My Name is Eva: one woman's price for a promise she made

My Name is Eva by Suzanne Goldring is a story about one woman, one promise and the price she pays to keep that promise. Evelyn Taylor-Clarke is staying at the Forest Lawns Care Home, surrounded by residents whose minds are slowly losing their grip on memory and time. However, not Evelyn. She is as sharp as ever. She is a woman with secrets and she remembers everything. She made a promise to the love of her life to discover the truth about the mission that led to his death. When an old picture is discovered and questions are asked, Evelyn is transported back to “The Forbidden Village”, a place in Germany where no one dared to go and a woman who called herself Eva went to find a man. Will she get her revenge? 

Described as a “gripping, haunting and compelling read about love, courage and betrayal set in the war-battered landscape of Germany” and perfect for fans of The Letter, The Alice Network and The Nightingale would be hooked. I was intrigued. I love The Nightingale. It is a book that has stayed with me even years after I have read it. So I started My Name is Eva with great anticipation. The story started out great; however, it took way too long to get to the action of the story and Evelyn was truly unlikeable. She mocked those with age related difficulties. And the reason for her revenge? We don’t really find out. Sadly, this story was disappointing and in no way can be compared to The Nightingale! I do not recommend My Name is Eva. 

My Name is Eva is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

The Secret History of Audrey James: finding the strength for today through the hardships of the past

The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall is a dual timeline story from World War II Germany and Northern England decades later. After a tragic accident has left her floundering, Kate Mercer leaves London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border. After she arrives, she begins to unravel her past and she discovers her new boss also has secrets from the past of her own. In 1938 Berlin, Audrey James has been living with her best friend, Ilse Kaplan and her family, while she studies at a local prestigious music school. When Ilse’s family disappears and Nazis take over the house, Audrey is forced to become their housekeeper as Ilse hides in the attic. She soon finds herself in an anti-Hitler movement. Can she protect those she loves or must she sacrifice everything to do her part to end the war? 

The Secret History Audrey James was inspired by the true stories of courageous women who did their part in the German resistance during World War II. Audrey’s story could have been a standalone story and been captivating and the tie-in with Kate was a bit unnecessary. Unfortunately, World War II resistance stories, while interesting, are starting to blur together that I feel like I’ve read this before. However, I read this story for “the unbreakable bonds of friendship, the sacrifices we make for those we love, and the healing that comes from human connection.” The Secret History of Audrey James delivers on that; however, there was so much going on that the story started to get bogged down and I was getting bored. Overall, the story started off well; but did not end there. If you enjoy World War II resistance stories, I recommend The Secret History of Audrey James. 

The Secret History of Audrey James will be available on February 25, 2025

In paperback, eBook and audiobook. 

The Sunflower House: a historical novel about family secrets and the Lebensborn Program

The Sunflower House by Adrianna Allegri is a story of little talked about history and family secrets at its center. In a sleepy German village in 1938, Allina Strauss had an idyllic life. She works at her uncle’s bookshop, she makes strudel with her aunt and she spends her free time with her friends and fiancé. But with Adolf Hitler as Chancellor, her family is hiding a dangerous secret. Allina learns that her mother was Jewish, making Allina a Mischling. Everything and everyone she knows and loves will be gone in quick succession and she will find herself at the Hochland House, a state run baby factory as part of the Lebensborn Program with the purpose of creating the Aryan population. Allina knows she must keep her Jewish heritage; however, when she discovers a group of neglected, less than desirable children, she is determined to save them from the horrors of the eugenics program. 

The Sunflower House is one woman’s story of determination to survive and resist against the powers of evil. I love World War II stories which bring to light the stories that are often forgotten or passed over. I had never heard of the Lebensborn program which the book’s blurb described as a “real life Handmaid’s Tale.” Where the Lebensborn program differs from the Handmaid’s Tale is that many of the women in the program willingly and proudly produced these babies for their country. This story had me hooked and I could not put it down as Allina risks her life for the innocent children in her care. There is a love story as Allina joins forces with Karl, a high ranking SS officer who is using his rank to subvert the evil plans. I highly recommend The Sunflower House. It is a story of love, loss, friends and the secrets we think are dead and buried. 

