Mireille by Molly Cochran

June 22, 2015

Mireille by Molly Cochran was a great book. The first thing I want to let you know about this book is that it is a long one so be ready for a big book but I really did enjoy the book. It took me awhile to get through it because I have had major headaches. I liked that the writing in the book isn’t super small so I don’t have to strain my eyes as much. At the start of the book I wasn’t a huge fan of Mireille and to be honest I am not sure why. I did feel bad for her throughout parts of the book because of what she went through. I hated Oliver from the first time he showed up right up until the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who love historical fiction and/or books that take place during WWII.

About The Book

Paperback

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (June 9, 2015)

Near the end of World War II, seventeen-year-old Mireille de Jouarre flees the home of her stepfather, a Nazi collaborator and abusive drunk. She finds shelter with her childhood friend Stefan, and the two fall deeply in love. But as the fighting escalates, Mireille must escape alone to Paris, where she discovers she’s pregnant and lacking a way to provide for her child.

So begins her new life as l’Ange—the Angel. After an unlikely meeting with a wealthy aristocrat in a Parisian hotel—and her acceptance of his solicitation—Mireille becomes the most celebrated poule in all of France, eliciting huge fees and invitations to exclusive parties. At one of these events, Mireille meets Oliver Jordan, an American womanizer and film producer, and is soon launching a promising film career. As her star rises, Mireille is determined to bury her past. But her success isn’t as carefree and glittery as it seems, and when her daughter’s future is threatened, Mireille must make a deadly decision in a desperate attempt to finally choose her own path.

About The Author

Molly Cochran is the author of more than twenty novels and nonfiction books, including the New York Times bestseller Grandmaster, The Forever King, The Broken Sword, and The Temple Dogs, all cowritten with Warren Murphy. She is also the author of The Third Magic, and she cowrote the nonfiction bestseller Dressing Thin with Dale Goday. Cochran has received numerous awards, including the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award, the Romance Writers of America’s “Best Thriller” award, and an “Outstanding” classification by the New York Public Library. Recently she published a series of young adult novels, Legacy, Poison, and Seduction, and two novellas, Wishes and Revels. Legacy won a 2013 Westchester Fiction Award.

Visit Molly at her website, mollycochran.com.

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A Sparrow in Terezin by Kristy Cambron

April 24, 2015

A Sparrow in Terezin by Kristy Cambron was a great book to read. This book takes place during modern times and also during WWII which means that it is pretty much guaranteed that I am going to like it. I also read the first book in the series so if you missed that review you can click here to check out it. You don’t have to read that book first to understand this book but it would be helpful. I love how this books goes between two different time periods and really gives you the best of both worlds so to speak. I love this authors writing and how she weaves both time periods together so seamlessly. If you love WWII than I would for sure recommend both books to you!

About The Book

A Sparrow in Terezin (Thomas Nelson, April 2015)

Bound together across time, two women will discover a powerful connection through one survivor’s story of hope in the darkest days of a war-torn world.

Present Day—With the grand opening of her new art gallery and a fairytale wedding just around the corner, Sera James feels she’s stumbled into a charmed life—until a brutal legal battle against fiancé William Hanover threatens to destroy the perfectly planned future she’s planned before it even begins. Now, after an eleventh-hour wedding ceremony and a callous arrest, William faces a decade in prison for a crime he never committed, and Sera must battle the scathing accusations that threaten her family and any hope for a future.

1942—Kája Makovsky narrowly escaped occupied Prague in 1939, and was forced to leave her half-Jewish family behind. Now a reporter for the Daily Telegraph in England, Kája discovers the terror has followed her across the Channel in the shadowy form of the London Blitz. When she learns Jews are being exterminated by the thousands on the continent, Kája has no choice but to return to her mother city, risking her life to smuggle her family to freedom and peace.

Connecting across a century through one little girl, a Holocaust survivor with a foot in each world, these two women will discover a kinship that springs even in the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kája must cling to the faith that sustains and fight to protect all they hold dear—even if it means placing their own futures on the line.

About The Author

Kristy Cambron has been fascinated with the WWII era since hearing her grandfather’s stories of the war. She holds an art history degree from Indiana University and received the Outstanding Art History Student Award. Kristy writes WWII and Regency era fiction and has placed first in the 2013 NTRWA Great Expectations and 2012 FCRW Beacon contests, and is a 2013 Laurie finalist. Kristy makes her home in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons.
Find Kristy online: website, Facebook, Twitter

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A Life of the Twentieth Century by Irene Even

March 11, 2015

A Life of the Twentieth Century by Irene Even was a great book. I loved most of things about this book and I love that even though it is a fiction book it is based on Irene’s life. Oh and the best part for me is that part of it takes place during WWII which everyone should know by now is my favorite time period. I also loved seeing what is was like growing up in europe and the things that she went through throughout her life. There were times for me where the amount of detail that was used bogged me down and I found I couldn’t focus on the story because of all the details that were used but even though those times I still didn’t want to stop reading because I wanted to know what was going to happen next to her. If you love historical fiction books than I would for sure recommend this book to you. It was also made better because it is based on her life so you know that the things she went through really happened.

