CODE NAME EDELWEISS by STEPHANIE LANDSEM

Publication date 7/3/23

CODE NAME EDELWEISS by STEPHANIE LANDSEM is based on what happened in 1933 in San Fransisco when the Nazis tried to take over the Hollywood studios in order to advertise anti Semitism and literally take over America for Hitler. Most Americans at the time were more worried about survival and the effects of the Great Depression than what was going on in Europe, and many chose to look the other way.

Leon Mayer was a Jewish lawyer who chose to do something about the situation. His motto was adopted from the sayings of a Jewish rabbi, “If not me, who? If not now, when?” He and his group of spies infiltrated Nazi strongholds such as the Friends of New Germany, showing extraordinary courage.

The story starts with Liesl Weiss, who literally grew up at the MGM studios, losing her job as a secretary there. She is desperate to find employment and accepts a job spying for Leon Lewis, working as a secretary at the Friends of New Germany, where she works for the lecherous Hermann Schwinn, his wife Thekla, Hans Winterhalder and the enigmatical Wilhelm Otto, whose military bearing really scares her. Her code name is Edelweiss and it is her job to look for evidence of treason whilst keeping up a facade of loyalty to the cause. We also follow another spy who goes by the code name Thirteen…….

Liesl is ashamed of her treatment of her best friend Miriam Stahr and her family, and hates being alienated from them. She is lonely and feels abandoned by her husband Tomas who disappeared without a trace, leaving her to support their two children, her mother and rebellious younger brother Fritz. I like to see her growing faith as she cries out to the Lord, and how she chooses to put others before herself.

This story about the incredible courage shown by a small group of people really touched me, and I cannot recommend this excitng and inspirational book highly enough.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Tyndale House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

IN LOVE’S TIME by KATE BRESLIN

Publication date 22/1/23

IN LOVE’S TIME is another beautifully written WW1 novel by KATE BRESLIN, with a poignant love story, which seems doomed by circumstances, a nail biting plot and a strong Christian message, mainly that of trusting God and one another. I literally could not put the book down.

Captain Sir Marcus Weaherford, who works at the Admiralty in London and goes on top secret and highly dangerous missions, has a motto, namely, “Duty and love do not mix”. It is on one such mission in Russia with the beautiful Natalya Bryce that he receives a head injury which causes retrograde amnesia.

Clare Danner, who was expecting his proposal only to see him propose to another, goes to the Weatherford mansion in Hampshire to nurse him, hoping he will remember her and her daughter Daisy before she loses her precios little girl for the second time……

There is treachery, jealousy, a missing spy and a mole in the Admiralty, together with the Bolshevik uprising in Russia, which all makes for a thrilling read.

The author has obviously done a great deal of research into this period of history and this, together with her understanding of human emotions, makes up a most enjoyable historical romance novel. In fact I cannot recommend In Love’s Time highly enough.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

PRETTY LITTLE PIECES by CARMEN SCHOBER

Publication date 6/12/22

PRETTY LITTLE PIECES by CARMEN SCHOBER is a beautifully written romance novel with a strong Christian message of redemption and restoraion, unforgettable characters and a great love story. As Savannah says of her sister Georgina’s relationship with Cassidy, “Its like your feelings for each other take up actual physical space.” 

When Georgina Havoc comes to Tarragon from Nashville with her best friend Poppy to try and build her own career after being let down by her partner and boyfriend Lance Broussard, she is broken but determined to succeed. I like the way the very pregnant Poppy stands by her through thick and thin as they have one delay and potential disaster after another, as Lance does his best to ruin things for Georgina. When Georgie’s twin sister leaves rehab and comes to Tarragon it seems like the last straw.

Cassidy Stokes had an illustrious army career as a sniper and wants to use his talents in order to make a difference in El Salvador. He  turned to drink when his wife died and is a work in progress, having turned to the Lord for His help.

It is a story about two people coming from very different family backgrounds, with very different lives and dreams for the future…..

I am not going t tell you any more as I do not want to spoil the read for you.

I cannot recommend Pretty Little Pieces highly enough. It is a book that I will definitely read more than once.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bethany House Publishers. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

THE WIDOW’S SECRET by KATE HEWITT

Publication date 17/11/22

THE WIDOW’S SECRET is the fourth novel in the Goswell Quartet by KATE HEWITT. The series is well finished off with two stories, one in the eighteenth century where we follow the life of Abigail Fenton, and one in the present where we follow Rachel Gardener. The book is exciting and inspirational and deals with subjects such as marriage and family relationships, and the horrors of the slave trade. It is a story about love, compassion, courage and redemption, with a strong Christian message running through it.

Rachel is a marine archeologist who goes back to Cumbria, where she had a lonely childhood after her father died, in order to investigate a ship wreck off Whitehaven. There is not much left of the ship, but when part of a speculum oris is found it seems that it was a slaver, and when part of a man’s gold watch is found it leads to her interest in Abigail Fenton and her husband James.

