4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

This book, like many others lately, is set during WWI. Eleanor Atherton is the daughter of an English doctor. She attends medical school at a time when many think that women cannot and should not be practicing medicine. Wanting to help in the war effort, she tries to volunteer at a local estate turned hospital. When turned away, an unexpected opportunity is presented to be the personal physician to the heir of the estate.

This book is an amazing story of one of the strong women in history who stood up for what they believed through all those standing in her way. She proves that women can do anything men can do, and they can do it with grace under fire.

A beautifully written story of a woman's persistence in not only becoming a doctor at a time when women doctors were few, but serving her country at the front of the battlefield. Highly recommend.

An utterly absorbing novel about and incredibly brave heroine. I loved that we were able to see a heroine with a rare position as a doctor during war times.

Eleanor Atherton has graduated from medical school. She wants to be a respected doctor. However, many people do not take her credentials seriously because of her gender. Her opportunity arises when she is hired to go to the frontlines and become a personal for a British peer. Eleanor is determined to prove her skills that she is worthy of respect as a doctor.

Eleanor is a likable heroine. She constantly has to prove her worth in a field that is dominated by men. Because she is in a man's profession, she is often looked down upon and mocked. Her own family disapproves of her career choice and shuns her. Therefore, she does not have any close relationships with family. I found that Eleanor is a capable physician. She puts her patients first. There are times when she is put in a leadership role. This was my favorite part of the book because I like seeing her as a leader. Through her determination and skills, she is able to gain the respect and recognition she deserves. Therefore, I found her an admirable character, and I respected her a lot.

Overall, this novel is about a woman having to prove her worth in a male dominated field. It is also about the horrors of war. The characters all seem very realistic. There are a few drawbacks to the novel. I did not like that there were multiple men in love with our protagonist. This was very distracting in the novel because up until the end, the reader does not know who she will end up with. There were also side stories of some minor characters that seem to be unnecessary to Eleanor’s storyline. Despite these drawbacks, this was still a very well-written novel. A Woman at the Front is a dark and gritty novel that shows the harsh realities of war. Thus, A Woman at the Front is an engrossing read that puts readers into the frontlines of WWI. I recommend this for fans of Somewhere in France, Girls on the Line, and The Poppy Wife!

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, & Penguin Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

really, Really, REALLY loved this one. It was an absolutely unflinching look at both the horrors of trench warfare and the difficulties of being a woman that wanted absolutely anything other than what someone else expected of you.

(A lot of the passages were really difficult to read, as Lecia Cornwall did not mince words when describing the graphic scenes that would have realistically been present at a WWI trench warfare triage area, so definitely worth considering from a content warning standpoint.)

There were a lot of characters to keep track of in this book, but for me it really worked. There was some instalove, but again, it worked. There was a tiny bit of implausibility at times, but again, what can I say? It worked.

I loved Eleanor. I loved David Blair. I loved Fraser. I even loved that brat she was sent to the front to take care of. (However, worth noting that I Did Not Like her family. At all. And unfortunately they didn't seem implausible.)

Can't recommend this one highly enough - Lecia Cornwall is officially an auto-buy author for me from this one book alone!

When Eleanor Atherton graduates from medical school at the University of Edinburgh near the top of her class in 1917, she dreams of going overseas to help the wounded, but her parents thwart her ambition at every turn. Women are supposed to find husbands and support the war effort by knitting for the troops, not sewing them back together.

When an unexpected twist of fate sends Eleanor to the battlefields of France as a private doctor, she seizes the opportunity. At the casualty clearing station near the front lines, the skeptical commander forbids her from treating the wounded, but when the station is overrun, she breaks protocol and helps the most grievously injured soldiers.

I always love a novel with a strong female protagonist who bucks tradition to do what she is called to do. Dr. Atherton is courageous and likeable, and enjoyed getting to know her and the situation female surgeons faced during World War I. As if the war weren’t bad enough, the Spanish flu ran rampant through the wards, too. The Woman at the Front is a dramatic, frightening, and truly moving historical novel with a touch of romance and some interesting twists. It has a little something for every reader. I deducted a bit for its predictable ending, but it earned a solid 4 stars.

