Book Review: Rose of Anzio #3 DESIRE by Alexa Kang

About Rose of Anzio – Desire:

(Volume 3): A WWII Epic Love Story

“We have so much ahead of us, Tessa. What we have ahead is this sea. It’ll be the same sea we’re looking at now, vast and beautiful. It’s already here, waiting for us. It won’t change. The war can’t take it away.”

The third book of the Rose of Anzio series, this sequel to Jalousie is a love story that blossomed in the midst of WWII.

Caught in a brutal war of attrition with no end in sight, Lieutenant Anthony Ardley faces the challenges of fighting the enemy and gaining the respect of troops. When their captain embarks on a plan that will lead to their doom, their survival hinges on what choices Anthony will make.

On the Anzio beachhead, Tessa Graham reunites with Anthony and becomes an army nurse, but finds herself in direct line of enemy fire. While under siege, she meets the handsome, charismatic Jesse Garland, the medic from New York with a hidden past who harbors a secret admiration for her. Their encounter leads him to question everything about his life. Will their growing bond become more than she can handle?

This continuing saga traces the history of the Battle of Anzio, one of the most heroic and least recognized stories in WWII history. It follows the U.S. Army Third Division as they fight through Southern Italy and beyond.

Excerpt:

     In the months that followed, Anthony had come to realize that he, along with the rest of the infantry soldiers and non-coms under his command, were nothing more than dispensable tools for Harding. The only exception was Wesley. Wesley was a rare soldier whom everyone considered to be a perfect fighter. Harding usually gave weight to Wesley’s opinions, but not always. As Wesley had said, the captain had his own agenda. What the agenda might be, Anthony could never guess. And now, he couldn't figure out why Harding was resisting their suggestions either.

     “Command may have plans we don't know about yet.” An odd, fervid gleam flickered in Harding’s eyes. Anthony couldn't make out what it meant, but it unsettled him. “Our order is to hold,” the captain said. “We'll hold. We’ll secure the beach heads.” He straightened up to indicate the discussion was over. “That'll be all, gentleman.” He acknowledged them and took his leave.

     After he left, Anthony turned to Wesley. “That's it? There's nothing we can do?”

     Wesley gave him a stern look. Anthony thought the situation had come to a dead end, but Wesley's expression loosened and he pulled a photo  out of a file on the table. The photo showed a German Wehrmacht officer, an intelligent - looking man in his early thirties with a cunning demeanor.

     “This is German Army Major Heinrich Klaus, star commanding officer on the battlefield. He's the reason why the captain doesn't want to push ahead.”

     Anthony looked at him, puzzled.

     “When we first took Sicily, Klaus was leading the German defense on the ground. He was only a captain then, Wehrmacht Hauptmann. We found him when we attacked and captured a German outpost, except we didn't know then he was with the Wehrmacht. He was wearing an American army uniform."

     "What?"

     "he pretended to be an American army captain and a prisoner of war captured by the Germans."

     Anthony looked more closely at the man in the photo.

     “He spoke perfect American English. We found out later he spoke perfect Italian too. We questioned him every way we could. His answers were impeccable. He had us all fooled.” 

     Anthony thought about how Klaus might have come to possess an American army uniform, but he didn't want to ask what had happened. Most likely, Klaus and his men had captured a real army captain, interrogated him, and killed him. That must have been how Klaus could deceive even Wesley. Klaus had enough information to pass himself off as one of them.

     "We verified everything as best as we could, but all the troops had just landed in Sicily. Communications were terrible. Everything was disorganized. All the units were still trying to link up. He was with us for two days. He and the captain spent quite some time together. They hit it off like brothers. He was very helpful to when we were making our way in and needed to gather information from the locals. Unfortunately, he also gathered a lot of information from us.” Wesley's eyes tensed. “Including some that were military secrets. He got most of that from Captain Harding himself.”

     Anthony widened his eyes. “What happened then?”

     “Then he disappeared. When we finally regrouped with the rest of our division, we found out who he really was.”

     Anthony exchange glances with Warren. Warren looked as surprised as he was. Anthony picked up the photo. “Did regiment know?”

     Wesley smiled but didn't answer.

     “There were reports of company M finding a captain from the 45th division who was reported missing,” Warren said, his voice hesitant as he too was still taking in what Wesley had just told them. "he was lost again, presumed dead.”

     Wesley took the photo of Klaus. “The captain vowed he would never let Klaus off if he finds him again.” He gave Anthony a grave, cautionary look before putting the photo back into the file. “Well, we just learned, Klaus is now a major. He's someone high on division command’s radar. He's commanding and leading the German's Anzio ground defense under Kesselring."

