Friday, August 20, 2010

"No Other" by Shawna K. Williams

This historical romance by Shawna K. Williams pulled me into the story with the first sentence. Set in Post WWII America, it possesses the right amount of detail to keep the reader in the late 1940s, learning about the struggles one American family of German descent suffered from President Roosevelt's (d) internment camps. The war ended, and twenty-year-old Jacob had to return to the classroom to earn his high school diploma. Difficult enough without a pretty teacher, Meri, who was only two years older than he. Their relationship began innocently enough with a school play, which Jacob's sister helped write (revealing more about their family's difficulties than Jacob preferred). As Jacob and Meri allowed their love for each other to unfold, he learned she was trapped in her own private internment camp, created by her hypocritical and overbearing parents. Despite Jacob's struggle (and failure) with temptation, he found the path of redemption in honestly claiming responsibility for his actions. No Other is a refreshing look at two people in love during a forgotten era. I look forward to a sequel. I'd like to know what happened to Roger (wink wink).