Review of 'Angels of War' by Lana Kortchik

Review of 'Angels of War' by Lana Kortchik

Release date: July 29th, 2025

Publisher: HQ Fiction

What the novel is about:

The Philippines, 1941. Rose Williams arrives in Manila on her first assignment as a US Army nurse, enthralled by the new environment and its promise of adventure. Although worlds away from the land she grew up in, Rose feels connected to her father, who worked in the Philippines before he died.

War seems like a distant possibility as Rose takes midnight dips in a warm sea with the other nurses, explores secret corners of the island, and falls in love with a locally stationed US Army officer.

But when Japan bombs Manila, the nurses’ lives change. Torn away from the man she loves, Rose faces constant threat, not only to her life, but from those around her she thought she could trust…

Will Rose and those close to her survive in the turmoil of war?

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REVIEW

This novel is from my personal purchase pile and I am so happy I bought and read it. I love Lana's novels and this one took me to another place and showed me another side of the war. It is the most moving WW2 story I have ever read and that says a lot as I have read many exceptional ones.

Lana has an incredible gift of pulling you into the scene and making you feel part of it-- and she sets off every emotion through her incredible characters. It broke my heart many times at what these people (including the medical staff) endured. This soul shattering account is so detailed and involving I felt every experience deep in my core. There are many twists and turns of sadness and joy. Yes, there is so much death and destruction but new life, too.

I loved this novel dearly and will never forget the brave and caring cast of characters. Rose Williams is an amazing nurse who endures and loses so much but also gains some well deserved happiness at the end.

Lana is an amazing writer of HF. I love her novels. The inspiration behind this novel is incredibly moving and she did such an amazing job to help us know and remember these wonderful women and men who served during such a tough WW2 era under the Japanese bombings and control.

This is a story about courage, love, restoration, reunions, friendships and truth. This is a MUST READ WW2 story. I cannot praise it enough or express how special this story truly is. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️