What a great story! Dr. Eleanor Atherton, newly minted doctor, can't find any place to practice. Her father, the village doctor, lets her clean up his patient rooms and clean his tools, but that's it. There is a war going on, but she is not allowed to use her skills on the battle front. At a request from the local lord's family, she is asked to go to France and care for their son and return with him to England. He is the new lord of the manor. Once she is at the medical unit, Louis the son, chooses not to go home and instead, sneaks off to Paris to party. Eleanor is stranded.

As the battles heat up, she rolls up her sleeves and gets to work even though she has firm instructions to not participate. Of course, there is an element of romance here as well - a brawny stretcher bearer who can't wait to go back to Scotland and resume his former life. But stretcher bearers are living a life fraught with danger. After all, they are on the front lines.

This book was such a good look at the constraints women were under in the early 1900s and how hard it was for many of them to break the mold and follow their own paths.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

As a fairly new reader to the historical fiction genre, as well as a first time reader of the author Lecia Cornwall, I was elated as I started to read Eleanor Atherton’s story as I became swept away by the story, Eleanor’s life, and the story-telling style of the author.

The setting is England and France during WW1. Eleanor Atherton has always wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a doctor. Her twin, Edward Atherton, was the child their father, Dr. John Atherton, hoped would become a doctor. However, Eleanor did become a doctor and Edward is serving overseas in France, as an adjunct at headquarters. Eleanor is offered the opportunity to go and accompany the Countess of Kirkswell’s son (and Eleanor’s brothers best friend), Lord Louis Chastaine, the new Viscount Somerton, home from the war as he has sustained an injury while performing his duties as a fighter pilot. Luckily for him, it was not a fatal injury. But as sole heir, his mother would like him to return home in one piece.

What ensues is a tale beginning with Eleanor sojourning to France – #46 Casualty Clearing Station at Sainte-Croix, to monitor Louis’s injuries as his primary physician until he is ready to come home and then accompany him back home. As she makes her way, on the train ride to Arras she meets Fraser MacLeod, a stretcher bearer, who is going to the same casualty clearing station. At the clearing station, Eleanor encounters resistance with respect to her ability to look after Louis – both from military personnel as well as Louis himself.

This is a story of a woman’s fortitude in the face of male oppression with respect to her chosen profession. It is also a story of survival and proving to oneself that they are good enough to succeed in their chosen profession, social expectations be darned! And last, but not least, it is a love story – in the worst of times. Of course – I would counter that with the sentiment that it is never a wrong time for a love story.

The growth of Lord Louis Chastaine was a welcome thing. At first he was just a playboy and while I can see where Eleanor was infatuated with him as a teen, I could not imagine this smart woman falling for Louis’ behaviour as an adult. But as the war progressed and as he was recovering from of his injury, you could see the effect that Eleanor was having on Louis – thank goodness. Now if only her familial relationships could right themselves?

I found that even though this is a work of fiction and the story does not have to run true to reality, the author did her research and much of the story was historically correct. I truly felt as I was there right along with Eleanor in the field (scary as that might be). I found the imagery very palpable. I really can’t imagine being on the front lines during a war. What a brave (and determined) woman Eleanor was! And I am certainly very glad that the times have changed. I was totally incensed when Eleanor’s dad said the following:

“I have never wished or expected you to practice as a doctor in your own right. In my opinion no woman is fit for that.”

If you like historical fiction with the main story beginning in 1918 with a strong woman following her passion, the I suggest picking up The Woman at the Front by Lecia Cornwall and settle in for an enjoyable, engaging and thought provoking read!

