A fabulous tale of two old ladies and the mysteries of their pasts.
Penny and Josephine love Excitements, their great nephew Archie likes to help create them, but maybe their current one might be the end of them both.
Told in alternating chapters the books tells of the ladies pasts, during the war and up to present day, as well as their current predicament.
The characters were fun and richly created, whilst their histories were fascinating. They sound like the type of people to sit next to at a party.
It wasn't all fun and games though, there were some serious poignant sections to the book and it definitely made me want to explore more the part women played in the war effort.
Highly recommend this one.

Penny and Josephine Williamson are both 90+ years old veterans of World War 2, both highly decorated for their exploits, and you instantly know they have seen and experienced many interesting events and have secrets they are not prepared to share.
Penny joined the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry( FANY) , whilst Josephine joined the Wrens. They are both very good at crossword puzzles, Morse code and self defence.
Archie Williamson is their great nephew. Both ladies adore him and he was given a very unconventional upbringing when he stayed with them at Grey Towers, the ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands. From a very early age, Archie was taught how to hunt and fish, identify local flora and fauna, make a fire, learn ways in unarmed combat, how to cook, make a mean cocktail and not disgrace himself at a formal dance. He also learnt a few age inappropriate swear words, all this education helped him against school bullies.
Told in dual time lines, we learn about the ladies at school and their adventures in the Forces. There are many descriptions of being in Germany and the harsh inhumane treatment employed by the German troops against the Jewish inhabitants of that city all leading up to the Final Solution, but this is balanced with many laugh-out- loud moments of humour in the present day.
Both ladies demand some excitement every day, but it takes a trip to Paris to be presented with medals , for family secrets, war time memories and mischief to be fully explained .
I found all the leading characters to be fascinating, I was very envious of Archie and his upbringing, and his very happy relationship with his great aunts. There were many strings to this particular bow, but the story didn’t feel confusing or too crowded with characters. There is a great deal of comedy and quirky humour running through the book, which added to its charm and wit.
My thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing group for my advance digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest feedback. A five star read. I will post a copy of this review to Goodreads and Amazon UK.

I loved this so much!

The Williamson sisters, Josephine and Penny, are Britain's most treasured WWII veterans and their nephew, Archie, is rather proud of them. Age is no barrier to those two getting around and they are always on the look-out for their next 'excitement'. Archie is delighted to accompany them to Paris, France to collect their latest honour. However, all does not go as planned but the sisters didn't survive to their nineties by not being able to pull a trick or two out of their hats - did they?

This is such a fabulous read! I rather wallowed in it, full of admiration for Penny and Josephine who, even in their nineties, are quite a formidable pair. The author reveals information about them trickling throughout this novel and I lapped it up! Beautifully drawn characters, lots of fun and just so well written that this was such a joy to read. Very highly recommended and so easily meriting a full house of sparkling stars! *****

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

The Excitements is the best book I have read in a long time. The story of two 90+ ladies and how they have loved their adventures and look set to have many more with their great nephew. Set in London and Scotland in the present day and looking back to their early years in Scotland and the stories from WW2.
Without giving spoilers you should set aside a few hours with a flask of hot chocolate, sitting in Front of a roaring fire and read this fantastic novel. Brilliant characters and could be a great film.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a fun, entertaining and with plenty of humour. Penny and Josephine are 96 and 98 year old sisters. Both served during World War 2. Both are keeping secrets. Along with their great nephew Archie, they travel to Paris to receive the Légion d'honneur. With the timeline switching between 1939 - 1947 and the present day the story of the two sisters and their secrets are revealed.

The Excitements by CJ Wray ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A story of two nonagenarians who lived a full life through WW2. For me this book had a slow start and jumped around a lot, but after a while I connected with the characters and it’s a clever interwoven plot. It’s a funny, enjoyable read.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I read this for discussion with my online book club (TBConFB) however jumped straight in. At first it seemed a little boring, recounting the early days of what appear to be two bonkers ninety something year old sister and the lead up and the part they both played in the Second World War. However, I soon found myself sucked in to their lives and loved it. It flicked between now and then but with great ease and easily distinguishable from each other. We learn how the two sisters developed their personalities and neither had “little” roles in the war effort despite the impression they gave to everyone.

This author has a way of making some characters adorable, despite their many flaws and I was left wishing I had these two cantankerous old women in my life.