     “That means Klaus is on his way here,” Warren said.

     “Is that why the captain doesn't want us to push on?” Anthony asked.

     Wesley glanced at the entrance. When he was sure no one was near, he said, “The captain won't give up any chance to get Klaus. If Klaus is coming here, the captain is ready to meet him here.” Without waiting for Anthony and Warren's response, he gathered up the files. “You're never to discuss this with anyone else,” he said and left the tent.

 

My Book Review:

This book is many things. It is a glimpse at a military campaign in Italy with which I was not familiar until I read this book. New names, and the challenges of both the soldiers involved and the medical personnel kept busy by the myriad of casualties made this chapter in World War Two history come alive for me.

Then there was the situation of a fairly new lieutenant, Anthony Ardley, what most battle-hardened soldiers considered a 90-day wonder, who finds himself leading men after the loss of his mentor and example. How can he gain the trust of his men? How can he protect them from the decisions of those who are in authority over them who have their own private agendas that they put ahead of the most effective battle plan operations and the safety of their men? I love how the author presented this scenario (one I’m sure has always existed and exists even today more often than we would like to consider), and how she had her hero resolved the issue.

Then there was the love triangle. I am in love with Anthony myself, so it does not surprise me that Tessa is, also. In addition, Tessa is serious-minded, not your usual flirty gal trying to attract the attention of the men around her. Not only are Tessa and Anthony in love, but a man who has always been able to attract women and charm them into giving him what he wants in exchange for him convincing them they are irresistible finds for the first time he is in love. Jesse is a guy I love to hate, but almost feel sorry for. Great how this part of the story is written.

The worst part of his book? It is part of an epic—a four-part series. The story of the three main characters continue in the next and final book.

You may purchase Rose of Anzio Book 3: DESIRE by CLICKING HERE.

However, I would not let that deter a reader from starting from the beginning and reading to the end. I will be doing a book review on the last book, Remembrance, in two weeks. I read and loved the first book, Moonlight, which you may purchase by CLICKING HERE. You may find my book review for the second book, Jalousie, by CLICKING HERE.

 

About the Author:

Alexa Kang’s debut series, Rose of Anzio, was first released on Amazon on January 22, 2016. Alexa grew up in New York City, and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. She has traveled to more than 123 cities, and she loves to explore new places and different cultures. This September, she took a special WWII tour of Southern Italy to visit historical sites of the Allies’ Italian campaign (including the sites where scenes from Rose of Anzio occurred). You can view the albums of her tour on her Facebook Author Page.

When not at work, Alexa lives a second life as a novelist. Alexa loves writing larger-than-life romantic tales and hopes to bring you many more. 

Connect with Alexa Kang:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Page

  

Rose of Anzio - Jalousie

Today I am featuring Book 2 in the Rose of Anzio series 

Jalousie 

by Alexa Kang 

About Rose of Anzio – Jalousie:

“When I think of boarding the ship to head to where he is, when I think of seeing him again, my heart flares. I feel like I can soar high into the sky.”

The second book of the Rose of Anzio series, this sequel to Moonlight tells a tale of love that transcends the tide of war.

Now a second lieutenant with the U.S. Army's Third Infantry Division, Anthony Ardley is deployed to Southern Italy, where he must try to lead and gain his troop’s trust. Eager to prove his worth, he dives into battle, only to find nothing is as meets the eye. Who are his friends and foes? Will he win the fight against the enemies without, only to lose the battle against the doubts within?

Determined to follow Anthony to war, Tessa Graham secretly enrolls in a training program for military nurses to be deployed overseas. Here, she meets a veteran suffering from severe battle fatigue that is destroying his mind. She may be his last hope for help. Meanwhile, her petitions to be assigned to Anthony’s division are ignored. Her chance of joining him diminishes with every turn. All hope is gone.

Will the two young lovers find their ways to surmount their separation and the atrocities of war ahead?

Don’t miss this story if you enjoy reading WWII historical fiction, moving romance tales, or slice of life stories during the WW2 era.

From Part I, Chapter 2

     In the dark, she heard a light knock on the door. She knew it was Anthony, but she could not bring herself to answer it. He opened the door and peeked in, then closed the door behind him and came to sit with her on the bed. She pulled her knees up and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.

     "I never meant to hurt you." He put his arm around her.

     "It's not your fault," she said. "You're being drafted. You don't have a choice."

     "That's not entirely true. This would have happened even if I hadn't gotten that draft letter."

     "What do you mean?"

     "I don't want to lie to you. Before I left school for the holidays, I had already decided I would enlist. I just wanted to come home and let you know how I feel about you before I leave."

     She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You planned on leaving?"