An excellent piece of historical fiction, set in Arras, France during WWI. Eleanor always wanted to be a doctor like her father, but society at the time discouraged women from medical careers other than nursing. Attending medical school successfully, Eleanor found it difficult to obtain a position. When offered a future promise of support from the Countess if Eleanor would go to the battlefield casualty center and return with her son, Louis, Eleanor jumps at the,opportunity. Once in the thick of the war, the descriptions of shrapnel, weapons of gas and bombs will make you feel like you are on the battlefield with Eleanor. When she meets a stretcher carrier, Fraser, she feels love for the first time. Eleanor becomes part of the medical team, although women doctors were not officially allowed in the field, experiencing all the horrors of war. The author’s grandfather’s stories of the brave and courageous fighters in France, from Great Britain and Canada, were inspiration for this well written work. I highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction, and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

The Woman at the Front was inspired by a conversation author Lecia Cornwall had with her grandfather, who served as a gunner during World War I, when she was about fifteen years old. Her great-uncle served as an infantryman -- right on the front lines, while her grandfather and the other gunners remained tucked well behind. Her grandfather didn't learn until a few days after the battle that his brother had been killed. All those years later, he asked Cornwall to find her great-uncle's grave. When she, accompanied by her children, visited the burial site, she was moved to pen a story set during World War I. Cornwall dedicated The Woman at the Front to the great-uncle she never knew, who died on April 9, 1917, as well as her grandmother, "who told me his brother's story and made me promise never to forget."

While conducting research for the book, Cornwall learned that the British government permitted women to serve only as ambulance drivers or nurses, but "felt it was too frightening, too dangerous, too disturbing" for men to be treated female doctors. Rather, women who graduated from medical school and went on to serve as physicians were required to limit their practices to treating only women and children because because of a belief that there were "some things women could not handle." The French did not wholeheartedly share those views and welcomed female doctors -- but kept them off the front lines of battle.

As The Woman at the Front opens, Eleanor Atherton has applied to serve for overseas medical service and been invited to an interview with an undersecretary in the War Office. However, when the undersecretary learns "E. Atherton" is sitting before him, he unsurprisingly fumes, "Young woman, my advice to you is to go home, sit down, and take up something more useful, such as knitting." Which is precisely why Eleanor used only her first initial. "Miss Atherton" had already been rejected by every bureaucrat she had contacted by letter or attempted to meet with in person. But she will not be dissuaded, reminding the undersecretary that her father, Dr. John Atherton, was once an army doctor and her brother, Edward, is serving at French headquarters. Eleanor, age twenty-three, graduated seventh in her class from the University of Edinburgh just eight months earlier. Her class was comprised of more than one hundred and thirty men -- and just two women.

Undaunted, Eleanor accepts the only assignment offered. She agrees to travel to France to accompany Louis Chastaine home, at the request of his mother, a countess. Eleanor has long had a crush on Louis, whose brother was killed just a few months ago. Being lauded as a hero, Louis sustained a broken leg when the plane he was piloting was shot down over France. The countess is determined that Louis return at once to carry out his responsibilities to his family and title as the last Chastaine heir.

For all of her wealth and privilege, the countess recognizes that Eleanor's talents are not being put to use -- solely because of her gender -- revealing she asked that Eleanor assist at the convalescent hospital but her father declined the request on Eleanor's behalf. He also asked that the countess not disclose the discussion to Eleanor, who is outraged by her father's "high-handed decision." When the countess reminds Eleanor that she has powerful friends who can ensure the development of her career, Eleanor agrees, even though she recognizes that the countess is using her "as bait, something feminine and soft to dangle before Louis, a siren to lure him home," despite her recognition that she is the "least siren-like woman in all England." Even though she is being presented a dare, Eleanor also knows she is being offered an adventure and, at last, "her chance to prove herself, to truly be a doctor." Over her parents' objections, the next chapter of Eleanor's life begins.

