Out of Darkness

Rating:
Summary: Worth a read
Review: IN THE BLOOD OF GREEKS:

Two women, brought up entirely in two different worlds, meet during the time of the German Occupation of Greece. Eva Muller, beautiful, lonely and in desperate need of a friend meets Zoe, a young feisty Greek involved with the resistance, left on her own when her family is killed. When she goes to work in the Muller household Zoe discovers that Eva is not what she first appeared to be. Eva discovers that her father is not the cruel man she has grown up with and subjected her to unbelievable pain and torture. Under harrowing circumstances, the two become fast friends, compatriots aiding in the resistance against the Germans placing them both in serious danger. Can they overcome the obstacles? Will they survive against the odds? Will Eva ever know who her father really is? Can they help each other heal their painful past and discover love for each other and a chance at a happy life? The writer does a supremely excellent job of taking the reader through a gambit of emotions! The readers will find themselves interchanging emotions - from holding your breath anxiousness to tearful joy to heart-stopping drama! This is definitely one journey you need to take!

LAND OF MILK AND HONEY:

Having survived and migrated to Australia, Eva and Zoe - first introduced In the Blood of Greeks - embark on a new life together. Will their new homeland embrace or reject them? Can they help each other overcome the terrible loss they both endured in Greece?

Taking a job in a factory Eva is determined to give Zoe a chance to have the best life she can give her. The friends they make along the way prove invaluable when an old enemy surfaces to once again involve Eva and Zoe in torment and pain. One spot of happiness in these trying times -- loved ones once thought lost are found again. Brought together in a tearful reunion, Eva finds her life taking another turn for the better. With this re-established relationship comes a new position working with the Immigration Department.
Once again, the author has done a superb job of taking the readers along on an enjoyable journey. You will find yourself teary eyed at tearful reunions, your heart in your throat when old enemies surface and your heart full of joy when love is proven to once again conquer all!

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars for Innovation and Her Love of Her Characters
Review: It is hard to believe that books by, for, and about lesbians have only been available in the last few decades. Sure, in the 1950's there were those lurid, dimestore novels where all the women came to a tragic end, and the Beebo Brinker Chronicles came along in there somewhere, too . . . but it really wasn't until sometime in the late 1960's that books about the lives of lesbians--their REAL lives--began to be published.

Thanks to the internet and to a certain Warrior Princess, there has been a booming interest in female archetypes: warrior, creator, pacifist, scientist, artist, mother, daughter, lover, fighter, etc. The interest was probably always there, but it took TV to kick off an explosion that has only just begun. It's an exploration aided and abetted with great aplomb by Australian writer Mary D. Brooks.

Because until recently women did not write many fictional stories that survived (much less *lesbian* stories!), Brooks chose to bring to life a time in world history when women's roles were critical, and yet women were greatly devalued and underestimated. The characters, Eva and Zoe, in the two novellas that constitute OUT OF DARKNESS, step right out of history, and with Brooks' deft handling, they come to life on the page. It is clear she loves these characters.

Fans of historical fiction will find a mostly accurate picture of the 1940's when so much of the world was fighting to vanquish the Nazis. About Eva and Zoe's relationship, Brooks gives the characters a kind of strength and fortitude that it was assumed would not be possessed by two women in love during that time in history. Researchers posit that the percentage of gay and lesbian people has remained somewhat constant over time, so in actuality, I believe that all throughout history, women have lived together and loved one another just as Eva and Zoe do. Sometimes such relationships ended tragically, and sometimes they were carried on with great success right under the noses of heterosexist, patriarchal, religiously discriminatory communities. Just because the stories from so many past epochs have rarely been written doesn't mean lesbians weren't there, and it is to Mary Brooks' credit that she has sought to shine a light on a time and upon two special women who, despite overwhelming differences, overcome huge obstacles and nurture a love for one another anyway.

Great work by this author who is also the much-beloved owner of one of the most visited websites in the entertainment world. I look forward to reading the next two sequels.

Rating:
Summary: Love this book!
Review: Passionate, love, fear, anger, sorrow, excitement..are only some of the feelings this book stirs up! What a wonderfully written book, a must read especially if you enjoy the precious love two women can share, espeically during an era of war and oppression. Very innovative!

Thank you Mary for this book....where's the sequel????

Rating:
Summary: Engaging and Attention Holding
Review: The story begins with 2 young women in Greece during the dying days of WWII, each haunted by their own specters as well as fears of the present and future. Their lives are lived in fear of their lives and the discovery of their love but the bond is unbreakable; they are strong women for an unbalanced and horrific time. The difficult road from their meeting as foes to friendship to the realization that their future is bound together spans continents - enduring old hatreds, finding unexpected support, surviving the horrors of prejudice - and experiencing the age old wonders of a new found and undying love. The characters are well developed, the settings vivid, and the emotional projections easily felt by the reader, and I found myself looking forward to the next page with eagerness.

I'm normally a "historical" romance fan so the "updated" time period was new to me. The theme, however, is timeless. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the next book by this author with enthusiasm.

Rating:
Summary: Worth a read
Review: This is an enjoyable story about two women just before and after the end of World War II. It's a classic story of two people who probably shouldn't get along finding they really have a lot in common. As a historian, I have some problems, especially with the second story. They mention the characters wearing pant suits and jeans. Jeans weren't common for women in the 1940s, especially outside the US, and I'm not sure pant suits were even invented yet. It's also difficult to believe that, once again, everyone who knows these two, except for the bad guys, of course, totally accepts their relationship. Society just wasn't that accepting then. And did lesbians even call each other "wife" yet? It is a nice story, but don't read it expecting to find passionate sections. Love scenes are handled very much like the old movies, everthing happens without the viewer seeing (or reading) anything. If you don't mind that, you'll enjoy this story.

Rating:
Summary: No stars awarded
Review: This is one of the worst books I have recently read. Besides the inaccuracies noted by other reviewers, and the inappropriate behavior of the characters (widespread acceptance of lesbianism in the 1940s? Not. Calling each other wife? Hardly believable.), there was also the poor writing (constant changes in POV), cardboard characters, stilted dialogue, sketchy plot, and use of cliches. Don't waste our time with 1st-wave lesbian novels; we can expect much better writing even from a Naiad author by now.