I enjoyed this book not only because I have read and enjoyed so many books by this author, but because I learned something along the way. The story is obviously fiction, because real life would never deal the cards in the way that this couple in war torn Phillipines in WWII has them dealt. But I learned about the war in the PHillipines, which I knew nothing about, in spite of reading a lot of WWII books and watching a lot of documentaries. I knew it sounded familiar so I had to ask my husband, the history buff, about it as soon as I got home. (I was listening to this on audio in the car, as I commute). So I was pleased to learn some real history along with my love story.