352 pages Bethany House Publishers Publication date January 21, 2025
ABOUT THE BOOK
In a world on the brink of war, two hearts must navigate shadows of uncertainty.
Inga Klein’s carefree life in New York takes a dramatic turn when she sails for Berlin, Germany, to serve as the secretary for America’s ambassador. Amid the glamour of life at the embassy, she continually finds herself at odds with the straitlaced and imposing Benedict Kincaid, the diplomatic chief of staff who harbors deep misgivings toward the German-born Inga.
As Europe hurtles toward World War I, Benedict’s determination to keep America out of the conflict adds to the already tense atmosphere. Despite their relentless sparring, Inga and Benedict succeed in keeping the embassy afloat through one crisis after another. But when they run out of diplomatic options, a marriage of convenience may be Inga’s only hope of escape from the impending war.
MY THOUGHTS
One thing I love about the author’s books are the historical details given in each book, the more the better. I can so easily visualize what is happening in each of her books and it makes the stories come alive for me. From all over New York to Germany there is a lot of adventure to be had for our main characters. Oh, so many adventures some delightful some taken warily as WWI is about to happen. Twists and turns happening that had me even thinking about the book while not reading it. The most unlikely couple you could think of, an opposites attract team really, hit it off though we wouldn’t think it so at first. A high energy keep my attention book which I really loved!
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Camden is best known for her historical novels set in gilded age America featuring clever heroines and richly layered storylines. Before she was a writer, she was an academic librarian at some of the largest and smallest libraries in America, but her favorite is the continually growing library in her own home. Her novels have won the RITA and Christy Award, and she lives in Florida with her husband who graciously tolerates her intimidating stockpile of books.
‘The lorry is ready to take you to the train station,’ the soldier announced, and Marta clung to her little sister. ‘I want to stay with her,’ Marta said, voice shaking. ‘It is not possible. You belong in the Reich,’ the officer said. ‘And she does not.’
Poland, 1944 When twelve-year-old Marta and her little sister Joanna are snatched while out shopping for food and pushed into an army truck with a swastika on the door, they are heartbroken. Terrified they will never see their mother again, the little girls cling to each other as the truck full of stolen children rumbles through the countryside.
But worse is yet to come. When they arrive at their strange new home, tears streaming down their cheeks, Marta is sent into a separate room. As she is measured, her blonde hair and blue eyes exclaimed over, she doesn’t realise she has seen her sister for the last time. Later, as she sobs alone in the chilly dormitory, her only crumb of comfort is the memory of a kind German nurse who took a photo of the two sisters, and promised Marta she will do what she can to find Joanna.
Berlin, 2005 In her cosy sitting room, seventy-year-old Marta freezes. The woman on her television talking about lost children is someone she could never forget. Margarete Weiss is the nurse who took the photo of her and Joanna, the photo with the secret message on the back…
Marta has never been able to find her younger sister and has buried herself in work so as not to be haunted by the ghosts of her past. But, seeing Margarete’s blue eyes again, a shoot of hope takes root in her heart. Margarete may not have been able to prevent the sisters being separated during the war. But might she be able to help Marta find out what happened to Joanna now?
A beautiful and emotional read about finding hope in the darkest corners. Fans of The Midwife of Auschwitz, Before We Were Yours and The Orphan Train will lose themselves in this beautiful and heartbreaking book.
MY THOUGHTS
There is nothing that brings out the empathy in readers more than to have down on their luck characters involving animals or children. This one involves children and it’s heartbreaking.
The author, I love her writing style her words are so fluid, they just flow effortlessly. A book like this just gets to you, as you keep reading hoping against hope to find that silver lining amongst the sadness. There has to be hope somewhere.
Sisters in Poland ten and twelve are out minding their own business when they are kidnapped. Scared out of their wits, the older does everything she can to comfort and protect the younger, all the while having no one to reassure her. Their mother, sickly and at home has no idea what has happened to her children.
Put through unwanted medical tests they had no choice but to receive, all of the kidnapped children are Germanized if they pass the medical tests. The process involves shipping them off to different facilities, none a pleasant place to be with no security or comfort. The Nazi’s don’t care how the children are treated or if they have enough to eat.
There is one little ray of hope in a kindly German nurse who puts her life on the line to treat the children kindly and offer comfort for the little time she is with them.
