I truly enjoyed the premise of Mercy Road. World War I is definitely underrepresented in historical fiction, so this was a nice change up, and I didn't know anything about the female ambulance drivers in the war or the American Women's Hospital. I loved that it was based on the true hospital too! Arlene is so easy to relate to, so likable, and definitely captures your heart. But it was hard to consider all her losses at first--her home, her father, her dreams of the future. However, she is such a strong, resilient character and the author makes her shine as she grows. Even as she grows, she deals with challenges (bad men) and tough moral choices common to women at the time. Overall, I loved the strength and the hope that radiated out of Arlene and was cheering her on the whole way! My only complaint was that the ending was a little abrupt. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Today's book is Mercy Road and was written by Ann Howard Creel. This book a historical fiction novel. I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy from Union Publishing through NetGalley. Arlene Favier is a young western women, who has just lost everything during a house fire. This leaves her and her family homeless without any means to support themselves after the death of her father. In order to support her family Arlene joins an all women ambulance team to go and help out in war torn France. She comes across a charismatic army captain who has secrets of his own. Arlene comes at a cross road of her moral compass which before the war was easy to follow.

I found the female ambulance team interesting because it was a fact about the war that I didn't know anything about. I was impressed by Arlene's dedication to her family even it it meant leaving them behind. I was surprised by how easy the army captain's word was take over someone who had a moral compass . I wounder why the author didn't include more connections between Jimmy's past and present situations and build on the budding romance arc.

The overall plot development was good because it gave a detail descriptive for the change of scenery but also the social issues of the time, so 8 points. Overall character development was excellent and included a good amount of growth, past and present emotions, so 8 points. The overall layout was done great with the right amount in the past and present, so 8 points. The overall grade of 80%. Yes, I would recommend this book. Those who enjoy female protagonist, female power, World War I, and non-romance main plot lines. Those who do not enjoy abuse of power, male abusing power, socially awkward situations, may need to look elsewhere.

Moving historical tale.
This story tells the live of the a women's ambulance service in the First World War.
Volunteers to serve the people of France that were affected, this story is incredibly historical researched.
As well as giving you the stories of the live of the main characters, it gives you the setting of what it was like in France at this time.
A story of loss, love and hope.
Recommended read and compulsively readable. 
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read in return for review.

This story drew me in right from the first page! I loved these characters! A wonderful and enriched story of hardships due to war!

My thanks to NetGallery, the publisher and author for a copy of Mercy Road to read and review.

The story is based on the American Women's Hospital, a self-funded volunteer group of women who provided medical care to both civilians and military during WWI.   I had not heard of this group prior to reading the book, and was interested to learn about them.  The central character, Arlene, is an ambulance driver for AWH, and her experiences are well told, with sufficient detail to feel the horror of the war without being overly graphic.  

I had no preconceptions about this book.  While I learned a bit about the period and this particular aspect of the war, but I think the story would have been stronger with fewer romantic elements.

I would recommend this to someone looking for light historical fiction.

A book about a girl from a horse farm in Kentucky that learns to drive an ambulance in war torn France.
This book kinda grabbed my attention from the first page! It was a quick book, I liked the characters and enjoyed the story! Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union publishers for the early copy (less)

I was intrigued by this book as our family is a long line of members of the military and healthcare profession. This is an exquisite read about the brave women doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and others who were not traditional roles in the military to serve during World War I. It is a realistic description of the tragedies and horrific experiences of war. 


The characters had incredible depth and were feminists before their time! These women were so strong and faced many adversities such as having their villages bombed and destroyed. 

If you want to learn more about experiences of WWI, check this one out!

This book is one of the only WWI books about the female ambulance drivers from America that I have found. For that the story is interesting, however I did find the book a bit slow for my tastes. For those interested in the social history of WWI it is worth a read though.

Thank you to the author Ann Howard Creel, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my candid review. Oh, yeah, due to some weird circumstances---I also bought a copy of the book, lol!

This is an excellent read about the brave women doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers and others who were NOT WANTED to serve during World War I.....but who raised their own funding to get themselves there anyway. It is a realistic description of the horrors of war, without getting too detailed in it.

I loved the women characters who were were suffragettes way before their time. And these women couldn't even vote yet!

The characters had substance and the back story was interesting. The descriptions of the hardships of war and the perseverance of the civilians was intriguing. Can you imagine your village being bombed---having to leave your home, then coming back to a destroyed home---and living there so that you could harvest the crops?

I have read a lot about WWII, but this was a welcome insight into WWI. I would love to read more from this author.

This is a great read!

Thank you to Lake Union Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel for my honest opinion.

