Jalousie

Rose of Anzio #2

by Alexa Kang

“When I think of boarding the ship to head to where he is, when I think of seeing him again, my heart flares. I feel like I can soar high into the sky.”

The second book of the Rose of Anzio series, this sequel to Moonlight tells a tale of love that transcends the tide of war.

Now a second lieutenant with the U.S. Army's Third Infantry Division, Anthony Ardley is deployed to Southern Italy, where he must try to lead and gain his troop’s trust. Eager to prove his worth, he dives into battle, only to find nothing is as meets the eye. Who are his friends and foes? Will he win the fight against the enemies without, only to lose the battle against the doubts within?

Determined to follow Anthony to war, Tessa Graham secretly enrolls in a training program for military nurses to be deployed overseas. Here, she meets a veteran suffering from severe battle fatigue that is destroying his mind. She may be his last hope for help. Meanwhile, her petitions to be assigned to Anthony’s division are ignored. Her chance of joining him diminishes with every turn. All hope is gone.

Will the two young lovers find their ways to surmount their separation and the atrocities of war ahead?

Don’t miss this story if you enjoy reading WWII historical fiction, moving romance tales, or slice of life stories during the WW2 era.

WARNING: Content contains some strong language and violence.

This entire series is completed. Target release dates:

Book 1 Moonlight - One Sale Now
Book 2 Jalousie - On Sale Now
Book 3 Desire - Pre-order begins in May, 2016
Book 4 Remembrance - September, 2016

All proceeds received for the first two months of released will be donated to the Chicago Veterans.

Genres: Historical Fiction

358 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 13, 2016

Reviews

[Hot Mess Sommelière ~ Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read this back-to-back with Book 1 and I feel like I'm binge-watching a series. Like a second season, Book 2 features a bunch of new characters which I all appreciated while some characters have sadly (but I guess inevitably) fallen out of the spotlight. I missed Henry, Jack and Ruby a lot, because I really liked the dynamic in the first book. Out of the new characers, I liked Fran Milton and Jesse Garland best (his mother intrigues me). Also, I'd like to see more of Warren and Wesley, maybe they'll appear some more.

Alexa Kang did ample research for this and it showed: the accounts of Anthony in military training were real and humorous, and very entertaining. On the down-side, this installment had a lot of letters, which could have dragged if I didn't breeze through these books so quickly.

Once again, everything was nice and fluffy, and I'm pretty confident everyone will make it out okay in the end and I will still be touched by all the positivity in here.

Overall I'm really happy with how this series is turning out but I'd really like a release date for Book 4 because with number 3 having been released last week I might be in for a long wait, and I'm not good with patience.

[Cerise Heartfilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG i really love this series so amazingggg :3 ☆♡♡♡ Jesse totally remains me to Terry ♡.♡ so great i need the third book :3 ☆ Anthony and Tessa area great xouple and i love how tessa followed Anthony really shows she cares and loves him:)

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony Ardley has received his draft notice and with a heavy heart, says goodbye to his family and his girl Tessa. He reports to Camp Grant in Rockford,IL and gets sworn into the US Army and then he moves to Camp Dover in California and completes his basic training there. He has to contend with being a little fish in a big pond and silence his inner doubts. Then he gets the opportunity to attend OCS in Georgia and becomes a second lieutenant with the 3rd infantry of the VI Corps.The 3rd Infantry Division was nicknamed The Rocks of the Marne.This unit served in North Africa and then went onto fight in Italy in 1943.They invaded Sicily in July and invaded Italy at Salerno in September.They were the only division of the US Army in WW2 that fought the Axis on all European fronts, and were among the first American combat units to engage in ground fighting. Determined to follow Anthony to war, Tessa Graham secretly enrolls in the Nurses Specialised Training Program of the CNC to get deployed overseas. Here, she meets Ron Castile, a mentally scarred marine whose suffering from severe battle fatigue of which there wasn't much treatment or recognition for back then.She may be his last hope. Meanwhile, her petitions to be assigned to Anthony's division are ignored. Her chance of joining him diminishes. Is all hope lost? Will the two lovers ever be reunited again?The Cadet Nurse Corps was a program open to all young women in order to reduce the collapse of civilian nursing during the war.Women needed to be of good health and have accredited education.The US experienced a shortage of nurses long before it entered World War Two; this shortage worsened with the prewar buildup of the military and industrial upturn.The participating nursing schools were required to reduce their traditional program duration to 2.5 years instead of 3.They had to provide students with the 4 clinical experiences of medicine, surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics.Cadet nurses came from all walks of life. Some joined because they desired nursing and others for free education. These nurses served in Army and Navy hospitals, VA and public health ones.