When the unthinkable happens and the children are separated will they find the will power to go on or just give up? Utterly heartbreaking and intense.
I loved the ending it was rewarding and satisfying. I really enjoy WWII historical fiction especially when it’s as realistic as this author writes it. This is an automatic buy author for me and looking forward to many more great reads.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
VISIT OTHERS ON THE TOUR
THE AUTHOR
About the author
Ann Bennett is the author of several historical novels about the second world war in South East Asia, inspired by her father’s experience as a prisoner of the Japanese on the Thai-Burma railway. She has a Law degree and works full time as a lawyer, but is fascinated by India and South East Asia. Since her early twenties she has spent as much time as possible travelling in the region. She’s married with three sons and lives in Surrey.
1930s, Poland. We hold our breath as the gears turn, waiting to see if years of work have paid off. The operator looks at me with tears in his eyes. He nods his head. We’ve done it. The code has been broken. But with war brewing, will it be enough to save us?
After graduating as the first and only woman on her university course, orphan Beata is set on joining the Polish Cipher Bureau. She’s determined to save her country from invasion by cracking the Enigma code. But, as the Germans close in, Beata and her team need help…
Meeting with British Intelligence, Beata passionately describes her work: and catches the bright, sparkling eyes of one of the agents, Harry. His excitement about her efforts with Enigma and how vital it is for all their futures makes her more determined than ever to do what’s right.
But those stolen moments might be their last. Any hope of preventing war is dashed as gunfire rings across the rooftops and boots sound on the cobblestones. The Nazis have made it to the city. Beata and Harry must flee.
With their duties tearing them in different directions, their only hope is to reunite at the home of British codebreakers, Bletchley Park. But carrying the final key to the Enigma code, and with the Nazis close on her tail, can Beata keep the secrets she holds safe and turn the tide of the war? And will she ever see Harry again?
Inspired by the true story of the brave Polish mathematicians who worked on the Enigma code, this completely addictive World War 2 historical novel is perfect for fans of Kate Quinn, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and My Name is Eva.
MY THOUGHTS
I simply could not put this book down. My goal reading a historical book is to learn as much as I can about the subject. It’s an extra bonus if I learn something I hadn’t known about a subject I’m familiar with.
Based on fact I had a hard time putting this down as it was so informative. I’m going to say it again about the author, she puts an impressive amount of research into her books and for this I’m grateful. I love descriptions and details in historical books, it helps me learn new facts.
The writing is divided into two time periods, the first part focuses on codebreaking and a romance with a man Beata meets Harry who is taken with her from the start. I thought it was sweet he continued to write letters to stay close to his mother though she no longer is with him.
The second part of the book focuses on Beata’s stay in a concentration camp. The author portrays the character’s emotions so well: the fear, anger. hopeless despair. In your mind as you read you can see the character’s skeletal form as they are deprived of proper food and hygiene, and you celebrate with them as they see a ray of hope in their situation.
Despite the characters experiencing dark situations there is hope, love and encouragement after all.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
While Gosia Nealon is a proud New Yorker, she was born and raised in Poland. Her journey to the Big Apple revealed a wealth of cultural differences, but also the values that connect us all. Like the fierce desire to protect family, find love, and ultimately, discover who we are and why we’re here.
Gosia’s award-winning short stories have always delved into life’s biggest questions, but it was the drama, sacrifice, and tragedy of WWII that led her to pen her debut novel, which won a gold medal in the 2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY).
Growing up in Poland, Gosia heard many firsthand accounts of the war, told from a perspective rarely captured in mainstream literature. She was compelled to breathe life into two young people falling in love in the midst of the most terrifying conflict of our time.
achau, 1942. Emilie has been told she’s here to nurse evil men. But the first patient she sees in the cold, dark room is hauntingly familiar. Her first love is not wicked. He couldn’t be. What is he doing here?
Emilie’s heart stops as she takes in her childhood sweetheart hunched in a tattered prisoner’s uniform, the light lost from his face. Her new husband, Otto, said this was a camp for criminals. He should know, he’s the doctor. But Danner would never have broken the law.
As she looks into Danner’s beautiful brown eyes, she’s transported back to their happy childhood in Munich. The friendship they shared. The way her heart once felt like it beat only for him. Before the Jewish laws were enforced and Danner pushed Emilie away to protect her, breaking her heart.
