The Flame Within by Liz Harris

The Flame Within by Liz Harris

Book Summary

The Flame Within by Liz Harris has Alice Linford returning to London in 1923.  She is becoming a companion to Mrs. Violet Osborne in Belsize Park, London.  Alice applied for this position because of the proximity to her estranged husband, Thomas in Kentish Town.  Alice made a misstep that lost her Thomas.  She fell in love with Thomas the moment she laid eyes on him back at Queen Mary’s Convalescent Auxiliary Hospital when he arrived severely injured.  Alice does not know if Thomas will give her another chance, but she cannot move forward with her life until she tries. 

My Thoughts

The Flame Within by Liz Harris is the 2^nd novel in The Linford Series.  The Flame Within can be read as a standalone.  We do, though, get to catch up with Robert and Lily from The Dark Horizon.  This historical tale takes us back to 1904 when Alice Forster is ten years old.  Her mother works twelve hours a day in the weaving shed while her father works at the local quarry.  Alice is determined to get away from Waterfoot, Lancashire when she grows up.  She wants a better life for herself and begins by improving the way she talks.  We follow Alice as she attends school, does chores, and spends time with her friend.  Life throws a detour in Alice’s way, but that does not stop her determination to get ahead.  Alice becomes a registered nurse and gets a position in London at Queen Mary’s Convalescent Auxiliary Hospital where she meets Thomas Linford.  Thomas’s family owns a construction company that is doing very well in the post-war economy.  Thomas lost a limb along with some fingers as well as being badly scarred.  Alice and Thomas fall in love, but their path is a bumpy one.  We also spend time with the rest of the Linford family.  I thought The Flame Within contained good writing with the story moving along at a gentle pace.  The author captured the time-period with the clothing, current events, people’s attitudes, politics, etc.   I did feel that some things were described with too much detail.  The details allow readers to imagine the scenes but makes for a slow-moving book (that had me skimming at times).  We get to see what soldiers who lost limbs went through following the war.  How it affected their mood and the prostheses available to them.  The Flame Within is a lovely historical tale that will transport you back to learn what happens with Alice and Thomas. 

The Flame Within is available from Amazon*.  The first book in The Linford Series is The Dark Horizon.  Both books are on Kindle Unlimited.  You can find Liz Harris' other novels here.  The two images I used today relate back to the book.  In the first image, a woman is making shoes (Alice's first job) and in the second image we see nurses from Queen Mary's Convalescent Auxiliary Hospital. Thank you for stopping by today and reading my review.  I am just about done clearing out the one shed (we call it The Annex).  I have kept the trash men busy with all the junk I found inside.  Once I sweep it out, I can then fill it with items for the garage sale.  I have also been busy inside the house.  We have accumulated quite of a bit of detritus in the last twenty years.  I am doing an extensive fall cleaning as you can tell.  Tomorrow I am featuring Saddled with Murder by Eileen Brady.  It is the first book in Dr. Kate Vet Mysteries.  It is a spin-off of the Kate Turner, DVM Mysteries. I hope that you have a fruitful day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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