     "I can't stay. I can't watch everyone else go to war and stay behind. People won't forgive me. I won't forgive myself."

     She didn't know what to think. He had planned on leaving her. He could leave her behind. She pulled herself away from him.

     "I'm sorry. I swear I didn't know it would hurt so much. I…I didn't even think you would like me back."

     She slumped against the headboard. He didn't think she would like him back? What did he think would happen the way he had led her on?

     "I didn't want to leave without letting you know how I feel. If I didn't tell you, I would regret it. But now, I regret telling you. If I had known this would hurt you so much, I would've kept it all to myself. I'm an idiot."

     Her heart softened. She took his hand and kissed it.  "Don't say that."

     He drew her closer again. "For whatever it's worth, when I found out you felt the same way about me, it was the happiest I had ever been in my whole life. I'm so sorry I hurt you. It hurts me too, but I don't regret hurting myself. I would take all the hurt and more if that's what it takes to have what we have together."

     She held his hand up against her face. No. She wouldn't trade what they had for anything either.

     "I kept asking myself, would it have been better if we never got started so you wouldn't be so hurt?"

     She shook her head. "Would you have stayed if you weren't drafted and I asked you to stay?"

     "No." His answer surprised her. "If I stay, we may be happy for the time being, but after a while, we won't be. Almost everyone I know who's qualified to serve is gone. If I stay behind for selfish reasons, I wouldn't be worthy of you. You wouldn't want to be with someone who stayed home like a coward. You want to help. That's why you became a cadet nurse. How could you work day and night to help everyone who had gone to war, and then come home to a boyfriend who wouldn't share the burden?"

     She held him tighter and buried her face against his chest. She didn't want to hear all this, but he was right.

     "If I stayed, you would eventually think less of me, and I would resent myself too. Isn't that true?"

She couldn't answer. There were no answers to anything. All she could hear was his heartbeat.

     "I'll write to you. I promise. I'll try to write to you every day." He kissed her on the head. "And you'll write me too?"

     She nodded. He squeezed her shoulder and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, then started to get up to leave.

     "Don't go." She pulled him back.

     He stopped.

     "Stay with me for a while. Stay with me till I fall asleep."

     He sat back down next to her while she snuggled up against him. She felt so tired. Everything about the war had tired her out. The warmth of his body comforted her. Her eyes felt heavy and her mind dulled. In his arms, she found the calm she needed to get through the night.

My Book Review:

   

As much as I enjoyed Rose of Anzio-Moonlight, I truly loved this book. The author’s writing style is engaging. She writes some of the most romantic love scenes I have read. I don’t mean scenes involving sex, but scenes of two people in love expressing their deepest emotions in words and actions towards each other. I could sense the depth of love between Anthony and Tessa throughout the book.

I particularly enjoyed the side story of Tessa connecting with a returned soldier suffering from what was then called shell shock. Today we know it as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Considered the “Ice Queen” by many of the wounded soldiers in the state-side hospital where she trained, she was the only one who reached out to the captain who was a total emotional wreck at the time he arrived. Like many in that era, the prevailing attitude was that the man ought to stop being a coward, pull himself together and go forward. Tessa, the nurse cadet,  was able to reach out to this man. She spent her own time researching the condition and even reached out to her mother who lived in England where there had been more work done to identify the disorder and methods of treatment.

 

33rd Field Hospital near Anzio, Italy

I enjoyed the scenes where Tessa, determined to be assigned to a medical unit near where Anthony was stationed, worked towards that goal. Meanwhile, the book also followed Anthony through his basic training and deployment to Anzio, Italy. It was in Italy Anthony ran into Jesse, a con-artist and conniver I first met in a short story that was part of the anthology, Pearl Harbor and More-Stories of WWII: December 1941. His role in the story livened things up. I suspect I will read about him more in future books in this series.

It was obvious the author did her research on the different elements of her plot and setting. I recommend this book to those who not only enjoy a good wartime romance, but to those who enjoy the historical aspect of World War II.

You may purchase Rose of Anzio - Jalousie 

on Amazon by CLICKING HERE. 

About the Author:

Alexa Kang’s debut series, Rose of Anzio, was first released on Amazon on January 22, 2016. Alexa grew up in New York City, and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. She has traveled to more than 123 cities, and she loves to explore new places and different cultures. This September, she took a special WWII tour of Southern Italy to visit historical sites of the Allies’ Italian campaign (including the sites where scenes from Rose of Anzio occurred). You can view the albums of her tour on her Facebook Author Page.

When not at work, Alexa lives a second life as a novelist. Alexa loves writing larger-than-life romantic tales and hopes to bring you many more. 

Connect with Alexa Kang:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon Page