The best part about writing a historical romance set in WWII is that I got to write a happy ending. A lot of books set during the war are women’s, historical, or literary fiction, where a happy ending isn’t a priority. For His Very Own Girl, though? It was very much a priority!

First, it is a romance. There’s kissing, pining, longing, yearning, sex, more sex, and really adorable love letters.

Second, Lulu and Joe deserved happiness after all the hell I put them through. She’s a British civilian pilot and he’s an American paratrooper medic. After seeing too much combat and enduring all the rigors of war, I wanted that “ahhh” moment at the end of a great love story when the girl gets the guy and we can all rest easier.

Life goes on.

That was my third motivation. World War II was such a devastating time in history. With the closing pages of His Very Own Girl, I wanted to return readers to the present, so to speak. The war didn’t last forever, and thousands upon thousands of couples who loved one another were reunited.

The most famous symbol of these countless reunions and happy endings is this picture taken in Times Square on VJ Day (Victory over Japan). Although the couple were strangers and never met again, the image has become engrained in popular culture as a moment of pure joy and celebration.

But pan back from this one couple. Look at these VD Day pictures from

London,

Paris,

and New York,  respectively.

So many people! All of them relieved to have their futures and their loved ones returned to them.

So of course, Lulu and Joe needed a happy ending to suit such boundless joy. Forget the crowds. This moment is just for lovers reunited:

“Welcome to the United States,” said the last official, a woman dressed in some American uniform.

Lulu didn’t know what to say. She only nodded.

Leaving her trunks with a porter, she wove through countless more servicemen. Her knees weren’t steady, and she couldn’t catch a breath. She felt conspicuous, still getting used to civilian clothing. Her heels splintered with pain and her toes protested, having been crammed into patent leather for nearly eighteen hours. But she kept walking.

And there he was.

Her husband.

Lulu dropped her case. “Joe!”

A flash of joyous recognition lit his dear face. He raced toward her. Tall and sturdy, he caught her and pulled her close, bundling her in the solid strength of his body. She found his smiling lips and kissed him as she’d never kissed him before—with no war, no worry, no injuries between them. Every doubt that had crept and festered since their last good-bye was erased in an instant. She was right where she wanted to be. Needed to be.

That’s not quite the end of the book. I just wanted to give you a taste. Come with me. Fall in love with Lulu and Joe. I promise this is a historical romance well worth the journey…

I’d like to give away a digital copy of His Very Own Girl in any format. Just answer: How would you have liked to celebrate the end of WWII?

Thanks again to The Good, The Bad & The Unread for featuring His Very Own Girl!