Now, Emilie rushes to find Otto, desperate for answers. But when she discovers him waiting with confidentiality papers for her to sign, she realizes her husband has been lying. This isn’t a place to treat sick criminals, but to murder the innocent. And Otto tells her if she doesn’t help, they’ll both die.
Her hands shake as she receives her instructions. But as she rushes back to the sickbay, searching for a way to escape, her gaze lands on Danner once more. In his eyes, she can see something that almost looks like hope…
The thought of losing her first love again tears Emilie’s heart in two. She’s determined to keep him alive, and perhaps she can alter the fate of more than just one prisoner. But can she save Danner? Or will she die trying to rescue the man she’s never stopped loving?
MY THOUGHTS
Oh, my heart, this book deserves nothing less than a five-star review. If I could give it more I would. I was immersed in the characters and their situations as I read. My heart ached as I read. Why is life so harsh, so unfair to some just because of their nationality, while the “right” people seem to have it so easy in life?
Based on true events, the book is heart wrenching, it brought tears to my eyes more than once.
Growing up in Munich, Emilie has had a happy childhood with many friends to play with, of both sexes. They go in and out of each other’s house like as though they were their own.
Emilie and Danner………. best of childhood friends to young sweethearts. Then he is lost to her as they are separated because he is Jewish and he doesn’t want to see her suffer because of him, and her heart is broken. With her heart broken she marries Otto, a doctor. Nurse Emilie’s patient is strikingly familiar, that voice she knows it. Doctor Otto’s instructions are not just to treat the patient but to do horrible things to the patients that will result in their deaths. She is sickened when she comes to the realization, who is this man she married that has been lying to her?
With her childhood dreams of love fading before her eyes will she be able to do what she knows her heart is calling her to do? Based on truth it’s important to not forget these dark times lest we repeat this time where so many suffered needlessly.
Realistic and poignant, reading this will evoke a variety of emotions. The women are the strong characters in this book, their strength turns the darkness into recovery and positivity. A not to miss read.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
USA Today and International Bestselling Author, Shari J. Ryan, is known for her captivating World War Two Historical Fiction, Women’s Romance Fiction, and gripping Psychological Thriller novels. Each series and standalone contains a wide range of dark suspense and heartbreaking emotions.
Shari has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Johnson & Wales University and started her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer until 2012 when she discovered her passion for writing books. Since then, she has been captivating readers with her compelling storytelling and has written over thirty-five novels with translated publications in twelve languages.
Shari’s talent and dedication have earned her a place on the USA Today Bestseller List, as well as rankings in Amazon’s Top 100, Barnes & Noble’s Top Ten, and iBooks at number one. She has also received two Rone awards for her outstanding work.
Some of Shari’s bestselling books include: “The Stolen Twins,” The Bookseller of Dachau,” “The Doctor’s Daughter,” “The Girl with the Diary,” “Prison Child,” “The Soldier’s Letters,” and “The Lieutenant’s Girl.” These gripping novels are sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Shari, a lifelong Boston girl lives in a small town in the suburbs and has a loving marriage with her adored husband. Together, they have two incredible young sons who make her feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
To learn more about Shari J. Ryan and her captivating books, visit her official website at www.sharijryan.com
She took him in when no one else would. She didn’t expect to fall in love…
London 1939. As war casts a dark shadow in his homeland Germany, journalist Sebastien wanders the grey fog-filled streets. His heart breaks as he remembers his hurried goodbye to his mother and sister. But even if everyone in London looks at him with suspicion in their eyes, he knows he made the right choice. It was the only way to keep his family safe from the Nazis hunting him…
When he sees a notice for a lodger in a pretty house on a cobbled street, he doesn’t allow hope to flare within him. He’s been rejected at every door he’s knocked on. But when Finley, with her warm brown eyes and sparkling smile, agrees to rent him the room, he allows himself to see a chink of light in the darkness. And as they grow closer over cups of cocoa in the cosy kitchen, love begins to develop.
Sebastien knows that he can’t stay hidden in Finley’s warmth forever though. He has to join the fight. It’s the only way to save his family and put a stop to the horrors in the country he once called home. When he leaves, they promise to keep their hope and love alive.
