptions about the lawyer and I was very pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Walking through the struggles a soldier goes through after having to face another war was extremely on point and nice to see. I love books and the thoughts behind bookstores at war brought together by an actual war. This story had me on edge and always guessing I am glad the ending was a surprise and not what I had expected and that we weren’t left hanging for what happened years later.

Amos Darby, a tenant farmer’s son, and Charlotte Terrington, an earl’s daughter, strike up an unlikely friendship as children, one that they must keep secret. Both of them share a passion for books and dream of opening a bookstore together. However, due to the circumstances of their lives, they find themselves as owners of rivaling bookshops across the street from one another.

Charlotte ends up betrothed to the future Earl of Harcourt, facing a marriage devoid of true love, while Amos enlists to serve in the Great War. As the narrative progresses, we discover Charlotte’s journey a war widow, tasked with raising her daughter, Eden, single-handedly while dividing her time between her bookshop and trying to help her daughter save her late husband’s declining estate. Amos returns from WWI bearing both physical and emotional wounds, withdrawing into his quaint bookshop and becoming somewhat of a recluse. Gradually, the reasons behind Amos and Charlotte’s rivalry come to light.

With each historical fiction book I read, I learn a little more about a different part of history. <b>The British Booksellers</b> was inspired by real accounts of the Forgotten Blitz bombings. It spans 1908 - 1948 and both World Wars with the primary timelines occurring in 1915 and 1940. It tells the story of the Coventry Blitz of WWII, a series of bombing raids which devastated the English countryside, irrevocably changing the lives of the civilians that lived in Coventry. The author did a great job of showing the long-lasting effects of war both on those that served and the civilians. While I loved the story itself and the characters, what shined throughout was the way the people of Coventry united to help each other through this turbulent period of time.

I enjoyed the audiobook, skillfully narrated by Barrie Kreinik. Her ability to portray various genders was impressive, making it easy to distinguish between the voices of different characters. 4 stars 💫

My dad, a former history teacher, is a military history junkie. When he’s watching yet another WW2 documentary, we always ask him if he forgot who won the war. But when I read something like The British Booksellers, I am reminded of just how much there is to learn that goes well beyond win and loss records. Understanding the lived experience of common citizens during war time is something that can be unpacked from infinite angles. I loved all of the angles that Cambron explored in this text—from the Land Girls to the strategic placement of support Spitfires. Her research was impeccable. She presented a broad understanding of the war effort, but she also distilled it down to a very granular level on the streets and alleys of Canterbury. I loved the element of mystery & am delighted to share that she pulled the wool right over my eyes. I have some voracious readers of historical fiction & feel certain that they will eat up every element of this text.

While I know the print version will suffice, the audio version will elevate their reading experience even more. Conveying the intensity of two world wars from deeply personal perspectives is no small feat, but she did it. She made every character come to life.

I had already read the book version of The British Booksellers. I really enjoyed this audiobook version as well. The narrator did a wonderful job. I l really liked this historical fiction book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the audiobook.

This is a historically accurate romance that focuses on the First and Second World Wars. The story is told during both wars and from the perspectives of Charlotte and Amos, the main love interests and Charlottes’s daughter Eden.

I don’t know what it was specifically about this book, maybe it was the writing style, the many different perspectives and time stamps, or maybe it was the narration but the threshold to get into the story felt a bit higher than I am used to. Listening to the audiobook, rather than reading the story helped me to get over that threshold quickly though.
Charlotte and Amo’s love story is described as ‘enemies to lovers’ in the blurb. I don’t think they were ever real enemies but had their reasons for staying away from each other so if you are looking for a real ‘enemies-to-lovers’ romance, you might be disappointed here. I would rather categorize their story as a second-chance romance.

There is a subplot concerning an inheritance and I did not understand how it was connected to Eden’s family at all. The blurb even says that it is a lawsuit that may threaten their estate, but it is not connected to their estate at all, but about a watchmaker’s business in the States, so how could extra money coming in threaten their estate? And then the coincidence (?) that Amo has a watch that belonged to one of the founders of the company. (If someone could explain this to me in a comment, I would appreciate it.) The whole subplot just confused me and I believe the book would have been better had Jacob another reason to come to the estate. It was also not so believable to me that Jacob would come to England at the risk of dying during one of the bombings.

As someone who studied both world wars from a European perspective, I did not necessarily learn anything new, I appreciated the commitment to accurately portray history and the author’s note, nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review.

I’ve never read a book where the split timeline was WWI and WWII, and while it took me a little bit to get used to it, remembering pertinent details from each era, it was a unique and effective way to tell this story.

I enjoyed following the stories of Charlotte and Amos and what each went through.

As their story was slowly revealed, it illustrated so well how one single decision can truly change so much about the future.

I enjoyed reading about the land girls and how everyone pulled together to help each other, even putting aside old grievances for a common goal.

Finding out that this was based on actual events made this story even more interesting.

I enjoy Kristy Cambron’s writing so much and love how she weaves life lessons into her stories that transcend whatever time period she is writing in.

I will listen to anything Barrie Kreinik narrates. This book was wonderfully brought to life with her talent for voices and ability to bring out emotions in the reader.

Thank you to Harper Collins Christian Publishing for the ALC. All views are my honest opinion.

I don’t often read books set during WWI or WWII, but some do still cut through and capture my interest. The British Booksellers is one such novel. Set in two timelines, 1914 and 1940, it depicts how an unlikely love was torn apart by war and how it would take another to potentially reunite them. It’s a long-overdue second chance at love, as well as an ode to appreciating literature and music.

