Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This is my first book by Alexa Kang. This book is really good to read. At first I was unsure how to take the story after reading a few chapters I understood better. The storyline deals with the different of classes. This is the story of love, friendship and loss as well as war time.
Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A twist to the world war II story, this is a story of a young girl who is sent away from her home far away to Chicago for her own safety. As she struggles with the new society and a completely different culture, she meets a young man, who first detests her opinions and later they begin liking each other.
As the war progresses, things around them change, and with US on the brink of war, the normal people’s lives get affected. Children are pressurized to serve and after the attach of Pearl Harbor, things get drastically changed.
How this turn of events affects the young couple’s life forms the crux of the story. It is a good story, albeit I found it a little slow at times. But overall, it is a good story for historic fiction. I liked it.
Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’m going to start by saying that Moonlight is the first book in the Rose of Anzio series, and I definitely recommend reading it! I don’t usually read the historical romance genre, but when I read the blurb on this book it definitely caught my attention. I adored the dynamic between Tessa and Anthony, I couldn’t put this book down, finishing it in just a few days! Alexa’s attention to detail is immaculate, and will transport you back to pre war era Chicago in this amazing love story. I very much look forward to reading the next book in this series and I recommend you check it out!
Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this World War II epic love story by Alexa Kang. Set in the summer of 1940, fourteen year old Tessa Graham has been sent from England to live with the Ardley family in Chicago. This move is for Tessa’s safety and happens just before the Blitz in London. Finding herself in a unfamiliar city and feeling claustrophobic by the rich and prominent Ardley family she finds herself exploring the infamous South Side. Here Tessa discovers a world of jitterbug dancing and gets immersed in the powerful Irish community. Meanwhile eighteen year old Anthony Ardley is now of age to be conscripted but he does not want to leave his privileged life on the campus of the University of Chicago. Anthony is sole heir to the Ardley fortune and is expected to stand with his staunch isolationist beloved uncle. However he is tempted to join his more radical classmates wanting American intervention. Both Tessa and Anthony are discovering themselves but they also discover each other as their paths keep crossing time and time again and their relationship changes over time.
This is a wonderfully written coming of age story and an epic love story all in one. The authors detailed descriptions of time and place really transported me back to pre war era Chicago and into a world that felt as though it was fast loosing control. The main characters, Tessa and Anthony were well defined and relatable and I liked how their opinions of each other changed as did their relationship throughout the story. The will they, won’t they aspect to the story definitely kept me guessing and happily turning the pages. This book gripped me from start to finish as the plot was multilayered and the narrative kept the book flowing nicely making it an enjoyable read. The authors note at the end clarified some historical facts and was interesting. I look forward to the rest of the series and being back with Tessa and Anthony and what ever the future holds for them both.
Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I won’t lie this is not normally my genre, historical romance, but once I saw it was a WWII era read I knew I would love it. I really have a penchant for this historical time period in our world and all these different angles and aspects of it. I will say this was quite a unique point of view and I enjoyed that departure from the typical story told around this time. Alexa Kang was also a new author to me so I am delighted that now I have a new author to discover more after having finished this one.
Rose of Anzio – Moonlight is the first book in the Rose of Anzio series by Alexa Kang. This is definitely one of those reads that appears to set us up for the rest of the series. It is more informational and really makes the reader fall in love with Tessa Graham, our main character. We find her as she is moved to Chicago out of fear for her safety in England during the war. There she must learn an entirely new way of life and find her role amongst the people she is surrounded by. The story shows a really good span of things that a girl could experience as she comes of age in a trying and scary time for the world. I very much cannot wait to see how her story progresses with the next book in the series.
Review by @lizaileen
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Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This story begins in a rose garden in Chicago where Tessa is seen clipping some roses in a messy fashion by Anthony, who proceeds to tell her off. He goes into his house to see his parents and proceeds to tell them what has happened outside, he is shocked to learn that Tessa is a member of the family and that she has come over from England without her parents to wait out the war. This first meeting sets the tempo of their interactions as time goes on and even though they live in the same house, they lead very separate lives.
