Tag: Jews

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historical fiction

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

384 pages Gallery Books Publication date July 6, 2021

ABOUT THE BOOK

The New York Times bestselling author of the “heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism” (People) The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis—until a secret from her past threatens everything.

After being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change everything.

Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel from the #1 internationally bestselling author whose writing has been hailed as “sweeping and magnificent” (Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author), “immersive and evocative” (Publishers Weekly), and “gripping” (Tampa Bay Times).

MY THOUGHTS

My heart just aches for these characters. Another WWII book heavily researched based on facts. This one takes place mainly amongst the forest of Poland.


Yona was just a babe at two years old when she was stolen from her crib in her nursery from her wealthy German parents by an old woman of the forest. As she grew, she only knew living off the land and spent her life with only her kidnapper who trained her up in her ways. The woman was Jewish but not overly religious.

It was fascinating reading how they lived in seclusion in the woods moving from spot to spot often so as to stay undetected. Eating mushrooms, berries and drinking from freshwater streams sometimes two miles away. The forest animals were her playmates. She was trained in herbal healing and how to defend herself with a knife if needed.

Asking about her parents her kidnapper only tells her that her parents were evil. After her captor dies, she is curious about human company and goes to the edge of the forest where she sees Jews from the ghetto, some are hurt. She has healing powers and knows her herbs. This group is fleeing for their lives from the Nazis, and she promises to teach them all she knows as they escape into the forest. Feeling kinship with the Jews as she was raised by one though German herself.


I have never read a book with so many wilderness aspects, the book was absolutely mesmerizing, and I couldn’t put it down. Being in isolation for so many years she makes some unexpected discoveries about herself as she helps this group of people.

Will she ever want to return to civilization though? Once again, I learned so much from the author’s notes in the back of the book about the Polish people and their struggles during WWII. Such heroes selflessly giving of themselves for the good of all. Just amazing!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Kristin has been writing professionally since the age of 16, when she began her career as a sportswriter, covering Major League Baseball and NHL hockey for a local magazine in Tampa Bay, Florida in the late 1990s. In addition to a long magazine writing career, primarily writing and reporting for PEOPLE magazine (as well as articles published in numerous other magazines, including American Baby, Men’s Health, Woman’s Day, and more), Kristin was also a frequent contributor to the national television morning show The Daily Buzz. She sold her first novel in 2004, and it debuted in February 2006.

Kristin was born just outside Boston, Massachusetts and spent her childhood there, as well as in Worthington, Ohio, and St. Petersburg, Florida. After graduating with a degree in journalism (with a minor in Spanish) from the University of Florida, she spent time living in Paris and Los Angeles and now lives in Orlando, with her husband and young son. She is also the co-founder and co-host of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.

March is a great month to read historical fiction, and I hope you’re enjoying the books I’m choosing. Have a wonderful day.

Categories
historical fiction

The Librarian of Saint-Malo: A WWII Novel by Mario Escobar

371 pages Thomas Nelson publisher Publication date June 1, 2021

ABOUT THE BOOK

Libraries are being ransacked. France is torn apart by war. A French librarian is determined to resist. Told through smuggled letters to an author, an ordinary librarian describes the brutal Nazi occupation of her small coastal village and the extraordinary measures she takes to fight back.

Saint-Malo, France: August 1939. Jocelyn and Antoine are childhood sweethearts, but just after they marry, Antoine is drafted to fight against Germany. As World War II rages, Jocelyn uses her position as a librarian in her town of Saint-Malo to comfort and encourage her community with books. Jocelyn begins to write secret letters smuggled to a famous Parisian author, telling her story in the hope that it will someday reach the outside world.

France falls and the Nazis occupy Jocelyn’s town, turning it into a fortress. The townspeople try passive resistance, but the German commander ruthlessly begins to destroy part of the city’s libraries. Books deemed unsuitable by the Nazis are burnt or stolen, and priceless knowledge is lost.

Risking arrest and even her life, Jocelyn manages to hide some of the books while desperately waiting to receive news from her husband Antoine, now a prisoner in a German camp.

