My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Category: Adult, Christian Fiction
Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction
Content: Clean
In this gripping World War II historical
about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid
the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that
enemies of freedom long to destroy.
Paris, 1940. Ever
since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for
their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There
they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and
gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions
of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.
For
the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and
making that library a second home. But when the German army takes
possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets
she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope
of liberating the city she calls home.
Christian Bauer may be
German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party—he is a
professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the
books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to
Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into
an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to
protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and
preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is
over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart.
"Books didn’t burn. Books ignited. They lit the burning in others. Not with paper and match. With ideas."
Roseanna M. White has become one of my favorite authors. I love the historic details that she includes in her books. I very much enjoyed this one. This is one of her rare standalones and it was a departure from her previous books in that it takes place during WWII. I liked this change, although I have to say that I still enjoyed the books set during WWI the most.
I liked the slow burn of the romance in this book. I thought the characters were very well drawn, and I genuinely liked them. There are times when I felt like certain characters got away with things they probably wouldn't have during the Nazi occupation. Things felt a little too easy, although I appreciate the fact that this was meant to be a romance that left me feeling good, so it was a more gentle read than a historical fiction book set in this time would have been.
There were also some actions taken by the main female character that I thought didn't make a lot of sense, like hiding coded messages in books that were banned and could possibly be confiscated. Still, despite those quibbles I enjoyed the story and the author's excellent writing. I think besides the romance, the thing I appreciate the most about this author's books are how historically accurate they are. The Christian themes are always present as well and those give the books an inspirational aspect that I enjoy. I especially like that this author includes historical accuracy in the religion that is included in each of her stories.
Most of this author's books have some connection in one way or another, and I was looking forward to seeing how this one would be connected to her other works. When it happened it was such a treat!
I'm looking forward to reading the next historical Christian romance by this author.
"When a people stopped entertaining opposing ideas, when they condemned the different as evil, then it was a short step from closed-minded to violently oppressive."
Thanks to NetGalley and Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book.
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