A Call to Service by Holly Green is a captivating historical novel set during World War II, filled with emotional depth, intrigue, and a love triangle that tugs at the heart. The story follows Alix, a determined young woman who has just escaped German-occupied Paris and returned to Belgrade, hoping to reunite with her parents. However, her family is in hiding, and Alix is left to navigate the complexities of war and survival on her own.

As she embarks on a journey to find her parents, Alix forms a reluctant but powerful alliance with Drago, her father’s deputy steward, and encounters Nikola, the man she was once promised to before the war. Together, they join a new Resistance movement, fighting back against the occupation. But Alix's heart remains torn as she hasn't forgotten Steve, an American pilot she fell in love with while in France. When she unexpectedly reunites with Steve, Alix is forced to confront the painful dilemma of where her true loyalties—and her heart—lie.

Green’s storytelling is rich in historical detail and emotional complexity, painting a vivid picture of the challenges faced by those living through wartime. The novel explores themes of love, loyalty, and sacrifice, all while highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of war. Alix’s journey is one of personal growth as she learns to navigate the demands of duty and the desires of her heart. A Call to Service is a deeply engaging read for fans of historical fiction and wartime romance.

I received a copy for review purposes; all opinions are honest and mine alone.

Book 2 in a series but easily read as a standalone, A CALL TO SERVICE P, by Holly Green, is well researched. It’s also heavy with characters and events but good organization makes the reading experience manageable.

Each chapter is clearly marked with a location and date. The story begins on 6 April 1941, temporarily, in December of 1943 with a brief Epilogue. There’s no doubt about the fact that there is another book to follow for the primary characters.

I was awe struck by the fact that both primary female characters had traditionally male names. Mom, Lenora, was referred to as “Leo” and daughter, Alexandra, was called, “Alix”. It took me a while to remember these were women. Even tho’ they were members of the aristocracy, they had no qualms about getting involved and literally getting down and dirty. Both women played key roles securing freedom from the Nazi invasion, assisting all people, regardless of class, and often put their own lives in danger to further advance the interests of others.

Busy is a good way to describe the storytelling style of this book. Author, Holl6 Green, seesaws back and forth between mother and daughter who never come together in this volume. Each chapter is about a month long and features one of the two women. More action is associated with Alix and more intrigue with Leo. It feels a bit like a dual timeline story except that the time period is the same. The locations overlap and secondary characters flow between them while the two heroines remain independent from each other. Their coming back together will be a key element for the next installment, presumably.

It was obvious that a good deal of research went into this story. Many of the characters and events were familiar to me and enhancements done by Green were appropriate for time and place. Make sur3 to read her notes at the back of the book. In fact, it might be best to read them before starting the book as it will provide a good context.

For those who are concerned, the violence level is modest without much descriptive prose - 3/10. Language rates about the same - 1 fbomb and a collection of soft expletives with only one divine epithet; not bad for a story that’s heavily placed during active warfare. Romance is very different between the two storylines. Neither contains anything descriptive or graphic. One borders on sweet with temptation and moral considerations while the other has options and mor3 options but decisions are swayed by too many an$ too much of everything. The best part about those arcs is that they don’t take over the story.

A bit of a slog in the middle but an otherwise good story, especially for those who like historical fiction that’s strong on small scale military action and realism📚

Read and Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

The story continues and it is great! Love triangles, war, resistance, hardships, so much to keep you reading and you will love this one!

This is a beautiful historical novel detailing the life of a young woman named Alix who is caught between duty and personal desire when World War Two uproots her life and the stability of her existing relationships. It’s a story of struggle, conflict, recompense, and love. The book is peppered with historical facts of Yugoslavia, delighting history buffs and bibliophiles alike. Although it is the second book in a trilogy, it can stand on its own.

This is book two in a series of three. There is no need to read book one first, since there is enough backstory to put together the most essential pieces. The author definitely knows how to write and research. Unfortunately, I feel misled by the description of the story. After reading the book, I looked up the description again and it truly reads like this is going to be romantic historical fiction. It is fair to say that this is a very detailed, somewhat fictionalized account of the early WWII days in former Yugoslavia. It kind of feels like the author wanted to write about this topic and inserted a few fictional characters (in addition to a host of historical figures) to make this a novel. The amount of historical detail is staggering and is not what one would normally find (or expect) in a novel where WWII is the backdrop of the story. The characters are not as developed as they would be in a true fiction book. All of this combined, led me to giving it three stars.

However, as a fictionalized nonfiction account (best way to describe this) of the above mentioned events, it’s a very pleasant read. For history lovers, this is super interesting. I learned a lot and I’m very impressed by the research the author has done. I’m very glad I had the chance to read it. Had it been a nonfiction book, I would have given it 4 stars.

Many thanks to Hera and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hera Publishing for an ARC of this book to read and review.

This is the second book in Holly Green’s « Women of the Resistance » trilogy. The first, A Call to Courage, introduced the main characters, the Baron Sasha Malkovic, his wife, British-born Lady Leonora (Leo), and a few of their friends and allies in their involvement in the 1934 coup that secured the Yugoslav throne vacated due to the King’s assassination for his son Peter, barely 11 at the time. That instalment started in 1939, when Lady Leo escorted their daughter Alexandra (Alix) to Paris. Alix enrolled at the Sorbonne, became involved with a group of young Communists, and joined the Resistance as the Nazis occupied Paris. They are re-introduced as this volume opens.