Jocelyn’s mission unfolds in her letters: to protect the people of Saint-Malo and the books they hold so dear. Mario Escobar brings to life the occupied city in sweeping and romantic prose, re-creating the history of those who sacrificed all to care for the people they loved.

Includes discussion questions for book clubs, a historical timeline, and notes from the author.

World War II historical fiction inspired by true events.

MY THOUGHTS

I have read many of the author’s books. They are incredible. Incredible sounds like such a lame word to use to describe the author’s books though, they are just that great and I highly recommend all of them.


World War II historical fiction inspired by true events. Many of the characters are also based on actual people just with the names changed.
There are thousands of WWII books, and this is one of them but no matter how many I read I find deep satisfaction in them because I love history and always learn something new about this subject as each book seems to cover a different angle of the war and it’s going on’s.


Saint-Malo, France: August 1939: With her husband away at war against the Germans, French wife Jocelyn is meticulously dedicated to her position as a librarian in her town of Saint-Malo. She encourages others to find comfort in the books as their librarian when they’re not in shelters as the bombs rain down.


As with all wars there is a madman in charge, Hitler who commands his puppets to do his dirty work. They feel so powerful abusing commoners and kidnapping the Jews. They think nothing of abusing women and children. There really are a lot of heartbreaking scenes in the book, but it’s all based on fact and is something we should never forget as we honor those who gave their lives in one way or another during the war or just helping others out around them.


Librarian Joycelyn writes letters of her life to an author of her ordinary life before and after the Nazi occupation so though she may not escape the terror her letters will, and others may know how she fought for all and the importance of her library.


It also broke my heart to read of the brutality she faces many times over by the Nazis as she tries to protect the books banned by the Germans. These books faced being ripped up, bombing and fire.
The author really brings these troubling times to life as we see terror but also so much bravery despite knowing what they would face. Excellent!

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Mario Escobar has a master’s degree in modern history and has written numerous books and articles that delve into the depths of church history, the struggle of sectarian groups, and the discovery and colonization of the Americas. Escobar, who makes his home in Madrid, Spain, is passionate about history and its mysteries.

Autor Betseller con miles de libros vendidos en todo el mundo. Sus obras han sido traducidas al chino, japonés, inglés, ruso, portugués, danés, francés, italiano, checo, polaco, serbio, entre otros idiomas. Novelista, ensayista y conferenciante. Licenciado en Historia y Diplomado en Estudios Avanzados en la especialidad de Historia Moderna, ha escrito numerosos artículos y libros sobre la Inquisición, la Reforma Protestante y las sectas religiosas.

Ganador Premio Empik 2020

Publica asiduamente en las revistas Más Allá y National Geographic Historia

Apasionado por la historia y sus enigmas ha estudiado en profundidad la Historia de la Iglesia, los distintos grupos sectarios que han luchado en su seno, el descubrimiento y colonizacíón de América; especializándose en la vida de personajes heterodoxos españoles y americanos.

Su primera obra, Conspiración Maine 2006, fue un éxito. Le siguieron El mesías Ario (2007), El secreto de los Assassini (2008) y la Profecía de Aztlán (2009). Todas ellas parte de la saga protagonizada por Hércules Guzmán Fox, George Lincoln y Alicia Mantorella.

Su libro Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano ha sido traducido a 12 idiomas, entre ellos el chino, inglés, francés, italiano, portugues, japonés, danés, etc.

Sol rojo sobre Hiroshima (2009) y El País de las lágrimas (2010) son sus obras más intimistas. También ha publicado ensayos como Martín Luther King (2006) e Historia de la Masonería en Estados Unidos (2009). Los doce legados de Steve Jobs (2012). La biografía del papa Francisco. El primer papa latinoamericano (2013). La Saga Ione (2013) o la Serie Apocalipsis (2012).Saga Misión Verne (2013)El libro más exitoso en España es El Círculo (Top 10 de Amazon).

http://www.marioescobar.es

Thank you for stopping in.