Of course, Eleanor is not prepared for what she encounters. Her trip has barely begun when she is accosted on the train by a group of rowdy soldiers. She is rescued by a Scottish sergeant, Fraser MacLeod, who explains that he serves not as a doctor, but as a stretcher bearer. At six-foot-five and strong, he was selected and trained "to find wounded men on the battlefield, to stop bleeding, give morphine, bandage wounds under fire, and get them back to where a medical officer can do more." Fraser begins educating Eleanor on the realities of war and when they reach the Casualty Clearing Station where Louis is being treated, she is informed that Lieutenant Chastaine will not be able to travel for weeks . . . and is a problematic patient. She is warned that Colonel Belford, who is in charge of the Casualty Clearing Station, will definitely perceive her presence as meddling . . . and has the authority to order her to leave. Indeed, he only relents and permits her to stay when Eleanor presents written permission to attend to Louis, issued by a regimental commander who outranks him.

Louis, whose injury is severe enough that it could still result in the loss of his leg, behaves like the spoiled, entitled, and roguish aristocrat he is. He is surrounded by hangers-on who see the war as an inconvenience, popping champagne and partying in the medical facility with no regard for the other wounded soldiers they are disturbing. But Louis is clearly fond of Eleanor because of their shared history and the fact that Edward is his best friend. "Under his careful facade of charm and careless courage, she suspected there was much more." And before the book's end, Cornwall reveals whether Eleanor's hunch about Louis is accurate.

Eleanor soon gets her wish -- the rules be damned, she is pressed into service as a doctor when the war demands it. Convention no longer matters when men are wounded and there are not enough male doctors to treat them all. Cornwall, who endears Eleanor to readers at the outset, takes them along with her on a harrowing journey. Danger, death, disillusionment, and fatigue are everywhere and inescapable, and Eleanor fervently works alongside the other medical personnel to save as many wounded as she possibly can. She learns to catch a few brief hours of sleep when there is a brief respite, practicing medicine under unimaginably horrible conditions without sufficient supplies of medication, bandages, and other essentials. She comes to understand the necessity to triage the wounded by recognizing that some are beyond her ability to save them and providing comfort to those unfortunate victims of battle as best she can. Days pass during which she and her fellow medical professionals do not rest or see daylight because they remain on their feet tending to the endless stream of wounded who are delivered to the facility by Fraser and his fellow stretcher bearers.

Cornwall's thorough research and command of her subject matter is evident throughout the fast-paced, riveting tale. It is a gritty, unsparing portrait of the fulfillment of Eleanor's dream of serving, even though she finally gets the chance to practice medicine under conditions that can only be described as nightmarish. Cornwall surrounds Eleanor with a compelling cast of supporting characters, including fellow doctors who reluctantly and begrudgingly come to respect her talent and tenaciousness. Among those characters is Matron Connolly, the stern, procedural stickler who oversees the nursing staff and resents the presence of a female doctor in the ward she manages. Can Eleanor impress Matron Connolly enough to win her over? Some of Cornwall's characters heartbreakingly succumb to wounds, as well as influenza as it sweeps across Europe and claims soldiers, doctors, nurses, and civilians. "Someone who was healthy in the morning might collapse in the afternoon with fever and die before the next dawn."

The story would be less enthralling absent the eventual revelation of family secrets that make Eleanor's experiences even more meaningful and, of course, the feelings that develop between Eleanor and Fraser. But stretcher bearers "have a bad habit of betting killed, and there's never enough trained men to replace them." Will Fraser survive the war? And even if he does, will Eleanor's attraction to him survive, as well? After all, they come from different socioeconomic classes, and Fraser intends to return to Scotland when the war finally ends.

The Woman at the Front is a beautifully crafted coming-of-age story. Cornwall believably and compassionately chronicles Eleanor's evolution from an inexperienced but qualified doctor yearning to utilize the knowledge and skills she has acquired to a seasoned physician who faces every challenge with courage, commitment, and resilience. Readers will find themselves unable to put the book down until they learn the fate of every one of Cornwall's characters.

World War I does not provide the background for engrossing historical fiction nearly as frequently as does World War II. Cornwall wants readers to remember that it was an important era because it marked a time of great "change in warfare and medicine and so many other things . . ." and is replete with poignant, moving, and frequently tragic stories of sacrifice, loss, and triumph. Like the fictional accounts she includes in the story.

