Saving Mrs. Roosevelt: WWII Heroines

by Candice Sue Patterson

Overview

The Safety of the First Lady Rests in Shirley’s Hands

Shirley Davenport is as much a patriot as her four brothers. She, too, wants to aid her country in the war efforts, but opportunities for women are limited. When her best friend Joan informs her that the Coast Guard has opened a new branch for single women, they both enlist in the SPARs, ready to help protect the home front.
 
Training is rigorous, and Shirley is disappointed that she and Joan are sent to separate training camps. At the end of basic training, Captain Webber commends her efforts and commissions her home to Maine under the ruse of a dishonorable discharge to help uncover a plot against the First Lady.

Shirley soon discovers nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust? Why do the people she loves want to harm the First Lady? With the help of Captain Webber, it’s a race against time to save Mrs. Roosevelt and remain alive.

​Don’t miss these other stories about Heroines of WWII:
The Cryptographer’s Dilemma by Johnnie Alexander
Picture of Hope by Liz Tolsma

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781636090894
Publisher:	Barbour Fiction
Publication date:	12/01/2021
Series:	Heroines of WWII
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	652,698
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Candice Sue Patterson studied at the Institute of Children’s Literature and is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three sons in a restored farmhouse overtaken by books. When she’s not tending to her chickens, splitting wood, or decorating cakes, she’s working on a new story. Candice writes Modern Vintage Romance—where the past and present collide with faith. Her debut novel How to Charm a Beekeeper’s Heart was a 2012 ACFW First Impressions finalist and made INSPYs Longlist for 2016.

Editorial Reviews

11/22/2021

Set in Maine, near Franklin Roosevelt’s Campobello home, this intriguing installment in the Heroines of WWII series will appeal both to romantics and history buffs. Shirley Davenport, like her brothers, worked her father’s lobster boat. Unlike them, she was sidelined when America entered WWII. They enlisted, and, anxious to do more than sew and write letters, Shirley jumps at the chance to join the SPARs, an all-female Coast Guard reserve unit, even though it means defying her father’s wishes. During training, Shirley becomes attracted to Capt. Leo Webber (he of the voice like “butter and maple syrup” who also “studied his Bible as faithfully as he studied military tactics”) and connects with Alma, a Black woman SPARS who faces prejudice within the unit. When threats against Eleanor Roosevelt’s life are uncovered, the Coast Guard brass concoct a plan to invent an illicit relationship between Webber and Shirley, dishonorably discharge Shirley, and send her home undercover to ferret out the terrorists. Shirley endures her parents’ disappointment and plenty of small-town gossip—and soon suspects her German-immigrant best friend’s family may be involved in the plot against the first lady. Webber, meanwhile, is reassigned (Shirley “sent a prayer... that God would protect him, wherever he might be”), and Shirley finds support in Alma as foes are exposed and Webber returns to help win the day. Patterson brings in well-researched background on the SPARs without slowing the plot. It’s a fun little escape. Agent: Linda Glaz, Hartline Literary. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Deftly blending elements of history, romance and mystery, "Saving Mrs. Roosevelt" by talented and original novelist Candice Sue Patterson is a inherently compelling and fully entertaining read from first page to last.

Midwest Book Review - James A. Cox

Full of intrigue and historical detail, Patterson brings to life the little-known women's SPARs who deserve to have their story told as part of the Greatest Generation. Drama and faith seamlessly blend together with just the right amount of romance to delight any WWII fan. 
- J'nell Ciesielski, bestselling author of The Socialite

In Saving Mrs. Roosevelt, Candice Sue Patterson has crafted a home front story of WWII that will satisfy fans of Lynn Austin and Amy Lynn Green. Filled with intrigue and drama, the hero and heroine must work together to infiltrate a spy ring that is determined to harm Mrs. Roosevelt. Along the way you’ll enjoy the setting and supporting characters. This is an engaging story with a layer of romance that I enjoyed.
- Cara Putman, bestselling, award-winning author of Flight Risk and Lethal Intent
 

From the Publisher

Full of intrigue and historical detail, Patterson brings to life the little-known women's SPARs who deserve to have their story told as part of the Greatest Generation. Drama and faith seamlessly blend together with just the right amount of romance to delight any WWII fan.
- J'nell Ciesielski, bestselling author of The Socialite

J'nell Ciesielski