Tessa is fourteen and thrown into a life which is completely different to her one in England, with all the pressures of high society and private schooling when all she wants is to be left alone so she can enjoy her own company. That is until she makes a friend at the post office where she posts letters to her parents, as this friendship starts to develop and she goes to visit them where they live, another whole new world opens up to her. It is more like what she was used to at home and she relishes the both the familiarity and newness of it all.
Anthony is eighteen and studying at the University of Chicago and spends most of his free time training with the University swimming team, the rest of his time he spends with his friends or coming home over the holidays to see his close knit family. Their discussions also become about the war in Europe and how this is affecting their lives as well as Tessa’s. They have strong views as to why Americans shouldn’t join in and these discussions become more heated and opposing to the ones he is hearing at university, but there are always going to be discussions about the war and when the conscription bill becomes the law, this triggers the need to make a choice as to which side he is on.
When Tessa and Anthony’s paths keep colliding and their opinions of each other change, there are sides to both, which the other cannot see and as the war comes closer, their lives will change, in ways which they will not expect. As the war comes closer to them, their friends are drafted and chance encounters fling Anthony into Tessa’s other world.
This is quite a shock to both of them, but will their differences keep them apart and become a hurdle that they cannot overcome, or will they choose the same sides and handle the war together in their own ways?
This is a story of love, friendship, loss and courage as they face the life that pre-World War II and it’s challenges will bring them.
Reviewed by @roxsannel
Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rose of Anzio – Moonlight (Volume 1): a WWII Epic Love Story by Alexa Kang is a gripping and effortless tale of two people trying to make sense out of their chaotic world. I found this book to be highly detailed and so well written that I was instantly hooked by it.
This is the first book that I have read by this author and I have to say I loved every bit of it. I always do enjoy a well written war story and this has to be one of the best that I have read. I really felt like you connected the characters and felt their experiences with them.
The author has done an amazing job of portraying what it must have been like during war time America and exploring the emotions that must have been felt at the time. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book and I am so excited to read the next in the series!
Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rose of Anzio – Moonlight (Volume 1): a WWII Epic Love Story by Alexa Kang is a YA historical coming of age story. It is a nice read that is full of emotions as two people who can’t stand each other learn that there is more to the other. A sweet romance blossoms between all the unfamiliar, uncertainty, upheaval and the difference between the higher classes and lower classes. I wasn’t sure I would like it at first, but I kept reading and found that this touching story is well written and an enjoyable read.
Reviewed by @jennadb
Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love historical fiction and this book sounded like it was right up my alley. Kang weaves a rich tale based in the pre WWII Chicago. I found the premise fascinating and found myself invested in the characters fairly quickly. Overall I found this to be a good read but one I believe I will more greatly appreciate in the context of the larger universe within the series. I look forward to picking up the next book.
Reviewed by @heatherlovelace
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Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I love historical romance but not usually during this time period but when I read the synopsis for this book I decided to give it a go and I really enjoyed it. I have read books by this author previously and I really like her detailed writing style, she really brings her stories to life through her imaginative writing. I can always easily imagine what I am reading and I think that it really helps when reading historical stories. The characters were probably younger than I usually read about but their story was heart-warming to read about.
