Red Sky over Hawaii

By: Sara Ackerman

Narrated by: Jennifer Robideau

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Inspired by real places and events of WWII, Red Sky over Hawaii immerses the listener in a time of American history full of suspicion and peril in this lush and poignant tale about the indisputable power of doing the right thing against all odds.

The attack on Pearl Harbor changes everything for Lana Hitchcock. Arriving home on the Big Island too late to reconcile with her estranged father, she is left alone to untangle the clues of his legacy, which lead to a secret property tucked away in the remote rain forest of Kilauea volcano. When the government starts taking away her neighbors as suspected sympathizers, Lana shelters two young German girls, a Japanese fisherman, and his son. As tensions escalate, they are forced into hiding - only to discover the hideaway house is not what they expected.

When a detainment camp is established nearby, Lana struggles to keep the secrets of those in her care. Trust could have dangerous consequences. As their lives weave together, Lana begins to understand the true meaning of family and how the bonds of love carry us through the worst times.

©2020 Sara Ackerman (P)2020 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Love this book! Outstanding story!

I Really enjoyed this book. I recommend it especially for the Hawaii lover. Sarah made it seem like I was a part of the book.

Return to the Big Island

Having lived on the Big Island for 8 years, this big took me back to magical memories, together with filling in historical events during World War 2. It showed how love can develop among strangers.

History from a different perspective

We all know the date of December 7th 1941. What we may not know is what happened to the innocent people who lived in Hawaii and how they were thrown into detention camps and separated from their children. Sara Ackerman does an excellent job of taking us to that time and place. A wonderful story that makes me want to go to the islands and visit all the places in the story.

Just s good on second listen!

Just s good on second listen! Even though I had heard this book maybe a year ago, I decided to listen to it again and loved as much if not more, all of the characters and their challenges and triumphs!

Wonderful

I didn't want the story to end. I hope I find other books by this author.

Wonderful

This was a wonderful heart wrenching story and the detail that the Author goes into makes you feel like you are there. Wonderful story a must listen.

More sappy romance than historical fiction

Good story and likable characters, but I could've done without the sappy love parts. The relationship could have still been a part of the story, but not so gooey. Coco is a great little lovable character.

A keeper

This book touched my heart in many ways. It was a joy to listen to, and I know I will do so again & again.

Decent enough story, Narration just awful.

I actually really enjoyed the story itself, it's packed full of colorful imagery and heartwarming familial moments. It's incredibly wholesome and at a comfortable pace. The romantic side plot was heavy handed and a little over the top cheese. The biggest problem for me was the narration. It was incredibly distracting, I really wish the narrator hadn't tried so hard to put on a male voice especially for the main love interest, it was incredibly jarring and actually made me laugh out loud a few times with how much it amped up the cheesiness of certain scenes. It's a shame to see a compelling story done so wrong by a bad narrator.

Red Sky over Hawaii

Plot. A woman in Hawaii finds herself as protector/caretaker to two German little girls, a Japanese old man, and a Japanese boy, in the days immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Circumstances and fear of both the Japanese and Germans have forced her into the role. The story is a feel-good familial tale with a message that family is not necessarily blood ties. There is an internment camp on the islands, and Japanese citizens are interrogated relentlessly, and most are sent to this camp. Our heroine falls in love with a camp officer as she hides her wards from certain arrests, orphanages, a pedophile.

Liked. Island life, especially during wartime. The Hawaiian names and legends of local flora, fauna, and volcanos. No sex, no explicit language, a squeaky clean read. Narration is fine. Not great literature, not intended to be - just a comfortable story.

Not so hot. Bumped the speed to 1.4 - a bit slow for me.

Written by Sara Ackerman, narrated by Jennifer Robideau, 10 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released in June 2020 by Harlequin Audio.

Recommended beach read.