Alive: Shadows of a Forgotten Past
Florence Sterling should be living a perfect life, but dark memories of her past still haunt her.
She and her baby were murdered, but now, after a miraculous second chance at life, Florence struggles with the fear that her happiness with Alex may be fleeting.
When Alex is called away on a perilous WWII mission to secure America’s support in the war, Florence’s anxiety grows. Seeking answers, she embarks on a desperate investigation into the truth behind her son’s death, and to her shock, she uncovers evidence that suggests he might still be alive. But as Florence digs deeper, she finds herself drawn into a deadly game with her most dangerous enemy yet—the twisted woman determined to destroy her.
As the war intensifies and Alex goes missing in action, Florence must find the courage to face her deepest fears. If Alex is lost to the war, will she open her heart to love again and build the family she’s always longed for? Or will the scars of her past keep her trapped in loneliness and despair forever?
Alive combines romance, mystery, and suspense in a heart-wrenching WWII saga. If you love emotional, character-driven stories filled with twists, danger, and a powerful second-chance romance, you’ll love this story!
Alive Tore My Heart Out and Pieced It Back Together—Florence’s Fight Felt Like My Own
“I’m still sitting here, emotionally wrecked in the best possible way. Reading Alive felt like being handed a box of fragile, beautiful memories and secrets… then watching them unravel in the most soul-gripping way.
Florence Sterling is everything I want in a heroine—resilient, wounded, fiercely loving, and full of this deep, aching strength that just bleeds off the page. Her past should’ve broken her—was meant to break her—but here she is, clinging to the hope of a future with Alex, while still haunted by the loss of her baby and the trauma of dying. That duality of living again while carrying the scars of such a brutal past? It was heartbreakingly real.
And Alex… oh, Alex. Just when they start to build something solid, he’s swept into the chaos of WWII, and I could feel Florence’s fear every time his name came up. Every page without him felt heavier. And when he goes missing in action? My heart was in my throat. I kept flipping pages like I could will him home safely.
But the real gut punch? Florence’s search for the truth about her son. That storyline had me emotionally raw. The hope… the possibility… the fear that maybe—just maybe—he’s still alive? It hit me hard. I felt every single one of her doubts, her desperate longing, and her burning need for closure.
And then the enemy… the woman who wants to destroy her. Whew. That villain gave me literal chills. The way Armandi built that danger so gradually—layer by layer—was masterful. I kept thinking: how much more can Florence endure? But she rises. She freaking rises. Even when the world tries to break her again.
Marcia Armandi doesn’t just write historical romance. She writes emotional truths dressed in period detail and laced with mystery, heartbreak, and resilience. Alive isn’t a light read—it’s one that stays with you. If you’ve ever loved deeply, feared losing it all, or hoped for a second chance that seemed impossible… Florence’s journey will wreck you and heal you all at once.
Absolutely breathtaking. Absolutely unforgettable.”
-Amazon Review
“Keep the tissues handy, you’re probably going to need them. This book is number two in the duology, and I believe that you absolutely need to have read the first one in order for this one to make the most sense. If you haven’t read “Awakened” yet, stop. Go read it first and then come back. For me, this book answered all of the lingering questions I had at the end of the first book, and some I didn’t even realize I needed to know. I give you fair warning, it’s a rocky conclusion to Florence’s search for answers. It’s beautiful, and poignant, and absolutely perfect, but it also left me howling like a banshee by the end. I’m going to need some time to just sit with my emotions and rediscover my equilibrium before I’m ready to face anything else. It was so worth every second of the emotional turmoil.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout.”
-Amazon Review