A Beautiful Blend..
A truly beautiful blend of gentle humour, grand adventure and a lives led - well told with empathy and compassion and laced with wit. These war veterans, Penny and Josephine, are still at the top of their game and are about to embark on their greatest adventure yet.. and settle a few scores along the way. As the tale time slips into their past, the reader will learn the full story. Quite charming and wholly engaging.

The Williamson sisters, Penny and Josephine, are both in their nineties are about to be awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government. They see the trip to Paris as a chance to settle a few scores.

The Excitements by C. J. Wray introduces the reader to two delightfully eccentric characters in Josephine and Penny Williamson. At the ages of 99 and 97 respectfully they should be enjoying a quiet life, however, they are extremely young for their age and are determined to live their lives according to the motto “Every opportunity for fun must be seized”. This means that their great-nephew, Archie Williamson, has to find ways to pepper their lives with “excitements” while ensuring they come to no harm.

During World War II both sisters played an active role. Josephine was a member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service (Wrens) and Penny joined the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY). These roles mean that they are regularly invited to take part in memorial services, events that Archie hopes will be sufficient, and safe, entertainment for the sisters. In reality, the sisters find these types of events boring.

As the story jumps back in time we meet younger versions of Josephine and Penny and learn about the events which motivated them to seek active service. While Josephine’s story is clouded in mystery it is an obvious one and gives us an understanding as to why she left home as soon as possible to join the Wrens.

The Excitements is really Penny’s story. Feeling slighted by her sister leaving home abruptly she is determined to play her part. After joining the FANY’s she uses her self-taught hand-to-hand combat defense skills to save herself from a compromising position and this brings her to the attention of the Special Operations Executive. The SOE trains Penny to be dropped into France to help the Resistance.

Back to today, the skills that the sisters have acquired over a lifetime prove extremely useful when they are put in difficult situations. Woe betide anyone who assumes they are dealing with a couple of doddering old women.

I absolutely adored the time spent with Penny and Josephine. This pair of eccentric kleptomaniacs who swear like builders will charm everyone. I am sure that there will be a sequel, possibly something that features Josephine more and reveals her antics during the war.

Really loved Penny, Josephine & Archie.
A great book that I will recommend to others.
Thanks for the opportunity to read & review it.