Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and author Clare Flynn for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

The Artist’s War is the third book in a series by Clare Flynn titled Hearts of Glass. It centers around Alice Cutler, the wife of Edmund Cutler who is a renowned artist who works with stained glass. Previous books detailed their history together. There is a summary of these events for those like me who have not read the last two books. Although it filled in many of the blanks, I do think I would have given this four stars if I had read the last two books in the series.

World War I is raging across the English Channel. Edmund left to join up and serve, leaving Alice by herself with a new stepdaughter and a stained glass window to complete. Edmund has confidence in Alice’s ability to handle the commission, but she’s not so sure she can without him there. Prior to his leaving, she had worked for a time as a local nurse helping the men injured in the war. One of them was her own brother, Victor, from whom she was once estranged. Another is Maurice, who has begun helping Alice with her stained glass work. He finds the rote work a good distraction from the memories that haunt him from the war.

During training, Edmund begins to have misgivings about whether or not he could actually kill another human being. He sees the German soldiers as much like himself; just boys sent off to do what their superiors tell them. When he is recruited for the stretcher corps, he accepts without hesitation.

I also appreciated seeing what it was like for the soldiers who were injured in the war and trying to readjust to life. Victor has his own secrets, but he kept thinking about the events in Gallipoli that had left him with only one eye. Eventually, he is offered a position at the War Department for a specific task, which helps him feel valued again. Actually, he ends up quite overwhelmed with how badly he’s needed in many different places with so many men off fighting.

The relationship between Alice and Edmund is at the center of the story, although they are apart for this book. The love they feel for each other is quite apparent as they exchange letters. Both fret over causing the other unnecessary worry and hide some of the problems they are facing in the other’s absence. Their feelings come across very well throughout the book.

I’m sorry I didn’t read the first two books in the series prior to this one. I think I would have enjoyed The Artist’s War much more if I had. It’s not a bad book by far, but there was a lot of backstory that was recapped here that I didn’t get to experience first-hand. These experiences give an emotional investment in the characters as they are followed from book to book. I didn’t feel like I had that here. The story was a good one, mostly following what it is like for the people who are back home while the war is going on.