Intense, emotional, and immersive!

Daughters of War is a captivating, touching tale set predominantly in German-Occupied France during WWI that takes you into the life of May Turner, a young mother living a lonely existence in a loveless marriage who, after befriending a veteran nurse, decides to volunteer herself and head to France even with the threat that the world she knows and loves may be gone by the time she comes home.

The prose is seamless and vivid. The characters are driven, courageous, and dependable. And the plot is an insightful, moving tale of life, loss, heartbreak, secrets, self-discovery, determination, hope, loyalty, motherhood, survival, friendship, love, and war.

Overall, Daughters of War is an alluring, rich, compelling novel by Page that transports you to another time and place and immerses you so thoroughly into the feelings, lives, and personalities of the characters you can’t help but be enthralled and fully invested from start to finish.

Trapped in an unhappy marriage, May leaves her husband and two children to volunteer as a nurse in France during WWI. She is able to travel home during holidays, but her husband has decided to keep the children from her. Determined to fulfill her duty at the front, May is unsure how to maintain a relationship with her daughters.

I had a hard time with this book. May didn't feel particularly realistic, her emotions felt one dimensional. Her romance at the front was also a bit predictable. Her nursing felt mechanical and her relationships seemed shallow. Overall, 2 out of 5 stars.

“I had made my bed and now I had to lie in it.”

Ever made a decision that you felt was right for you at the time, but ended up costing you in the long run?

Twelve years ago, feisty American born May married George Turner, moved to London, and had two daughters. Caught up in the demands of motherhood, she doesn’t realize that the choice wasn’t a good fit until her daughters left for boarding school and she discovered that her husband is an unfaithful drunk. Her life was so far from how she imagined it! Finding solace in a local art studio, May is encouraged to volunteer as a nurse just as World War One begins. Once she’s handed her appointment with the Red Cross and ships out to Bray-Sur-Somme, May smiles as she realizes that her life will never be the same again.

Author Lizzie Page writes to highlight the life of Mary Borden, a formidable nurse, ground-breaking novelist, and extraordinary poet. Like the conflicted character, May, Mary was also torn between doing something for herself, something purposeful, and the demands of a husband and young family. May and Mary were trapped by the conventions of the time. Knowing that these issues still resonate today, Page has managed to bring about a new way of looking at an old story. Choosing to focus on the inner conflict of wartime, Page showcases a woman who struggles to balance her own desires with those of her parental duties. For some, she points out, motherhood is constraining.

Perfect for book clubs, this book raises many questions and showcases the cataclysmic shift in the English class system and the way women were regarded in society. The extra information provided by the author at the end of the book is fantastic and will be a great starting point for discussions. Unaware that this was book 2 of The War Nurses series, it was a wonderful read as a ‘standalone’ for me!

Publishes December 7, 2021.

I was gifted this advance copy by Lizzie Page, Forever Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Author Lizzie Page has another historical fiction hit on her hands! Daughters of War is an engaging, compelling, and heartbreaking tale of one woman struggling to balance her life amidst the backdrop of World War I.
At a young age, May marries George Turner. They move to England, where they create a home and have two daughters. Over time, May realizes that George was never the man she made him out to be. But she is dedicated to her two girls, whom she loves with all her heart. George sends the girls away to boarding school, and May is left empty.
She slowly starts to find a purpose for her life again and signs up to volunteer as a nurse on the front lines of World War I in France. May finds strength and purpose in this role. But she is torn between her duty as a nurse and her role as a mother. While May sees many horrors in the hospital, the story is balanced with lighthearted and romantic moments that make this story a page-turner.
I thoroughly loved this book. The writer's style is entirely captivating, and you are immersed in this storyline and engaged in the characters' lives. This is a great historical fiction book that is well written. The ebook is a bargain at only $4.99 CA, and the paperback is available for $15.99 on Amazon. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4.5 stars out of 5
Available December 7, 2021

Set in London during WWI, this beautiful, beautiful book engulfed my heart. The author writes with extraordinary soul, pure magic. I found myself practically holding my breath in anticipation yet did not want it to end. It is about courage in seemingly impossible circumstances, a mother's devotion and endless love, excruciating heartache and precious hope.

Teenager May marries George in America and they move to London. At first life is exciting but it doesn't take long to realize this marriage is not about love. Their two daughters overwhelm May with love but she needs fulfillment. Purpose. She fills the void with hobbies and a close friend, Elizabeth, but it takes Elsie to inspire May to find her real home (outside of her daughters) which is as an army nurse in France. She misses her daughters desperately. War's effects are horrendous which she sees firsthand. Yet she is able to see beauty in spite of it. She has very close friends and a purpose. She learns about herself.

Additionally, there are appearances by famous people and links to poetry and art. The characters are well written, not all of whom are likeable which makes the story believable. My heart did flip flops over and over as it melted and ached. This is not a shallow fluff book but rather contains substance and oomph.

Historical Fiction readers ought to read this staggeringly gorgeous book. It would truly be a shame to miss. It has that special something which gets under your skin in the best way possible. If that cover doesn't get you, nothing will. Do read the author's notes and acknowledgements to learn about her inspiration for the setting and characters. I just love learning personal details such as these.

My sincere thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wondrous book!

A Mother's Choices

The heartbreaking story of a women torn in several directions. Her job as a war nurse in the front lines of battle, her children, her soon to be ex husband, her best friend, and the soldier she loves. Can she survive and will she lose everything she loves?

May at a very young age meets George in America, marries him and moves to London where they have a home and two lovely daughters. Alas all is not well in the marriage and George is not the husband and father she thought he would be. When the marriage deteriorates and the children are sent to boarding school May volunteers to be a nurse at the front lines of battle in WWI. She visits her daughter's on vacations until her husband divorces her and bans her from both the home and the children. She must now fight for her children but she is miles away in a field hospital and has no idea where her children are. Will she ever see them again?

This is a story of a woman, her best friend Elizabeth, her time in the war as a nurse and her home life which has turned out to be a disaster. She fights for sanity, she fights for her rights as a mother and she somehow manages each day as it comes along.

I admire the courage of May to break away from a bad marriage and to find herself in her nursing. I think the laws back then as pertaining to women's rights in the marriage and especially in a divorce were very wrong. I liked her friends at the field hospital, especially Matron and Kitty. Matron, with whom May first clashed turned out to be a wonderful friend to her. The group at the army hospital was a great blending of friendship and helped each other to stay sane and focused in an otherwise horrible time in history. WWI was the great war to end all wars, if only it had been.

I enjoyed this story and the character May played. It was inspiring and heartwarming as well as heartbreaking in many places. I do recommend it.

Thanks to Lizzie Page for writing a great book, to Forever Grand Central for publishing it and for NetGalley for making it available to me.