Paris, Kentucky, to Paris, France, 1918. Such an extensive undertaking for 23 year old Arlene to travel; not only in distance, but in personal growth and maturity. “Despite all we had lost and how much our lives had changed and would continue to change going forward, we would survive.” Due to a family tragedy Arlene is catapulted into the role of family breadwinner. The fortitude and bravery displayed by Arlene and other young women at the onset of World War l is enviable and impressive. Being fluent in French benefits Arlene in many ways as she is hired by the American Women’s Hospital to be an ambulance driver-at the front lines, in France. So far from the horse farm in Kentucky. The AWH and the drivers are a part of the war on which little has been written. Much of Ann Howard Creel’s writing is based on her research from letters and journals. The ambulance drivers are true heroes at the front lines, transporting and saving the lives of countless soldiers.

Arlene, thinking of her superior, Dr. Beryl Rayne: “I saw her as crossing her own version of no-man’s land; on one side, the limitations and expectations put on women, and on the other side, her drive to do what she knew she could and must do. I viewed her as charting a new course through a changed world.” Ann Howard Creel’s descriptions of the day in and day out suffering and exhausting surgeries performed by the doctors and nurses is gut wrenching; along with the vividly detailed scenes of what the ambulance drivers endured, as these men and women transported severely injured soldiers, screaming in pain and agony, to the hospitals speedily set up outside French villages.

Readers will also “travel” with Arlene as she not only moves from ” quiet scenes of beauty and tranquility into the urgency and thunder of war,” but along with her as her young heart is led in two different directions. The growth of Arlene from the naive, dependent daughter of a wealthy Kentucky horse farmer to a determined, confidant, independent, well traveled & experienced young woman is compelling and empowering. Mercy Road is a great choice for readers who wonder, “What would I do in similar circumstances? Would I have the drive to do what I can and must do to survive?” For a full recovery, the Grateful Reader prescribes a day of rest along with this 5***** Mercy Road – for a full dose of confidence and empowerment.

I felt this title moved too slowly but did read a good portion of it. Sadly, I did not finish it, but would like to thank the publishers for offering it as a prepub galley.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for the eARC of Mercy Road!
The First World War is not my usual historical fiction topic, but I always appreciate learning more about the War. The work of the American Women’s Hospital, The organization that gives Arlene Favier a job when she has lost nearly everything, was fascinating to me. 
While the historical setting was fascinating, Arlene’s story felt a little flat to me - I would’ve like more character and setting development. I’m glad to have read this book & learned about the existence of the American Women’s Hospital.

I have never read any of this author's books nor had I read much about the ambulance drivers of WWI so I was interested in reading this book as it would all be new to me.  I love books about strong women and stepping up to take care of their family after a tragedy happened and this book fulfilled that premise.  

The book seemed to be well researched along with that period of time.  I thought the characters were real and believeable and had my emotions going both good and bad.  There were times the story stalled or slowed but for the most part, it kept my interest.

It wasn't the best book I've ever read but it was a good read.  I haven't read much historical fiction about WWI as most of it now is about WWII, so this was a nice diversion backwards.

This book started out strong, and really captivated me, unfortunately at some point the story fell short and I struggled to finish. Although it took me a while to get through Mercy Road, I read it through until the end. Perhaps I thought this story would be told differently, which has nothing to do with the quality of the story that is told in Mercy Road. I found the ending to be decent, but still couldn't fall in love with this story.

I had hoped this book would have focused more on the American's Women Hospital aspect (as this is what drew me to selecting this book in the first place) versus the romance and a purported military scheme. 

While I struggled with this book, I believe there are many people who will be drawn to the book and enjoy the story of Arlene and her experiences with the AWH and the angle of this WW1 story.

Thank you NetGalley and the Author/ Publisher for an advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

A book based on a little know part of history mixed in with just plain good writing. If your a fan of historical fiction, you won't go wrong picking up this gem! 4 star rating.