The way they intertwine today’s story with the past is nothing short of incredible and making you believe that something quite unlikely could have been true!

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who is looking for a nice, funny and easy but interesting read

What a fun read! I loved the two sisters that are the main characters and learning about their lives from the 30s through to the present day. Their work during WWII was fascinating and it's good to know women were involved in that way.

I read The Excitements for a buddy read, and had I not been directed to it by someone else, it's probably not a novel I would have been naturally drawn to. However, I'm so glad that this book was chosen as it has everything: humour, tension and some very emotional moments. CJ Wray is a brilliant writer and I loved how they were able to make me laugh on one page and cry on another and combine so many elements to make such a brilliant story.

The stars of the show are undoubtedly Penny and Josephine Williamson, two nonagenarian sisters with very colourful lives. They are absolutely hilarious and I have no shame in saying I would want them to be my grandmas! I was rooting for them all the way through and I wanted them to get what they wanted. They are joined by their great nephew, Archie, who is another character I warmed to easily. I loved his relationship with his great aunts and the warmth which shines through the pages.

The Excitements is set in 2022, but the narrative also goes back in time so that the reader can learn about Penny and Josephine's pasts, particularly their contributions to the war effort in World War II. I enjoyed these sections more than I expected to, particularly as the author shines a light on aspects of the war that are less commonly known. I was fascinated by the things that the sisters achieved, and it was wonderful that these sections made the characters feel much more rounded.

CJ Wray's plotting is exceptional and as The Excitements reaches its ending, it definitely becomes more tense. I love how the different strands of the story are brought together and I will be thinking about Penny, Josephine and Archie for a while yet!

This is a really lovely read. Penny and Josephine are veterans and as the story progresses we find out a lot about them. I defiantly received a history lesson whilst reading this book.

The book contains a ton of characters which I felt I needed to keep track off but I was slightly frustrated with what I felt was some unanswered plot holes in the story and questions left unanswered.

Despite this the humour, the little special moments, the wittty and daftness, and the little things that make you smile give this book a charm!

This is a book dripping in charm! Josephine and Penny are nonagenarians, treasured for being WWII veterans at commemorative events everywhere. But their latest trip to Paris with their Great-Nephew Archie reveals hidden secrets and a lesson on why you shouldn't underestimate little old ladies ...

A sweet, cosy and fun read, perfect for anybody who loves a good caper!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not my usual genre but the blurb sounded interesting and the book certainly didn’t disappoint.

Penny and Josephine are sisters in their late 90s who live with Arlene, their ‘carer’. They have a very close relationship with their nephew Archie - their aim in life is to have as much excitement as possible and live life to the full.

The book tells their story growing up and about the role they both played in the Second World War in the areas they worked in. They both held important jobs during the war and had been recognised and decorated for their war efforts.

Archie and Arlene were kept busy with their antics and their need for excitement. As ladies in their nineties they didn’t show much sign of slowing down.

I really enjoyed this book and I would definitely recommend it to others. Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an Arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really fun read. Penny and Josephine are WW2 veterans and as the story progresses we find out a lot about their background, their experiences and adventures and their philosophies. I would say that there are quite a lot of characters but it made it a more rounded book. There are some plot holes and questions left unanswered which is a little disappointing just as there are some characters whom we never quite get to know properly which leaves them little more than a sketch.
However the joie de vivre and the humour, the poignant moments, the clever and sometimes silly little details, the misunderstandings and the hidden agendas all make for a good romp of a read, and the deficits don't really detract from an overall enjoyable book.

Sadly this book was a DNF for me, as it was unreadable due to poor editing, resulting in parts of sentences missing, and in some cases paragraphs missing so that diary entries jumped backwards in time because of it. I think this could’ve been a good read had it been edited properly to make it readable

Absolutely loved this exciting quirky very British tale.
Archie absolutely adores his great great aunts Penny and Josephine. The two Williamson sisters had very different experiences during the Second World War, and are still in demand as veterans for many occasions to commemorate bravery during this time. Just before the war they had spent time in Paris and spoke French very well. The adventures of the sisters is brilliantly portrayed throughout the late 1930’s through to present day. Set in London Scotland France and more!
Hilarious, heart stopping and heartwarming, this book is just totally brilliant. Loved reading this and so refreshing to have some elderly heroes to admire and adore!!
Hugely enjoyable, and highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion for the early read, I loved it!!

