Liz Harris – The Flame Within

‘The Flame Within’ by Liz Harris is an intriguing read from the first to last page. This is the second novel in The Linford Trilogy but is easily read as a standalone (I have not read the first either).

This book is set mainly in the 1920s and we meet Alice Linford who met her husband Thomas while she was working as a nurse in Queen Mary’s hospital. He had been badly wounded his hand was damaged and one of his legs almost completely blown off, but she fell head over heels for him and he for her.

We find out Alice comes from the Industrial North, a mill town and was determined to improve herself. Marrying Thomas with his fathers approval too, is a step above what she was. Alice spends her time caring for Thomas with his disabilities due to the war, but Thomas cannot come to terms with his weaknesses and becomes a shell of himself, becoming a bitter man whose behaviour is disagreeable. Their marriage crumbles and she returns to Lancashire. Alice realises deep down she still loves Thomas, but, on her return to London, she wonders if it is possible to be reunited with him, or will fate take a different turn?

I have always enjoyed a saga, and even jumping in at book two I still loved this bittersweet tale. The characters are well written, I really felt sorry for Thomas, knowing as we do now of PTSD, his suffering is terrible and my heart went right out to Alice. A woman doing her very best to care for this broken man and gaining nothing but a bitter angry man. I do think I shall have to put the other two books on my pile of books I need to read, I am terrible for needing to know the entire story and I love to know what the full conclusion is to these stories.

Thank you to Rachel’s Random Resources and Liz Harris for the copy of the book for my review today.