Ambulance Girls Under Fire

Ambulance Girls #2

by Deborah Burrows

Celia Ashton has driven ambulances throughout the Blitz for the Bloomsbury Auxiliary Ambulance Depot. Cool under fire, she revels in her exciting and extremely dangerous job. When her husband, a known Nazi supporter, is released from prison, Celia refuses to return to her unhappy marriage. Instead she joins forces with Simon Levy, a man who appears to despise her, to help a young Jewish orphan. In so doing she discovers that one ruthless traitor can be more dangerous than any German bomber, and that love can cross any boundary.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, War

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2018

About the author

I was born and grew up in Perth, Western Australia, and am the author of five popular novels set in the Second World War. The latest is Ambulance Girls Under Fire, which is the second of a trilogy set in the London Blitz. And my non-fiction "Nursing in Australia: The Illustrated History" will be published by the National Library of Australia in November 2018.
I am a former lawyer with a passion for history (and three history degrees to prove it!!). And although I love the clear skies, beautiful beaches and easy-going atmosphere of my home town, I also adore the dreaming spires of Oxford, UK, where I read medical history.
I now see myself as a proud citizen of both cities, but for the time being am living in Oxford (although I go to Perth as often as I can).
I use my research and legal skills to make my historical novels as accurate as possible, and my imagination to make them as entertaining as I can.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Celia Ashwin enjoyed the camaraderie with the ambulance crew that covered the bombings in London both day and night. Working twenty-four-hour shifts, exhaustion was always a part of them. But the night she almost lost her life, Celia had rushed into the ruins of a house after hearing a voice calling. Her terror along with the subsequent nightmares dogged her sleep from then on. Dr Simon Levy had been her saviour but her marriage to Cedric, a known Nazi supporter, meant Dr Levy had no time for Celia, other than as his patient.

When Cedric was released from prison, Celia wanted nothing to do with him. She continued to ask for a divorce, which Cedric had no intention of allowing. His ruthless and dangerous demeanor frightened Celia, but she was sure she could handle him. When Cedric discovered Celia had befriended both the doctor, and a young eight-year-old Jewish boy, one of the Kindertransport children, his rage was terrifying to see. But still, Celia was sure she had control…

Ambulance Girls Under Fire is the 2nd in the Ambulance Girls trilogy by Aussie author Deborah Burrows and I loved it. Bravery, courage, determination; heartbreak, loss, grief – all mingle through this amazing novel. There’s humour – which had me laughing out loud at Bobby’s antics – and the characters are perfectly written. I’m really looking forward to the 3rd book, which I ordered last night 😊 Highly recommended.

[Sally Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this holiday read. It carries on the story of Ambulance Girls, but concentrates on Celia, the 'posh' one. The descriptions of the Blitz are as compelling as they were in Ambulance Girls and the new characters are delightful. Recommended.

[Marg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this and found the story really engaging.

Occasional overuse of foreshadowing but minor.

[Tien · Rating 4 out of 5]

tba

[Ali Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again,
Again, disappointed with the content so I basically speed read. Didn't like the parrott story much.

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 5 out of 5]

In times of war, how do you know who to trust?
Celia Ashwin has driven ambulances throughout the Blitz for the Bloomsbury Auxiliary Ambulance Depot. Cool under fire, she revels in her exciting and extremely dangerous job.When her husband, a known Nazi supporter, is released from prison, Celia refuses to return to her unhappy marriage. Instead she joins forces with Simon Levy, a man who appears to despise her, to help a young Jewish orphan.In doing so she discovers that one ruthless traitor can be more dangerous than any German bomber, and that love can cross any boundary.Women working in ambulances and other vehicles had to be extremely flexible and to cover a wide range of skills in order to be efficient in their crucial work. They had to be vigilant and careful when following the convoy which was performed mainly at night, adding to the danger involved in the operations.They had to withstand the trauma of war while servicing and caring for others in unsafe conditions surrounded by wounded and dead. Antisemitism made a resurgence in WWII Britain.Significant Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe in the years prior to World War I generated some opposition and resulted in increasingly restrictive immigration laws.Similarly, an emerging fascist movement in the 1930s which launched antisemitic campaigns was accompanied by a government policy of restricting the inflow of Jewish refugees from Nazi controlled territories.
During the war, Ministry of Information intelligence reports found examples of prejudice against Jews, including refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe in almost all parts of the country, with Jews being a "scapegoat as an outlet for emotional disturbances".However, during the Kindertransport effort,England took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland, and the Free City of Danzig.The children were placed in British foster homes, hostels, schools and farms.Often they were the only members of their families who survived the Holocaust. The programme was widely supported by the British government,and private organisations also helped out.