That’s a very bare-bones summary for an epic historical novel, and volume two is, if anything, even more so, because it focuses on internal politics in wartime Yugoslavia. The Malkovic family is back in the thick of the action, although they are kept apart by necessity or just plain bad luck for much of the period covered. Presumably the years from 1943, when this book concludes, to the war’s end, are the subject of the final instalment.

This story begins with the massive Nazi bombardment of Belgrade on Easter Sunday 1941, prior to any declaration of war. The Malkovics’ first duty is to get the Prince safely to sanctuary in London, along with some senior advisers, including Sasha, who will serve as his government in exile. While they attend to this perilous mission, young Alix makes her own dangerous flight from the Nazis back to the family estate. With her parents gone, and no one really knowing where they are, and as determined and reckless as ever, she sets out to find them. Throughout her wartime travails, she is accompanied by the stalwart estate manager, Drago, with whom she has always enjoyed a little sister relationship, despite the vast gap in rank between them. Also omnipresent is the annoying Baron Nikola, ostensibly her « true » protector and still adhering firmly to the engagement her father had arranged—why she escaped to Paris.

Although the Nazi invasion and the Prince’s plight are obviously important, « epic » comes in with the gradual introduction of a huge cast and a wide-flung territorial base. There are old nations of eastern-central Europes, nations that came into being after the Great War, nations that use this war to ré-fight old battles and declare new boundaries and a new independence. There is Britain and its colonies, the Soviet Union and its satellites, the United States. The Nazis receive support, at least in principle, from the Italian fascists, and the Croatian Ustace, but even among the « bad guys » there are divisions and no real commitment to the German Reich.

Yugoslavia, meanwhile, its Royal Army in collapse and its rulers in exile, becomes a battleground of internal defenders, divided by class, region, language and ideology. The only resistance group that makes headway is the one everyone fears—the Communists under Josip Broz, the charismatic leader known as Tito. British forces, American, SOE. And of course, despite all odds against him, it is Tito who will come out ahead at the end.

This is not a read for the weak-hearted—there is a lot of violence, including depictions of the hideous mass murders among their own people carried out by the Ustashe. These are historic events, however. Among the good guys, the fictional aristocracy comes across the worst, despite the author’s attempts to make them heroic. Lady Leo, the Baron Sasha, and Alix, are certainly willing to risk all to save Yugoslavia. But they continue to enjoy many of the rights and privileges of the ruling class, even as the world collapses around them. Alix, who is directly in the line of fire, as she joins Tito’s fighting forces, still manages to get upgrades in food and accommodation and even arms and munitions, compared to the peasant women among them.

There is no question that the author has done much research, which is explained in her « Letter from Holly » at the book’s end. The incidents she describes so strikingly are true to the historical record. To her credit, despite the extensive list of characters, locations, events, issues, and their frequent interactions, she keeps the story moving. The internal conflicts are certainly realistic and eye-opening. Volume 3, A Call to Duty, will let readers know what happened to the main characters, both fictional and historic. Most of us know how the war ended for Yugoslavia and its aristocracy, as well as Tito and the peasants and workers. The human impact, through the eyes of those who were there, even if fictional characters, is the most fascinating part of this story.

The attention to detail makes the story so compelling.
It was easy to pick up Alix’s story again as she heads back to Belgrade to meet up with her parents only to find a surprise instead.
As the Germans are invading Alix decides to make for the family home in the country.
Alix is a born leader as we found out in book one, now she gets a chance to step up when she joins the new resistance. where the leader Tito has women alongside him much to the disgust of Nikola (the man Alix’s father had arranged for her to marry)
There are some great characters, Mitra who is brave and daring. Duane Hudson and Steve, hope to hear more of him in next book.
I love a book that makes you look up information, namely King Peter which was really interesting.

A call to service by molly green i found this book very enjoyable to read if sometimes confusing .the story was really good but sometimes had to read previous page to remind myself what was happening.took me longer to read than it normally takes me to read a book .i do hope theres a follow up book as it would be nice to know how and where the storyline takes some characters.i given 4 stars .

I will preface this by saying I didn't realise this was book 2 until I read the authors notes at the end of the book.

I almost didn't finish this book. I found the information at the start very hard to follow as with the characters. That said, I have no previous knowledge of WWII in any of the south eastern countries that are featured in this book.

I learnt so much about the war in this part of the world.

At about half way the writing flowed with ease and I found it to have some exciting moments especially in battle. What a brave person Alix is.

I thoroughly enjoy the snippets of Leonora and wanted to hear more from her.

Thanks to #netgalley for kindly gifting this ARC to me.

A Call To Service follows Alix, a brave woman caught in the middle of conflicting loyalties and passionate desires.

During World War II, the story picked up shortly after Alix's escape from German-occupied Paris. Going back to her home in Belgrade, she wanted to reunite with her parents, who had fled with the Serbian King for his safety.

The relationships between the characters were beautifully woven into the story, providing more depth to the story. Alix's chemistry with both Nikola and Steve was palpable, and their interactions were laced with both heartache and hope.

The pacing of the book was steady. The plot was intertwined with personal stories and the larger historical side, I remained engaged and eager to uncover the characters' fates.

A wonderful story of romance, adventure, and resistance. I can’t wait to read the next book! I want more!

This was such a great historical book. I absolutely loved the story it was very well researched and the pacing was great!