Charlotte and Amos were never meant to be together back in the early 1910s. He was the son of a farmer, and she the daughter of an earl. She was meant to marry someone of her station, and Amos would never have been approved of by her family. Could they have made it work? They never got to find out then: Charlotte went on to marry an earl named Will, just as their families intended. But when Will and Amos went to the frontlines to fight in the Great War, only Amos would return home. And with Charlotte now a widow and mother, and with so much between them, she and Amos never rekindled what they once had.

Fast forward 25 years, and war is upon them again. Charlotte has raised her daughter Eden to be a strong young woman. They run their own bookshop, competing with the bookshop Amos runs. Indeed, he’s little more than a rival to them now, and Eden knows nothing of her mother’s background with him.

While Eden forms a tentative bond with an American solicitor who just arrived in town, Charlotte and Amos are thrown together for the first time in decades. There is so much to overcome, including secrets they’ve each kept about all that happened those many years ago.

One aspect I loved in The British Booksellers is the focus on literature. Both Amos and Charlotte are passionate readers with their own favorite authors and a desire to share books with those around them. I also enjoyed Charlotte’s love for music, specifically playing the cello. Her choice to play—or not play—is a significant theme in her relationships with both Will and Amos.

I also love how strong Charlotte and Eden are here. They are no shrinking wallflowers! They each speak their mind and make important decisions, often taking on leadership roles. The men here, conversely, get a bit more of their emotions on display. I especially appreciate how Amos’s PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and alcoholism are treated here.

Unlike in 1914, when the men made all the decisions and did all the fighting, in 1940, the women in England are shining for their vital contributions to the war effort. Charlotte and Eden do their part, and the men in their lives dutifully follow their lead and instructions. This flipped dynamic is part of how they overcome the regrets of their past.

Audiobook
The narrator here does a wonderful job of capturing the tone of The British Booksellers. She also makes it easy to distinguish between the various characters, delivering their dialogue in their own different accents - from upper and lower classes of English to an American to a German soldier. Her narration style is pleasing to listen to and keeps the listener's interest throughout.

The British Booksellers is a tender dual-timeline story with two romances, strong characters, and an emphasis on the real and forgotten parts of our recent history. If you want a book that offers a new perspective on the two World Wars, this is an excellent novel to pick up.

I am a sucker for a good dual timeline and this second chance romance between childhood friends Amos and Charlotte did not disappoint. Once I started this novel it consumed my entire day and I could not put it down. I was fully invested in how it was all going to play out. If you were a fan of Downton Abbey you will love this book! This is my first Kristy Cameron book, but it’s definitely not going to be my last.

I really enjoyed the narrators reading of this book. They did a great job of conveying the emotions and feelings of the words on the page. Once I started the book I didn’t want to take the headphones off. I was trying to get chores done, but I found myself just sitting there listening.

If there is one book I urge you to read in 2024, it is this one. Set across dual timelines of WW1 and WW2, the story revolves around Amos and Charlotte's forbidden love that was nipped at the bud. In a twist of events, written so beautifully by the author, Charlie is now a war widow, who owns a bookshop in Coventry with her headstrong daughter. Amos is a rival bookseller, reclusive and drowning his PTSD in alcohol. In the midst of air attacks by the Luftwaffe, Charlie and Amos, along with the residents of Coventry come together in mutual support, mysterious secrets are uncovered, new love is founded and old loves are reforged.

The prose and dialogues are very time appropriate, Charlie and her daughter Eden are such headstrong women, that it makes this a wonderful read.

"The British Booksellers" by Kristy Cambron is a historical fiction with two time periods set in both WW1 and WW2.

Childhood best friends, Charlotte Terrington, an earl's daughter, and Amos Darby, a farmer's son, are separated due to family status. Later, Amos enlists in the military to help the war effort, as does Charlotte's new husband, Will Holt. We hear what happens in the trenches in December 1914.

Twenty-five years later, World War 2 has begun (1940). The German blitzes are terrorizing all of England, including Coventry, where Charlotte and Amos have competing bookstores across the street from one another. Amos is a curmudgeonly hermit with war wounds. Lady Charlotte is Lady of the Holt Manor. To tell you more would spoil too much.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 3/5
Narration - 4/5 (Barrie Kreinick)
Cover - 3/5
Overall - 3.5/5 rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins Christian Publishing, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and author Kristy Cambron for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

For Amos Darby, son of a tenant farmer, and Charlotte Terrington, daughter of an earl, childhood friendship turns into more as they grow up. However, Charlotte’s parents arrange for her to marry the future Earl of Harcourt, and shortly after they wed, both Amos and Will, Charlotte’s husband, are sent to fight in the Great War. Twenty-five years later, war widow Charlotte, with her grown daughter Eden, and Amos run competing bookstores in Coventry. Eden is determined to preserve the legacy of the father she never met, but when American solicitor Jacob arrives with news of a lawsuit against her, she worries it will destroy everything they have worked to preserve. As Hitler’s Luftwaffe blitz the area, Charlotte, Amos, Eden and Jacob must put aside their differences to save Coventry.

I’m a fan of dual timeline stories, and I liked that these timelines were close enough together that we got to see the two main characters in both of them. The story is published by a Christian company, but the faith is there only as a background entity. It would not put off non-Christian readers. My main confusion with the plot is that <spoiler>I never understood why or how the lawsuit Jacob’s family was bringing against Eden would have ruined the Holt estate. It was money that Eden wasn’t expecting, so it’s not like she had been counting on it to keep the estate running. This plot point didn’t add much to the story and honestly could have been left out without losing much.</spoiler> My favorite part of this novel was the author’s note at the end that described the real-life Coventry blitz during World War II. This book would be best for those who like historical fiction with a dash of clean romance.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of this book.