[maze · Rating 4 out of 5]

i adored this book. it’s so much better than the first one. we have a love story with two interesting characters and with an interesting setup.

celia is without a doubt the most complex female character out of the three protagonists. she’s a good strong character but some of her choices were just so stupid. i wished we could have seen flashbacks of her with david, not necessarily having an afffair but her growing into her beliefs and morals. i also wished we’d seen more of simon’s courtship, it seemed a tad fast.

cedric was awwwwful. that man was a whole ass nazi and celia spent the whole book trying to divorce him but as soon as he’s dead she finds excuses to explain his behavior “he wanted the best for his country” girl what are you taking about? he threatened an 8 yo boy and tried to kill your crush… he was also fine with exterminating an entire group of people based on their religion. whenever he appeared i just crossed my fingers he wouldn’t hurt anyone, especially leo. oh sweet leo. what a wholesome character.

the thing that irks me a little is the “surprise you’re jewish” trope at the end (which i could tell was coming but it still felt odd) first lily took her husband’s religion as her own (but it’s fine because she’s not religious…) and now celia gets a surprise new religion at the last minute that ensures that her kids will be considered jewish bc obviously it’s her mother’s mother who’s jewish and not her father’s mother. obviously you can’t make celia convert bc lily already did that so then it just looks like a pattern. that just didn’t sit right with me that these two protagonists had to change who they are to accommodate (the story) their husbands.. i hope maisie won’t have to renounce her religion or something.

i’m not interested in maisie’s story but i’ll read it hoping for some celia/simon crumbs.

[Ike Levick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 7: Ambulance girls under fire

This sequel was great. It had pace and gave more insights into the main characters, their fears, loves, hopes, strengths and weaknesses. The detailed descriptions of key moments during the Blitz in 1940/41 were excellent and really interesting, especially the human side of the impacts of war.

The night raids were endless, it seemed, and when they didn’t happen you could thank (of all things) the bad British weather!!

I also learned more about those who hoped Hitler would successfully invade Britain - how terrifying and mad. The constant rumours and debates civilians had about the state of the war were so exhausting…. You can imagine how much time people spent discussing this every day.

Some scenes were almost cinematic in their description - especially the bomb scenes, rescues and social event scenes. The dialogue was intriguing, cruel, scary, funny, sad, lovely… and all really added to the story.

The only thing I found a little jarring sometimes was that it was written in first person. I got used to this through.

A great trilogy about the role of ambulance workers, doctors, volunteers and charities during WWII.

9.5/10

[Maria Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

*,i am reviewing the audio copy of this book.*
There was so much to like about this story that I am not sure where to start. Of course the characters were delightful,. There were also quite a few surprises. Not all the characters first impressions were accurate.
There were lots of reminders in this story, that a book really shouldn't be judged by its cover or race for that matter. It was a stark reminder how distructive racism and prejudice can be.