But Finley has something that she hasn’t been able to tell Sebastien; something that makes her life alone in the city all the more dangerous. And as the bombs rain down in London, and Sebastien risks his life in France, will she ever get the chance to share her secret with him?
A completely life-affirming and tear-jerking read about love, friendship and being a light for those who need to brave the dark. Fans of The Nightingale and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society will fall in love with The Only Light in London.
VISIT OTHER BLOGS ON THE TOUR
MY THOUGHTS
I’ve read a lot of WWII books and while I do enjoy them, I also enjoy the originality I’ve come to expect while reading this author’s books. I just finished The Last Restaurant in Paris by this author, and I was excited to see what the author would offer with this book. Once again, she provides an informative and unique reading experience.
While about WWII the book doesn’t focus on the fighting and violence as many books do. Though including some tension fraught moments, I enjoyed getting to know the characters in a more relaxed atmosphere of the day-to-day life.
A young man, Sebastian is forced to flee Germany just because he is Jewish, leaving behind his family including his young 12-year-old sister. Hoping to make his way working as he settles into London; he’ll send for his family as soon as he has the funds to do so.
When things take an unexpected and embarrassing turn at his living quarters he’s forced to move. A spare room turns into up at Finley’s home, a woman he had previously met. I enjoyed reading about the theater and the practices. The author brings all the characters to life including the sacrifices they’ve made, and the love shown. Very compelling read. The author has a special way of writing that draws you in and makes you want to just keep reading.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
Author Bio:
Lily has been telling stories since she was a child, starting with her imaginary rabbit, Stephanus, and their adventures in the enchanted peach tree in her garden, which she envisioned as a magical portal to Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree. She’s never really got out of the habit of making things up, and still thinks of Stephanus rather fondly.
She lives with her husband and her English bulldog, Fudge, and brings her love for the sea and country-living to her fiction.
282 pages Bookouture publisher July 20, 2021publish date
ABOUT THE BOOK
Margarete stumbles out of the bombed-out house, the dust settling around her like snow. Mistaking her for the dead officer’s daughter, a guard rushes over to gently ask her if she is all right and whether there’s anything he can do to help her. She glances down at where the hated yellow star had once been, and with barely a pause, she replies “Yes”.
Berlin, 1941: Margarete Rosenbaum is working as a housemaid for a senior Nazi officer when his house is bombed, leaving her the only survivor. But when she’s mistaken for his daughter in the aftermath of the blast, Margarete knows she can make a bid for freedom…
Issued with temporary papers—and with the freedom of not being seen as Jewish—a few hours are all she needs to escape to relative safety. That is, until her former employer’s son, SS officer Wilhelm Huber, tracks her down.
But strangely he doesn’t reveal her true identity right away. Instead he insists she comes and lives with him in Paris, and seems determined to keep her hidden. His only condition: she must continue to pretend to be his sister. Because whoever would suspect a Nazi girl of secretly being a Jew?
His plan seems impossible, and Margarete is terrified they might be found out, not to mention worried about what Wilhelm might want in return. But as the Nazis start rounding up Jews in Paris and the Résistance steps up its activities, putting everyone who opposes the regime in peril, she realizes staying hidden in plain sight may be her only chance of survival…
Can Margarete trust a Nazi officer with the only things she has left though… her safety, her life, even her heart?
MY THOUGHTS
A Light in the Window is the first book in Margarete’s Journey series. Such a breathtaking book. I simply couldn’t put this down. A Jewish maid, after the death of a senior Nazi officer, his wife and daughter will now assume the identity of the dead daughter.
Taking the identity papers, she assumes the persona of this woman as she becomes more confident. Not rationalizing how her actions would be seen she goes on the run knowing if the girls’ brothers see her the game will be over. As a Jewish woman she sees this as her only chance at freedom in life.
When her former employer’s son, an SS officer tracks her down he insists she live with him in Paris and stay hidden. Why would an SS officer want a Jewish woman by his side and how could he possibly be convinced he won’t be found out?
What will the repercussions be for them both if he is caught? I could feel the fear Margarete was feeling but in spite of all of this she is a very brave woman. I was holding my breath as I was reading, my heart sped up and I couldn’t put this down. Completely hooked. I must read the rest of the series to see how this continues to play out.
