The Book Tour Stops Here: A Review of The Lieutenant's Nurse by Sara Ackerman, Served with Tropical Fruit Salad with Lime-Honey Dressing & Toasted Coconut Chips

I am very excited to be the final stop on the TLC Book Tour for The Lieutenant's Nurse by Sara Ackerman. It's easy to tell from the books I read and review on this blog that World War II historical fiction is a favorite genre of mine and Ackerman's second novel is set here on Oahu, making it an even more tempting read. I've paired my review with a simple Tropical Fruit Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing & Toasted Coconut Chips that was inspired by the breakfast scenes on the SS Lurline in the book.

November, 1941. She’s never even seen the ocean before, but Eva Cassidy has her reasons for making the crossing to Hawaii, and they run a lot deeper than escaping a harsh Michigan winter. Newly enlisted as an Army Corps nurse, Eva is stunned by the splendor she experiences aboard the steamship SS Lurline; even more so by Lt. Clark Spencer, a man she is drawn to but who clearly has secrets of his own. But Eva’s past—and the future she’s trying to create—means that she’s not free to follow her heart. Clark is a navy intelligence officer, and he warns her that the United States won’t be able to hold off joining the war for long, but nothing can prepare them for the surprise attack that will change the world they know.
 
In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Eva and her fellow nurses band together for the immense duty of keeping the American wounded alive. And the danger that finds Eva threatens everything she holds dear. Amid the chaos and heartbreak, Eva will have to decide whom to trust and how far she will go to protect those she loves.
 
Set in the vibrant tropical surroundings of the Pacific, The Lieutenant’s Nurse is an evocative, emotional WWII story of love, friendship and the resilient spirit of the heroic nurses of Pearl Harbor.

Paperback: 352 Pages

Publisher: MIRA; Original edition (March 5, 2019)

My Review:

I had the pleasure of being on the Instagram tour for Sara Ackerman's first book Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers two years ago and hosted it as part of my virtual foodie book club, Cook the Books, earlier this year so I knew I was in for a great read with The Lieutenant's Nurse before I even opened the cover. The book starts soon before the attack on Pearl Harbor, as nurse Eva Cassidy is on board the steamship SS Lurline, headed to Oahu from San Francisco. A job as an Army Corps nurse and a boyfriend await her in Hawaii, as does a chance to hopefully leave her past and the secrets she holds behind her in Michigan,  Eva has regrets about leaving her younger sister behind, recovering from polio, but hopes to bring her out with her at some point. On the ship, she meets Lieutenant Clark Spencer and is immediately attracted and intrigued by him. Clark is in navel intelligence and his feelings for Eva have him passing on his suspicions about the probability of attack from the Japanese. If you know your history, I am sure you can guess what happens shortly after the Lurline docks on Oahu and soon Eva and Clark are caught up in the horrors of war. 

As in her first book, Ackerman does an outstanding job in describing the dichotomy of a beautiful island paradise, caught up in the graphic ugliness of war. Eva and Clark were characters that won my heart immediately and I liked the intrigue in the plot and that the author went in with the "who knew what and when" about the Pearl Harbor attack angle. I have read my share of fiction and non-fiction on the subject and I find the advance-knowledge conspiracy theories fascinate me. This is a romance for sure, emotions are heightened by the events going on around the main characters and some of the side characters, but it is also about Eva's growth and bravery. Living on Oahu, it's always fun to read about places I know in a time in history and Ackerman's vivid writing brings it to life. I only wanted more after the final chapter and I am already looking look forward to her next book.

If you want to win a copy of The Lieutenant's Nurse, head over to my Instagram account (here), where I am giving one away.

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Author Notes: Sara is the bestselling author of Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers. Born and raised in Hawaii, she studied journalism and earned graduate degrees in psychology and Chinese medicine. She blames Hawaii for her addiction to writing, and sees no end to its untapped stories. When she’s not writing or teaching, you’ll find her in the mountains or in the ocean. She currently lives on the Big Island with her boyfriend and a houseful of bossy animals. Find out more about Sara and her books at www.ackermanbooks.com.

Connect with Sara on her website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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Food Inspiration:

There was food to be found in The Lieutenant's Nurse--especially while on the Lurline, then some classic 1940s wartime fare on Oahu. Mentions included: ship launch appetizers of cheese balls, pigs in a blanket, pate, champagne, shipboard dinner with lobster tails, steak,French-fried potatoes, glazed carrots and peas and rice, pineapple juice, Moscow Mules, made to order omelet, steak and eggs, breast of chicken with wild rice, glacé  pineapple and truffle sauce, bakes Alaska and petits, fours, rice balls radishes and pickled pickled plums wrapped seaweed, strawberry lemonade with a splash of vodka, strawberry waffle, a Shirley Temple, mention of guava trees, banana tress and big fat prawns in a stream at the North Shore, a Royal Hawaiian Pineapple Cocktail, canned sardines and Saloon Pilot crackers, mincemeat pie, hot dogs and Coca Cola, coffee and malasadas, soldiers running from the attack with pockets of maraschino cherries, cheese and pickles, egg salad sandwiches and lemonade, fried chicken and rice with seaweed (aka furikake rice), sugar cane and pineapple fields.
 

My first thought was to recreate the Royal Hawaiian Pineapple Cocktail, but my friend Debra did it too well already on her review so instead I turned to the description of breakfast on the Lurline--"plates of strawberries, pineapple and banana with bowls of shredded coconut" and "Tiers of cinnamon buns, pecan snails, and twisted donuts..." and "pancakes, waffles and tropical syrup..." I decided to focus on the fruit and make a breakfast salad with a tropical syrup-style dressing of lime juice and honey and a crunchy topping of toasted coconut chips. Wanting to be a little healthier with my dressing, I used an Ellie Krieger recipe I like with fruit that uses honey instead of white sugar and left out the mint.

Tropical Fruit Salad with Lime-Honey Dressing & Toasted Coconut
Dressing Slightly Adapted from Ellie Krieger's Radiance Salad at EllieKrieger.com
(Serves 3-4) 

1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
2 cups fresh pineapple cut into chunks
1 large banana or two apples banana, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
zest of 1 lime
toasted coconut flakes or chips

Place fruit into a large bowl. whisk honey, lime juice and lime zest together in a smaller bowl. When serving, pour the dressing over fruit and stir to combine. Right before serving, top with coconut flakes/chips. Enjoy!

Notes/Results: A very simple fruit salad that can be adapted with what fruit you have on hand or in season. The lime dressing is both sweet and tangy and the honey and lime keep the bananas from browning too much. Put the coconut on at the very end so it remains crunchy and this is quite a tasty little salad that would also be good over yogurt or a bowl of overnight oats, or even atop a pancake or waffle. I would happily make it again.

Linking up to I Heart Cooking Clubs where we are having Spring Canapés as a theme. I think this fruit salad with it's refreshing dressing would make a fine lunch or dinner starter.

I'm also linking this yummy fruit salad up at Souper Sundays here at Kahakai Kitchen. You can join in the Souper Sunday fun by linking up your soups, salads, or sandwiches on the weekly post, here. 

Finally, I'm sharing this post with the Weekend Cooking event at Beth Fish Reads, a weekly event that is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share. For more information, see the welcome post.

Note: A review copy of "The Lieutenant's Nurse" was provided to me by the author and the publisher via TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review and as always, my thoughts and opinions are my own.  
 
You can see the stops for the rest of this TLC Book Tour and what other reviewers thought about the book here.