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Blog tour for The Berlin Wife’s Vow (German Wives Book 4) Happy Publication Day

ABOUT THE BOOK

She kneels by her husband, his face contorted with pain. “You must get yourself to safety,” he tells her. She grips his hand tighter as a tear tracks down her drawn, pale face. “I promised to stay beside you. I will keep that vow to the end.”

Berlin, 1944. Edith Falkenstein weeps with joy when the crowds of brave women protesting on Rosenstrasse manage to save their Jewish relatives, including her husband Julius, from deportation to the camps.

Julius once believed abiding by the rules would shield him and his wife. But now he knows better: there is no such thing as mercy from the Nazis, and they must do all they can to save others. Their apartment, long stripped of its luxurious furnishings, might offer little protection from the frigid winter air, but it has become a place of secret shelter—though it puts all their lives at risk.

As bombs rain a thunder of devastation on the city and Soviet soldiers close in from the east, the Nazis have only become more desperate, and more deadly. For the inhabitants, their only option is to flee. But when another raid leaves Julius critically injured, Edith realises he is far too frail to make the perilous journey. She closes her eyes and prays for a miracle.

The final days of the war are here, but there is no cause for celebration in Berlin, where death lingers on every corner. Their love has been the source of their strength and survival all these long years, but will either of them live to see the end?

MY THOUGHTS

This is the final book in the Berlin Wife’s series, and I have diligently read and followed along with it all.

Being fascinated with learning about past history especially WWII history I enjoy reading this author’s books so much for what I learn from them. Exceptionally well researched which I always appreciate she makes the stories come to life on the pages. It’s as though she’s there back in time and writing about her observations in day-to-day life, amidst the fear, danger, courage, blood, sweat, tears and shocking realizations.


I have read most of the books the author has written and was pleased to see a return of characters from other books in the series and even a few characters made it into the book I remember from other series. If I had to choose my favorite characters would be David and Roxie. Roxie has really come a long way from the time we were first introduced to her.


Such resilience in the face of darkness. We meet new characters, see failures but despite these, the human spirit is strong.
I am so impressed with the way the author portrays each character, so realistically, the struggles and hardships are real. Despite all this I felt the strong family love the characters have for each other. I greatly look forward to reading the new series the author is writing.

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/

Enjoy your weekend. Thank you for stopping in.

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Two historical fiction book reviews by Marion Kummerow, finishing the series: The Girl in the Shadows and Daughter of the Dawn (Margarete’s Journey series)

282 pages March 23, 2022 publication date Bookouture publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

1943, Germany: Two years ago, fate gave a beautiful young Jewish woman named Margarete Rosenbaum the chance to survive the Nazis, by pretending to be one of them, hiding in plain sight. Now she must make a terrifying decision…

Margarete lives as Annegret Huber would have, in a beautiful rural mansion by a forest in northern Germany. She is the heiress to the entire Huber fortune—one which she has devastatingly discovered includes a factory and Nazi prison camp. Margarete has done everything she can to help improve conditions there, and to reduce suffering for the prisoners who remind her so much of her own lost family and friends.

However, as the war rages on and the Nazi party becomes more brutal in its treatment of Jews, she realizes she must do more. She has to help the prisoners escape to real safety, because they will never be safe in Hitler’s Germany.

She’s heard of a route to freedom through Sweden. Although that means secretly reaching out to the resistance. With the risk of betrayal at every turn, her enquiries lead her to a man named Stefan, who she instantly feels a powerful connection to. But she fears he will never trust her… unless she reveals the secret that keeps her safe.

At the same time, a Nazi officer begins to show romantic interest in her, making it harder to keep her identity a secret. His loyalty to the party is beyond question, so if he finds her out, not only will her plan be at risk, but also her life and those of everyone she cares for.

But can she let that fear stop her from saving others? Because she knows she herself could so easily be one of the faces on the other side of the fence. And that, in the darkest times, sometimes the only person who can rise up is the girl in the shadows…

The powerful third novel in Marion Kummerow’s bestselling Margarete’s Journey series is an unforgettable and devastating story, perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Lilac Girls, and All the Light We Cannot See.

