Chanticleer Book Reviews
Rating: *****

A towering achievement, Broken Faces: Historical Romance Based on True WWI Events by Chris Karlsen and Jennifer A Conner follows two young people who, for different reasons, embark on a journey to restore the self-esteem torn from wounded soldiers by bloody conflict.
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 plunged Europe into one of the most horrific wars in history. Daily British papers featured articles about a bleak future. London quickly felt the effects of the war, with stores closing and basic goods in limited supply.
Abigail Belorman, a young American woman and talented sculptor, had relocated to Britain with her newlywed husband Theo, the US ambassador to England. Pained by Theo’s emotional neglect, Abigail finds comfort in visiting injured soldiers who had returned from the front to a nearby hospital. Each of the young men there has a story to tell and wounds to recover from. Some, however, suffered irreparable damage to their faces, along with any chance at a normal life taken from them, and they will be forced into isolation.
During a period when plastic surgery was unheard of, Abigail uses her sculpturing skills to make scar-concealing masks for the WW1 veterans, helping restore some measure of hope and dignity to those who had been subjected to wretched anguish in the trenches of battle.
Colm Harp, an adept metalsmith, is fueled by the desire to give his brother Danny a second chance at life. Danny joined the war to escape constant mockery from neighbors, but returned from the front with a severely mutilated face.
The loss of a loved one to suicide adds to Colm’s determination to join Abigail in helping soldiers heal from both external and internal scars. The two are forced to confront the tragedies of war and the realities of their own lives, revealing that empathy can triumph over adversity and little gestures of kindness do count.
Karlsen and Conner take an unrelenting approach to the harsh realities of war.
Their battlefield imagery and the mental anguish of those left on the home front waiting desperately for any information about their loved ones are palpable.
Broken Faces further examines the social stigma these soldiers encountered upon their return home, contemptuously referred to in French as “les gueules cassées”—shattered rags. This led many to retreat from normal civilian lives, opting to live as recluses.
The text offers a solemn tribute to war veterans, exploring their sacrifices and struggles through various fleshed-out characters. Karlsen and Connor illustrate these veterans’ rightful place in our hearts and society: one of recognition and accolade. The authors’ attention to detail, seamlessly intertwining prose and place in history, will keep readers invested in the lives of these broken men and the people who care for them.
Broken Faces: Historical Romance Based on True WWI Events by Chris Karlsen and Jennifer A Conner is the go-to for curious minds about the personal impacts of WWI. This book will especially enthrall historical fiction enthusiasts who enjoy slow-burning war stories that blend romance, history, and endearing characters all into one.

Chris Karlsen and I started this book from an idea I saw a video on. Anna Coleman Ladd was such an amazing woman, I thought her story needed to be told.

Chris’s Love and War Series: Broken Faces, The Ack Ack Girl and Moonlight Serenade

Our Inspiration for Abby.

Colm went to his brother and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Turn around, Danny. There’s no wound I haven’t seen. Certainly, nothing that has happened to you can alter my love for you.”
When he didn’t move, Colm stepped around so they were face-to-face. His strong hold on the cane would leave a bruised palm. With his other hand, he dug his fingernails into that palm at the sight of his brother. Colm had seen worse facial injuries from battle but none of those men were his baby brother.
Danny’s nose was gone from the bridge down. What little remained was reddish-purple scar tissue. Like their mother, Colm, Danny, and Tildy had high cheekbones. Now, Danny’s one cheek had been crushed and flattened so the entire area was sunken in. To look at him straight on, his face appeared lopsided. The scars of tiny cuts ran across both cheeks and circled his eyes.
Colm relaxed his fist and the grip on his cane. He forced the stiff set from his upper body. He didn’t want to risk Danny sensing his shock. He took his brother in a tight embrace, patting him on the back the way brothers do. A tremble ran through Danny. There was a brief moment where Colm felt Danny let go of his agony before he stiffened again.
Colm released him and gestured to the cot. “Come, sit with me. Let’s talk.”
They sat on the bed together. Colm stopped a passing nurse. “Could you, would you, be willing to bring us two cups of tea?”
The nurse looked quickly from Danny to Colm. “I hoped some family would come to see him.” Her gaze dropped to Danny’s damaged wrists and up again. “I’ll bring the tea.”
“Thank you,” Colm said and gave her a faint smile of appreciation for understanding Danny’s suffering.
After she left, Colm returned his attention to his brother. He wasn’t sure Danny would discuss the injury but he’d found at the Royal it helped. The men found a modicum of relief or so it seemed. “Talk to me, Danny. Tell me how you were wounded.”
Danny didn’t respond at first then finally he told Colm what happened. “We were crossing No Man’s Land. German artillery pounded us. All around, men were blown into the air and trees exploded. Between the screams of the men and the roar from the trees blowing apart, I thought I’d be deaf by the time we reached the enemy trenches. Suddenly, a shell hit a tree near me. Debris went everywhere. I was hit in the face with a large branch. Splinters were deeply embedded all over my face, head, and shoulders. The surgeons in Paris said I was lucky not to have been blinded. After I saw the rest of the damage, I wished I had been.”