The premise highlights what life was like in London at this time.
A well written historical fiction, second in the series.

The Jackson family live in Borough, in the south of London and have two teenage daughters. Jim runs a produce stall at the local market and Rosie is a housewife. With the threat of another war looming, Mary is sent to the country and Gracie has just started studying nursing at Guy’s Hospital. Rosie’s family still live in Binderton, she visits her Pa and the family celebrate a wedding and the birth of a new baby.

Jim fought in The Great War and Rosie lost her brother, so they both know how terrible war can be. Jim signs up as an air raid warden and Rosie volunteers to drive an ambulance. When the Blitz starts, Jim and Rosie are shocked by the decimation of London, the numbers of innocent civilians killed and the shocking injuries. The family endure the war years, the Germans bomb London every night, at times Rosie really struggles and doesn’t know how much more she can take? Jim and her girls keep her going, and the support of her neighbors Mrs. Totteridge and Sonia Cohen.

A working class families experiences during the Second World War, and how the Jackson’s follow the war news and battles. From the beaches of Dunkirk and the bombing of Pearl Harbor, to the deserts of Africa and to campaign in Italy, and D-Day, the push into Belgium and the liberation of concentration camps.

I received a copy of Citizens Armies by Beryl Kingston from NetGalley and Endeavour Media in exchange for an honest review. The narrative really highlights what it was like to live in England during WW II, from children being sent to the country, to the Blitz and so many sleepless nights, rationing and shortages, young single women being conscripted, wartime marriages, the constant worry and the inevitable loss of loved ones. The second book in The Jackson Family Saga, I highly recommend reading both novels and four stars from me.

I was not able to get interested in this book and I did not finish it. The characters and the plot were not able to catch or keep my attention.

wow wow wow. this was such an awe-inspiring historical novel. it made me laugh, cry, and feel heartbroken. such an important read!

This is a charming book about what it was like to live on a day to day basis in England during World War II. I like that is focused on ordinary family life and the middle class. If you are interested in social history, you will love this book. The characters are relatable and well drawn. The book takes you from the beginning of the War up through VE Day.

I had not read the first book in this series, but I had no trouble getting into the action and characters of this book. A nice read.

This is a great piece of historical fiction. I was unaware that this book is the second in a series, but didn't feel as if I missing anything while reading it. The author's vivid detail about the war is historically accurate, as are the characters' mannerisms. This is an enjoyable read for anyone that enjoys historical fiction.

This is the second book of this series,a continuing story of The Jackson family and friends! You have such a strong family unit that go through so many different emotions,and tragedy and happiness. You go through WWII,with this family and how this horrible war affected them. You have laughter,yoo out have crying,you have family and friends coping the best they can with what they have to work with! Very heart warming story and the research on the history is so fantastic!! This can be read together or by itself! You will come to love this family and you think that they are in your life!! It's a very much of a read!! Received this from Net Gallery and thank you so much and the author for such a amazing story...Look forward to more!!

A great WW2 Home Front saga. Life in London during the blitz, work as an ambulance driver, a nurse and a positive all form part of this family saga. Truly lives up to its title of 'Citizen Armies" and makes the reader reflect on how the war was won at home!

Even though I've not yet read the first book of this series, I read this and enjoyed it a lot. I was able to get a feel for the characters and their lives even without the benefit of reading the first (which I plan to do anyhow).

Reading this, it brought me back to it to my grandparents' recounting of life during WWII (one at home and the other on the front lines in the South Pacific).

Very well written.

My thanks to Beryl Kingston, Endeavour Quill, and Netgalley for a review copy. Opinions in this review are my own.

Rosie and Jim live in London. Story begins at beginning of WWII, follows them and their family and friends through all the days of bombing, hardships and sorrows, to the last days of the war. You will cry, laugh and love them. Great story of how family and friends get each other through times of hardship. Tells the real story of a country at war.

Rosie Jackson and her husband Jim live in London with their two daughters, Gracie and Mary. Their lives are as ordinary as can be, until WWII starts. Mary is evacuated to another part of England, and the rest of the family tries to continue their lives as bombs begin falling on London. Jim and Rosie do their part in the volunteer effort and Gracie trains to be a nurse. The Blitz is devastating to their neighborhood and just when Rosie feels as if she can't stand another minute of it, the bombing stops, For a while.

This was an enchanting story about normal, everyday people going about their business and then continuing with every bit of strength they have, once the bombing begins. The characters were believable and realistic and the story line kept you right there throughout this very well written story. Strongly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Beryl Kingston and the publisher Endeavor Media for granting my request for a free ARC to review. This is my honest opinion.

This book shows World War II and the London Blitz through the eyes of the citizen who stepped up and helped out their fellow countrymen. Sadly, the story bounces around too much to really hit its mark. I found the overlapping storylines difficult to follow at times and it seems large swatches of time were just completely overlooked. I am usually a very quick reader but this book took me 9 days which is highly unusual.

After reading the first book of this saga, I was eager to follow the Jackson family through WWII London . This 2nd book does not disappoint, with family members participating in their own unique ways to defend queen and country. Recommended.

★★★★ 4.5 stars

Before beginning CITIZEN ARMIES, I decided to read the first book in this series, "Everybody's Somebody" , and to be honest I'm glad I did. Although CITIZEN ARMIES could probably work as a standalone, the reader will get far more background into Rosie and her family by reading the first book first.

