A WWI romance that is more graphic than most in the genre. Ilse survived the sinking of the Lusitania and made her way to the UK where she joined up and now she in Ypres driving ambulances- and suffering disdain and suspicion because she is of German heritage. But then she meets Roland who has been injured, Henry doesn't spare the reader the descriptions of war in the trenches and the injuries to those fighting, That said it's a different sort of love story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Oh. My. Word! What! a fantastic read! I was riveted from the first page to the last.
This is not an easy read for anyone who is squeamish. Several times I had to put the book down and take a breath. Set in World War I, the author's descriptions of the battles in the trenches and the air are told in every gory detail needed, to get the horrors of the war across to the readers. I was emotionally wrung out. Indignation at the treatment some people endured was high on my list.
Roland and Ilse are the two main characters. They are both from New York but only meet during the war itself. Ilse is of German descent and even though American by birth is treated abominably by the nurses, at the Front, while nursing with the British. The romance between the two is a slow burn with the War taking center stage and the story was the better for it. There's a lot of sadness too as friends and family are lost and life is changed, irrevocably, for ever.
I didn't take to Roland at all and he has the largest part of the story. He was erratic from the beginning and could be quite obnoxious at times. Ilse was a great character and I loved her story throughout.
We also get to see what happens to them after the war and I love that in a story, especially one I've been so invested in.
For me the best part of all was the descriptions of the different historical events that occurred. Woven through the story seamlessly, I learned things I hadn't known before about this conflict and it's always a bonus to me.
At the end of the book, the author adds a few details about the story and I was delighted to discover that some of the characters were based on real people. We get a little added bit of history here.
If you love history, the history of the wars and how ordinary people dealt with it, then this is a must read. I'd give it more stars if I could!

Many thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

I have to stop with this book even though this should be a 'must-read'.

It's a WWI story and that's something I like to read. And the book takes place in erea where I live. But this is a bit too close to home and too gruesome.

The writer has no problem telling about the atrocities in and around the trenches. And rightly so, this should not be forgotten. But I knew my great-grandmother well and her house has now become my home. Reading this in her home while she experienced WWI as a child is ...

An one star means I didn't finish the book.

As storm clouds gather, a very graphic and thought provoking book, highlighting the issues of war and nursing during the war, sometimes a little too graphic but it definitely made you think about all that have suffered.

Sometimes the best books are the hardest to review…
First of all, this book is not for the faint-of-heart reader. For anyone who can withstand a gut-wrenching, brutally honest depiction of what WW1 warfare was like, this one will be an outstanding novel.
The thing about this book that clinched the 5 stars from me was the way the author “climbed” into the two main characters lives and minds. Ilse and Rowland are two young persons who are pulled into the Great War by unexpected personal events in their lives. For Ilse, an American citizen born to immigrant parents, the anti-German sentiment of the early 1900’s sprouting in Manhattan leads them to buy tickets on the ship Luisitania in 1915, which leads to tragedy. For Rowland, the death of his father in the fateful Black Tom Explosion leads him to seek revenge against all members of the country who caused it.
The experiences that Rowland has as an infantryman and a pilot, and Ilse has as a war nurse with a detectable German accent, will ultimately change their hearts, minds and lives forever, as the world is ripped apart by the “war to end all wars”…
Memorable Quotes:
“No war could end all wars. Not with the complicated human race, with their fragile egos and their axes to grind…Germany would rise again. They would reach for their guns. They would go to war. Maybe not in this generation, but soon. The children of today would be the wooden crosses of tomorrow.”

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

This book tells another gripping story of the suffering endured by soldiers in the First World War and the efforts of women working as nurses and ambulance drivers near the fighting. Isle survives the sinking of the luxury cruise ship, Lusitania, to fend off the loathing back in the US against her heritage. After returning to New York as an orphan, she has nowhere to go, so she heads back to England, hoping to find her aunt, a woman she has never met. Since she doesn’t know where she lives, she joins the Woman’s Army Corp and faces the same suspicion and anger experienced in New York. While working as a trainee nurse and ambulance driver near the battlefields in Belgium, she cares for a gassed American soldier fighting with the British army. As Isle cares for Roland’s wounds, a romance blossoms, eventually allowing him to return to the front. With death all around them, the pair write letters to one another, but the other nurses and the new hospital matron believe her to be a German spy.