MY THOUGHTS

In this, the third book in the Margarete’s Journey series once again Margarete aka Annegret , a former Jewish maid stole the identification papers of the dead daughter of an important SS leader after the family’s death. This was her way of survival assuming the identity of this woman.

As this woman she has inherited a mansion and factory employing Jews. These are her people, and she is trying to do everything in her power to get working conditions better for them, but people are starting to become suspicious, and rumors are flying when she hasn’t been entertaining with parties for the Nazi’s like her mother used to do.

When an upper ranking Nazi official falls in love with her and wants to marry her, she is sickened but when he becomes suspicious of who she is it becomes even worse. Will she be able to carry on, hiding in plain sight while helping her own or is there a traitor amongst them?


Full of hold your breath moments, I have to know how this ends and will start the last book in this series now.
Recommended series and fast reads.

Pub Date 23 Mar 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

262 pages October 13, 2022 publication date Bookouture publisher

ABOUT THE BOOK

944, Germany: The war is still raging, as a young woman named Margarete hides from the Nazis in plain sight. With each day that passes, she takes more risks. But will one of those risks ultimately take her to the most evil place on earth?

After a bombing led to her identity being mistaken, Margarete Rosenbaum has been living disguised as one of the Nazis themselves, for almost the entire war.

But secretly—aided by Stefan, a resistance fighter she’s becoming impossibly drawn to—she is trying to liberate the Jewish workers sent to work on the land she’s inherited, and to sabotage the work of the factory she’s meant to be in charge of.

She knows that every day she is risking her life. But she also knows what she has to do. Because it could be her on the other side of the barbed wire fence. And for every person she saves from the Nazis, it’s worth it.

Until she is discovered. And to protect the people she had been helping, she knows she must accept her fate. Even when they send her to the very place, she’s hoped to save her prisoners from: Auschwitz… Where no one comes out alive. As the war moves towards its brutal end, will she survive to see Stefan again?

MY THOUGHTS

Daughter of the Dawn is the final book in the Margarete’s Journey series.
Margarete has come a long way from her humble beginnings as a Jewish maid who took over the identity of Annegret Huber, the rich German daughter of an important SS man after their death. Having inherited a mansion, factory and riding stables she’s been hiding in plain sight for years but is her luck about to run out?

She is betrayed by an important Nazi man who had a love interest in her, but he then finds out she is Jewish and not the German woman she betrays herself to be. We spend a lot of time with Margarete’s uncle as well as there is a lot of brutal behavior towards many of the characters including him.

It’s heartbreaking thinking of how these people were treated. Margarete and her boyfriend Stefan, a resistance fighter go on the run but become separated believing they will never see each other again.

It was wonderful reading this four-part series and I’m glad I have. I learned a lot and the author has done a lot of research on this. Full of heartache but we see light at the of the tunnel with strong and courageous characters. I will be reading more by this author in the future.

Pub Date 13 Oct 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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/

Or visit her website for a complete list of her published books and interesting background information: https://kummerow.info/recommended-reading-order/

Thank you for stopping in today and enjoy your day.

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Bookouture Blog Tour for The Polish Daughter By Gosia Nealon

About The Book

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.

Buy Now

The Polish Daughter (The Secret Resistance #3)

Published April 21st 2023 by Bookouture

My Thoughts

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.

Author social media

Website: https://www.gosianealon.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GosiaNealon

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GosiaNealonHistoricalFiction

Email sign up: http://www.thread-books.com/sign-up/?source=endmatter&author=gosia-nealon-384

Have a beautiful day and thanks for stopping in.

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Bookouture Blog Tour for The Girl Who Escaped by Angela Petch

About The Book

The Girl Who Escaped: Utterly heartbreaking and emotional WW2 historical fiction by Angela Petch

Italy, 1940. The girl sobs and rages as her father tells her the terrible news. “Italy is entering the war alongside Germany. Jews are to be arrested and sent to camps. We have to be ready.”