The story picks up some years after "Everybody's Somebody" left off, just as war was declared in Britain. Rosie and Jim's daughters have grown with Gracie now 18 and working at Guy's Hospital training to be a nurse and Mary at 16 evacuated along with her school to Hastings. Jim now runs old Mr Feigenbaum's fruit and veg stall, after the old man's death, as well as being Chief Warden for the ARP. Her girls having grown up, one working and one almost finished school, Rosie feels she ought to be doing more for the war effort and decides she too will join the ARP. Jim is reluctant, at first, but Rosie is nothing if not determined and so she endeavours to become an ambulance driver.

Then the Blitz comes with constant day and night raids over London from the Luftwaffe which was to last in excess of six months. But despite all her training and all her expectations, nothing could prepare Rosie for the things she would see. If she thought war was brutal, cruel and senseless before, she is more than sure of it now. As the Germans wreaked havoc from the skies above them, hundreds and thousands of innocent civilians are killed. Why? It was beyond comprehension.

Struggling with fatigue, Rosie's family are a constant source of love and support. Once again there joys amidst the tragedies as the daily battles on the home front continue to exhaust the country. But nothing compares to the battles fought at the front...and we get firsthand insight to those at Dunkirk to the D-Day Normandy landings to the Battle of the Bulge as well as the Battle of Britain fought in the skies above.

When Mary completes school, she begins training at Guy's alongside her sister to become qualified nurses. Gracie meets a young soldier she is treating, Sam, and after walking out together for some months, they marry. It is at their wedding that Mary meets Sam's best man and fellow soldier, Bertie, whom she later marries before both men are sent back to North Africa. It is then through Sam's and Bertie's eyes we are given some insight into the battles they were involved in.

For Rosie and her family, just when they thought the Blitz was over and done with a few years before, then comes a new weapon in June 1944 with the launching of the V1 rocket (flying bomb), more commonly known as a doodlebug or buzzbomb. Launched from France, the V1 rocket could be heard approaching but as soon as its engine cut out that was when the bomb would fall from the sky and create even more devastation. Then in September 1944 came an even greater threat in the V2 rocket missile which was soundless and its presence only known when it hit. The devastation was enormous, killing hundred of thousands yet again. With these new rockets, Rosie is recalled to her ambulance duties and it is a V2 that delivers her the greatest tragedy of all.

Not for the first time, I have often thought how utterly terrifying it would have been to live through the war, particularly the Blitz and the constant bombings. My dad was a just a child when the war began and his recollections as a child of those horrors are simply terrifying. It would be scary enough for an adult but even more so for a child. He remembers the Blitz and the V1 rockets which he refers to as "doodlebugs", although he was evacuated to Wales at some point for the duration of the war. I have read many books in this era but Beryl Kingston really does capture that horror and the terror felt by those who lived it every day. There is just something that really makes you feel as if you are there living it alongside Rosie and her family.

Whilst the first book spans three decades with the first war featuring in just a part of it, CITIZEN ARMIES is set solely throughout the course of WW2 so there is more detail in the various battles than in the first. Rich in by historical detail, the reader is given enough insight into the war to keep it interesting but without boring us with too much factual content. This is what make Beryl Kingston so easy to read as she has just enough mix of historical fact with the fiction to make it so compelling.

A fascinating account of an ordinary family in extraordinary times, CITIZEN ARMIES is totally absorbing from start to finish. It highlights the strength of the British people when, even through their darkest days of the Blitz and then the V1 and V2 flying bombs, they did not surrender where other countries had. Instead they rallied together, made cups of tea and got on with it. Through it all, no matter what the Germans threw at them Britain would stand united and come out victorious. And that they did.

A compelling depiction of life during that time through Rosie's eyes and those of her family, CITIZEN ARMIES is an intriguing tale you will not want to put down. I sincerely hope there is a Book 3 as we continue to follow Rosie and her family, but I also feel this book rounded things off nicely.

I definitely recommend CITIZEN ARMIES for lovers of historical fiction, but not before reading "Everybody's Somebody" first.

I would like to thank #BerylKingston, #NetGalley and #EndeavourQuill for an ARC of #CitizenArmies in exchange for an honest review.

Another wonderful novel by this author.Her books are so well written so involving I feel like I am living in the town among these characters.I highly recommend all her books for those who enjoy a really involving novel.#net galley#endeavormedia

A lovely book to read that draws you in,the story and characters are blended so well together.I will be reading more from this author.5*

This book was such a good read, I couldn't put it down! The story and the characters were so well written it felt as if you were actually in the story!

citizen armies by Beryl Kingston. The Jackson family saga book 2. I had so missed The Jackson family. Jim, rosie, gracie.mary and their large extended family. I always wondered what happened to them after Reading book 1.everybody's some body. while book 1 follows them under ww1. book 2 follows them during Ww2. what an extra ordinary family under a gruesome time. period. I cried when they were dealt hard blows. I smiled and laughed with them when small sunshine spots happened..I was proud of their strength, their love for each other. their family dynamic.. I give this book a 5 star. To my fellow historical fiction addicts this is a. must Read book

Thoroughly enjoyed this book if you love wartime family sagas then is definitely one for you. Romance tragedy and everyday life