Rose of Anzio - Moonlight (Volume 1) by Alexa Kang
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Historical, Romance
“Tessa, I don’t know how to swing dance, and I wouldn’t be very good at it if I tried. But if you care, I’d like to do a different kind of dance with you.” Summer 1940. Fourteen-year-old Tessa Graham finds herself in a new, unfamiliar world. For her safety, she is sent from England to Chicago to live with the prominent Ardley family just before the London Blitz. Stifled by the ways of the rich, she is soon drawn to the city’s infamous South Side. A world where she discovers jitterbug dancing, and the intrigues of the powerful Irish community. But is this the escape she really wants? On the University of Chicago campus, eighteen-year-old Anthony Ardley has to make a choice. His country stands at the brink of war. Conscription threatens to become reality. As sole heir to the Ardley fortune, should he stand with his beloved uncle, a staunch isolationist, or join his radical classmates clamoring for American intervention? What will happen when Tessa and Anthony cross paths on the way to discovering themselves? A coming of age tale that emerges into an epic love story, this book takes you back to Chicago in the pre-war era, when two young people must find their paths in a world that is fast falling out of control. Don’t miss this story if you enjoy WWII historical fiction, moving romance tales, the Titanic or Downton Abbey.
3 out of 5 (good)
Independent Reviewer for Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
I enjoyed this tale by Alexa Kang. It really charted the differences between two sides of the same family. The side belonging to Tessa and the side belonging to Anthony. Tessa is taken to America during the war to escape the threat of war. She however, is nothing like the family members of the same age. Her upbringing has been around Londons actors and more free thinking society. Her cousins are in a very rich family who all seem interested in making the right marriage or making the pre-destined life choices, regardless of whether they are happy or not.
Tessa decides to make,her own choices when she meets friends from a part of Chicago that the family would definitely not approve of!! She lives an almost double life, one to the full, the other which she goes through the motions.
I liked Tessa as she decided from the start she is who she is, and she didn't back down from being her own person. She is both brave and vulnerable. I don't normally read this genre, but to be honest, this is one book I'm glad I read.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Alexa is thrilled to share with you her debut novel series, the "Rose of Anzio", a WWII love story that spans the period between 1940 to 1945 that is also a tribute to all the brave soldiers who fought in the Battle of Anzio during WWII. 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. When not at work, she lives a second life as a novelist. Her favorite romantic tales are "Romeo and Juliet", "Gone with the Wind", "Titanic", "Candy Candy" by Japanese author and poet Keiko Nagita, and "Love in the Fallen City" by Chinese author Eileen Chang. Alexa loves larger-than-life love stories, and hopes to bring you many more.