Book Review: Ashley's War, The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

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Ashley's War:  The Untold Story of a Team of Women Soldiers on the Special Ops Battlefield by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon is a non-fiction book published in April 2015.  The story follows several women and their quest to become the first women to be in combat along the Green Berets and Army Rangers. This is a book that was selected in my workplace for discussion between women and/or veterans.  The book discussion was broken into three parts much like how the story was broken up.  It garnered great conversations. Some of the things that happened in the book didn't surprise me, such as how physically demanding the tryouts were to be part of the special operations.  It's a demanding job that requires people to be not only physically strong but mentally strong.     What did shock me was that it took the military so long to allow women to fight along men on the battlefield.  Another thing that astonished me were how accepting most of the men in the Army Rangers were of the women fight
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Book Review: The Villa by Rachel Hawkins

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book review the villa rachel hawkins

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is about the friendship between Emily and Chess.  Friends since elementary school, their friendship has become strained now that they're in their thirties.  When a trip to Italy is suggested by Chess, Emily leaps at the chance to get away and work on their relationship.  However, the villa they rent has a dark past.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital review copy of The Villa by Rachel Hawkins.  I haven't read any of the author's works before, but I have heard glowing reviews of her novels.  I was ecstatic when I was approved to receive a copy of Hawkins' latest novel in exchange for my honest review.

Told from two different perspectives and times, The Villa by Rachel Hawkins was an interesting read with things that I loved and disliked.  I loved the two different storylines told in the present by Emily and in the past by Mari.  However, there were times I had trouble switching back and forth between the storylines, but that was on me and not the author.  Both timelines were great, but I think I enjoyed the one set in the present the best.

There were twists and turns galore, and I didn't see the ending coming.  I won't give it away, but there was one thing that happened in the past that caused something to happen in the present.  I hated that it happened, but then a twist came in to play that caused me to have an "Oh . . . my . . . god" moment.  You'll have to read the book for yourself to see exactly what I'm talking about.

Like most books, there are likable and unlikable characters.  With a few of the unlikable characters, I do understand that their history made them who they were, but I still didn't care for them.  The characters that I did like were the two main characters.

Five out of five stars is what I gave The Villa by Rachel Hawkins.  I'll definitely read the authors other books.

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