A great read. Rebecca Connolly never disappoints! I love the story of Edith and how she doesn't bend in her belief to help all who need her medical help. Great telling of history and kept me engaged to the end.

Unique angle of Belgian nurse during the war. Interesting to learn a new piece of history.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc, all opinions are my own.

I was excited to read about a new person in history I was unfamiliar with! Sadly, the story just dragged on! Events that should have felt intense felt too scripted, like reading a history book which was very disappointing. It was confusing at times which nurse, Edith or Lizzie, the story was being told from. Too many insignificant details (why so much towel folding) and not enough about actual nurse care or specific soldiers or escape runs. Just a very long drawn out narrative. I skipped to the end and found the last few chapters a bit better but still too many names and facts thrown at you that take you away from the story and into a history book.

I downloaded this because of the synopsis and the cover. I typically love historical fiction, and the fact that this book is based on real life occurrences intrigued me. Also, I was happy to read a book that is not set in the World War II era-World War I seems to be less overdone in historical fiction.

I'll start with my minor criticism of the book. The plot is fairly straightforward. There are no big twists, aside from the ending that is less of a twist as much as it is emotional. There's also not a lot of levity to counterbalance the serious plot.

As for what I loved-the book is well written. I really cared about Edith and Lizzie as well as the other nurses. The last half of the book really picked up and I read most of it in one sitting because I really needed to know the outcome. I don't want to inadvertently give spoilers so I won't say any more besides the ending got me in my feelings! (Also, if you are unfamiliar with the real life story don't research it beforehand. Save that for afterwards!)

I would 100% read something else by this author and I would recommend it to any lover of historical fiction. That being said, a reader needs to be in the right head space to tackle the heavy subject matter of World War I.

Good story, but very slow to read. Hard to get into, and overly religious descriptions. The characters needed to be more fleshed out. Overall not a terrible book.

Connolly honours Edith Cavell in this emotionally charged peek into the legacy of this British nurse and her work in Belgium during WWI.

“She had her personal convictions - extend compassion and humanity to all, be of service and do good, give life back to those who were on the brink of death - but she also held patriotic convictions, remaining wholly devoted to King and Country and staying firmly planted on the side of what was right rather than what was powerful. And those convictions were made of iron.”

Cavell’s life was a testimony to those who put their life on the line, defying the powerful enemy, for the defence and freedom of others. She was a powerful inspiration and Connolly writes to make sure history does not forget this gentle heroine.

To some, she was a British nurse, to others a martyr and for some a spy. Regardless, she was a courageous woman who put others’ needs before her own. She gave it all.

Cavell’s skills as a nurse were in high demand in Europe in 1914. She was eagerly accepted by the Red Cross and worked to save as many injured soldiers as she could. Edith never discriminated; every life was treated equally, regardless of nationality. When her hospital became part of German-occupied territory, Edith had a dilemma. Would she play it safe and give in to the demands to hand over the Allied soldiers or tend to them and offer them an escape at a risk to her own life?

The inclusion of Edith’s religious motivation added to this book. Despite knowing how it would all end, I still read on, hoping for an alternate ending! Connolly tapped into my emotions and in examining the war of terrible choices, showed that making the right one relied on Edith leaning on her upbringing and moral compass.

I loved the message of being willing to stand up for our principles regardless of circumstances and the encouragement to dig deep, find our humanity and ask what we can do to help another. What legacy do we want to leave? Is the sacrifice worth it?

The cover is fantastic and represents a beautiful image of the loneliness in standing alone, under the cover of mercy, receiving the strength to do what’s right.

I was gifted this copy by Shadow Mountain Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

WWI is not as well known as WWII. This story gives us a glimpse into the life of a little know heroine.
Edith Cavell, a Red Cross nurse serving in Belgium, cannot refuse any wounded solider. Over the course of time, she helped hundreds of British, French, and Belgium soldiers heal and escape.
She was committed to the task no matter the price. She looked to a higher power, God, for strength and wisdom to carry on the tasks she was called to.

I just reviewed Under the Cover of Mercy by Rebecca Connolly. #UndertheCoverofMercy #NetGalley

This was a great historical fiction read, love Rebecca Connolly's books!

Brussels, Belgium, 1914

The Great War has come to Brussels, and the Germans occupy the city, and Edith Cavell, the Head Nurse at Berkendael Medical Institute is faced with an impossible situation. Edith has sworn an oath to help any who are wounded despite their nationalities. Governor von Luttwitz has additional orders for her. She and her nurses must stand guard under the wounded Allied POWs and prevent them from escaping.