Cornwall hopes readers are inspired by The Woman at the Front and that her depiction of Eleanor's experiences convincingly demonstrates the "good things that can come out of hardship as well. And we certainly need that these days."

A period of time when women doctors were not appreciated. The men thought that women were delicate and should not be exposed to the gritty, bloody, torn soldiers. Well, Eleanor who has her degree really wants to practice medicine. A countess asks Eleanor to go to France and bring her injured son home. The viscount has broken leg bones and can't be moved so Eleanor stays with him. During this time there are so many wounded brought to this medical area, that Eleanor ends up assisting even though the colonel told her not to be involved. There are numerous challenges for Eleanor including personal ones.
An intense read of triage, doubts, and love. Beautiful written by Lecia Cornwall.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Excellent and interesting novel about the difficulties of being a woman physician in the early 1900s. It also paints a realistic and graphic description of war at the front and the injuries suffered. Well written with believable and mostly likeable characters. Was a little slow moving in places with perhaps too much detail. Generally an enjoyable read.

3.5 stars

Author Lecia Cornwall is well-known for her Highlander and Regency romances. But inspired by her grandfather’s World War I recollections, her latest release takes readers away from the pageantry of royalty and mires them in the mud and blood of war. With a hefty dose of sexism and classism as well, The Woman at the Front is a compelling book about a compelling character.

For the complete review, click on the link below.

4.5 Stars

An absorbing, atmospheric and wholly mesmerizing historical novel, Lecia Cornwall’s The Woman at the Front is a brilliantly written tale of courage, resilience, bravery and love.

Eleanor Atherton is not like other women of her class. While her peers dream of marrying well and of becoming doting wives and mothers, Eleanor had defied her parents’ wishes and expectations and gone to university where she graduated top of her class in medicine. However, despite of her academic success, Eleanor’s ambitions to become a doctor have been thwarted at every turn. Door after door keeps being slammed in her face, she has been rejected for every single position she had applied for and no hospital is willing to employ her. Eleanor is told time and again that women can only work as nurses or ambulance drivers, however, she will not be so easily deterred.

With the First World War still raging on, Eleanor refuses to let her skills go to waste and sit idly by knitting for the troops. She wants to do her duty and she wants to save lives using all of her medical knowledge, but with nobody willing to give her a chance, Eleanor doesn’t know which way to turn – until an unexpected twist of fate sees her heading to the battlefields of France as the private doctor of a British peer. Eleanor is thrilled to be heading to France. This is the chance she had been waiting for for so long, but is she prepared for what she is about to find on the front line?

A casualty clearing place on the front lines of France is certainly not for the faint of heart. Not only does Eleanor have to contend with scores of maimed and wounded men desperately in need of her help, but she must also battle prejudice and sexism whilst also having to deal with her parents’ many underhanded attempts to bring her home. Yet, amidst all this devastation and despair, Eleanor finds her calling and when things take a turn for the worst, she finds herself with no other choice but to keep fighting for the life she has always wanted.

Lecia Cornwall is a gifted storyteller who in Eleanor Atherton has created a steadfast, determined and inspirational heroine readers will warm to, cheer for and admire. The Woman at the Front is a powerfully told historical novel about defying the odds, triumphing over adversity and believing in yourself that will tug at the heartstrings and bring a tear to the eye.

Lecia Cornwall’s historical detail is absolutely superb and readers will feel as if they are living the story as the makeshift hospitals on the front line are so expertly recreated and evoked that the tension, terror and desperation are almost palpable.

Lecia Cornwall’s The Woman at the Front is a first class historical novel that is hard to put down and even harder to forget.