I like the way Jane Hatton, who is always fascinated in uncovering a mystery, befriends the lonely and confused Rachel, whose unloving relationship with her mother and hero worship of her father, are having a bad effect on her marriage to the good natured chef, Anthony. 

Running parallel is the story of Abigail’s difficult marriage….

It is a really worthwhile read and I highly recommend it, together with the first three books in the series, although it can easily stand alone.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

THE CAIRO CURSE by PEPPER BASHAM

Publication date 1/2/23

In THE CAIRO CURSE by PEPPER BASHAM we come across the delightful Lord and lady Astley, Frederick  Grace, from The Mistletoe Countess, who have survived the first few months of marriage, which so far has been fraught with danger, and are now on their honeymoon. Instead of going straight to Venice as planned, they start out in Egypt where they join  Freddie’s cousin Georgia and her boorish husband Sydney, on an archeological expedition. Grace, whose head is full of facts she has researched on camels, pyramids, pharaohs and mummies, couldn’t be happier. Her favourite things are “bookish conversations,, life-threatening adventures” and the “wonderfully romantic gestures” of her beloved husband, her very own “handsome hero”,  in her fairy tale life which follows hard after the lives of her favourite fictional characters. This young woman, who is full of love, imagination, compassion, and faith in God, is definitely not a “proper” lady and sees herself as an amateur detective, has become one of my favourite fictional characters, together with her once morose and broken husband, Lord Astley. She is very amusing and is only too happy to make people laugh.

This book has everything you need for a delightful and thrilling read - suspense, murder, curses, betrayal, pyramids and tombs, thieves,  camel rides, romance, and some most unscrupulous characters. Running through the story there is also a strong Christian message of redemption.

I cannot recommend The Cairo Curse strongly enough. 

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

ON MY HONOR by PATTY SMITH HALL

Publication date 1/12/22

I really enjoyed ON MY HONOR by PATTY SMITH HALL and highly recommend this novel, first of all for the strong Christian message running through it and the way the main characters hold onto their faith in this traumatic time, also for their courage in facing the danger that has come to the Outer Banks, and for their loyalty and service to their country. The book forms part of the Heroines of WW11 collection and it is easy to see why, as we follow Ginny Mathis and her younger sister Belle, together with the rest of the Girl Scouts, on their quest to do their duty to their country. I like the friendship amongst the girls and Belle’s relationship with Ginny, who is also her Girl Scout leader. There are many secrets and there is much intrigue as they befriend Tim Elliot, a reporter and M6 operative who is washed ashore, and try to help him find Rolf Schmidt, whose knowledge of Germany’s attacks in the Atlantic could save lives and even shorten the war……

The book is full of thrilling adventure, sweet romance and unforgettable characters.

I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

WHAT I WOULD TELL YOU by LIZ TOLSMA

Punlication date 1/1/23

WHAT I WOULD TELL YOU by LIZ TOLSMA is a beautifully written dual timeline historical romance novel which takes place in Salonika from 1941 to 1943 during the German occupation of Greece, and in 2019 in Pittsburg and Thessaloniki (formerly Salonika). The author has obviously done a great deal of research into the horrors perpetrated towards the Greek Jews at that time, some of whom had already fled from persecution in Spain. This book is a must read for those of us who honour God’s chosen people.
It is a story of courage and sacrificial love, as we follow Mathilda Nissim and her beloved husband Asher’s experiiences  during WW11. Mathilda continues to write her newspaper in secret, encouraging the Jews to stand up and fight. their oppressors. Whilst it is horrific to think of man’s inhumanity towards his fellow man during the Holocaust, the author reminds us that anti-Semitism is still very active in the world.
 I like to see how their friends Ioanna and Petrus do all they can to help Mathilda and Asher, at great risk to themselves, and how they share their food and faith with them. 
When Tessa Payson finds out through a genetic test  that she has Sephardic Jewish blood and that she and her cousin Riley are not related, she gets on a plane against her mother and stepfather’s wishes and flies to Thessaloniki to find out the truth about her ancestry and her faith.
I like the strong Christian message on which the book is based, and the way the author, through her characters, shows how Christians and Jews serve the same God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Tessa’s friend Giannis says to her when she has questions about which religion she needs to follow now, that she can be both a Christian and a Jew, like he is, and that Jesus the Messiah was also a Jew.
The two time lines run together well with Mathilda’s diary holding them together.
Family relationhips, particularly the special bond between a mother and her child, play a big part in the characters’ lives  Things are not as they seem and secrets are kept in order to not cause pain. Tessa’s search for the  truth about her heritage leads her on an exciting journey, but it is one her mother would rather she did not take. 
It is a story of hope and new beginnings, and one I cannot recommend highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from  Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are completely my own.