Review: How Much Do You Love Me? by Paul Mark Tag

How Much Do You Love Me?How Much Do You Love Me?
by Paul Mark Tag
Adult Historical Romance
Paperback256 Pages
August 12th 2014 by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Summary

Lovers James and Keiko marry quickly before James goes to World War II and Keiko to an internment camp. Sixty years later their daughter Kazuko, born in the camps, uncovers a secret that could overwhelm the family. Discover the very definition of human love and self-sacrifice in this saga of war, mystery, and romance.

    

My Review

This is the first book I've read set during WWII over in the United States and dealing with Pearl Harbor and the Japanese Americans. To me the segregation was so wrong in so many ways, but I can also see how afraid many were after Pearl Harbor was bombed. It was definitely a terrible time for the United States, but also for the whole world.

How Much Do You Love Me? definitely gave me insight into this family's plight when they were basically turned on by, what they felt, was their own country. Things were done and stemmed by fear, which is never the best way to react to something. I did enjoy getting to know Keiko's family, and have glimpses of James' family as well. It was also enlightening to learn more about the internment camp Keiko's family was sent to. They definitely dealt with some unfavorable circumstances.

It was also interesting to think about a mixed-culture or intercultural marriage between Keiko and James. It's not something I've thought a lot about (this just shows how much has changed since then), but it definitely was a much bigger deal back at that time. It was interesting to see how both cultures reacted and dealt with that through Keiko's and James' parents and the community.

The mystery of what happened at the camp, as Keiko's daughter and son investigate, drove this story for me. It's what really kept me reading, as well as wanting to find out exactly what happened to Keiko and her family. I did feel a lot of the story was factual and information was just being relayed to me instead of letting the characters tell the story themselves. I wanted a lot more of the story to really come alive by experiencing it through the characters and their emotions and that didn't happen for me.

I would recommend this book to those who enjoy reading historical romance or those who may want to learn more about what the Japanese Americans experienced while living in the US after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Content: Clean (There are closed-door scenes, but they were realistic - such as between a married couple - and nothing descriptive in any way.)

Source: I would like to thank Cedar Fort, the publisher, for my complimentary review copy, which did not affect my review in any way.

The author, Paul Mark Tag, is stopping by today for an interview. You can also enter to win your own copy of How Much Do You Love Me? here.

7 comments

  1. I have never read about the Japenese Americans in the WWII era, but I have read many books with other nationalities mentioned. This sounds interesting!

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  2. I like this cover, much better than the original paperback cover :)

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  3. Tracy Renee Snyder8/15/14, 11:51 AM

    haven't read a book about wwii think i would be interested though

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  4. Tracy Renee Snyder8/15/14, 11:56 AM

    Makes you wonder what kind of business they are in. Especially with hands like that

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  5. I love books that dip into history. I have read one book before about the internment camps. It's a fascinating subject matter. I like the sound of this.

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  6. Not for a long time, I think this will be great for my girls & myself

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  7. Uh, that hand is creepy! I am a fan of anything horror, so this sounds right up my alley. Plus a touch of humor, I have a feeling!!!

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