I was happy to see this book was based in WWI because I feel like that time period is overlooked and often takes a back seat to the historical fiction based in WWII. The book is well researched and the tragedies of the time period are believable and authentic. The character has knowledge of medicine and is determined in her professional life but I felt like she lacks much of the same qualities in her personal life. Overall this book is well researched and interesting. Thanks to Netgalley for the copy of The Woman at the Front by Lecia Cornwall.

Historical fiction is one of my absolute favorite genres to read - mainly I think because so often it is based on real events and people which make it so much more relatable for me.

I have been loving the recent WWI books this year that highlight just how pivotal a moment WWI was for women at the time. During the war years so many women were able to find freedoms they didn't typically enjoy, allowing them to pursue their dreams and find career and romantic satisfaction in wholly new ways.

Canadian author Lecia Cornwall's new book is no exception, based on her own family history, her book features Eleanor Atherton, a British woman who graduated from medical school but has no opportunity to actually practice medicine until a fortuitous event brings her to the front, where her skills are sorely in demand. While there Eleanor finds confidence in not just her medical skills but also in the love she develops for a Scottish stretcher bearer.

Full of romance, grit and female empowerment, this story was highly enjoyable and a perfect read so close to Remembrance day. Highly recommended and great on audio. This book will end up on my favorites shelf. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

Lecia Cornwall delivered an engaging World War I historical fiction with a side of romance as a determined female doctor finds herself at a medic camp in France. Danger, romance and the struggles of female doctors made for a captivating historical fiction fans will want to read.

I love historical fiction surrounding WWII but rarely stumble upon those set during WWI, so I was delighted to download The Woman at the Front. We meet Eleanor Atherton, the daughter of a local doctor and a recent medical school graduate. Eleanor is the daughter of the local doctor and, despite excelling at medical school, her father and the village, won’t accept a female doctor. With a war raging, it seems the government doesn’t want her aid either. Frustrated, Eleanor accepts an offer to travel to the front lines to doctor a titled son and return him home. The tale that unfolds shares the horrors of the front line medic teams and the war alongside a story of women’s efforts and Eleanor’s courage. Wrapped within the story is a simple and beautiful romance that will pull readers in.

The story took a bit to settle in as the author shared the family story, and Eleanor’s determination to make a difference. Once we arrived in France, I found myself complete caught up in the story. Eleanor finds her patient disagreeable, the head nurse a stickler for rules and the commanding doctor in charge outraged at her presence. Yet, Eleanor holds her ground and slowly becomes a central part of the happens when they find themselves understaffed.

Eleanor meets Sergeant Fraser MacLeod, a stretcher bearer at the train station where he is returning from escorting a wounded soldier. He aids her in getting to the base camp and the two become friends. There is a spark there and we see the flame flicker as a doctor and peer show interest in her as well. I found that the romance offered some light to the story as the author brought the struggles, injuries, and difficulties these men and women faced as they tried to save the wounded. I was rooting for the underdog in the romance department and Cornwell kept me guessing as things looked dire indeed.

While the war and injuries played a large role in the tale, it was the characters that made this story shine from the gruff head nurse to the privileged and titled airman. The author brought them all to life in vivid 3-D from their own fears to the growth we see and the impact Eleanor had on them all. The romance was swoon worthy and gave me something to root for.

Women’s equality, war, family, love and loss were all relevant topics, and I found myself completely immersed in the tale. While war can never truly offer a happy ending, I ended up closing the book with a smile. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was a very interesting historical fiction. I really enjoyed reading about WWI and a women working as a doctor on the front. It is inspiring to see Eleanor work towards her dream as doctor and pushing against those who didn’t believe she could/should do it.

After graduating from medical school, Eleanor finds it impossible to find work as a woman in the 1910's. When given the opportunity to travel to France as the private doctor of her brother's childhood friend, she jumps at the chance. Despite the prejudice against her sex, she quickly becomes invaluable to the medical post, proving herself over and over.