Absolutely loved this book! Captured me right from the beginning because Arlene is a Kentucky girl! Not only is she from Kentucky but her family lives on a horse farm. After the devastation of the family farm to a fire and the loss of her father Arlene has to find a way to keep her family’s hopes and dreams alive. She joins up with the American Woman’s Hospital as an ambulance driver. Headed to her fathers homeland of Paris France during the war she had no clue what’s she’s gotten herself into. During her time she learns so much of love, loss, personal strength and the human spirit. Wonderful characters and a great story that at times has you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what will happen next. Definitely five stars!

Thanks @netgalley @annhowardcreel and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC! 
I really enjoyed this book. It is a woman telling her story about serving as an ambulance driver in France during WWI (historical fiction) and about the love and suffrage she saw while serving. The way in which this story is presented felt authentic. In no way did I feel like the character was a cliche or contradictory to how she was created. I really loved reading a book set during World War I. I feel like I rarely find that. The pacing moved at a really good speed and definitely kept me intrigued the whole time. Ann Howard Creel won me over with Mercy Road and I have to check out what else she has written.

Our heroine, Arlene,  joins the American Womens' Hospital team in 1917 as an ambulance driver after her father dies, her home is burnt down and family fortunes vanish into the smoky air. She is sent to France and ends up rather nearer to the front than expected, meets up with an old friend from home and has a nasty individual stalking her. Dealing with broken men and ambulances, fear at the front and artillery overhead gives a certain thrill to the story and reminds me somewhat of the "Bean Town Girls" although they were WWII and Red Cross Clubmobile girls rather than ambulance drivers and maintenance experts. The WW1 scenerios are clearly well researched. The characters themselves, however, I found rather shallow and with little substance, pleasant enough but......The stalking pervert had potential that was never realised - he started, was annoying then nothing until the very end although clearly had other activities going on. The former friend Jimmy was sweet but.... I'm sorry but there really wasn't the meat into which to get one's teeth to make this a really good, engrossing read for me. Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mercy Road is a moving tribute to female solidarity and "the heroes of the American Women’s Hospital and their service during World War I. This group of remarkable women funded, planned, organized, trained, and equipped all-female medical teams to serve in France during the war. Almost unknown and unrecognized, these brave women put themselves at risk, not for personal glory or gain, but simply to help." 

Heart-wrenching, Arlene Favier's life changes overnight — one day the daughter of a wealthy, privileged family of Paris, Kentucky. The next, fighting to survive on the edge of the frontlines of WWI, in Paris, France. Arlene is instantly likable as the book's brave heroine. She's not the kind of woman that needs a man to rescue her. Arlene has moxy. Lots of it! She'll need it. Losing everything familiar, Arlene's path in life is suddenly changed. She seeks employment.Her new job requires two things: the French language and a driver's license. Arlene is applying for position of ambulance driver with the American Women's Hospital. She'll be driving through a country ravaged by war. Would I be that brave if faced with crisis? Hmm. I like to think so, but — wow! How fast life can be altered! Creel delivers a believable tale, with a setting that had my emotions jostling around like a passenger in an ambulance. I really liked this book. Even the romance felt right. Of course there was a bit of romance. I've no doubt it helped alleviate fear and sorrow, a constant companion for those living on the edge of war. The romance ties the story together. It isn't the focus of Arlene's story. This is a story based on survival of the fittest. Or the lucky ones. Arlene does what she must, to survive — a character with courage, pride, and conviction.



*Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for complimentary review arc. #MercyRoad #NetGalley

A surprisingly gentle WWI romance that unfortunately failed to live up to expectations.  Characters were sadly two dimensional and there was very little spark in the romance.  None-the-less, I can see many romance fans enjoying this one.

This new-to-me author filled this World War 1 novel with historical detail, a touch of romance, and a smidgen of mystery.  The focus of the story was the unsung heroes of the American Women's Hospital and their service during World War 1.  These remarkable women funded, planned, organized, trained, and equipped all-female medical teams to serve in France during the war.  The particular stars of this story were the women ambulance drivers who saw much more of the grittiness and horrors of war than those back in the hospital although they saw the after effects.  