As fascists march across the cobbled piazzas and past the towered buildings of her beloved home city, twenty-year-old Devora’s worst fears come true. Along with her Jewish parents and twin little brothers they are torn away from everything they love and sent to an internment camp huddled in the mountains. Her father promises this war will not last long…

When they are offered a miraculous chance of escape by her childhood friend Luigi, who risks everything to smuggle vital information into the camp, the family clambers under barbed wire and races for the border. But Devora is forced to make a devastating choice between saving a stranger’s life and joining her parents. As shots fire in the moonless night, the family is separated.

Haunted by the question of whether they are dead or alive, all Devora can do for their future is throw herself into helping Luigi in the Italian resistenza in the fight for liberty. But posing as a maid for a German commander to gather secret intelligence, Devora is sure she sees her friend one night, in a Nazi uniform…

Is Devora in more danger than ever? And will her family ever be reunited – or will the war tear them apart?

An absolutely devastating but ultimately uplifting historical novel about how love and hope can get us through the darkest times. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Rhys Bowen and Soraya M. Lane.

Buy link: https://geni.us/B0BYC1V9NHsocial

My Thoughts

Mesmerizing, I was captivated as I read this. As I was whisked away to Italy, I found the descriptions to be breathtaking as I imagined the beauty all around me.
The unimaginable happens as outspoken Devora and her Jewish parents and brothers are taken and sent to an internment camp hidden away in the mountains.
Trying to reassure her, her father tells her it won’t be long.
Another captivating read by this author. Her obvious attention to research leads to the authenticity of her writing. I have read many books on WWII but had little knowledge of Italian Jews during this time period. Devora was not one to sit back when offered help from a childhood friend she will do everything she can to help her family escape.
The book is not a light read but rather deals with the realism we see during a war. Premature death and unwarranted mistreatment and separation of families because of their religious belief are just some of the things present.
Even through times of turmoil we find glimpses of happier times, peace and love.
Devora is a courageous woman who though she goes through many hardships her strength and resilience shines through.
A must read for lovers of historical fiction. This book will not be soon forgotten.

Pub Date 19 Apr 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Visit other blogs on the tour

The Author

Author bio:

I’m an award winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.

Every summer I move to Tuscany for six months where my husband and I own a renovated watermill which we let out. When not exploring our unspoilt corner of the Apennines, I disappear to my writing desk at the top of our converted stable.

In my Italian handbag or hiking rucksack I always make sure to store notebook and pen to jot down ideas.

The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of our family live. When I’m not helping out with grandchildren, I catch up with writer friends.

Author social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angela_maurice/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Angela_Petch

Website: https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com/?fbclid=IwAR3BvI72dioapF_Nf7Ad74ZhkTWvGBrqZcjq5NoGREVb24D7srv5ZmyDOcU

Have a beautiful day. Thank you for stopping in.

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Blog Tour for The Stable Boy of Auschwitz: A heartbreaking true story of courage and survival by Henry Oster and Dexter Ford

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.

Grab A Copy here

My Thoughts

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.

It was an honor to participate in this blog tour. Thank you @Thread

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Bookouture Blog tour for The American Wife by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger 

About The Book

With her heart in her mouth, Kitty let herself into her husband’s private study. She knew where he kept the papers that might save her dearest friend from the Nazis. She just had to steal them…

Vienna, 1937. When beautiful American Kitty becomes engaged to Austrian diplomat Edgar, she finds herself thrown into a very different world in Europe, and soon longs for home. But when the woman designing her wedding dress, Judith, takes Kitty under her wing, she sees the city of Vienna in a new light – a city of culture and music that she can explore with her new friend.

But when the Nazis come, the fact that Judith is Jewish means she is no longer safe. Kitty knows that as a diplomat’s wife she can steal the papers that will allow her closest friend to escape to safety, but will it mean betraying the love of her life?

Except that Edgar has grown distant and secretive since she joined him in Europe and, when war breaks out, Kitty wonders which side her husband is really on. And, as she prepares to betray him, Kitty begins to fear that she doesn’t really know the man she married at all.