This tale had an adventurous start, muddled through a slow, romantic buildup toward the middle, and had characters that were not only believable but well-developed. My only negative critique was that the story's pacing was slow and included more detail than most historical romances. But I put on the kettle and snuggled in, reading it from start to finish over the weekend. It was difficult for me to see this book as a romance.

Despite the many formatting issues in the e-reader version, which made reading tedious, I enjoyed the book. I assume these errors will be corrected before publication. I want to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read this fantastic tale of courage, resilience, strength, and love as a free ARC. It's a 4.5-star read! This review is voluntary and mine alone.

Isle Stahl is the only survivor of her family. They were sailing to England on the Lusitania, when it was torpedoed and sank. Roland Hawkins joins the British Army to fight in World War I. Their paths cross on a Belgian hospital field, where Ilse is a nurse. They fall in love, but will they be able to survive to share their lives?
I really enjoyed this book. It kept me enthralled from the first page to the last. The descriptions of war were very detailed and I felt like I was right in the thick of it. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

When Isle manages to survive the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, she is determined to help others.

When she becomes a nurse to help in the war, she feels like she is giving back to after she she endured. Isle meets Roland, who is fighting in the war.

Isle drives ambulances in the war, but when she encounters others who believe she is a spy, she must fight to prove she is t.

But Isle and Roland need to find a way to move past heartbreak to move forward.

After surviving the Lusitania disaster and the loss of her parents, Isle Stahl throws herself into becoming a nurse, being sent to Ypres where she becomes adept at driving ambulances. This brings her into the company of a badly injured soldier who is suffering the effects of gas!
Roland Hawkins, like Isle, is nursing the loss of his father. The anger he has at this loss spurs him to enlist with the London Fusiliers, after initial training he is off to the trenches, where he and mate Vernon try to keep each other going. This is tested when Roland tells him the plans he has in mind! When Roland finds himself at Rembercourt he wonders if he’ll ever see Isle again. Apart from the loss of family members the two main characters have inner strength that keeps them going.

I really enjoyed the factual side to the story, and hearing it from a different perspective. Some of the descriptions were spine chilling. My favourite character was Tubby, least favourite was definitely Marie.

Wow. What an incredibly descriptive (and sometimes gruesome) account of what it was like on the battlefields of WWI. Many historical romance novels set in the world wars tend to focus more on the romance than on the history, but this book was the perfect balance of having some romance mingled in with the horrors of what soldiers on the front went through.

There were some formatting issues which made this book hard to read in places, however this was an Advanced Readers Copy (with thanks to NetGalley!) so I am hoping these problems will be corrected for publishing.

4 stars out of 5 ⭐️

Set during the First World War this book is about a nurse and a solider who’s lives collide during one of the darkest times in history. This is actually the first book I’ve read about the First World War and I found it very interesting. This is a very descriptive book, lots of details on injuries etc which emphasise how awful the war was. I found this book a little bit slow at times but overall found it a good read and enjoyed the romance side of it too.
I would recommend this to any historical fiction lover.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

This was a more graphic kind of book than I first thought. Definitely had to skim some bits in the trenches etc but I did enjoy it.

Just wow! This book had me completely hooked from the first chapter. It was so emotional and full of fear, anger, courage, hope and love. The Great War was absolutely brutal and this story portrays this really well, it’s detailed and informative and totally heartbreaking. I really enjoyed this book, it was a hard one to put down as once I was sucked into the story I couldn’t get out until I had finished the book. I highly recommend this beautifully written book, five fabulous stars from me!

This had that element that I was looking for in a historical romance novel, it had that overall feel that I was looking for and enjoyed from the description. The characters were well written and enjoyed the overall story going on. M. B. Henry has a strong writing style and worked in this genre.

I really enjoyed this novel. It was a can't put down story about WW1 and the aftermath of the Lusitania
While I loved that, I wished there was a little more about the ship.
This novel has a little of everything in it. From the sinking to war to romance. Yes, even in perilous times, there is love.
5 stars for keeping my interest all the way through.
The description of the war,people, and places made me feel like I was there. I didn't like the war part, obviously. Too heartbreaking. I almost didn't finish it.
But I did and I am still thinking about Isle and Roland. Two courageous people that have won above their circumstances. I liked them both very much.
I hate that war changes people and not for the good.
I highly recommend.
My thanks for a copy of this book..I was NOT required to write a positive review..all opinions expressed are mine.

Too much grizly details for my liking. Loved Ilse's courage and determination to prod her way through the nursing world. Also, Roland who was bent on revenge was a funny heart-warming chap himself despite the raging war.