A thoroughly enjoyable novel set during the First World War, I do love stories set during this era so I was instantly drawn to this book and it didn't disappoint; it's insightful, haunting with meticulous research and history. A Compelling story and a likeable character who you instantly get behind and look forward to following on their journey. I enjoyed this book, its my first from this author though it won't be the last!
Highly recommended!

What an incredible and interesting tale! I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy a story that takes place in World War 1 but I fell into it hook, line , and sinker. Vera Betts and Nick Wallace’s romance evolves in a most horrific setting - a war hospital. But it is not only a story of love and human suffering, but intrigue as well. Well done up to the very end

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity for read and review this book.

I really enjoyEd this book. It has mystery, romance and history all wrapped in one book. This book was very well written. The characters were very intriguing. By the end of the book I liked all the characters and that is rare for me.
This book really shows the life of a nurse, doctor and soldier during WWI. Its a book full of twists and surprises.
Anyone who likes historical fiction will really enjoy this book. I highly recommend this book.

This story is set during the end of WWI and during 1919. It is a Historical Fiction, Romance, Survival story that describes the lives of the soldiers, nurses, and doctors during and after the war.

Margaret Halladay is sent to the U.S. to attend Bryn Mawr, to sit out the war. Before getting on the ship she is recruited by Lady Sullivan as a nurse in France, tending severely injured soldiers. She changes her name to Vera Betts, so nobody will know she is an English Earl’s daughter. While at the field hospital, Colonel Wallace, a handsome Greek spinal surgeon arrives. Vera has a lot of questions about the handsome surgeon, especially about the explosion at the hospital. After she is injured she is taken from the field hospital to work with Colonel Wallace at his spinal clinic, and while there, they fall in love. As the war ends, he disappears and she feels abandoned. After the war, Margaret finds Colonel Wallace, as he is about to be court martialed for murdering a national hero. She knows he could not have done it and meeting up with others she served with at the hospital finds out he is innocent. She wants to prove it to the powers that be, but he won't let her. What is he hiding?

I really liked both Vera and Nick (Colonel Wallace), and was rooting for them to sort out all their problems. The story is told in a dual timeline, although not too far apart. I thought Suzanne Tierney did a wonderful job weaving both times together. This is compelling and well written story, that was hard to put down, but there are some dark places in the story, so be prepared for some gruesome injuries, drug addiction etc. There were some twists in the story that I did not expect, but everything comes together nicely in the end. I have not read much about WWI and this gave me some insight into what the people went through. As I said, it is a bit darker than many war stories involving romance, but I am glad I read it and was quite impressed with Suzanne Tierney's writing.

Okay, I thought this was a good book. Interesting enough to make me think of purchasing it in the future. I felt pulled to the characters and eager to read more of their lives.

An interesting book which became more intriguing as time went on. Set in WW1 the story of a well to do Lady and an army Doctor follows the path of love. Several chapters go between the war and a court room drama post war. The book grew on me. Loved her writing even with some writer’s licence!!
Thanks Suzanne and NetGalley for the ARC therefore an honest review.

I found the beginning of this book intriguing. The main character, an English nurse serving in a hospital in France in World War I, is complex, strong, and compelling. However, I found the plot of the book utterly confusing. The narrative is a flashback beginning with a criminal trial in England. About a third of the way into the book, I completely lost the thread of the novel and didn't have a clue of what was going on. I wanted to like this book, but the plot didn't leave enough clues for me to follow.

Under an alias, Lady Margaret secretly spent the war years nursing in France, a position for which she was not officially qualified but was highly competent. There she met and fell in love with a young surgeon, Colonel Nick Wallace. When the war separated them, he promised to find her, but instead disappeared - until one day she read in the newspaper that he was being court-martialled and due to hang for the murder of a war hero whom they had both known in France. Will she be able to save him? Or will uncovering the truth cost more than it saves?