Facing an impossible choice between her dearest friend and the man she loves, Kitty knows she must be brave, and do the right thing, no matter the personal cost…

An absolutely heartbreaking, powerful and gripping story about finding love, resilience and friendship in the midst of the darkness of World War 2. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, My Name is Eva and All the Light We Cannot See.

Book: The American Wife

Author: Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger 

Pub Day:  April 14th 2023

Buy Link: 

https://geni.us/B0BSH828Y9social

Audible:

UK: http://ow.ly/iYOE50Nzx3S

US: http://ow.ly/1sWu50Nzx3R

Listen  here: http://ow.ly/X3KS50Nzx3T

My Thoughts

The American Wife is the first book in a new series, The Diplomat’s Wife.
As I’ve said many times before in my reviews, I love reading books I can learn from this one is a perfect example of this.
Incredibly well researched, the time period taking place right before WW II starts.
After an American woman, Kitty in Vienna has a whirlwind relationship and marriage to Austrian diplomat Edgar she feels in over her heard in Europe and longs for the comfort of home.
A lovely Jewish woman, Judith, her first real friend in Vienna, Austria introduces her to culture and art. I enjoyed being introduced to the cultural aspect of the story.
Our main characters Kitty and Edgar are based on facts gathered on many different actual people and rolled into these characters which I found to make such interesting characters.
During the Austrian resistance in Vienna many people stood up to the Nazis.
“An absolutely heartbreaking, powerful and gripping story about finding love, resilience and friendship in the midst of the darkness of World War 2.”
Such a powerful read that will stay with me. I could not put it down.

Pub Date 14 Apr 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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The Author

Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is a Ukrainian-American who transplanted to Austria.

Born in 1969, she grew up in the culture-rich neighborhood of “Nordeast” Minneapolis and started her writing career with short stories, travel narratives, and worked as a journalist and managing magazine editor, before jumping the desk and pursuing her own writing and traveling.

Her books tackle David-vs.-Goliath themes with strong women battling for the Underdogs against a system, be it political, geographical, or industrial. Sometimes all three. “I enjoy discovering the good, the bad, and the ugly in my characters when they come into conflict,” she says. “And all of my stories have been inspired by injustices I’ve discovered along my travels.”

Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inktreks

Twitter: twitter.com/ckalyna

Website: https://www.inktreks.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ckalyna

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/56890.Chrystyna_Lucyk_BergerBookouture Email Sign Up: https://www.bookouture.com/chrystyna-lucyk-berger

Have a blessed day. Thank you for stopping in today.

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Bookouture Blog Tour for The First Spark of Fire by Marion Kummerow

About The Book–

Germany, 1938. ‘No,’ she cries out as she falls to the floor, fear clutching desperately at her chest, ‘They can’t have taken him, they can’t have taken my husband.’ As her tear-filled eyes dart wildly around the empty room, she realises she has no one to turn to. She is his only hope. But how can she possibly save him?

When shy, beautiful Edith first met Jewish-born Julius it was love at first sight. Julius swept her off her feet, whisking her from humble beginnings into the sparkling society and glittering ballrooms of Berlin’s powerful elite. It felt like all her dreams had come true.

But her perfect world begins to crack with rumblings of the Nazi party growing in power and influence. Every day there are new laws to strip Jews of their money and their freedom. And there are even more frightening rumours, of horrifying camps, and people disappearing in the night…

Then when Edith’s own brother Joseph enlists as an SS officer, and her whole family turn their backs on them, she knows that it is only a matter of time before they come for her husband. She pleads with Julius that their only chance is to run away and start again. Who cares about worldly possessions if they can still be together, their lives intact? But despite everything, he refuses to believe he is in danger.

Then one terrible night, the sounds of cries and breaking glass ring out across the city as the Nazis wreak their destruction. Edith’s worst fears have been realised— Julius has been taken.

For so long, Edith has led a sheltered life, secluded from the real world. But the only way to save her beloved husband is to defy the Nazis and put herself in grave danger. Can she draw on every bit of strength she has to fight for love and save him… or is she already too late?