Overall an enjoyable coming of age story, one that I really enjoyed and would recommend. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rose of Anzio – Moonlight (Volume 1): a WWII Epic Love Story
By Alexa Kang
5 out of 5 stars
I loved reading the story Rose of Anzio – Moonlight (Volume 1): a WWII Epic Love Story by Alexa Kang. It is a historical fiction story that had me hooked from the very beginning. The author does an amazing job of making the storyline and the characters come alive. I felt like I was right there with the characters. I loved the characters of Tessa Graham and Anthony Ardley. Tessa is 14 years old and in an unfamiliar country. Sent to the US to keep her safe. Anthony is a young man who while going to college also finds that the world is changing as the draft and joining the war are at his doorstep. I grew to care about Tessa and Anthony with each chapter that I read. Tessa has such an independent spirit and a kind heart. Anthony is a young man who is realizing that he has to choose his path forward. This story had moments that are saddening and others that touched my heart. This is a story that I thought about even after I had finished the last page. Don’t miss out on an amazing story that will have you turning pages to find out what happens next. I highly recommend reading it.
Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book. This is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. This is a well written story that has details that makes you feel as if I was right there with the characters. I had no problems connecting with the characters as they brought the story to life. This is a story about two people who cross paths as they are in search of themselves. Will they find more than themselves in their search? They are such great characters who made the story easy to read. It is an engaging, fast paced story that kept me turning pages to the end. I enjoy being pulled into the story from the beginning and watching the growth. I highly recommend this book.
Review by @bjwagner
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Moonlight by Alexa Kang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Rose of Anzio-Moonlight is the first book in the Rose of Anzio series by Alexa Kang. This is my first read from Ms. Kang- and I am happy to say that after reading this fabulous story, it won’t be my last. I have to be honest though, as I wasn’t sure I was going to even like this story when I first started it- but after a few chapters I was definitely hooked and ended up reading it in one sitting.
This is a superb coming of age historical story, set during WWII- it’s a captivating period piece with plenty of drama, self-discovery, politics, history, and romance.
Fearing for Tessa Graham’s safety as war closes in, her family sends her (from England) to stay in Chicago. There, she is thrust into the unfamiliar world of wealth and privilege- but soon discovers that there is another side to this new society. With music and dancing, romance and coming of age, politics and choices, all interwoven within a social snapshot of the times- makes this quite a captivating read.
Looking forward to the next book in the series!
Thank you, Alexa Kang!
Reviewed by @angelahayes
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Rose of Anzio – Moonlight (Volume 1): a WWII Epic Love Story by Alexa Kang
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#RoseofAnzio #Moonlight #Historical #Romance #AlexaKang #OnTour #ItsyBitsyBookBitsTours #BookSpotlightShowcase
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Genre – Historical Fiction, Historical Romance
Page Count – 394 Pages
Cover Designer – Fiona Jayde Media
GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53357656-moonlight
Summer 1940. Fourteen-year-old Tessa Graham finds herself in a new, unfamiliar world. For her safety, she is sent from England to Chicago to live with the prominent Ardley family just before the London Blitz. Stifled by the ways of the rich, she is soon drawn to the city’s infamous South Side. A world filled with jitterbug dancing and intrigues of the powerful Irish community. But is this the escape she really wants?
On the University of Chicago campus, eighteen-year-old Anthony Ardley has to make a choice. His country stands at the brink of war. Conscription threatens to become reality. As sole heir to the Ardley fortune, should he stand with his beloved uncle, a staunch isolationist, or join his radical classmates clamoring for American intervention?
What will happen when Tessa and Anthony cross paths on the way to discovering themselves?
A coming of age tale that emerges into an epic love story, this book takes you back to Chicago in the pre-war era, when two young people must find their paths in a world that is fast falling out of control.
Alexa Kang is an author of WWII and 20th century historical fiction. Her works include the novel series, the Rose of Anzio, a love story saga that begins in 1940 Chicago and continues on to the historic Battle of Anzio in Italy; and the Shanghai Story trilogy, which chronicles the events in Shanghai leading up to WWII and the history of Jews and Jewish refugees in China. Her other works include the WWII/1980s time-travel love story Eternal Flame (a tribute to John Hughes), as well as various short stories, including those in the fiction anthologies The Darkest Hour: Tales of WWII Resistance (a USA Today Bestsller), Pearl Harbor and More: Stories of December 1942 and Christmas in Love.
