WWII

Interview with Ronald H. Balson (Defending Britta Stein)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Defending Britta Stein by Ronald H. Balson is a wonderful read. Although the book has some courtroom drama including legal strategy and loopholes, most of the story is Britta Stein’s recounting of the events leading up to and during World War II in Denmark. This is historical fiction at its best with bravery, betrayal, and redemption. Britta Stein is a 92-year-old Jewish Danish woman who emigrated to America. She is being sued for defamation …

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Interview with Stephanie Marie Thornton (A Most Clever Girl)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper A Most Clever Girl by Stephanie Marie Thornton brings to life in fictional form, the true story of Elizabeth Bentley, a Cold War double agent. Readers are presented with the psychology of a spy, the dangers, betrayals, and motivations. Bentley was an American citizen who spied for the Russians until she became an FBI informant. She was recruited by the American Communist Party to spy on fascists since she worked at an Italian library. …

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Interview with Renee Ryan (The Widows of Champagne)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Widows of Champagne by Renee Ryan is the story of a family struggling to survive in Nazi-occupied France. Three widows who lost their beloved husbands must now protect their livelihood, the Chateau Fouche-LeBlanc vineyard in Reims, after it was requisitioned by the Nazis. The plot has wine merchant, Helmut Von Schmidt, now turned Nazi Captain in the Wehrmacht, requisitioning the LeBlanc home and stealing their wine for the German troops. Throughout the days …

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Interview with Kelly Rimmer (The Warsaw Orphan)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer is inspired by the real-life heroine who saved thousands of Polish Jewish children during WWII. It is a story that intertwines war, family, survival, and love with themes of injustice, revenge, compassion, and sacrifice. There are four main characters that represent the mindset of those who lived in Warsaw Poland from 1942 to the end of the war. Readers see a teenage boy in the Warsaw Ghetto, Roman, …

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The Deadly Hours by Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent, Susanna Kearsley, and C. S. Harris

Title: The Deadly Hours Authors: Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent, Susanna Kearsley, C. S. Harris Series: n/a An intriguing premise that wasn’t pulled off very well I would like to thank Anna Lee Huber, Christine Trent, Susanna Kearsley, C. S. Harris, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Weapon of Choice by Susanna Kearsley – five stars I was pleasantly surprised to find I loved this novella, and I …

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Interview with Sarah Sundin (When Twilight Breaks)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin is a novel where readers will experience a range of emotions with an inspirational story. Woven into this historical novel’s pages are love, intrigue, mystery, and danger. This suspenseful story focuses on the unfair laws and treatment of the Jewish population in Munich Germany in 1938 before the war began. Evelyn Brand is an American foreign correspondent determined to prove her worth in a male-dominated profession and to …

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The Black Swan of Paris by Karen Robards

Title: The Black Swan of Paris Author: Karen Robards Series: n/a Rife with tension, heartache, and hope I would like to thank Karen Robards, Harlequin MIRA, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Also thanks to Justine Sha for inviting me to participate in the blog tour. Don’t take my 4-star rating to heart; I wasn’t the ideal audience for this type of book. I wanted to read this because it …

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Interview with Kristin Hannah (The Nightingale)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a must read for anyone who has never read this historical novel that was first published in 2015. While people are locked down they might want to pick up this novel, which is very relevant to today considering that Yom HaShoah, The Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes Remembrance Day, has just been observed. The plot has two sisters who are both heroic and martyrs for their unselfish acts. Vianne …

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Interview with Joseph Kanon (The Accomplice)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Accomplice by Joseph Kanon shows why he is one of today’s best espionage writers. Not only is the story thrilling but it also explores some very moral questions. The plot opens in 1962, seventeen years after the defeat of the Nazis. As Nazi hunter Max Weill is in a café with his nephew Aaron, he spots the notorious concentration camp doctor Otto Schramm, who worked with Mengele, “The Angel of Death.” Max spots …

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Interview with William I. Grubman (The Storm Over Paris)

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Storm Over Paris by William I. Grubman takes place in Nazi occupied France during 1942. It paints a vivid picture of Jewish life under Nazi rule. The story centers around the stealing of art from Jewish collectors. Maurice, known as Mori Rothstein is an art dealer, who Hermann Goering, head of the Gestapo, commands to evaluate a huge selection of paintings in the Nazi-occupied Jeu de Paume Museum. Given the choice of appraising …

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