Pub Date 20 Jul 2021 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marion Kummerow writes historical fiction that explores the dark side of human history. A USA Today Bestselling author, she has received rave reviews from readers and critics for her novels about the German resistance during World War II. Her books feature characters who face moral dilemmas, make difficult decisions, and fight for what is right. She also infuses her stories with humor and undying love, because she believes that love is what makes the world go round.
Born and raised in Germany, Marion has lived in various countries before returning to Munich with her family. After writing several non-fiction books, she felt drawn to the past and the subject of resistance to the Nazi regime. It took her years of courage and hard work to turn the true story of her grandparents Ingeborg and Hansheinrich Kummerow into a trilogy: “Love and Resistance in the Second World War”. UNRELENTING is the first book in this series.
Bringing history to life through her books is Marion’s passion. She visits museums, travels to memorials and the locations in her books, reads original source material, and consults experts to meticulously research the historical facts and details in her novels.
Her stories are authentic and immersive, transporting readers to another time and place. She writes with the conviction that we must never forget the past, so it won’t repeat itself.
When she’s not writing or researching, Marion likes to travel, do yoga, and spend time with her family. She also enjoys reading books by other historical fiction authors.
If you want to get a taste of her writing, you can download a free short story about a downed British airman here: https://kummerow.info/
258 pages Barbour publisher June 01,2022 publish date grab a copy here
ABOUT THE BOOK
Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.
Only last year, Fannie O’Brien was considered a beauty with a brain, and her future shone bright, despite the war pounding Europe. With her father’s sudden death and her brothers overseas, Fannie must now do the work of three men on their 200-acre farm—until eight German prisoners arrive and, just as Fannie feared, trouble comes too. Someone seems intent on causing “accidents,” and Fannie is certain the culprit is one of the two handsome older Germans—or possibly both. Can she manage the farm, keep the prisoners in line, and hold her family together through these turbulent times?
MY THOUGHTS
This book has an interesting take on WWII. So many books have been written about the men off fighting the war on foreign soil. This one takes place on American soil and is about the people left at home while their loved ones are off fighting.
A woman missing her husband, recently widowed is running their Wisconsin farm along with her two daughters and a son. Her two older sons are in Germany fighting the war. Missing them desperately every day they pray for their safe arrival back home.
One thing I had never heard of was German POW’s being held were used as laborers at farms with a guard at every work area. The farms still needed planting and harvesting to provide for themselves and those on the frontline.
The author brings to life the feelings the characters have in the many situations they are forced to endure.
There is a light romance, but I am glad that it wasn’t the focal point of the book. I enjoyed the information the author presented, especially in her notes in the back of the book. I’ve learned so much from this series.
Pub Date 01 Jun 2022 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Series
THE AUTHOR
Naomi is an award-winning author who crafts her stories from the pristine north woods of Wisconsin, where she and her husband Jeff live as epically as God allows near the families of their five children. She enjoys roaming around on the farm, snacking out of the garden, relaxing in her vintage camper, and loving on her passel of grandchildren. Naomi is a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers; Faith, Hope, and Love Christian Writers; and the Lake Superior Writers. Though she has written in a variety of venues, her great love is historical fiction. She had three new releases in 2022. Her novel, Song for the Hunter is the sequel to Mist O’er the Voyageur, a 2019 Selah Awards finalist and two-time Book of the Year nominee. Not for Love is her novella in Barbour’s new Lumberjacks & Ladies collection. Her Heroines of WWII novel titled Season of My Enemy releases in June. She is the author of several other series, collections, and stand-alone novels. Naomi would love to connect with you around the web and you can sign up for her monthly newsletter on her site.
Website: naomimusch.com
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Twitter: @NMusch
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Poland, 1944: Armed men line the streets herding us forward, ignoring screams as they pull people from the crowd. My heart pounds as I hear a familiar cry. They have hold of my darling friend. I desperately push through to her, to save her. But we are too densely packed in. I can’t hold back my sobs as she crumples. I am too late…
When war broke out, Julia’s father, a high-ranking Polish Officer, took her from Warsaw to keep her safe. Now, with her father missing-in-action, Julia has returned to find him and fight for the resistance—but the city is more dangerous than she ever thought it could be.
When she is trapped in the ghetto, Nazis dragging people into the streets all around her, Julia can only watch in horror as her dearest friend is pulled from the crowd. Heart shattering as her friend falls to the cobbled streets, Julia’s desperate screams attract the soldiers’ attention, and it seems she is about to suffer the same awful fate.