Edith believes God has called her to be a healer, not a jailor.

Members of The Belgian resistance desperate to help bring two British wounded and eventually to freedom bring them to Edith hoping that she will assist them. She makes choices that will see these soldiers heal and then smuggle them off to safety.

I found this subject hard to read, a nurse trying to do her job but also what she felt God was calling her to do as well. I was somewhat disappointed because a lot of the POV was from her fellow nurse and loyal friend, Lizzie(Elizabeth)Wilkins, and I wanted to hear Edith’s POV during this time as well, but that didn’t really get until the end of the story. Since this is based on a true story, the ending isn’t entirely a happy one, however, I did enjoy learning about a person I had never heard of previously. It was heartwrenching to read.

My gratitude to Shadow Mountain and NetGalley. All opinions expressed are mine.

I really wanted to love this novel, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me personally. I love historical fiction and I love reading about regions and events that I’m not already familiar with, and while I know some about Belgium in WWI, I was not familiar with the Red Cross nurses during the German occupation of Belgium.

The book is based on the real life figure of Edith Cavell, a British Red Cross nurse who runs a nursing hospital in Brussels. The chapters alternate between the point of view of Edith and the point of view of Lizzie, Edith’s friend and another Red Cross nurse.

I found the book fairly hard to get into, and slow going at first. I felt like I needed more action, more dynamics, rather than lengthy descriptions. I also found the extensive religious excerpts a little tedious and often ended up skimming them. I understand why the author included religion, given that Cavell was a devout Christian, but it made for very heavy, slow reading that I personally did not enjoy. If you’re a fan of Christian fiction, it may be more to your taste.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

As a nurse, this story combined my love for the medical field with my love for good historical fiction! I thoroughly enjoyed this story!! I did crave a bit more depth to the writing - I felt it was a little lack luster at times.

This is a fictionalized account of the true story of nurse Edith Cavell, matron of a Red Cross hospital in Belgium during World War I after the German invasion. It is sobering and inspiring to read of Edith’s courage and faith in the face of wounded soldiers from many countries who needed medical care, but who needed to be hidden to avoid reprisals from the German military in occupation. The daily lives of the nurses and patients are given great detail, and the characters come alive under Connolly’s writing.

This is not light, easy reading. If you want a happy ending, choose another book. If you want to re-live what happened in Belgium during World War I, and learn how to face your own life with courage and faith, this book is well-worth reading.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own." #UndertheCoverofMercy #NetGalley

I received this ARC through NetGalley, and although it was an “ok” read: there are a few points it was lacking.

The last 30% if this book was a great read.
But it was almost like the author needed to “find herself” and her writing style. And I could certainly tell where research was strongest, and where it was lacking,

The book is quite simply written, and the author does state in the acknowledgments that changing names like “Elizabeth” to “Lizzie” was for simplicity.
Readers don’t always want to be treated like we’re juvenile. There are a number of times where the author would “spell things out” for the reader, which really weren’t necessary and don’t add anything to the story. The same can be said for much of the description of events and characters in the first 1/3 of this book. I feel like I can almost tell what parts of Edith Cavell’s history/story the author was most knowledgeable and comfortable with, as the ending and most notorious (to the common public) parts were well written and far more descriptive.

At first, the storyline jumps around quite a bit in the beginning; small skips in storyline that take a minute to reorient yourself.

Personally, I would have loved the characters to be a little more “fleshed out”, and particularly their histories and the day to day activities more detailed. I do feel like a lot was skimmed over because not a lot was necessarily known. A novel about a nurse during the war aiding British soldiers shouldn’t be slow. There’s so much that could have been added, but events were overlooked. I can see how/why the author didn’t touch on the nursing aspects of this character/story but instead on the resistance aspect of things. But there is so much more that could have been added to give a broader view of the surroundings, the atmosphere, and the emotions.

But. All that to be said, this was a good read, one where you’re not going to sit and read it all in one day, but a good- rad a couple chapters a day, kind of books; that’s not too difficult to read, doesn’t take a whole lot of effort on the readers part, and still leaves you feeling engaged and interested.

Pack tissues!

This book was well written, enlightening, and heart wrenching. Unsurprisingly, I had not heard of Edith Cavell, so I dove into this story unprepared for the emotions it would evoke.

