This is the second in the Ration Book series. The London Blitz has begun in East London, and the Brogan family continues to live their lives and do their part for the war effort. The central character of this volume is Jo, the younger sister, and her romance. Again, I found the descriptions very interesting, and I went online to see some pictures from the Blitz and read some about this terrible time in English history. ( )

A Ration Book Christmas is a really super read. It is set in London's East End in 1940, during WWII, amid nightly heavy bombing raids and families getting on with their daily business.

This story has been really well researched and delivered. The King and Queen's visit to the East End is cleverly incorporated into the story, and provides a bit of light relief in Ida's recounting of it. I thought the story was well-written, and it brought to mind many of my own family's wartime escapades.

I avidly followed Jo and Tommy's romance, and their brush with the law after the robbery, but completely missed all the clues leading up to Tommy's posting. Although, as soon as it was revealed, all the little pieces fell into place, and it was forehead slapping moment!

My favourite character would have to be Queenie, the savvy grandmother, who is not beyond rolling up her sleeves to dig survivors out of the wreckage, standing between two angry men to prevent a fight, and daily, working hard for the family she loves. She is known to the police for being a bookie's runner and probably Actually, I thought she took a stronger role in the family and household than did Ida, her daughter-in-law.

I hope there is another book to come, continuing the Brogan's family saga, as I want Francesca to be reunited with her brother and father, and to find happiness with the man she loves. I also want to see Stella get her comeuppance, because this story leaves her looking like the cat who got the cream!

Although it has the word 'Christmas' in the title, this is another book which I would not necessarily pigeonhole as a 'Christmas read'. It's a multi-threaded family saga beginning in the summer of 1940, drawing to a close in January of 1941, and one which I wholeheartedly recommend.

My thanks to author Jean Fullerton for a free digital copy of this book to review. ( )

This is a lovely, heartwarming and nostalgic story set during war time in the East End of London about two families.

It’s a vividly told tale, so much so I felt transported back in time. There is a real sense of time and place. The courage and tenacity of people during such a tough and tumultuous era are very well depicted. There is a strong feeling of community spirit, something which is sometimes lacking in today’s world, I think. There are some great and likeable characters - I felt I knew them by the end of the book. The research which has gone into writing A Ration Book Christmas is praiseworthy, I was totally immersed in the story and invested in the lives of the families involved. It is a little predictable, the reason for 4* not 5*, but even so it was such an enjoyable, pleasure to read! ( )