This is compelling and well written story, and I found it hard to put down. At the same time, it was also dark enough in places that at times I almost felt reluctant to pick it up again. I don't know how those two things go together, but they did! It's a far from predictable story, but comes together in a way that makes everything make sense as it goes or in hindsight, rather than being predictable beforehand. All in all, for those who don't care about the sorts of things I mention in the content warning below, it's a compelling and expertly-woven story if you're looking for something a bit deeper. Definitely not a light read. My mix of feelings made it hard to rate, but in the end, although some parts really deserve at least 4 stars, I couldn't personally give it more than 2 stars overall.

Pros: The gradual unfolding of the happenings during the war is done expertly, interleaved with and as part of the efforts to save Nick.

Cons: The story deals with two main families, and both are utterly dysfunctional - which was necessary for the story but which I found rather depressing. There was content that I was not comfortable with (details below).

Content warning: There is violence in the book, but I generally felt like it was handled tastefully as much as possible, and not too graphically. The author also warns of this at the start of the book, which I appreciated. The one scene that's a possible exception to this is an abortion scene, which readers should be aware of. Language-wise, it's pretty close to free of swearing, but there were a few instances sprinkled through. I also didn't like the way the story treats sex before marriage, unfaithfulness in marriage and homosexuality as normal. However, the main thing that I objected to and which would definitely stop me reading any more of the author's books was a scene at the start of a chapter that made me skip a few pages as soon as I realised the intimate position the characters were in. I don't want explicit sex in books I read.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

Blooms of War by Suzanne Tierney is an excellent historical fiction that has elements of romance, mystery, and suspense added throughout.

This book takes place during WWI and it was fascinating to see the grit, rawness, and reality of the war. I did enjoy the slow romance as well as the few twists and turns that did surprise me. It kept me interested throughout.

This book is for any historical fiction fan that likes a good plot, and a few surprises!

4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Set against the backdrop of WWI, this historical fiction love story describes the lives of the soldiers, nurses, and doctors during and after the war.
 
Margaret Halladay is sent to Bryn Mewr, a place where she could be safe from the war. Far away from that, she ends up as a nurse in the Lady Sullivan’s Ambulance, where severe wounded soldiers are undergoing treatment. She changes her name to Vera Betts, that way nobody can recognize her as English Earl’s daughter. Vera has lots of questions about the handsome, Greek spinal surgeon that she is in love with, and specifically about the explosions that took place at the hospital, where picric acid was used. Did the picric acid come from her family’s production plant?
 
After the war, Margaret found Colonel Wallace, who ended up in prison, accused of the murder of the national hero. She knows the story and she will fight to prove his innocence. Why does he want to cover her name? Why does he admit to committing a crime that he never committed?
 
I loved the post war part, especially when the author beautifully revisited all of the soldiers from Lady Sullivan’s ambulance, as she shows how the war shaped their lives. I liked the turns and twists in this book and the drops of humor injected within the book. Very interesting plot.
 
 
Glad I received this digital ARC copy from the NetGalley.
The publication date is soon,August 27. If you like historical fiction books, historical romances, and timeline books - then this is the right book for you.

Nurse Vera Betts takes her responsibilities as a British nursing sister very seriously. Serving in a hospital near the front lines, she feels useful and needed. She has a closely guarded secret, though. She's not really Vera Betts. She is Lady Margaret Halsop, daughter of an English peer. Her family also manufactures bandages and other medical supplies, including picric acid. When a series of mysterious explosions at hospitals occurs, sabotage is suspected. Could the handsome doctor, Colonel Nick Wallace, be involved in some way? As the war wears on and the explosions continue, suspicions mount. Colonel Wallace is not the only suspect. Will Vera (alias Lady Margaret) be able to find the truth before it's too late?

This enthralling novel, filled with historic details, provides a glimpse into what life was like for medical professionals and patients in hospitals during World War 1. The themes of honor, heroism, and justice are woven throughout this captivating tale. This would be a worthy addition to any adult historical fiction collection.

