About the Book

Book: On My Honor

Author:Patty Smith Hall

Genre: Christian / Historical Fiction / Romance / Intrigue

Release date: January, 2023

Ginny Mathis was finished with nursing school and had no intention of staying rooted in the Outer Banks—then war broke out. With her father away, she feels duty-bound to stay and help her mother and younger sister. While working as a clerk for the Oregon Inlet ferry, naval officers ask Ginny and others to be watchful for German U-boats reportedly spotted in the area. So to help occupy her teenage sister, Ginny enlists the Girl Scout troop she leads to help watch for suspicious activity along the coast.

Timothy Elliott is no stranger to death. As a British reporter working with the M-6, he’s numb to the losses of war after two years of fighting the Germans. Maybe that’s why he volunteered for this mission—to connect with an ex-German naval officer who stole the Furor’s battle plan for the Atlantic war. When the boat giving him passage to New York is bombed near the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Tim is thrown from the boat and wakes up in the care of a group of young girls.

Ginny follows her sneaky sister on a clandestine mission and discovers the shipwreck victim. Ginny knows she must take charge, but is this man the enemy, or does he hold secrets that could turn the tide of the Battle of the Atlantic in the allies’ favor?

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About the Author

Multi-published author Patty Smith Hall lives near the North Georgia Mountains with her husband, Danny. When she’s not writing on her back porch, she’s spending time with her family or working in her vegetable garden.

More from Patty

Did you know that the Girl Scouts (or Girl Guides) serviced as spies on HIs Majesty’s Secret Service during World War One? I didn’t either until I picked up a book on female spies at my local Barnes and Noble. There were only two paragraphs about how the girls worked with the MI5 for the duration of the war. It was enough to get my heart pumping!

Being a former Girl Scout myself, I was amazed at what these young girls did to help our country during the war. What activities did the Girl Scouts/Girl Guides do in World War II? Anything asked of them. They organized drives for anything from fat (to make bullets) to paper, stepped into positions left vacant by men serving on the front and worked Victory gardens to provide food for their community. They did so many things, I can’t begin to name them all here. By March 1944, the Girl Scouts had provided over 15 million volunteer hours toward the war effort.

Isn’t that amazing? No wonder I had to write a book about them!

MY REVIEW

This book was full of surprising information about WWII. I had no idea that there were Girl Scout Troops or as they were also known as Girl Guides that helped out. They had many duties which included making bullets, working in gardens or whatever was asked of them. Their contributions were valuable and I loved that they were highlighted in this story. It shows how much research the author did to make this story historically accurate.

After a ship is bombed, oil spills into the ocean where Ginny and her troop are near. They go into action to help save the birds that may have been hurt by the oil spill. What Ginny’s sister Belle didn’t expect was to find an injured man on shore. I loved her courage as she took charge to help this man find a place that was safe. Can Belle trust this man when he tells the group who he is? Why does she hide him from her sister?

Timothy is at the mercy of these young girls but they sure impressed him with their skills. Can you believe a twelve year old could do stitches while another one was able to put his dislocated shoulder back in place? Now he needs to find the man he was traveling with. This man has valuable information that needs to go to the allies. This information could possibly help shorten the war by months. When he runs into Ginny he has to convince her that he can be trusted. He needs her help finding this man but she is hesitant to do so.

I loved the twist in the story when Ginny is ordered to team up with Timothy to find the German man that has valuable information. Schmidt is a smart man and seems to have help on the island. Ginny has been keeping a secret from her family and now Timothy. She has been working with the Coast Guard as a coastal watcher. The tension between Timothy and Ginny is thick as Timothy thinks she has betrayed him. What a mess Belle and her friends made when they hid Timothy without the Coast Guard knowing. There is a war going on and no one can be trusted but Belle was so sure Timothy was being honest.

The faith element in the book is strong. I love the message of holding onto our faith when we are weak and trust God to protect us. Ginny and the girls pray and ask for God to keep them safe and guide them as they fulfill their duties. Ginny has come to realize that Timothy can be trusted and is willing to work with him.

The relationship between Timothy and Ginny is sweet and I liked how they slowly began to have feelings for each other. The author gives a great account of how they have joined together to catch the man who has seemed to disappear after being seen coming on to the shore. There is a little intrigue as Schmidt has help on the island by someone no one expected. Timothy and Ginny find themselves in big trouble when they are captured. Will they be rescued before they fall victim to these men? Get ready for action and a Girl Scout troop who is ready to defend their country, I loved the story and found it entertaining with the wonderful Girl Scouts stepping up to help their leader at all costs. Great faith message in the story which kept our characters trusting God and praying for safety.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.