This is book 3 in the series about nursing on the home front in world war 2. In the winter of 1942, as the war rages on, Veronica Campbell finds joy and purpose in her role as a home front nurse. She cherishes time spent with her best friends Sylvia and Freda and works alongside nurse Betty Wilson on life-saving operations, feeling fulfilled and appreciated. But behind the warmth of her cozy little house, she harbors a dark secret—a man on her street, someone she once trusted, violently attacked her five years ago and continues to threaten her, leaving her paralyzed with fear. When Betty needs a place to stay for Christmas, Veronica impulsively invites her to move in. Now, Veronica must decide if she can trust Betty enough to share her painful secret, knowing that keeping silent might put them both in danger.

I haven't read the other books in the series so did struggle to understand some of the dynamics of this story. It can be read as a standalone but I think it would be better to read the series chronologically. I enjoy historical fiction but found this a bit of a slog to read as I didn't warm to the main characters. There are some quite serious themes in this book as it covers sexual assault which readers should be aware of. With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A very good book it carries on the story in the previous books. We continue to see what happens with the main characters in the book.

This book deals with the heartbreaking incident that happened previously in where the courage to fight for the justice and make sure it does not happen again. I liked how all the woman supported each other and also looked out for other people in the book.

There were ups and downs in the book but certainly nothing I didn’t like in the book. It was wonderfully written and it was happy and sad in places. It was interesting to read of the people of Bath how they coped with the War how so many people being made homeless with the bombing.

Look forward to reading the next book.

Nice story about 3 nurses and there trials and tribulations, looking forward to the next book.

A lovely book about courage love and friendship

I enjoyed it, its one of the few historical fiction books with romance that ive enjoyed. It was well written and easy enough to read without making me feel stupid.

This continuation of the Home Front Nurses series follows several story threads as the girls' lives unfold. They are all so different, with different ideas on how to help the war effort, each so capable in their own ways. Veronica is shown to be a courageous young woman who has been badly affected by a brutal act in her past. She has his this from all except her closest friends and finds it difficult to open up to others. In this story you find her coming to terms with how she feels about herself and how she wants to live her life.

Family ties are important to Freda whose sister has found herself in a difficult situation. Living at home she has found her loyalties stretched as other members of her family have their own ideas on the best way to 'keep up appearances'. Sylvia is learning to handle prejudice and the unwanted opinions of others. All three girls support each other with strong friendship ties which others find a little excluding at times. This character driven story shows you life on the Home Front and the social issues which some had to deal with. It is the third in the series and moves the storyline along, taking some in a new direction.

In short period detail and strong characterization

A new series by Rachel Brimble.
The story is based on Sylvia, Freda and Veronica. Three friends on the home front .it's a lovely story about friendship and trust and the courage of women.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldbook for giving me the chance to read this book . I love the series and the stories that have happened and now can’t. wait for the next instalment after such a good cliffhanger moment. Great characters you miss them when you’ve finished the book.

Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses is the third installment in the Home Front Nurses series by the talented author, Rachel Brimble.

We return to Bath to follow the women's journey as they pursue their nursing careers. The focus is on Veronica, who is now spending part of her time assisting in the operating theatre. She is developing a close bond with Betty, a rare female anaesthetist. However, Veronica's feelings for Betty leave her feeling confused! While she enjoys her work, her sense of stability is disrupted when a figure from her past comes back into focus. What options does she have? She finds herself in a quandary..

Rachel has captivated me once again! The women are all quite relatable. I was appalled by Freda's mother and her treatment of Dorothy, but she redeemed herself in my eyes through her actions with the twins! Whether this positive impression will last remains to be seen! I am looking forward to the book four!!!

"Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses" by Rachel Brimble delivers a powerful and emotional installment in her Home Front Nurses saga. Set in the winter of 1942, this novel delves into the life of nurse Veronica Campbell, a woman thriving in her work and friendships but haunted by a dark secret. The story masterfully balances the warmth of her bond with fellow nurses Sylvia and Freda with the chilling reality of a man on her street who once violently attacked her and now threatens her with silence.

