Jo forced herself to look into the cot, but at first all she could see was grey dust from the explosion. Then, a tiny hand poked out through a layer of grit. In seconds she had the child scooped up and she could feel its little body warm against her own. She felt an almost painful surge of emotion welling up from the pit of her stomach. With tears pouring down her cheeks, she stood rocking and soothing the baby, knowing there was very little chance the child's mother had survived.
England, 1941. After three nights of relentless bombing from German aircraft, trained nurse Jo Brooks is told to report to the basement theatre of Mill Road Hospital. She goes with a heavy heart, not wanting to leave behind her best friend Moira, who is desperately soothing new mothers on the maternity ward. As Jo arrives safely underground, the ward takes a direct hit.
Pulling herself from the rubble, Jo's first priority must be her patients... but she can't stop herself frantically searching for Moira. When Jo eventually finds her, buried beneath a foot of bricks and stone, Moira is barely clinging to life. Jo makes a solemn vow: she will do whatever it takes to help the allies win the war, even if it means sacrificing her own safety.
The opportunity to make good on her promise comes sooner than she expects - nurses are badly needed to evacuate wounded allies across enemy lines. It will be dangerous, heart-breaking work and her life will be at risk every moment, but Jo knows that the moment has come to prove herself at last...
A powerfully emotional wartime novel about friendship and love in the most terrible of circumstances. Perfect for fans of Diney Costeloe, Jean Grainger and Soraya M. Lane.
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'What's that?' screamed Jo, clutching her metal seat as a loud explosion rattled the fame of the C-47 Dakota. PROLOGUE
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(@bookouture, 21 October 2020, 278 pages, ebook, #ARC from the publisher via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 22 October)
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I'd never heard of the author before but I've read and enjoyed a lot of historical fiction this year and the blurb appealed to me. I had mixed feelings about the book for the first few chapters and wasn't sure I was going to enjoy the book. Then I sort of fell in love with the characters and their circumstances. I got swept into the drama and my heart went out to Jo and Moira (Mac). Some of the events in the book such as the bombing of Mill Road Hospital actually happened. I had no idea. The book is well written and engaging but I don't know how accurate the depiction of real events is. The book focuses on the lives of two nurses, Mac and Jo, both involved in the bombing who go their separate ways and the physical and psychological impact of their experiences. I enjoyed the way the POV bounced back and forth between Jo and Mac, gradually revealing the impact of the bombing and the dangerous jobs they've chosen to do in the War. This was well written and very enjoyable.
