Summary: When Rosemary meets Albert it is instant chemistry. But it is also the summer of 1942, and scores of young men—Albert included—feel compelled to enlist to fight the war against Hitler. Albert wants to marry Rosemary before he leaves for Europe, but she just can’t commit. Like so many young women of her time, Rosemary finds herself left behind to work and worry, desperate for love but frightened of abandonment.

Rosemary in Bloom by Khristy Reibel

Three years later, and with Albert’s fate still unknown, Rosemary meets Harry, a charming and handsome man. Rosemary feels guilty for spending so much time with Harry, but she has all but lost faith that Albert will make it safely back home, especially when she receives news of her brother’s serious combat injury. Should she wait for Albert, or settle for second best?

Inspired by a true story, Rosemary in Bloom explores faith, forgiveness, enduring love against all odds and the difficult decisions that strong, smart women on the home front had to make during World War II [As written on the back cover].

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When I came back and heard about your troubles, I was sad for you. I never wanted any pain or sadness for you. I only wanted you to be happy.

Albert

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Rant: I received a free copy of this book from Book Glow and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!! It was an amazing story with great characters, it was well written and just a generally engaging read. The story started when Rosemary was just 16 years old and we get to witness her grow and change and make bad decisions and then fix them the best she can. We watch her and Albert meet,  watch them fall apart, and makeup. Throughout the entire book, Albert is such a strong and loyal character. We get to feel our hearts break as things get bad… and then worse…and then better. Rosemary and Albert both suffer tragedies they can never fully recover from but watching the story come full circle and seeing it work out for them was beautiful. I rarely cry and I rarely read romance novels but this story was such a charmer I think I was sobbing three different times. The atmosphere of the United States in the 1940s and the atmosphere of WWII was simply engaging. The vivid descriptions and wonderful dialogue really made this story. I have only praise for the ending which was perfect and made me say “Yes, finally”!

Overall, this was a magnificent book, the author did a wonderful job constructing this novel. All I can say is “Well done”! It truly was an enlightening and captivating story to read and has turned out to be my favorite so far this year. Great read. Highly recommend. 5 out of 5 stars.