I adore historical fiction and was very excited to read this historical fiction novel based on the real life women of the American Women's Hospital during WWI.  I did enjoy the historical aspect of the novel and learning about these women that I had not heard of before. I did not enjoy some of the character development in the story. Some of the characters were just a little over the top for me such as Brohammer who was just too much really.

Overall I liked the story though and the ending was satisfying.

This is the first book I read about the ambulance drivers in World War One.  Mercy Road tells the story of Arlene Favier, a brave young woman that risks her life to help her family.  I liked all of the details of the ambulance drivers for the American Women's Hospital and the story of Arlene.  This book is a good Historical Fiction book.  4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a copy of this book for my honest review.

Mercy Road is the story of Arlene Favier during World War I. One night her father dies in a fire that destroys their home in Paris, Kentucky. Arlene finds herself in need of a job and one comes her way, a girl who drives and speaks French. The next thing Arlene knows she is returning to her father's homeland and in the middle of a war. She is an ambulance driver for the American Women's Hospital. During her time in France, Arlene finds and old family friend and is pursued by a charming American officer. But something is not right. 

I read a lot of historical fiction and was very excited about reading a story centered on the American Women's Hospital. I had never heard of them before and couldn't wait to be inspired to learn more. However this story has nothing to do with this group. It is used more as a way of getting the main character to Europe but most of the book is a romance and a mystery. 

That being said the story was okay but it was not what I was expecting.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "Mercy Road" by Ann Howard Creel. A great work of historical fiction. The story centers around Arlene Favier, who is a young woman whose family loses everything in a fire. Arlene ends up becoming a ambulance driver during World War 1. While the story was enjoyable, I wish the characters had a little bit more depth to them. I also wish the epilogue would have given more insight into where Arlene's story goes. Other than that, It was a good read.

I recently finished Mercy Road by Ann Howard Creel.  This story has all of the elements of a great historical fiction book - and I should have loved it, but it fell a little short for me... It was still a 4 star read, and I would recommend. The story follows the establishment of the American Women’s Hospital during World War 2.  Most of the story takes place with the women ambulance drivers, who are brave and fearless and see their share of front line action as they transport wounded men to the hospital.  Arlene Favier, a small town horse loving girlfriend Kentucky, is chosen for the ambulance service. We follow her journey as she is surrounded by death and dying, PTSD, unrequited love, misunderstood loves, and unwanted attention throughout.  I enjoyed learning about this new aspect of World War 2.  I received an ARC f this book, all opinions are my own.

I usually enjoy World War stories, especially about the brave women.  I had never heard of the  American Women’s Hospital, 

Sadly, the story was a bit boring for me.  I wanted to know Arlene, to feel everything she felt, and that just didn't happen.

I was not familiar with this author and was excited to read Mercy Road. 

This is a story about the American Women's Hospital which I was not familiar. This is set during WW1. It is a story about American women who drove ambulances in France. There are some gruesome descriptions that could bother some readers but nothing unusual for historical fiction books. 

Creel is an expert wordsmith. The writing was smooth and descriptive. I will definitely check out other books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union for this ARC. This is my own review.

It started out ok. The main character losses everything in a fire then leaves. She then joins a group to be an ambulance driver. Arlene Favier Is a somewhat likable person who falls for a friend she is reunited with. But there is also a dark character who has set his eyes on her. She has to make a big, huge, decision as to how to handle what she knows and it could ruin any chance of happiness she may have.

I personally didn’t like this book. I have read and loved this author’s work but this one just didn’t get it. The characters to me seemed on the fake side with the exception of Arlene. There was a few good parts but overall it was just not the book for me. I never got all caught up in it to the point that I could not put it down. I actually couldn’t wait for it to end. 

I give this book 3 stars because I did finish it but I can’t honestly say I recommend it. It was just not for me.

I’m usually into WW2 era more but saying that I enjoyed this book. A bit slow but the journey from USA to France and back again was imaginative and contained the odd curve ball. Keep with it and you’ll live the ending. Thanks NetGalley and Ann Howard Creel.

Good writing style, likable characters, easy to follow plot. But, like many other war fiction stories, there was not much that stood out to be different in this book. Overall, 4 stars. I would recommend this to anyone who likes historical (specifically war) fiction. This was the first book I read from this author, but I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

An enjoyable read, with enough historical details to bring the story to life. The characters are very flat and the story moved a bit slow. I really wanted more from the characters. I enjoyed the setting details and the beginning of the book. The beginning started off with a bang but the story started fizzling out. The book almost lost me in the middle but started gaining traction again. The ending was perfect and all of my questions were answered nicely. Overall, an enjoyable read.