THIS GROUND WHICH WAS SECURED AT GREAT EXPENSE
An officer thinks he finds love in the trenches, but is it really waiting for him on the home front?
HALLOWED GROUND
A doctor and an army chaplain spend the night in a foxhole and discover there’s hope even in the darkest situations
MUSIC IN THE MIDST OF DESOLATION
And an old soldier discovers that there are romantic problems to solve even after you’ve cashed in your chips.
Pack Up Your Troubles is an amazing collection by an author that really understands and respects the significance of history. I know its not everyone's cup of tea but Charlie Cochrane has a way about her that makes it entertaining even while making the reader grasp what these men dealt with and it takes true talent to not turn it into a school lesson, which is what Miss Cochrane has in spades. Pack Up Your Troubles is a WW1-themed trio that I will definitely be re-visiting for years to come.
This Ground Which was Secured at Great Expense
I've read this one before and loved it then and I loved it even more the second time. You can't help but want to shake Nicholas and Paul for not speaking up when they have the chance but then you remember its WW1 and it wasn't so easy or legal back then to love who you wanted to. I love watching Nicholas grow and yet still retain the same befuddled innocence when he came home on leave. Will they ever find the happiness neither seems strong enough to reach for? You have to read for yourself for that answer but watching them get from point A to point Z makes for a lovely entertaining and heartwarming read.
Hallowed Ground
Won't say too much about this one because it truly is a short story but one that definitely earned its place in my heart. A little ditty about realization and friendship. When two people are brought together under fire, a bond is formed like no other. We may never know what fate had in store for these two men or if anything beyond this night occurred but witnessing their time in the foxhole makes for lovely reading.
Music in the Midst of Desolation
This one is why I said "WW1-themed" above, because it is a combination of historical and supernatural in a mostly-contemporary setting. Some might say it doesn't really fit with the other two in the collection because of the contemporary setting but I think its a perfect way to end the collection. "Old soldiers never die" "guardian angels are all around us" are sayings and ideas that have become cliché over the years but just because they are cliché doesn't mean they aren't comforting. I may have wished we had a little more definite answer as to what happened to some of the characters in this one but at the same time I found it comforting and peaceful knowing that they found a place where happiness is not out of their reach.
Overall Collection Thoughts:
Whether you are a historical fan like me or you tend to shy away from stories about the past, Pack Up Your Troubles is a lovely read that will make you smile, laugh, shed a tear or two, but mostly it just warmed the heart. If you've never read Charlie Cochrane before or at least none of her historicals than this is the perfect place to begin.
This Ground Which was Secured at Great Expense
I've read this one before and loved it then and I loved it even more the second time. You can't help but want to shake Nicholas and Paul for not speaking up when they have the chance but then you remember its WW1 and it wasn't so easy or legal back then to love who you wanted to. I love watching Nicholas grow and yet still retain the same befuddled innocence when he came home on leave. Will they ever find the happiness neither seems strong enough to reach for? You have to read for yourself for that answer but watching them get from point A to point Z makes for a lovely entertaining and heartwarming read.
Hallowed Ground
Won't say too much about this one because it truly is a short story but one that definitely earned its place in my heart. A little ditty about realization and friendship. When two people are brought together under fire, a bond is formed like no other. We may never know what fate had in store for these two men or if anything beyond this night occurred but witnessing their time in the foxhole makes for lovely reading.
Music in the Midst of Desolation
This one is why I said "WW1-themed" above, because it is a combination of historical and supernatural in a mostly-contemporary setting. Some might say it doesn't really fit with the other two in the collection because of the contemporary setting but I think its a perfect way to end the collection. "Old soldiers never die" "guardian angels are all around us" are sayings and ideas that have become cliché over the years but just because they are cliché doesn't mean they aren't comforting. I may have wished we had a little more definite answer as to what happened to some of the characters in this one but at the same time I found it comforting and peaceful knowing that they found a place where happiness is not out of their reach.
Overall Collection Thoughts:
Whether you are a historical fan like me or you tend to shy away from stories about the past, Pack Up Your Troubles is a lovely read that will make you smile, laugh, shed a tear or two, but mostly it just warmed the heart. If you've never read Charlie Cochrane before or at least none of her historicals than this is the perfect place to begin.
Original Home Fires Burning Review containing This Ground Which was Secrued at Great Expense February 2015:
Both tales are amazing. It's the simplest and easiest way to describe it. In This Ground Which Was Secured At Great Expense, you can't help but feel what Nicholas is going through. Not only is he dealing with the heartaches of war but he's also has his heart set on a man he didn't reveal his feelings for before leaving. He's given a chance at exploring physical love when he has a new tent mate in Nicholas. In The Case of the Overprotective Ass, we see 2 actors entertaining post WW2 audiences with Sherlock & Holmes but they are given a chance to play detectives for real. Alastair and Toby share similarities with Miss Cochrane's famed Orlando and Jonty from her Cambridge Fellows series, but they are definitely their own pair. Both tales, although shorter than what I would like, are most enjoyable and very entertaining reads.
RATING: 
Author Bio:
As Charlie Cochrane couldn't be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice - like managing a rugby team - she writes. Her favourite genre is gay fiction, predominantly historical romances/mysteries, but she's making an increasing number of forays into the modern day. She's even been known to write about gay werewolves - albeit highly respectable ones.
Her Cambridge Fellows series of Edwardian romantic mysteries were instrumental in seeing her named Speak Its Name Author of the Year 2009. She’s a member of both the Romantic Novelists’ Association and International Thriller Writers Inc.
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EMAIL: cochrane.charlie2@googlemail.com
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