Until her childhood sweetheart, Nikolaj, appears in enemy uniform and stops the guards with one word. The boy Julia remembers would never side with the Germans: and in the safety of his private room, he explains he is a resistance spy within the ranks of Nazi officers. But the longer he keeps her in the barracks, surrounded by his soldiers, the more Julia grows uneasy about the man she once knew…
Half-Jewish and with her father a wanted man, how safe can she be behind enemy lines? Has her childhood friend become one of the monsters she has been fighting against? And if he has, will she ever be able to escape him?
Fans of Orphan Train, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz will adore this utterly heart-breaking page turner. You will not forget this unputdownable story of love, loss and the courage it takes to hold on to hope in darkest times.
I have read many books touching on different topics of WWII, none have touched me the way this series has. Though this is a series each book may be read as a standalone though you’ll get more benefit of reading the entire series. I have learned so much by reading this series.
Have the tissues with you while reading. My heart broke for the mistreatment of the Polish people.
Beginning with the uprising of the Polish people in and near Warsaw. In Poland 1944, Julia’s father is a high-ranking officer and moves them out of Warsaw to keep them safe but goes mia. She must return to Poland to search for him, and she is also part of the resistance. When she sees a long-time childhood friend, she has always felt safe with she doesn’t understand why she sees him in a Nazi uniform.
Talking to her he explains he is really spying as a German soldier. Wanting to feel safe with him she overlooks his bizarre and changed personality, but should she examine it further?
This is an exceptional author who writes a true to life story that is not afraid to include the nitty gritty because after all this is true to life. Her stories always have the glimmer of light shining through in the absolute courageous actions of characters, unparallel bravery and putting other needs before their own. I will read every book this author writes!
Pub Date: 21 Apr 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Author
While Gosia Nealon is a proud New Yorker, she was born and raised in Poland. Her journey to the Big Apple revealed a wealth of cultural differences, but also the values that connect us all. Like the fierce desire to protect family, find love, and ultimately, discover who we are and why we’re here.
Gosia’s award-winning short stories have always delved into life’s biggest questions, but it was the drama, sacrifice, and tragedy of WWII that led her to pen her debut novel, which won a gold medal in the 2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY).
Growing up in Poland, Gosia heard many firsthand accounts of the war, told from a perspective rarely captured in mainstream literature. She was compelled to breathe life into two young people falling in love in the midst of the most terrifying conflict of our time.
When Gosia isn’t tapping away at her laptop, she’s often walking the streets of New York. With her husband and two young sons in tow, they search for the most succulent pierogi, transporting them back to the cobbled streets of her childhood.
475 pages Berkley Publisher March 1, 2022 publish date
Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Buzzfeed · Bookbub · BookTrib · and more! Two women, two countries. Nothing in common but a call to fight.
A heart-stopping new novel based on the extraordinary true stories of an American socialite and a British secret agent whose stunning acts of courage collide inthe darkest hours of World War II.
About The Book
1940. In a world newly burning with war, andin spite of her American family’s wishes, Virginia d’Albert-Lake decides to stay in occupied France with her French husband. She’s sure that if they keep their heads down, they’ll survive. But is surviving enough?
Nineteen-year-old Violette Szabo has seen the Nazis’ evil up close and is desperate to fight them. But when she meets the man who’ll change her life only for tragedy to strike, Violette’s adrift. Until she enters the radar of Britain’s secret war organization—the Special Operations Executive—and a new fire is lit in her as she decides just how much she’s willing to risk to enlist.
As Virginia and Violette navigate resistance, their clandestine deeds come to a staggering halt when they are brought together at Ravensbrück concentration camp.
The decisions they make will change their lives, and the world, forever.
Powerful and heart pounding! The author tells the tale of two women, women whose bravery is beyond compare. This story based on true events and people shows the bravery these women displayed despite the cost to themselves. Their actions and bravery helped to defeat the Nazis. Based upon the experiences of renowned WWII SOE agents Violette Szabo and Virginia d’Albert-Lake this book has been meticulously researched. Compelling read, you won’t soon forget the sacrifices these women made.
Published March 1, 2022 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Author
Erika Robuck is the national bestselling author of Sisters of Night and Fog, The Invisible Woman, Hemingway’s Girl, Call Me Zelda, and more. In 2014, Robuck was named Annapolis’ Author of the Year, and she resides there with her family.
