A truly epic read, spanning continents and momentous events, the different narratives braided to form a powerful rope of story of love found and love lost' Jane Johnson Jessie Fry's studying to be a nurse at Kings College Hospital, and matron puts her name down as a possible candidate to join the Queen Alexandra Imperial Military Nursing Service. When the war breaks out, Jessie's sent overseas, and she’s nurse’s patients on a hospital ship during the Gallipoli campaign. Eventually she's working as a theatre nurse at the General Hospital in Alexandria in Egypt, here Jessie meets Doctor Aziz Khalid, she has to keep reminding herself that she wants to remain single and stay dedicated to her career. I was invested the minute I knew this was set in Italy and Egypt as they are my two favourite places for an adventure. The family secrets held my interest as did the girls’ journey negotiating unique paths in a changing world. I eagerly await book 2 set in the 20s and 30s to be published in late Spring of 2022 and book 3 set in WW2 to the 70s to be published in Spring of 2023. A truly epic read, spanning continents and momentous events, the different narratives braided to form a powerful rope of story of love found and love lost’ Jane Johnson

I couldn't put it down. It was not your typical historical novel & I think that's what I loved about it. Great book! Dabbookclub, 4* If there’s one thing that I like doing, it’s discovering new authors. Adrienne Chinn is certainly a new author for me. I especially like discovering new authors who write historical fiction as I am a bit of a history nerd too. So imagine my excitement when I read the synopsis of ‘Love In A Time Of War’. The story sounded so interesting that I grabbed my Kindle, grabbed a cup of tea and settled down for what I hoped would be a fab afternoon of reading. I really enjoyed reading ‘Love In A Time Of War’ but more about that in a bit. It’s 1913 and three young girls living uneventful lives in a quiet corner of London are coming of age and are excited about what the future holds for each of them. With the possibilities for these three girls being endless, there is absolutely nothing that they cannot do. However, little do they realise that just around the corner there is a seismic event that will shatter their promising futures and take them on eventful journeys halfway across the world that will leave them wrestling with terror, uncertainty and heartbreak: the First World War. The story is set during the first world war. You will travel to England, Italy, Egypt and even Canada. It follows the Fry family of three girls Celia, Etta and Jesse. They each find love and romance during the war, some not so happy and all challenging.

This first installment of the trilogy begins just prior to the start of World War I. Historically this is the cusp of great change for women. Cecelia's mother thinks her studying German is a total waste to time. The father of the family, Gerald Fry, loves his daughters unconditionally and supports them all. It makes for a long book. However, that is the point of a trilogy. You fall in love with a character(s), enjoy the family drama and the time period. If this sounds appealing, then Love in a Time of War should definitely be on your reading list.

Love in a Time of War’ by Adrienne Chinn is the story of three sisters during wartime, how the inconveniences of war can shatter dreams and promises, disguise lies, hide secrets and offer opportunities previously unimagined. Readers really get a sense of the imminent end of innocence for the Fry girls. They are coming of age and dreaming about their futures when their world is turned upside down. War erupts and their dreams of the future are tested. She is a talented nurse, and according to the Matron of the hospital, " she has a rare combination of compassion, organisation and aptitude for the more challenging aspects of nursing". Despite her mother's objections, Jessie becomes an army nurse. The adventures she craved become a horrifying reality, when she is posted to Gallipoli and Egypt. Adrienne has been inspired by her love of interior design, writing, and creativity to run inspirational retreats in the UK and abroad. She leads a design retreat in Marrakech at the charming Maison 28 guest house, restored with love and creativity by California artist Melanie Royals in the centre of the historic Marrakech Medina. More information on this retreat can be found here. Watch this space for new dates. In 1913, Cecilia Fry, eldest of the three Fry sisters, is nineteen when this story starts. She has fallen in love with her young German teacher and must decide whether to spend the summer with Max in Germany or in London working for the suffragist movement. Eighteen-year old Jessie is studying at nursing school and has been offered an amazing opportunity of which her mother disapproves. Jessie’s twin Etta visits the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts where she meets an Italian artist. All three sisters have dreams for the future, but those dreams are to be thrown into disarray by the Great War.This is the second book I have read by Ms. Chinn. I adored The English Wife which debuted in 2020. Love in the Time of War did not disappoint. There were some things that I would tweak but overall a great read. It will definitely leave you wanting to see what happens in the next installment.

Absolutely brilliant read. It is a story of love, hope and bravery. I can’t wait to read the next chapter in the lives of the Fry sisters. I’m so glad there is more to come.” 5* Penny C., NetGalley As the three sisters embark on journeys they never could have imagined, their mother Christina worries about the harsh new realities they face, and what their exposure to the wider world means for the secrets she's been keeping...Etta has always been the arty type, les restricted by formality and more prone to follow the path less travelled. Upon falling in love with Italian artist, Carlo, she follows her heart – and him – to Italy, but when Italy joins the war, she joins her aunt who helps her raise their daughter. The aunt was there where Etta’s mum, Christina, needed similar help, and she knows Christina’s secret. Is that secret in danger of coming out? Or does Etta have enough on her plate to keep her own secret from her family? Celie is studying German and hopes to become a teacher one day. Her tutor, Max Fischer, believes she needs to have more confidence in herself.

A sweeping emotional roller-coaster from a master storyteller, Love in a Time of War is a compulsively readable historical novel from Adrienne Chinn.Celia is the eldest, separated from her German fiancé Max, involving herself with the efforts of Mrs Fawcett’s National Union of Women’s Suffrage, writing newspaper articles always hoping that her gender will be recognised, her photographs – a skill learned from her father Gerald – capturing the times and the impacts of the conflict on the home front. The other two sisters are non-identical twins, and live very different lives. Jessie is a nurse, joining the Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Nursing Service despite her mother’s opposition, eventually finding herself in Egypt in a time of change that is reflected by her own life choices. Etta is the flighty one, a fledgling artist caught up with the Bloomsbury set, falling in love with artist Carlo and finding herself alone in Capri with a young child when the war tears him away. And Capri is where her mother Christina’s story began – it’s cleverly laced through the story of the sisters, along with the layers of secrets that explain her protectiveness of her daughters and her fervent wish (or maybe that should be vain hope…) that they will all follow a conventional path to marriage and motherhood.