The narrative gains momentum when Veronica impulsively invites her colleague Betty to stay with her for Christmas, setting the stage for a tense and compelling drama. This forced proximity pushes Veronica to confront her fears, and readers are left to wonder if she can trust Betty enough to reveal the truth before both of them are put in danger. Brimble's writing is both heartfelt and suspenseful, capturing the courage and resilience of women in wartime. This is a story of profound friendship, the bravery it takes to speak up, and the hope of finding peace even amid conflict. It's a must-read for fans of historical fiction who enjoy character-driven stories with a strong emotional core.

Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble takes us back to the winter of 1942. Veronica, Sylvia, and Freda have been through rough times (and the war is far from over), but their friendship is one of the bright points in their lives. The characters are endearing and multidimensional. I enjoyed catching up with Veronica, Sylvia, and Freda. I do not know how Veronica continued to live on that street. The author addresses tough issues adroitly. These ladies have courage, grace, and big hearts. The story ends with a cliff hanger which has me itching for next book in the series. Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses is the third book in The Home Front Nurses series. I believe it is best to read the series in order because it allows you to get to know the characters and the challenges they face. Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses is a World War 2 tale with bombs, boyfriends, bullies, battle fatigue, and best friends.

Winter Wishes For The Home Front Nurses is the third book in the Home Front Nurses series. Like the previous two books in this series this was another superb read. When I started this book I felt like I was back with old friends and was there with them as they faced various challenges in their lives. However in spite of all this these nurses are getting on with life and are always there to help and support each other during these turbulent times. Ms Brimble has an absolutely wonderful way with words and describes the characters and the surrounding so well in her books. She is one of my absolute favourite saga authors, so I was over the moon to see that the fourth book in the series will be published in February 2026 and I can’t wait to read it after the ending of this one finished on a cliff hanger.

3.5 Stars

Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses is the third installment of the Home Front Nurses series. Although this installment can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the series in order for the best reading experience.

This story continues to follow the lives of three home front nurses during WWII with a strong focus on Veronica.

I love the themes of friendship and women supporting women. Veronica, Sylvia, and Freda face challenges at work, complicated romantic relationships, family drama, and traumatic experiences. This installment finds Veronica dealing with trauma from the past, which involves the crime of rape (trigger warnings) and bringing the perpetrator to justice.

Fans of WWII home front histfic with strong, independent women in the field of nursing will find a great deal to appreciate in Winter Wishes for the Home Front Nurses. Content warnings apply.

Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks for a complimentary eARC of #WinterWishesForTheHomeFrontNurses upon my request. All opinions are my own.

The Home Front Nurses series is one of my favourites with its believably flawed characters, a fascinating mix of WW2 history in England's West Country and an emotional narrative. Freda, Sylvia and Veroncia are hospital nurses in a busy Bath hospital in the war-torn 1940s. They are all dedicated and skilled in their profession and have complex personal lives. Whilst the women all have distinct personalities, they are likeable. This story takes the reader into each of the women's lives, and you invest in all of them. I like the character development, the medical wartime setting and the story's heartfelt emotion that makes it so engaging to read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Another engaging wartime read!

With the weather turning old and the war raging on, our nurses on the home front, Veronica, Sylvia and Freda are happy in their chosen profession. However, Veronica continues to be unhappy at home while the man who previously attacked her remains living in the same street. Each of the girls want to further their ambitions, each in a different way. While peace has broken out between them and Kathy, Veronica makes a new friend while working in the theatre . . .

Following on from the second in series, Rachel Brimble has created a very realistic tale of wartime Britain, focusing not only on life in the hospital but also the home life of these hard working nurses This is a side of domestic life in wartime Britain I haven't often come across and it is both interesting and informative. Well written, as always, this is a novel - and indeed a series - I heartily recommend to all those readers with an interest in reading about life in years gone by. 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my arc via NetGalley.

Heartbreaking at times. Secrets kept. Past hurts that can't be forgotten.
Three young women working as nurses during WW2. They became the closest friends trying to do what they can to make their world a better place. Victoria trys to handle her past and questioning her current feelings for a co-worker. Freya wanting more but not sure how to get it. Sylvia learning that the world is not colorblind and happiness is not in a bottle.

The writing was superb. I hope that everything turns out well for them. I am pretty sure there will be another book in the future. I surely hope so as I was left with questions. What more can happen with these three fiesty homefront nurses?

It was great to meet up with the Home Front nurses again.