[Robyn Echols · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed Rose of Anzio-Moonlight, I truly loved this book. The author’s writing style is engaging. She writes some of the most romantic love scenes I have read. I don’t mean scenes involving sex, but scenes of two people in love expressing their deepest emotions in words and actions towards each other. I could sense the depth of love between Anthony and Tessa throughout the book.

I particularly enjoyed the side story of Tessa connecting with a returned soldier suffering from what was then called shell shock. Today we know it as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Considered the “Ice Queen” by many of the wounded soldiers in the state-side hospital where she trained for not being playfully social, she was the only one who reached out to the captain who was a total emotional wreck at the time he arrived. Like many in that era, the prevailing attitude was that the man ought to stop being a coward, pull himself together and go forward. Tessa spent her own time researching the condition and even reached out to her mother who lived in England where there had been more work done to identify the disorder and methods of treatment.

I enjoyed the scenes where Tessa, determined to be assigned to a medical unit near where Anthony was stationed, worked towards that goal. Meanwhile, the book also followed Anthony through his basic training and deployment to Anzio, Italy. It was in Italy Anthony ran into Jesse, a con-artist and conniver I first met in a short story that was part of the anthology, Pearl Harbor and More-Stories of WWII: December 1941. His role in the story livened things up. I suspect I will read about him more in future books in this series.

It was obvious the author did her research on the different elements of her plot and setting. I recommend this book to those who not only enjoy a good wartime romance, but to those who enjoy the historical aspect of World War II.

[Cindy Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly good book!

This is a great series! This second book of the series picks up immediately after the first and, thankfully, the author doesn't continually reiterate events from before. Just a few short reminders when necessary.

I love the way the characters ' backstories are told so we get a well-defined description of each one. Coming from so many different backgrounds prior to the war brought so much more interest in this story.

I have downloaded the third book in this series and am eager to continue the story.

A high recommendation to readers of historical fiction and romance.

[Shirley McAllister · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great second book in the series. It follows Ellie and Anthony's story. Ellie is determined to find a way to be with Anthony even after he leaves on his duties in the Army. Set in Chicago at the start of WWII this is a love story between Ellie and Anthony. Ellie and her friends have such a great friendship and with her budding romance with Anthony it is a heartwarming story of two people determined to be together. I love Ellie's determination and her fortitude. Great read, I would recommend it to anyone that reads romance and historical fiction.

[Ann Boytim · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd book in the series continuing the love story of Anthony and Tessa. Anthony has ben conscripted into the Army and Tessa has joined the cadet nursing program and she is determined to keep this a secret as to what she wants to do. Tessa is determined to follow Anthony into the think of things and joins a special accelerated program to become one of the nurses sent overseas. No one knows of this until she is on board a ship and sends a letter to her Aunt and Uncle who she has been living with and to her parents who still live in London. Will this couple meet up this remains to be seen.

[Janis Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading the four books back to back and glad that I am able to do that. In this one , book 2, there are lots of new characters, as Tessa finishes her nurses training and joins the war effort herself.
This story has plenty of historical interest so far spanning several years of World War 2. It feels almost like reading journals of the characters to me. A very enjoyable read.

[Veronica A Pitts · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting Story

This book is the second story in this series, Tessa has worked out how to get to meet up with Anthony
Who has been sent over seas by the Army. He is now a Second Lieutenant.

[James V. Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

The War Continues

The suspense kept me engrossed throughout this novel and I eagerly await reading the next sequel. I hope the love story has a happy ending. Colorado Jim’s wife, Glenna.

[Carey Mundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in the Rose of Anzio series this book take Tessa and Anthony to Italy where WWII continues. The invasion of Italy at Anzio finds Anthony in the miss and Tessa has followed as a field nurse. Their love story amidst the war continues

[Mary Sue Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read

The story is Tessa And Anthony continues to the war in Italy. Tessa has managed to be assigned to a medical hospital near where Anthony is fighting. As many sequels go, this one was a bit of a let down. The love story and the battles continue.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this historical romance series. The characters have really grown and matured from the first book. The details of the world war II setting are great and accurate.

[Katinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review posted at:
http://www.momkatreads.com/2018/01/ro...

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing. While I enjoyed returning to the characters, there wasn't much resolution with the book.

[Anniece Etheredge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every good reading!

Have 4 instead of 5 because of the language great story without it. Hang brings all her characters to life. You experience the emotions of each character.

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This the second book in a series. Something bothers me about the books but I haven’t figured out what yet.

[Janie R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, another awesome story by Alexa Kang!