A NIGHT OWL REVIEWS BOOK REVIEW | Reviewed by: Maria
During the summer of 1940, while Britain is at war, Pamela Allison accepts a job from her aunt to work in the family store in the village near Biggin Hill. Pamela needs to start over away from her manipulative mother, and from the memories of her abusive husband, who died a year ago. The last thing she wants is another man.
Stationed at the Biggin Hill airbase as a Spitfire pilot, Michael Stedman knows the horrors of war and loss. He’s not expecting to meet a beautiful woman at the local pub while drowning his sorrows over the death of a friend and fellow pilot. While he’s not looking for anything permanent due to the war, he wouldn’t mind a little female company to take his mind off of the war.
While London is under siege from the Germans, with bombs being dropped every night, Michael and Pamela’s relationship changes from friends to lovers. As danger increases for everyone, Michael and Pamela steal what happiness they can, until gossip and the past threaten to destroy her reputation and what they have built.
A Discreet Affair by Shelley Munro is a first class historical romance about two people caught in the turbulent times of World War II. The characters are well developed and drew me into a time and place in history where society was changing at an incredibly fast pace. The conflict in this story is one that takes place both on the battlefield and in the hearts and minds of the townspeople, a conflict that was taking place all over the world at the same time.
Pamela Allison is a great character; young, attractive and hard working. She’s also emotionally damaged from an abusive marriage to a police officer that died a year ago and from her difficult relationship with a dominating and manipulative mother. When her aunt offers her a job in the family store in the small village where she lives, Pamela jumps at the chance to get away from both her mother and her bad memories and is thrilled to stay at a small cottage on her property. Even though the War is going on, the only way it really affects Pamela is through the rationing she and her customers experience and through the stories her cousin, Christine, who’s in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, shares at night.
Michael Stedman is an interesting character; he’s tall, dark and handsome and physically reminds Pamela of her deceased husband Thomas. He’s a very skilled pilot and has flown many missions, but the loss of fellow pilots is getting to him. When his roommate and best friend’s plane goes down from enemy fire, he becomes depressed and heads to the local pub for some cheering up. Michael is not looking for a woman, because he hates the idea of leaving someone behind if something should happen to him. And he also isn’t sure he wants to tie himself down at this point in his life.
The scenes between Pamela and Michael are fantastic. They have great chemistry, and because they both have issues, they work on building their friendship first, even though they want each other physically. As the story develops, we begin to see parts of Pamela’s past and come to understand her feelings about men and marriage. We see Michael’s present and the constant pressure that the pilots were under. Ms. Munro did an excellent job developing the emotional elements for both characters. When another tragedy occurs that affects them both, they turn to each other for solace and become secret lovers. Both Pamela and Michael are aware that becoming lovers is dangerous. Even if they protect themselves from pregnancy issues there is still the issue of gossip in a small town and the damage that could be done to an unmarried woman’s reputation.
The secondary characters in this story are well written and provide color and additional insight into what was happening around Michael and Pamela. I especially liked Christine, Pamela’s cousin, and Jeff, a new pilot and Michael’s new roommate towards the end of the story. There are three antagonists in the story, Pamela’s mother Laura, Pamela’s nosy neighbor Mrs. Pearson, and Roburn, a fellow pilot who stirs up trouble for both Michael and Pamela.
The story ends prior to the end of the war, on a positive note. I really enjoyed reading this story and hope that Ms. Munro writes more in this setting and time. I would enjoy re-visiting Pamela and Michael in the future.
Mar 14, 2011 | 978-1-59578-766-8
5 - Rare Top Pick | 4.5 - Top Pick | 4 - I Liked It | 3.5 - Enjoyable | 3 - OK | 2.5 - It just didn't click
Book Blurb for A Discreet Affair
Summer, 1940. Britain is at war, and her brave fighter pilots attempt to keep the enemy at bay.
The last thing Pamela Allison wants is another man, especially one like her brutal, now deceased husband. Her managing mother wants her to live with her in London, but Pamela accepts a job from her aunt, working in the family store in the village near Biggin Hill.
Enter Michael Stedman, a Spitfire pilot based at the Biggin Hill airbase. Depressed and a little drunk after the death of his friend, he doesn’t expect to meet a beautiful woman during a night out at the local pub. He’s not looking for anything permanent since a pilot’s life is fraught with danger. All he wants is a little feminine company to take his mind off the war.
London is under siege by the enemy. Bombs drop every night and the danger increases for everyone. Michael and Pamela’s relationship changes and they become lovers. They are happy with their secret liaison until gossip and the past intrude and threaten to destroy everything, including her good reputation.
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