Arlene lost everything with the fire that destroyed her family's stud farm house and the death of her father in that fire.  The final blow was learning that their father had left them nothing.  Her only option to take care of  her mother and brother was to join the American Women's Hospital group as an ambulance driver.  With determination and strength, Arlene left the US and headed to France with the first group from AWH.  The story follows her throughout her service and Cree's historical detail brought World War 1 to life through all the highs and lows that both these women, the civilians, and the military personnel faced.  

Well written with fascinating historical detail, this was a compelling read from start to finish.  

**I received a complimentary copy of this book  from Gilead Publishing through NetGalley.  Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

Having lost her father, her home, and her family's business in a tragic fire, Arlene Favier leaves Paris, Kentucky for Cincinatti and then to France after being recruited to drive an ambulance during World War I.

I enjoyed learning about the American Women's Hospital and the aid they provided to soldiers and civilizians during World War I.  I wished there had been more details about the service they provided and what it meant to the women of that time to be a part of that group.  But unfortunately, I felt a little distant from these characters; they all seemed rather flat and hard to connect with.  Soon the plot centered in on a romance and a villain, with Arlene getting wrapped up in a dangerously foolish scheme to thwart the narcissistic officer who is pursuing her.

I probably wouldn't recommend this book to friends, though I appreciate the free advance copy I received from the publisher and Netgalley.

When Arlene Favier’s family loses everything her father dies in the fire that destroys their house.  When they realize that they have lost almost everything, Arlene knows it’s up to her to support her mother and younger brother and help her family rebuild some semblance of the life they knew. When her job search leads her to a job as a bilingual ambulance driver for the American Women’s Hospital in France, she ends up helping not only the people of France, but on the front lines during World War I.
Thrust into situations she has never faced before, she finds more strength and compassion than she realized had; and an unexpected love with a boy from her past, far from home. Every step of the way, Arlene showed courage and strength of character.   A fictional work based on historical events, this was an engrossing read that had me emotional and teary-eyed reading about many of Arlene’s experiences.  If you enjoy reading about strong women and World War I, I recommend this one. It was interesting to read and learn about another group, instrumental in a war, that I had not heard of to date.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
#MercyRoad #WWI #AmericanWomensHospital #AnnHowardCreel

Mercy Road is a historical drama set in World War Two France.  The author has written a captivating account of ambulance women drivers and doctors braving war torn France.  Well researched.

Having read The Whiskey Sea by Ann Howard Creel, I had high hopes for this one. I expected a book with a fierce, female protagonist going against the grains of society to help out with a good cause. Unfortunately around the 20% mark this book started to fall flat for me.

I was drawn in my the initial plot action of Arlene's house burning down, and then the aftermath of the family having to rebuild, but as soon as she was sent to France it seemed like the majority of action ceased. Which I thought was odd, considering this book was supposed to focus on the female ambulance drivers. 

I thought the other characters were pretty two dimensional. You get a sense for who the villains are straight away, and they are pretty obviously villainous with no redemptive qualities. I cringed reading through her scenes with Brohammer (and seriously that name says it all as to the type of person he is). 

If you're someone who just likes light hearted historical fiction and doesn't mind being told what is happening versus seeing it through action then this one would be for you. Unfortunately it just wasn't a fit for me.

I would give it 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed it and find it fascinating what woman did during the war. I didn't know about the American Women's Hospital. I can't imagine driving an ambulance during a war and trying to navigate on roads that don't have signs or may have the occasion crater from a bomb. I liked the characters, story and writing style. Arlene was hard not to like, she was sweet, hardworking and would do anything for her family. I'm not sure Arlene would have really had that reaction when she finally learned Cass's secret. This is 1918, not 2019. I know they were friends, but it wasn't something people just accepted and were fine with. Captain Brohammer was just so over the top. Are you a virgin?? Is that really something a man would have asked on a date in 1918?? Arlene should have reported him to the doctors right away. She was uncomfortable with him and he was always harassing her. I enjoyed the book more when it focused on Arlene and the ambulance drivers, rather than Jimmy and Brohammer.