Edith was a Red Cross nurse during the first world war when the Germans invaded Belgium. She eventually began not only nursing the wounded of all nationalities but also helping allied soldiers escape the Germans. She could not bring herself to nurse soldiers to health and then turn them over only to become prisoners.
Edith's courage, determination, and faith are inspiring, but it becomes obvious that the consequences will be dire. I will leave it at that in order to avoid spoilers.

This book does have quite a bit of faith and religion, not in a preachy way, but because those were an essential part of Edith, her motivation, and who she was. Readers who wish to avoid those concepts might not enjoy this book as much. I highly recommend this to all other readers who are of an age to comprehend war (pg-13 level). Edith's courage and faith, and her determination to do good and see good in others even during horrific times are truly an inspiration to us all.

Edith Cavell is a Red Cross nurse who served as head nurse at Berkendael Medical Institute in Brussels during WWI. This book is based on her life’s story.

Edith was torn by her duties as a nurse and her moral obligations as a decent human being to help save the lives of soldiers who needed to escape an almost certain fate of death. In her duties as matron of Berkendael Medical Institute, she had opportunities to help, and she believed it wasn’t only the infirm who needed her, but also those in danger. She succeeded in hiding and then leading hundreds of soldiers to safety during her time as matron. She understood the dangers but felt it was God’s will that she carry out this duty.

The true account of this courageous woman is inspiring and compelling. It is a very well researched novel with a true reflection of the horrors of war from this different angle. I give this book 4 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for the ARC.

Under the Cover of Mercy by Rebecca Connolly was an absolute must read for me. Rebecca has long been one of my favorite authors. I am a nurse and I love stories set in WWI. Add in the fact that it is was based on a true story, and I just could not wait to get my hands on this one!
This book mostly follows the life of Edith Cavell, a nurse in the Red Cross in Belgium during WWI. She was compassionate and moved to serve wounded soldiers, regardless of their nationality. This landed her in a difficult situation, and I love that her faith, as she was a faithful practicing Anglican, sustained her through all that she faced. Overall, this is heavy story with a few moments of lightness, such as Jack the dog and in Lizzie her friend. Lizzie carries a good part of the story as well, but much of the emphasis is on Edith. It is full of historical details that rightly reflect this time-period and cause. If you like historical fiction based on actual events without romance, you will enjoy this one.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

This book was not quite what I expected.

Based on the life of Edith Cavell, a Red Cross nurse in Belgium during World War I who cares for her patients irregardless of which country they are serving. Once Germany occurs Belgium though, these sentiments are not welcome. She teaches and leads her nursing staff while also helping the Belgian resistance, with courage and conviction. The story is rife with tension between her personal convictions and the risks they pose not to herself, but to her staff, as the resistance begins to dwindle one by one.

A gave it a 3 for a monotone storyline. I realize it's based on a true story, just not a lot happens or changes as it progresses and felt a bit long. A story about a courageous woman and her impact on the lives of those around her. To be enjoyed by readers who like fiction based on true stories.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Wow! What an interesting story about a nurse during WW1 that I had never heard about. The courage that Edith Cavell showed during this time is extraordinary. She was partially responsible for so many lives that were saved. I always hope that I would be as brave if put in a similar situation. So very inspiring!

The book is told in two perspectives, Edith and her No. 2, Lizzie. The characters are well drawn out, the emotion real. I wish we could have remet some of the men she helped, but maybe that is for another day or my own research. I wish the passage of time could have been shown in chapter headings, I think that would have allowed better understanding of how fast or slow things moved.

Another winner by Rebecca Connolly!

I had never heard of Edith Cavell before reading this book, and I am so grateful to Rebecca Connolly for writing about this amazing woman.

Edith's story of bravery and faith is so inspiring. I appreciated the perspective of living in Belgium when the Germans took over, and how hard it was to live in an occupied country. I admire Edith's sense of right and wrong, and that she was determined to help those who needed to escape from the Germans. She did this with grace and courage. I admire her determination to give her life for others.

I would have loved to see a more personal side of Edith's character, she felt very formal the entire book. I'm not sure if that's what she was like in real life, or if it's just the matron role that she held in the book.

Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing, Rebecca Connolly, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Under the Cover of Mercy is based of true events of Edith and Lizzie two British nurses at the Red Cross hospital in Brussels Belgium during World War 1. It was refreshing to read about somewhere other than France/Germany/Poland. I found Ediths story to be interesting and want to learn more about the events in her real life in which the novel is based off. I did however find the book hard to get into. It started very slow and was full of more religion than I typically enjoy reading which made it hard to connect with the characters.
Thank you to Shadow Mountain Publishing, NetGalley and Rebecca Connelly for the ARC.