Intricate war time drama. Lot's of twists and turns as we struggle to solve the mystery of who was the killer and who was the spy.

I really enjoyed the subject matter and direction of Suzanne Tierney's Blooms of War. The story's themes struck a chord in me and I appreciated the oppurtunity to engage in a story set during and after WWI.

That said, I struggled with Tierney's style of writing. Her characterizations did not develop the way I needed them to and I found the novel tonally dry.

I received this book in return for a frank review.
I really enjoyed this book - it was set over two time periods, immediately after World War 1 and during the war.
I won't spoil the story for anyone else but its a tale of love, life and the futility of war and of the lives wasted and changed by others actions during the War.
There was one part nearer the end that I had not anticipated which added to the enjoyment of the story.
I did find one proof reading error - I think its the header of chapter 17 when the time reverts to 2018 rather than 1918.
My only gripe? I realise the author is American - but she has written of an English Ambulance Hospital in the WW1 battlefield and the aftermath in the Courts of Justice in London. So I found - as a UK reader - the use of American idioms and spellings really intrusive and to be honest annoying.

A brilliant easy read with plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested. This is my first review and decided this book would be ideal to get me started. A love story that unfolds close to the frontline in France during world war 1, a couples lives are intertwined more than they could ever realise. Their lives are placed in the balance when a solider uses the impact of the British army to do his own bidding. A nurse who is stubborn and hopes that love alone will conquer all and a doctor who puts duty above all else which could cost him his life. The nurse has her own secrets and her wider family play a bigger role than she realises to events of the war which nearly splits the family apart. My only quibble is that for a book set in England for at least half of the story there are a lot of Americanisms which is fine, is definitely noticeable to an English audience. Other than that a brilliant easy read that kept me intrigued and made the book almost unputdownable!

This book proved to be even greater than the summary suggested. I became engrossed in the story from the first sentence and would stay up late each night telling myself “just one more chapter”. The plot was full of twists and turns that left my heart pounding and wanting to know more. Through the themes of love, family, loyalty, and sabotage, it was easy to identify with the characters and the struggles they had to face throughout the war and the following peacetime. Most importantly, this book was a reminder that fairness and justice are not the same, nor are they guaranteed. Even with the best intentions, doing the right thing is a balancing act that will always come with sacrifice.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review. My first time reading this Author and iam going to be looking for more of her work.
Blooms of war was just a wonderfully constructed book giving us an insight to the daily atrocities of war life. This really was a very poignant story that I can highly recommend.

Loved this book as it is my type of book. World War book but all about nursing. If you love Family Saga you will love this book

This book was absolutely phenomenal and I stayed up way too late to finish it!

Lady Margaret Halliday goes to France during WWI to act as a nurse under the name Vera Betts after her older sister marries her first love. In the early pages of the book, we meet a military physician, Nick Wallace, who specializes in spinal surgeries. After witnessing Nick’s suspicious behavior there are two explosions at the field hospital and Vera immediately recognizes picric acid played a role in the explosions since her mother’s family owns a medical supply factory. Jumping ahead in time, we find out Nick is on trial for murder after the war is over, for an incident that happened during the war. As the book jumps back and forth between 1918 and 1919, we learn that the supposed murder of Major Carburry and the picric acid explosions are connected and we learn that Nick was more than just a military physician.

In the midst of this is Vera and Nick’s relationship which was absolutely lovely. I was really able to really connect with these characters and I was rooting for them the whole time! The sign of a good book is when this story and these characters stick with you after you finish - and that’s what happened here.

I normally don’t really like books with dual timelines but I thought it really worked in this. There was a little bit of a twist toward the end in terms of who knew Carburry that felt a little too coincidental but the overall story was so well written, it was only a minor issue for me. This was clearly a well researched book with many historical details added in.

This was my first book by Suzanne Tierney but it certainly won’t be my last - her first book is already in my TBR pile!