Lady Gallant by Gini Rifkin (Book Review)

 

Disowned by her father and still mourning the death of her fiancé, Josephine Posey joins Florence Nightingale’s brigade of nurses bound for the Black Sea. Thousands of British soldiers desperately await these angels of mercy and a new life awaits Josie. Amidst the chaos of death and despair, she finds a spark of hope, lighting the flame once more inside her soul.

In search of the truth, Garrick Allen, one of Britain’s first war correspondents also journeys to the Crimean Peninsula. To him the soldiers seem all but abandoned by Queen and country, and as he smokes his cheroots and makes friends with a bottle, he writes his bold but honest dispatches for The Times. Not wanting anything more than to finish his job and go home, Garrick is blindsided by a nurse with attitude who offers him a new slant on life and a reason to love.

 
 
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)  
 
With any war, we are well aware of the horrors the brave men and women face on the battlefield. However, we sometimes overlook or take for granted the doctors and nurses who treat the fallen soldiers. They, too, feel the pain of combat. They get attached to their charges, lose friends, and push on to “fight” another day. 
 
In Lady Gallant, Posie fought to heal the soldiers while attempting to keep their spirits high. A prime example was the Christmas tree she procured for them. She didn’t have to but it was in her nature to go the extra mile. 
 
Mose (her invaluable helper) was equally dedicated to his job, too. It was a shocking and sad moment when Cholera took hold of his body. The love bestowed upon him while in his sick bed was extremely touching and showed his worth in the eyes of his friends. 
 
Garrick: He started off gruff but it didn’t take long before he showed us his romantic side. He could easily be described as a  knight in shining armor because he literally rescued Posie on more than one occasion. 
 
The last time solidified their relationship which ended with……. you guessed it, a happily ever after. 
 
Now if I had to change one thing about this story is would be to add more moments with Posie’s best friend, Gemma. 
 
Their interactions added a bit of lightness to a rather (at times) intense story. 
 
 
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
 Score: ❤❤❤1/2
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gini Rifkin writes adventurous romance, past present, and into the future. Her settings include the American West, Medieval England, Victorian England, and contemporary fantasy. When not reading or writing, she has the privilege of caring for a menagerie of abandoned animals including ducks, geese, rabbits, goats, donkeys, and cats. She was born and raised in Illinois where she went to school to become a registered nurse. When struck by wanderlust, she moved to Colorado and met her husband Gary. They shared the journey for 30 years, spending vacations canoeing, doing Mountain Man reenacting, and traveling around this great country. Although Gary has passed on, he left her with the skills to soldier on alone, and a little bit of him lives on in every hero she creates. Her writing keeps her hungry to keep learning new things, and she considers family and friends her most treasured of gifts.

 
 

9 Comments

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9 Responses to Lady Gallant by Gini Rifkin (Book Review)

  1. Dear Kam: thank you for reading and reviewing Lady Gallant. I appreciate the in depth critique and comments..

  2. Intriguing story for this genre by Gini Rifkin!
    Great review!

  3. Not a bad sounding but it encompasses two thing I usually don’t read one is historical books, but the biggest no-no is Flo(yes I called her Flo as in Florence Nightingale). I learned about this lady while in nursing school and I was a practicing Nurse for 37 years it’s my problem not the book or the author. That being said I hope Gini Rifkin does great with the book but I am afraid that I wouldn’t give it a fair evaluation. Thank you Kam for sharing it, I will suggest it to some friends who do enjoy this type of book.

    • Kam Brook

      I appreciate your honesty & the fact you’ll be sharing it with others. I know Gini will appreciate the referrals as well.

  4. Dear Elaine:

    Thank you so much for your comments, good wishes, and sharing my work.

    I too read about Florence in nurses training! I think you might be surprised at my take on her, and she is only a side character, briefly mentioned. The Crimean war fascinated me for other reasons, and during my research I had the good fortune of running across an amazing lady, Mary Seacole, sometimes called the black Florence Nightingale.. She was a Jamaican-born creole “doctress” who ended up paying her own way to the battlefield to tend the British soldiers.

    Take care, and whatever your favorite genre, I wish you Happy Reading,
    Gini

    • Gini, I wanted to be honest and I think you might have a good idea but the nursing instructor I had was an old army nurse and I have some ugly memories from nursing school….I guess that is why I encouraged young nurses and helped the ones who ended up under me. If your a nurse thank you for all you do. Keep in touch!!!

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