A totally devastating, powerful, and ultimately uplifting story, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, My Name is Eva and Sold on a Monday.

My Thoughts

The author once again writes about her beloved Germany.
One thing I've noticed while reading this authors books, how impeccably researched they are.
This book is written in the time period preceding and during Hitler's rise to power. His followers were already rabidly devoted.
Set between 1923 and 1938 it follows the rise of Hitler and the Nazis and the escalation of the mistreatment of anyone with even a slight bit of Jewish blood. The Nazis want the women to divorce their Jewish husbands. What ensues is the women refusing and doing whatever it takes to save their men. These are women of bravery who would give up family relationships to stand by their man. Heartbreaking and realistic. A look at history we don't hear much about.
This is the first in the series and I look forward to reading more in this series to see what these brave women do next.

Pub Date: 11 Apr 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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The Author

Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her family.

Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.

https://kummerow.info/
https://www.facebook.com/AutorinKummerow/
https://www.instagram.com/marionkummerow/
https://twitter.com/MarionKummerow

Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Marion Kummerow here: https://www.bookouture.com/marion-kummerow

Buy Link:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BSXTKG9Ksocial

You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you’ll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo

Have an amazing day and thanks for stopping in today.

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Bookouture Blog Tour for The Polish Wife by Gosia Nealon

A heart-breaking World War Two historical novel about one woman’s bravery and the face of grave danger…@Bookouture

About The Book

The Polish Wife  by Gosia Nealon

Germany, 1934. Surrounded by beautiful wedding china, we share our first dinner alone as husband and wife. But, instead of sharing affections, all he talks of is his admiration for Hitler. I force a smile, but my blood runs cold. How can I stay with him, now I know what he truly is?

Six years later. When Anna is approached by the Polish resistance while sheltering in Warsaw, she is eager for the chance to fight against German occupation. Managing a network of spies behind the façade of a café for enemy soldiers will mean risking everything. But, after fleeing her fanatical Nazi husband only for war to follow close behind, Anna can’t run any more.

Every conversation she overhears between the unsuspecting officers at the café brings back awful memories of the Nazi her husband became and makes her more determined to do what is right. Spending more time with the resistance behind the scenes, she grows close to them all—especially a brilliant young doctor with deep hazel eyes called Mateusz, who shows her a kindness she has never known.

As they work together, Anna can’t help imagining what life would be like with him, instead of the man she is tied to. But one day her dreams of a future with Mateusz, and freedom for her country, are shattered. Her husband has tracked her down.

Terrified, Anna knows that living as his wife again is her chance to gather information that could help end the war. But can she keep her nerve long enough to spy on her own husband? And with such a high-ranking enemy officer watching her every move, can she protect Mateusz, the man truly she loves, from the firing line?

This is a totally inspiring and gripping page-turner that you will not be able to put down. Fans of The Alice Network, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and My Name is Eva will fall in love with this heartbreaking tale.

Buy the book: https://geni.us/B0BTTN7RXPsocial

My Thoughts

The Polish Wife is the second book in the Secret Resistance series by Gosia Nealon. The author writes a realistic book that draws you into the characters life, making you care what the outcome will be.


Main character Anna escapes pre-war Nazi Germany, with the help of her mother to get away from an abusive husband who supports the Nazis. Her mother understands her situation because her husband also supports the Nazis, and she doesn’t want her daughter to experience the same things she has.


Escaping to Warsaw she joins the resistance and opens a cafe as a front while hiding in plain sight hearing all the Germans are saying. When she falls in love with a kind doctor, he goes on the run to avoid going against his beliefs, will she follow? In the face of danger, she shows incredible bravery.


Fraught with danger, and a realistic story line I once again could not put down this book by one of my new favorite historical authors.

Pub Date 31 Mar 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

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About 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.

Author social media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GosiaNealonHistoricalFiction

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GosiaNealon

Website: https://www.gosianealon.com/

Newsletter sign up: http://www.thread-books.com/sign-up/?source=endmatter&author=gosia-nealon-384

Thank you for stopping in and have a great weekend!