Absolutely loved this book. So well written and such lovely characters. If you only read one book this year make it this one you will not be disappointed.

What an absolute romp of a book! I loved every minute of it from the secret mission training of agents in WW2 to the amazing antics of the nonagenarian jewel thief. The Williamson sisters certainly lived very full lives and appear to intend to continue to do so. I was worried I was in a reading slump recently as nothing I read has caught my interest. The Excitements has woken me up again. So thank you C J Wray. I hope this isn't the last we hear of the sisters.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to
read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

The Excitements, CJ Wray
3.5⭐️

Meet the Williamson sisters, Britain’s most treasured World War II veterans. Now in their nineties, Josephine and Penny are in demand, popping up at commemorative events all over the country. Despite their age, they’re in great form and always in search of their next “excitement.” This time it’s a trip to Paris, accompanied by their devoted great-nephew, Archie. This trip to Paris is not what it seems as these much decorated veterans intend to settle scores, avenge lost friends, and pull off one last heist before the curtain comes down on their illustrious careers.

👵🏻

I was delighted when I got the approval on NetGalley for The Excitements as it sounded like a really interesting premise for a book. It didn't let me down!

I really liked the main trio of characters, Penny being my favourite - so mischievous! The short chapters made this easy to read, although it jumped around a lot in time, so sometimes I got a bit muddled. Since they are in their nineties and the flashbacks go back to in their teens, there are a lot of characters to keep track of.

Despite the timeline jumping, I still really enjoyed this book. A different premise to my usual books and I think that CJ Wray did a marvellous job with the historical side of the novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Orion for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Josephine and Penny Williamson are two of Britains most beloved war veterens. They're in their nineties, and spend thei time travelling the country to appear at various events or give interviews. When they are asked to head to Paris to be awarded the prestigious Legion d'Honneur they seem reluctant at first, but their nephew Archie manages to persuade them. What Archie doesn't realise is that there are scores to settle in France, and the sisters have more planned than just appearing at an awards ceremony.

I loved the idea of two sprightly nonagenarians getting themselves into some mischief whilst on a trip to receive recognition for their war efforts. Whilst that does form some of the story for this book there is a lot more going on than that. A lot lot more.

Plot wise this one covers a bit of historical fiction, mild romance, espionage, jewel heists and a hostage situation. There is so much going on that the main focus of the story quickly becomes lost, and really we don't see anywhere near as much of Penny and Joesphine in their twighlight years as I would like. I did notice a few plot holes too, in terms of things not quite adding up (such as Penny claiming the crystal elephant saga was a warm up to check her skills in preparation for France, despite not knowing at that point that the France trip was coming)

Whilst the focus of the story is set in the present day with the sisters heading to France, there is considerable time spent in the past too, revisiting times from the sisters childhood, through their years in the armed forces and tracking through to the present. Unfortunately these flashbacks aren't told in chronological order, so things become very hard to keep track of. This journey through the sisters lifetime also means that there is a huge number of characters to keep track of, and with the jumping around in time this is very hard to do.

I did really enjou the focus on women in the war and the part they played. Reading about the WRENs and FANY was fascinating - if anything I would rather have had more of this side of things than some of the other additional storylines.

There's some light humour throughout the book that works well. There's ups and downs throughout the story but ultimately it has a feel good sense to it. Penny, Josephine and Archie are a great central trio, all are likeable and it is a little amusing that Archie doesn't really take after his aunts at all, much as he really wants to!

The bones of this story have a lot of promise, and I think C. J. Wray did a fabulous job with the WWII history side of things. Unfortunately there was too many other things going on in this one that detracted from that main storyline, and things ended up very jumbled. I think ultimately the book is just trying to be too many different things at once.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group UK for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I had so much fun reading this. It is a wonderful novel about the fascinating and enthralling lives of unconventional WW2 veterans Penny and Josephine, and their nephew Archie.

The novel starts in the modern day with the two of them travelling to Paris to be awarded the legion of honour for their service during the war. However, as the novel goes on you begin to get the impression that there is more to them than meets the eye.

Penny and Josephine are both wonderful, witty and mischievous. A lesson learnt from reading this is not to judge a book by its cover, and underestimate people at your own peril. Archie adores his aunts, and it's very easy to understand why.

Overall, a fabulous and heart-warming tale with plenty of intrigue and laugh-out-loud moments. I'd recommend this in a heartbeat.

Thank you NetGalley and Orion for sending this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.