This is the 4th book in the series 'A Village at War' by Ellie Curzon. Every now and again a book comes along that has something you weren't expecting and that is the case with this book for sure. It had all the main parts of a book set in a small village, the close community of characters, petty rivalries, local spirit and being wary of newcomers and as I had read the first in the series I knew that I was in for a treat with an Ellie Curzon book.

The story revolved around the land girls and in particularly, Lottie, who has suffered trauma in her immediate past with the passing of her sister due to a German bomb. When a German plane is shot down near to her farm during an air raid and it is thought that a survivor has escaped, she doesn't act as most main book characters would do. I would expect that main characters, in order to show their kinder or sympathetic side, would be of the opinion that since they are at war, both sides are losing men on the front and that the bombing that their own country does is impacting the enemy country too. However Lottie, fresh from the horrors of losing her sister rampages against the Nazi's, badmouths them and generally is outraged about all the things they are doing. This is a real reaction and what I would expect a citizen during a brutal war to do. It makes Ellie's characters so much more realistic and flawed to have them acting on genuine feelings and reactions to such events. For most of the book Lottie's rant, ravings and thoughts are so devastatingly human.

The other parts that aren't in every war tale is the notion of revving up the community hate against their enemy. We would know of course that countries at war generally don't need much revving up but this book deals with issues such as inciting violence in communities where there needn't be any and taking situations into their own hands. It's refreshing to see different issues being raised and different angles being explored.

Towards the middle and end it does go back to having the heroine/hero love story and the characters rallying together in an emergency and the happily ever after that you would expect of a book. The characters aren't set out as heroes but rather represented in a grumpy, surly or obstinate way.
As I said before, very realistic. I liked the turn around in attitudes and the ending had a few twists and turns that I didn't see coming. All in all a great book.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Ellie Curzon for an ARC to read. All opinions expressed are my own.