This book was slightly slower and slightly grittier somehow with Veronica having to face her demons - both her neighbour and the increasing recognition that she might not be like her friends.
Sylvia had her own demons but realised that they were impacting on her relationship with Jesse - who also experienced stigmatism of his own.
And Freda - brought up by an overbearing mother and her sister Dorothy - having an illegitimate child.
We also learn more about Betty and her love for Veronica and Kathy and her upbringing.

So an awful lot to pack into one book but somehow Rachel Brimble managed to being all the threads together as well as the other characters to be found in a Bath Hospital in WW2.

The book is well written and researched but seemed to finish rather abruptly - but allows for another instalment which I look forward to.

A great read at any time of the year - it is part of series and the context is far better if one reads them all.

This book may be the third in the series, but not having read the previous two did not impact my enjoyment of this book in any way. Enough information on the backstory is provided to fill in the major parts of the earlier ones in the series.

It is a very character-driven novel, and I really enjoyed meeting the three main characters, Veronica, Freda and Sylvia. Their close friendship is the main feature running through this book. They are all nurses at a hospital in Bath during 1942 while the war rages on, and at this stage, an end to it is not in sight. We follow their stories both within and out of the hospital.

It was gratifying to see how during this period the role of women was changing professionally. They were being offered opportunities which would have previously only been available for men. It was wonderful to see their careers begin to progress.

It deals with some difficult themes which the author dealt with sensitively and with realism. However, it is a book full of hope, which was also heartfelt and emotive. I particularly thought that she wrote of the attraction of one of the characters towards someone of the same sex movingly. 1942 was not a time when one could speak of homosexuality openly, and she handled this very well.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and it has left me keen to read more. I recommend this one if you enjoy wartime sagas. A word of caution - the book does describe the rape of one of the characters, although it does not take place on the page.

I truly love this book and series. Full of witty dialogue and multi-dimensional characters this will cycle you through every emotion. This book deals with a lot of tough issues such as war, international dating, LGTQ+ and trauma. (Trigger Warner- SA)
Veronica, Freda and Sylvia are nurses during World War II and experienced many up and downs but through it all their friendship kept them grounded. As a fan of historical women sagas this book in the series was amazing, It ended with a cliffhanger so I look forward to the rest of the series and more books by the author Rachel Brimble. She has an amazing way with words and descriptions you can picture the characters as if it was a television series. I highly recommend this series.

Another wonderful book in The Home Front Nurses series. We find out more about the lovely Freda, Sylvia and Veronica, whom we met in previous books. If you haven't read the other books, you can still read this one as mention is made of what we have learned already, albeit briefly.

Much of the focus is on Veronica, who needs to decide what to do about the man who raped her when she was younger. She was too ashamed to tell anybody about what happened, so he carries on happily living his life, on the same street as her, to her torment. If she is going to be able to move on with her life and relationships, she needs him gone, one way or another.

This was a very emotional read, especially when Veronica had to finally tell people what happened to her. I was close to tears a few times. The strong friendship bonds that Victoria has with Sylvia and Freda only grow stronger, and it was wonderful to read. Even Victoria's mother steps up to the plate, so finally, I am starting to like her!

There is so much more to come for the friends, and I very much look forward to the next book/s in the series.

Home Front Nurses #3

Winter 1942: As the weather turns cold, and the war rages on, Veronica Campbell finds herself loving her job as a home front nurse more than ever. She's spending time with he beloved best friends, Sylvia and Freda, as well as assisting life-saving operations with her fellow nurse Betty Wilson, and feeling valued and happy. But at home, she wishes things were different. Because even cosied up by the fireside of her lovely little house, there's a man who lives on her street. Someone she thought she could trust, who - five-years-ago - had violently attacked her. His threats to her remain, but she's been terrified into silence. But everything changes when Betty needs somewhere to stay for Christmas, and Veronica impulsively suggests she moves in with her. But can she trust Betty enough to let her guard down and tell her what happened that fateful day? Because if she doesn't, they could both be at risk.

I love the friendship these women have in such difficult times. Veronica is near breaking point as she still lives on the same street as the man who attacked her., and she is struggling with her sexuality. This is a well-written, and character-driven story.

Published 4th August 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #RachelBrindle for my ARC of #WinterWishesForTheHomeFrontNurses in exchange for an honest review.