The Heart of War - Jen Kingsford

At the heart of every devastating war, there are ordinary women and men doing the extraordinary.

Rose Shipley dreams of independence and defies her father by joining the army. She is determined to nurse in the perilous casualty clearing stations on the edge of the Western Front.

Leo Dymond has given little thought to his German heritage until his father is imprisoned in an internment camp. To escape the same fate and prove his loyalty to Australia, he enlists in the Australian Army. While his mates know he has their backs, Alfred Fanshaw doubts that a man who has grown up with German parents, surrounded by other German immigrants, could ever be trusted. He has Leo in his sights and one mistake could send Leo home in disgrace.

Though Rose is drawn to shy Leo, she is fiercely protective of her newfound freedom and has no wish for any serious entanglement. The more time she spends with Leo, the more her heart may betray her head. Leo finds he can't tell Rose about some of the monstrous and unforgiveable things he's witnessed in the theatre of war. When he learns of the tragic loss of his brother, Oskar, it is in Rose's arms he feels the most comfort.

Rose's coveted position finally brings her to France, where she is confronted by the immense suffering of the soldiers and the fragility of life. Rose dreads that every incoming bloody, mangled body could be Leo's. She can no longer deny her love for him and is terrorised by the thought that either of them may die before she tells him.

From Australia's sweeping plains to the crowded streets of London and the mud of France's trenches, this is a novel of loyalty, loss and love set in the tumultuous backdrop of the First World War.