It seemed throughout the book that all of the characters were obsessed over romance. I found this very off putting. I wanted to read a story about a strong independent woman, not someone who wanted to fall in love with every man that she met. Despite this criticism, I did enjoy reading about Eleanor's successes, and her fight for equality at the medical station. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

A WWI battlefield nurse romance? Yes please! I saw this cover and was instantly like YES WWI nurse romances are where it’s at for me! But as I dove into this one it was about a female doctor not a nurse which added a feel of newness for me to a tried and true genre. Lecia Cornwall has written a number of other romances so I was eager to see how much of a romance this book would be.

I would say it contained a fair bit of romance but that wasn’t necessarily the focus—the focus was more about the main character, Eleanor’s, journey from fresh new doctor to battle tested doctor. It was an interesting journey and one that I rather enjoyed as I breezed through this one in a matter of one sitting! It was such a wonderful read and I simply had to know what happened next.

WWI romances are totally my jam and I loved how this one unfolded. If you haven’t read anything by Cornwall, I would certainly start here and move on to her other romances which is what I plan on doing next! This was on top of my most anticipated for fall this year so I am so thrilled that I was able to be an early reader for this one because it was just such a wonderful read!

Summary
A daring young woman risks everything to pursue a career as a doctor on the front lines in France during World War I, and learns the true meaning of hope, love, and resilience in the darkest of times.

When Eleanor Atherton graduates from medical school near the top of her class in 1917, she dreams of going overseas to help the wounded, but her ambition is thwarted at every turn. Eleanor’s parents insist she must give up medicine, marry a respectable man, and assume her proper place. While women might serve as ambulance drivers or nurses at the front, they cannot be physicians—that work is too dangerous and frightening.

Nevertheless, Eleanor is determined to make more of a contribution than sitting at home knitting for the troops. When an unexpected twist of fate sends Eleanor to the battlefields of France as the private doctor of a British peer, she seizes the opportunity for what it is—the chance to finally prove herself.

But there’s a war on, and a casualty clearing station close to the front lines is an unforgiving place. Facing skeptical commanders who question her skills, scores of wounded men needing care, underhanded efforts by her family to bring her back home, and a blossoming romance, Eleanor must decide if she’s brave enough to break the rules, face her darkest fears, and take the chance to win the career—and the love—she’s always wanted. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
This one fell firmly in the historical fiction category for me rather than romance. It certainly has a romantic element to it but as I said, the focus really was on Eleanor. I studied battlefield nurses (Civil War) for my masters degree so books like this instantly grab my interest. I thought the author did a wonderful job recreating the chaos and stress of the battlefield and while Eleanor was a doctor and not a nurse, it was evident that even as a doctor Eleanor encountered many of the same issues that nurses might have at that time. Having Eleanor be a doctor was an interesting angle for readers. There were things I never considered that would be impactful such as sitting for medical exams. I loved how the author brought this kind of little detail into the larger story it was really well done and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

The romance was fitting too. Although personally I would have left out the love triangle as it felt forced to me. I don’t mind a good love triangle but this one just for unnecessary for the larger story and like it was trying to be something that it wasn’t. In the long run it didn’t really impact my decision in rating but as I was reading I found myself less interested in the other guy and more interested in the main guy. It was a strong enough story and romance without the triangle. There was plenty of drama and interest there without that.

Eleanor was a wonderful heroine. She was ambitious, strong, and tenacious. I loved her and often found myself admiring her fortitude and strength. Some times the ‘I’m a doctor’ bit got a little excessive but in the grand scheme of things, she was a fighter and eager to prove herself to others. She was more than capable as a physician and I loved watching her character grow through the story and the war. I think that she will be a character that readers will instantly love and admire. I know I sure did!

If you are a historical fiction fan you absolutely need to read this one. It’s so incredibly good and even if you aren’t a huge historical fiction fan, this one is entertaining, quick moving, and engaging. Readers will be sure to love this one. It met every single expectation I had for it!

Book Info and Rating
Format 464 pages, ebook

Published September 28, 2021 by Berkley

ISBN9780593197936 (ISBN10: 0593197933)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Berkley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 5 stars

Genre: historical fiction