Have you read this book or plan to? I’d love to know your thoughts.
285 pages April 4,2023 publication date Publisher Thread
About The Book
“I found myself in the Auschwitz stables, and I felt an ember of hope. If I could make myself useful, helping these horses, maybe I could stay alive.”
In the darkest moment of history, one child found the courage and strength to survive the unimaginable. This is Henry’s true story.
One hot, humid day in July, 1943, the Gestapo abducted fifteen-year-old Henry and his mother, forcing them onto cramped cattle cars in the Łódź Polish Ghetto. Like so many Jews before them, they had been selected to disappear – they were being sent to Auschwitz.
Exhausted after hours of traveling, they finally emerged from the stifling, filth-ridden cattle car. Already devastated at having lost his father to starvation, Henry clutched his mother’s frail hand, knowing she was all he had left in the world, and that he was the only one left to protect her. In a flash, he felt them being brutally torn apart.
Crying out for her, his heart shuddered as he watched her disappear into a sea of other women. Henry knew that was the last time he would ever see her, and he felt like he had failed her. He was now completely alone in the world.
Starving, and close to giving up all hope, Henry volunteered to work in the stables, responsible for breeding horses for the war effort. As he watched other prisoners leave and never return, Henry quickly realised these horses were his only lifeline – because every morning he was sent to the stables, was one more morning he escaped the gas chambers.
Before long, caring for the horses became a passion, and their comfort and strength gave Henry a glimmer of life and hope in an ocean of death. Although with every second that passed, Henry knew if he became too weak or made one mistake, he would be mercilessly replaced…
This is the heart-wrenching and inspirational true account of a courageous little German boy who, against all odds, after losing almost everything a human being can lose, survived to tell his story.
This book was originally published as The Kindness of the Hangman.
There are accounts of people who have survived the abuse of the power of the Nazi’s but not many stories of surviving children. This is one of those stories. Just six years old when he starts school in Cognac, Germany Jewish child Henry Oster enters school on the first day excited. Living as an only child of well to do parents he doesn’t know he’s different or Jewish until after school when the non-Jewish children attack with more than words the Jewish children. The jews have all their rights stripped away, not allowed to own businesses or homes they feel powerless, useless. Against their will they are rounded up like cattle and sent to a repurposed ghetto with broken windows a lack of food and severe overcrowding. Eventually they are sent to a concentration camp. You feel a deep empathy for these characters as their horrific conditions and treatment is revealed. At a camp Henry is in charge of the horses because of his native German language which the horses are used to getting commands in. I have read many historical accounts of Auschwitz and its prisoners, but this account is unlike any I’ve read before. In the face of incredible horror and danger to not only survive but to have his story told. He was a very brave person and his life, and the life of the others counted. Such a time in history we must never forget.
Pub Date: 04 Apr 2023 I was given a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Author
n 1933 Henry Oster was just 5 years old, a carefree kindergartner in Cologne, Germany, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis seized power. For the next 12 years Henry struggled to keep on breathing while his family, his friends and the Jews of Europe were overwhelmed by the Holocaust. Henry hid his mother from the SS in an attic in the Lodz, Poland Ghetto. He escaped a firing squad in Auschwitz. Endured a death march through the Polish winter. Formed a life-long friendship in the nightmare barracks of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Saw his friends killed by a British fighter-bomber. And came within hours of starving to death before his liberation by General Patton’s 3rd Army. Henry rebuilt his life from nothing, coming of age as a free young man in Paris. He arrived in the U.S. with no English, no money and no education. And from the ashes of a ruined past built a life full of love, joy and compassion. Now, complete with chilling documents liberated from the Nazi concentration camps themselves, his heartbreaking, triumphant story can finally be told.
Dexter Ford is a Contributing Writer to The New York Times and other major publications on history, politics, the Holocaust, World War ll, architecture, transportation technology and the auto, aviation, motorcycle industries. He also writes extensively on adventure travel: he has flown upside-down with the Blue Angels, ridden a motorcycle through China, Russia, and the Andes, and swum alone, at night, with airplane-sized Manta Rays. Mr. Ford lives in Manhattan Beach, California and Higgins Bay, New York. –This text refers to the hardcover edition.
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