Official Review: War Serenade by Jillwallace

[Flowers123]

This is a well-crafted review, well done. There has been a lot written about WWII, but we always seem to discover a new side to it. I think am going to enjoy this one. Seeing it from the South African perspective in this historical fiction will definitely make a lot of difference. Thank you.

[pinchess07]

I know very little about WWII, but I do know that it was a difficult time for everybody. It's quite amazing to think that two people could fall in love in that situation. I think it's very interesting!

[starshipsaga]

Seems like there have been lots of books about World War II featured lately, and I'm glad you enjoyed this one. I tend to stay away from war fiction though, as I find a lot of the topics too distressful when I read for fun. But I have to say this one sounds very interesting with the compelling characters and a forbidden love in the plot!

[Karen Crumley]

Thanks for your insightful and balanced review. While the story itself sounds interesting, I can do without the unnecessary and dragged out erotic scenes.

Mostly, because it seems every book anymore has the "obligatory erotic scene" and I'm starting to get tired of it. Especially if it has little or nothing to do with the plot of the book, itself.

[amsula_2018]

It seems like it is a good love story. Nice review by the way.

[amsula_2018]

It feels like it is a good book to read since I am fond of love stories, I guess that would be a plus.

[Haute_Coffee]

I like love stories and this sounds really interesting. The conflict makes it so enticing. Too bad about the errors.

[Spirit Wandering]

Unlike the reviewer, WWII is not my favorite period for historical fictional so I think I will pass. Thanks for the review.

[britt13]

I love WWII stories and the POW aspect is interesting to me but I have a lot of trouble getting into books that have slow starts. I feel that I need to be grabbed in, otherwise why waste my time. I knoe that it is being said the second half of the book is great, but plenty of books are great from the start so I do not think this one is for me.

[MarisaRose]

I’ve read a lot of historical fiction based on the World War II era, but I can safely say none of them have been based in a South Africa! This sounds like a really unique aspect, and I’m curious to know more about the characters lives and motivations.

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

I am a huge fan of World War II stories. It’s one of the few time periods in historical fiction that I enjoy. This book offered a very unique perspective on the war. I always think about Europe, Russia, The United States, and Japan when I think about World War II. It never even crossed my mind that the war would have affected South Africa due to their colonization by the British. When I think about the different camps that held prisoners during the war, I think of the German concentration camps in Europe and the internment camps for the Japanese Americans in the U.S. I honestly wouldn’t have thought of POW camps housing Italian soldiers in South Africa. I love how much this book opened my mind up to all of the different aspects of the war.

I had this exact thought while sampling the book!
I’m an avid reader of WWII fiction and memoirs, but I always picture them somewhere in Europe and I wasn’t aware how far the war got.
I totally agree that forbidden love stories have a certain appeal. All this and your excellent review makes an I-need-to-read-this-now combination even if I’m a bit discouraged by the slow beginning.
Thanks!

[jedreid]

a different perspective of WWII sounds good especially for someone like me who really love history as there are so much to learn from them so i think i'll be able to go through with this one. i'm not very much into romance right now but i'm still curious how it will end for the two protagonists. good job on writing an honest review!

[revna01]

How will the POW imprisonment affect the forbidden love between Iris and Pietro? I enjoy historical fiction centered around WWII and it's obvious the South African setting is a unique twist on the era. Thanks for the information about the editing and slow start. I find both of those factors to be deal breakers.

[Ksharmilla]

I love romance novels but I don't like war novels so I'm in two minds over this one. I will think about whether I want to continue reading this one.

[Marissa Michael]

The first WWII-book related though fictional set in South Africa that I ever come across. I would definitely have this one right up to my alley!