About The Book

A Life of the Twentieth Century is the story of Aya, who lived through the loss of her parents before the age of 3. At the age of twelve she was sent to a boarding school in Budapest, that closed after one year, because the Nazi army marched into the city.

Aya was left totally alone to face the Nazi occupation, and to experience all the horrors of the war. She faced many life threatening situations, such as prison, bombardment or even the possibility of being executed on the spot, without really comprehending the gravity of it all.

The end of the war was supposed to mean liberation, the return of hope and freedom for most people, however it didn’t happen for Aya, who was part of a youth group on her way to Palestine. The destination of this youth group was to reach Italy and the Jewish Brigade. They crossed the Alps on foot from Austria to reach Italy.

As they reached their destination Aya met a soldier from the Jewish Brigade, who was supposed to be her Hero, her Saviour, but turned out to be the devil incarnate. From day one, this soldier of the Jewish brigade took control of Aya’s life when she was only 15 years old.

After divorce, destitute and once again alone, she had no direction and almost no hope, when from deep inside her a small voice said; go back to school. It took all her courage to apply to university, where she was accepted and after 5 year was granted a B.A. and a Diploma of Teaching. She spent the rest of her life teaching, and as she contemplated her life she said to herself that if she had had all the choices in the world, she would have chosen teaching.

About The Author

Irene Even was born in Hungary. As a child she lived through the Second World War, using false papers to survive. After the war, she immigrated to Palestine, lived in a Kibbutz, then later married and immigrated to Canada with her family. She returned to Israel to teach English and remained there for twenty-two years. Having written her memoir, A Life of the Twentieth Century, she now lives in retirement in Montreal.

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In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin

August 19, 2014

In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin was another great book in this series. If you haven’t read my reviews on the first two books you can click here and here to read them. Anyway let’s get on to this book. Like I said before I loved this book but I knew going into it that I would love it because of the other 2 books. This book was hard for me to get into right at the start but once I was a few chapters into the story I didn’t want to put it down. I wasn’t a huge fan of Kay from the other books but this book changed my mind about her. I fell in love with her during this book and she became my favorite character. I also loved how the wrapped up the first two books in this one because it was great to get to see what was happening with the characters from the first 2 books. If you love historical fiction books I know you will love this book because I did and I am so glad that I got it to review.

About The Book

Bold, sophisticated, and flirtatious, Army Air Force flight nurse Lt. Kay Jobson collects hearts wherever she flies, leaving men pining in airfields all across Europe. So how can ruggedly handsome C-47 pilot Lt. Roger Cooper be all but immune to her considerable charms? In fact, he seems to do everything he can to avoid her.

Still, as they cross the skies between Italy and southern France, evacuating the wounded and delivering paratroopers and supplies, every beat of their hearts draws them closer to where they don’t want to go.

Can they confront the fears and misunderstandings in their pasts?

About The Author

Sarah Sundin is the author of With Every Letter and the Wings of Glory series. In 2011, A Memory Between Us was a finalist in the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards, and Sarah received the Writer of the Year Award at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference. A graduate of UC San Francisco School of Pharmacy, she works on call as a hospital pharmacist. During WWII, her grandfather served as a pharmacist’s mate (medic) in the Navy and her great-uncle flew with the US Eighth Air Force in England. Sarah lives in California with her husband and three children.

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The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron

July 31, 2014

The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron was an amazing book. I do have to say that this book was hard for me to get through at certain parts because of how the story goes but that also is another reason that I loved the book. I love all books from the WWII time period and this book didn’t let me down at all. If you are going to read this book be prepared for it have sad parts but I wouldn’t let those parts stop me from reading this book. It is one that I am going to keep in my collection because I loved it that much.

About The Book

A mysterious painting breathes hope and beauty into the darkest corners of Auschwitz—and the loneliest hearts of Manhattan.

Manhattan art dealer Sera James watched her world crumble at the altar two years ago, and her heart is still fragile. Her desire for distraction reignites a passion for a mysterious portrait she first saw as a young girl—a painting of a young violinist with piercing blue eyes.

In her search for the painting, Sera crosses paths with William Hanover, the grandson of a wealthy California real estate mogul, who may be the key to uncovering the hidden masterpiece. Together, Sera and William slowly unravel the story behind the painting’s subject: Austrian violinist Adele Von Bron.

A darling of the Austrian aristocracy, talented violinist, and daughter to a high-ranking member of the Third Reich, Adele risks everything when she begins smuggling Jews out of Vienna. In a heartbeat, her life of prosperity and privilege dissolves into a world of starvation and barbed wire.

As Sera untangles the secrets behind the painting, she finds beauty in the most unlikely of places: in the grim camps of Auschwitz and in the inner recesses of her own troubled heart.

About The Author

Kristy Cambron has been fascinated with the WWII era since hearing her grandfather’s stories of the war. She holds an art history degree from Indiana University and received the Outstanding Art History Student Award. Kristy writes WWII and Regency era fiction and has placed first in the 2013 NTRWA Great Expectations and 2012 FCRW Beacon contests, and is a 2013 Laurie finalist. Kristy makes her home in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons.

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