despite the heavy subject matter and war and destructtion everywhere, there were some laugh out loud moments. Bobby and Leo provided a lot of those.
He really was a smart bird.
It was also interesting to watch Celia basically grow up and learn to think for herself. She changed an awful lot throughout this story. I really wasn't sure I liked her that much in the first book. My opinion however has changed drastically.
It was heartwarming to see how people helped
each other in the toughest of times.
This was a wonderful book. I can't wait to start the next one.
Would highly recommend.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Ambulance Girls series! As a reader you care deeply about what happens to the characters, who are fighting to survive the London Blitz. This story focuses on the upper-class Celia Ashton, who naïvely married a charismatic and seemingly charming rising political star a couple of years before the war. As their married life unravels and his horrific Fascism comes to the fore, the war begins and Celia is refused entry to volunteer at war agencies because of her husband’s notoriety. Finally, the local Auxiliary Ambulance Service permits her to work with them. Despite the horrendous reality of war-torn London, Celia finds a new life. The authentic realism within the plot is very compelling, and you can see how much research the author has put into her work. (She provides a great Further Reading list at the end). Burrow’s fast-moving plot and writing style carries you along to the very last page.

[Sall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid read that has comfortable easy going vocabulary. The book takes a little while to get into but what seems to be over excessive descriptions of bombs and air raids were essential to giving the feeling of how things really were for Londoners during The Blitz. I thoroughly enjoyed this book but found the ending slightly abrupt, I would liked to have seen something other than the irony of a bomb sent my the man Cedric so admired to be the cause of his death. I would like to have seen more about how a traitor/quisling would have been treated by the country yet at the same time I enjoyed a unique view into how some inhabitants of the UK did align themselves with the enemy, something I found shocking and somewhat hard to believe.

[Tiffany Johnstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Celia Ashwin to pieces. She is such a strong character. Full of resilience and strength as an Ambulance Girl doing her duty for the war. Her domestic life is not easy at all with her husband Simon who is a Nazi Sympathiser. She is thrown in at the deep end with her former boyfriends brother Simon who is a doctor at the place she works, appears to really dislike her. But as they work together closely to protect two Jewish boys from the Nazi's their feelings begin to change in a way no one could have anticipated. Very wonderful book.

[Cheryll · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok but I found no sooner that I got into a chapter with a bit of excitement - it ended up going back to a bit dull. Cedric was an awful character and I think this could have been built on a bit more. I liked Celia, she was a strong woman but I felt she made some stupid decisions. Maybe it would have been better to have read Ambulance Girls first?

[AusRomToday · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ambulance Girls Under Fire focuses on Celia Ashton, a #WWII ambulance driver. Descriptions of the Blitz are fascinating. Celia story is redemptive and courageous. A must read. #280CharacterReview #AusRomToday

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I believe it was a sequel to Ambulance Girls and I found I quickly picked up the storyline. At times I found the history a bit long and descriptive and only really got into it during its second half but I would read another book by the same author

[Judith Paterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books gives a real sense of what it must have been like to experience the blitz and its aftermath.
The romance is a bit soapy but enjoyable.
Didn't realise it was a second book about the Ambulance Girls, but although it refers back to events in the 1st one, it stands alone as a story

[Sasha Clafton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hate to love trope is one of my favourites and it was executed so well! Thoroughly enjoyed this :) Thinking I'll be picking up the first book in the series soon

[Bek Parry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good light read (more than a romcom chicklit) that also touched on London during war and the women effort

[Glenys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, which is part two of a trilogy, it follows on from Ambulance Girls, which I have previously read

I am now looking forward to reading part three Ambulance Girls at War

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading it

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It puts you into the time of the London blitz. I gave up on the mushy stuff but thoroughly enjoyed the story anyhow.

[Layla · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only giving this a 2 star rating I didn’t think it was as gripping in a story line as the first book. Found it slow going to read this book, did a fast forward to the end as it just didn’t hold my interest as much as the first book. LOOKING FORWARD TO READING BOOK NUMBER 3.

[Pauline Chamberlain]

A good book set in world war 2 London featuring the lives of the ambulance girls who help save the lives of the wounded