Lovely War by Julie Berry

 Hazel plays piano at a parish dance at the beginning of WWI when Aphrodite steps in and makes sure that James notices her behind the piano.  Later Collette is intrigued by the handsome Amercian soldier, Aubrey, who plays jazz in an all black army band.  The black soldiers are forbidden to associate with the white YMCA workers, but that can't keep Collette and Aubrey from sneaking out and meeting at the piano after lights out. As two romances blossom, Ares steps in and calls the men into battle, leaving the women to wonder and wait and worry if they will ever see their beautiful boys again.  

In some ways this is an odd WWI romance, but I really liked it.  Berry frames the books with the story from Greek mythology when Haephestus captures his wife, Aphrodite and his brother Eres "in the act" so to speak.  Haephestus holds a trial to convict his wife of infidelity and she uses the story of the war love affairs to defend herself and justify the importance of what she does--bringing hope and joy to young lives during the time of war. The story has a second message about racial prejudice, and many of the characters and events related to Aubrey's black regement are based on history. Berry does a great job of showing the horrors of war and how they change both the men and the women in the story.  But at the same time, the characters stay true to each other and help each other cope and heal. It is super sweet, and, remarkably clean.  Reader beware that there are some graphic depictions of battle and racial violence, but I think Berry does a good job of giving enough detail to make the reader appreciate what is going on, without being overwhelming. I am certainly going to be recommending this one to my friends and patrons. (2019, 480 p.)

P.S. this book is marketed as a YA historical novel, but I think it is better suited for middle age women. :)