Swept Up in War Fever

"Garrick's Landing", by Rita Wheeler is a great period piece that takes place in Nashville, Tennessee at the beginning of World War II.  Lainey Marston is a seventeen year old woman who is poised to graduate high school and head off to college.  When her friend asks her to take her and her fiance to Corinth so they can get married at the court house she reluctantly agrees.  Her boyfriend, Brice Garrick, tags along and decides that they should get married too.  He pressures a very reluctant Lainey into the marriage because he'd recently enlisted and may not return from battle.

Lainey immediately regrets the marriage and when she returns home and tells her father, a well-respected banker, he offers to take care of it for her.  Brice, who comes from a far different background than her, refuses to accept that Lainey doesn't want to stay married.  His family feels the same.  Thus the ground work is laid for a very interesting story.

The character development was very good in the story.  I loved Oralee, the strong minded, loving maid that practically raised Lainey.  Lainey was a strong female character as well.  Even though she let Brice guilt her into marrying him, she stood up for her right to leave the marriage.  Brice, while not likeable, was very believable.

Overall it was a very entertaining read and I had a hard time putting it down.