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Don't Ask Me Again
Victoria Harper’s passion for surgical nursing isn’t compatible with romance. No hospital will hire a married woman, and if she marries her first love, she’ll be relegated to rolling bandages.
Pragmatic, persistent Matthew Berger knows Victoria would always resent him if she gave up her career to marry him before she was truly ready. After three declined proposals in five years, he built a life alone rather than try to fill the space she left behind.
During the Great War, adventure beckons overseas. Victoria’s work at a base hospital in France keeps her almost busy enough to forget the man she gave up to follow her passion—until he arrives on an ambulance from the Western front with a devastating injury, an ocean of memories, and a flicker of hope. As Matthew recovers and their old flame reignites, Victoria’s dreams point her in a direction she never considered. The devastation of war might show her how to prove a married woman’s worth. Old rules could be broken, but only if she has the courage to break them—and if Matthew will give her one more chance to say yes.
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“I don’t think I can marry him, girls.”Ingrid tried to sit up. “What?”
“It’s good to put the hurt feelings aside and appreciate his friendship, but the same problem exists today that existed when I left, and it’s the same one you’ll all face, too. Married nurses don’t do what we do. Most married women don’t work at all.”
Nora tapped out a staccato scale on the piano, treble down to bass, one note per name. “Maggie. Catherine. Aurelia. Eliza. May. Iris. Annabelle. Jane. And that’s just from our little hospital in the last year. You get married, you go home. Red Cross policy.”
“And there’s no work for them at home, either,” Frances said. “Back in London, even with a war on, they won’t hire a married woman in the hospitals. It is just a shame the world is not very accommodating to married women with brains. If we are widowed, our minds are miraculously restored, we are cured of our hysterics, and we are useful again.”
“But for Victoria now, that’s it?” Ingrid asked. “Here is Matthew after all this time, like fate. Can it really never be?”
Victoria turned and met her gaze. “It has only been a few days. I enjoy his company but I must be realistic. The world has changed, but if the needs of war and half a million wounded men don’t make a married nurse acceptable then I don’t know if it’s changed enough.”
Pragmatic, persistent Matthew Berger knows Victoria would always resent him if she gave up her career to marry him before she was truly ready. After three declined proposals in five years, he built a life alone rather than try to fill the space she left behind.
During the Great War, adventure beckons overseas. Victoria’s work at a base hospital in France keeps her almost busy enough to forget the man she gave up to follow her passion—until he arrives on an ambulance from the Western front with a devastating injury, an ocean of memories, and a flicker of hope. As Matthew recovers and their old flame reignites, Victoria’s dreams point her in a direction she never considered. The devastation of war might show her how to prove a married woman’s worth. Old rules could be broken, but only if she has the courage to break them—and if Matthew will give her one more chance to say yes.
-------
“I don’t think I can marry him, girls.”Ingrid tried to sit up. “What?”
“It’s good to put the hurt feelings aside and appreciate his friendship, but the same problem exists today that existed when I left, and it’s the same one you’ll all face, too. Married nurses don’t do what we do. Most married women don’t work at all.”
Nora tapped out a staccato scale on the piano, treble down to bass, one note per name. “Maggie. Catherine. Aurelia. Eliza. May. Iris. Annabelle. Jane. And that’s just from our little hospital in the last year. You get married, you go home. Red Cross policy.”
“And there’s no work for them at home, either,” Frances said. “Back in London, even with a war on, they won’t hire a married woman in the hospitals. It is just a shame the world is not very accommodating to married women with brains. If we are widowed, our minds are miraculously restored, we are cured of our hysterics, and we are useful again.”
“But for Victoria now, that’s it?” Ingrid asked. “Here is Matthew after all this time, like fate. Can it really never be?”
Victoria turned and met her gaze. “It has only been a few days. I enjoy his company but I must be realistic. The world has changed, but if the needs of war and half a million wounded men don’t make a married nurse acceptable then I don’t know if it’s changed enough.”
412 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 14, 2025
In 1914, Victoria Harper sailed to London and was later stationed in France as a nurse in British Red Cross Hospital No. 43. By 1917, she had assisted in over 400 amputations and worked closely with British colonel and commanding officer Dr. Malcolm Bowden. She had signed up for the duration of the war and all was going as well as could be expected until they brought an unconscious Corporal Matthew Berger in on a stretcher. Nineteen year old Victoria had met Matthew when her sister married his brother. One dance and she was smitten. Over the last decade, Matthew had proposed multiple times and she had always declined, not because she didn’t love him, but because she wanted to have a nursing career and married women were not permitted to work in hospitals. While this story focuses on Victoria and Matthew’s current circumstances, flashbacks provide us with glimpses of their romantic history. I found this to be an intense tale, dealing with everything from amputations to abortions. You will find camaraderie among the nurses, patients filled with terror, shell shock, crutch races, bawdy songs, silly jokes and a group of men grateful to be alive and trying to come to terms with their limb missing bodies. There is a lot going on in this story and I found myself wound pretty tight while reading it. However, it is very well written, grabs and holds your attention, puts you on an emotional seesaw and sneaks in a few surprises and moments of laughter. This is one of those stories that lingers long after the reading is done.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
October 28, 2025
Rebekah Johnson has a strong writing style and am excited for more as I really enjoyed this as a third entry in the series, it does a great job in creating that historical romance element and was hooked from the first page. The characters worked well in this setting and thoroughly enjoyed the concept and how they were used. I thought the use of the World War 2 worked in this historical romance and was glad it was so well done.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 26, 2025
Excited to have had the opportunity to read an advanced copy. Written differently from the first two in the series but still oh so good!!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews