Very good book. 
 First, I'd encountered Ann Howard Creel before when I read The Magic of Ordinary Days. I loved that book and really hadn't thought about finding anymore of Creel's work. However, this one popped up on my Amazon Prime and I downloaded it. 
 Typically, I don't read the books I get for free from Amazon or I wait a long time but the idea behind this book intrigued me so I read it right away and I'm so very glad. 
 The idea is that Gwen's roommate during WWII, abandons her baby with Gwen who can't fathom the idea of giving the sweet child to the orphanage. Gwen instead keeps the baby and raises her on her own mostly (babysitting help from a friend upstairs). However, on V-J Day, Gwen returns home to find a soldier standing on her doorstep looking for Alice (the roommate). Gwen knows immediately it is her sweet Mary's father and explains everything to him. Now Gwen must teach John how to take care of his child, all the while, knowing soon she will lose the little girl she's come to love as her own. 
 This story was rife with emotion for me. The idea of loving a child so much and then having to give it back to a biological parent is very hard. I've never experienced such a thing but I imagine it to be devastating. Granted here Gwen hadn't adopted Mary. She was just caring for her until something changed but realized quickly she loved Mary and never wanted to give her up. 
 Gwen spend a great amount of time with John teaching him about his child. The best part is John doesn't want to snatch Mary from the only mother she's ever known and let's Gwen continue to care for Mary until Mary is comfortable with him. 
 I loved the way Creel portrays the aftermath of the war and it's toll on the soldiers and citizens. Creel goes so far as to point out the things you couldn't get during the war and how that changed after. 
 Creel includes Gwen's new roommate in the story, giving Dot her own story which is full of hardship. Dot's husband doesn't deal with his "shell shock" well and it leaves a strain on her relationship. I do wish there had been more about Dot but I'm wondering if Dot got a book... I should look for it. 
 The thing I had the hardest time with was the idea of Alice. A woman so selfish as to abandon her child in such a manner. There is a huge difference in a woman who knows her own limitations and gives a child up for adoption and what Alice did. At first, you almost want to sympathize with Alice to some degree but the more you learn about her the less you like her and the more you despise her. 
 This like The Magic of Ordinary Days needs to be a Hallmark movie.