Definitely recommend the book, especially if you enjoy historical fiction. There's a bit of romance. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The fire that burned down Arlene Favier’s home, and killed her father, changed everything for her. Now she and her family have to rebuild their lives, but all they have left is the land where their horse farm sat near Paris, Kentucky, the few horses they have, and the stables to house them. All Arlene knows how to do is breed horses, and her only other talents are her ability to speak French fluently, and drive a car. When trying to find a job to support them all, she gets recruited to become an ambulance driver in France, at the height of “Great War” in Europe. The only thing standing between them and abject poverty is if Arlene can survive the war to its end, and return home with enough pay to start up the family business again, and that’s exactly what Arlene intends to do, not knowing what she’s about to face. 

Before reading this book, I did know a tiny bit about the American Women’s Hospital work in France during the first World War, but not much to be honest. This is exactly what Creel has decided to reveal to readers through this novel, and I was very pleased to see how nicely Creel combined the facts and history with a very believable fictional character and the hellish conditions of that war. As we historical fiction lovers know, sometimes the history becomes too prominent, and sometimes it gets lost in these stories, but I think Creel hit the balance perfectly here. This is no surprise since, although this is the first of Creel’s novels I’ve read, she’s apparently quite the dab hand at historical fiction, with four other adult novels (and some YA and Middle Grade books) already under her belt.

Mind you, there were a couple things that didn’t sit completely right with me. First of all, the romance. My regular readers will know that I’m not really into romance novels. That said, while I really don’t think this book qualifies to be included in that genre, I have to say that the romantic element here was actually a touch underwhelming in this instance. Yes, really – strange, right? What I’m saying is that the romantic element here came out of the blue, with just the tiniest bit of a hint of it in the first chapters of the book. The thing is, that early hint was so subtle that when this familiar guy shows up so much later in the book, I had completely forgotten about him. Now, if Creel had brought him back earlier, or played him up a tiny bit more when he appears earlier on, I might not have been so blindsided by that arc of the story. That said, I liked that relationship a whole lot, and it made sense. As for the other thing that I was unhappy with, that would be how the conflict with the book’s antagonist ended, which I found unsatisfying. I’d say more but then I’d be delving into the spoiler zone, and you know I’d never do that!

What I really liked here was how Creel drew Arlene as a character. Here’s a young woman who is basically a victim of circumstance, and who lived a mostly sheltered life, when suddenly reality hits her square in the face and leaves her adrift in the world to make her way, totally unprepared. The fact that she seems to be so resilient, so able to adapt, and so able to cope with the horrors around her seem very believable. What’s more, Arlene doesn’t really know how much inner strength she actually has until she needs to call upon it when things get tough. Creel did a beautiful job of making Arlene into a quiet hero, the type of woman who cares so much, she doesn’t know her own bravery. I especially liked how Arlene saw through the bravado and charm of Creel’s antagonist right away. This also means that Creel did an excellent job of portraying him as the smarmy bastard he was, and infusing him with the types of aspects that make him scary as well.

Finally, Creel’s writing style is also another plus for this book. While there are passages here where the descriptions of France are highly lyrical, most of the text is very straightforward, with some of the more graphic parts of working near the front lines getting a darker feel to them. While this might sound like it was inconsistent, I can assure you that the transitions allowed and I felt it gave a good balance between the horrors of war and the types of positive things people did to relieve what suffering they could for both the soldiers and civilians caught up in the fighting. In fact, I think there was an overall hopeful tone to this book, which I liked very much. For this, I think Creel’s book deserves to be recommended for lovers of historical fiction and the WWI era, with a healthy four out of five stars.

A well written, very interesting look at the women of the female ambulance crops of WWI.  I was not aware the service these women offered and enjoyed learning more about their service.

The author did a brilliant job of capturing the time period in this novel.  The characters and plot were also well written.  This was a great piece of historical fiction!