The Sunflower House will be available on November 12, 2024 

in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

The Night Travelers: Four Women, Four Different Times in History, One Journey

The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa is a historical fiction which features four generations of women and three time periods as they experience love, loss and hope. The story begins in Berlin, 1931 as the rise of Nazism sweeps through Germany, Ally Keller gives birth to a mixed-race daughter, Lilith and hides her from the world. When time runs out, Ally puts together a desperate plan to save her daughter’s life. Havana, 1958, Lilith is now an adult, finds herself excited for her future with her husband, Martin. As the fires of revolution grow, Lilith finds herself facing an impossible choice, as her own mother did, in order to save her own daughter, Nadine.  Berlin, 1989 as the Berlin Wall falls, Nadine is now a dedicated scientist who has spent her life avoiding the truth about her family. When her own daughter, Luna, begins to uncover the family history, it will be Luna faced with an uncomfortable truth in their family’s past and their place in history.  

The Night Travelers is my first book by Armando Lucas Correa. I can see why he has a reputation for sweeping historical fiction with depth of the human stories we often forget. It is a story about four women, separated by time but united by sacrifice. They each embark on journeys of self-discovery which is forged by the power of a mother’s love. It is a wonderful story of the interconnectedness of history and that history is more than just dates and events. It is the individuals who lived and sacrificed during troubling times. It is also a story that details the disgusting things people have inflicted on others and if we are not careful, we will repeat the same. Overall, I enjoyed The Night Travelers. It is the type of historical fiction which leads one to further research events in more depth than what is highlighted in the story. To me, that is a feature of great historical fiction. I highly recommend The Night Travelers. 

The Night Travelers is available in hardcover

Achtung Baby: an American woman's experience with German parenting and education

Achtung Baby by Sara Zaske is a memoir of sorts as she recounts her parenting experience while living abroad in Germany. She describes the cultural shock and barriers as she begins her life in Germany and a young mother of a toddler. Ms. Zaske discusses the American view and attitudes of the German people and discovers it’s all wrong. She also discusses the strengths in the German parenting styles and their educational system and compares the weaknesses of the American parenting styles and its educational system. She covers the topics of the attachment theory which American parenting advice books seem to give great importance to early education in play rather than instruction. The German educational system is designed to let the children have an active role in what they learn and how they learn. The children learn from the very beginning with hands on experience. Is there anything Americans can learn from German parents?

Achtung Baby is an interesting read as I discovered the German educational system and how the parenting styles emphasizes teaching self-reliance and independence in their children almost from the very beginning. Ms. Zaske asks that American take a hard look as to why “we” don’t. While I disagreed with some of her assertions about American parenting, you cannot argue with the fact that something needs to change in American parenting. Ms. Zaske had excellent points. She points out that Americans have the attitude of “work is life.” This attitude is that you are defined by what you do for a living and it’s so true. I also found myself realizing that I do do some of the things that German parents do for their children in order to instill confidence and independence in their children. I found Achtung Baby fascinating and I recommend it for all parents as well as those who are becoming parents.

Achtung Baby

will be available January 2, 2018

in hardcover and eBook

A Prophet without Honor: a story which explores the what ifs in World War II history

A Prophet without Honor by Joseph Wurtenbaugh is a novel of alternative history. The story begins with the birth of Karl von Haydenreich and the tragic death of his mother, Charlotte, while his father, Captain Henrich Haydenreich, is fighting on the western front in World War I. Told through a series of letters, telegrams and memoirs, the reader hears how young Karl is raised by his stepmother, Rosamunde. Rosamunde was his mother’s best friend and a Jew. Despite both families’ objections, Henrich and Rosamunde marry and have a wonderful life until her death during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. Left in the care of his father, Karl is groomed to follow in the family’s footsteps and have a career in the military. When he comes of age, Hitler is coming to power in Germany and the road to World War II is set. In 1936, Hitler sets his army to occupy the Rhineland and bluffs the French and British thinking the German army would retreat at the first sight of opposition. The bluff works and Hitler’s military machine marches across Europe with utter destruction. In a world where history took a different path, it is a story of danger, spies, and romance. Would Hitler fully take over the world or would there still be a force to stop him? Who would have the courage to lead such a charge? Is Karl that man? 

A Prophet without Honor is an interesting retelling of history if one event had taken a different course. I have never read an alternative universe story before and I found the idea intriguing. The characters’ voices and actions have a tone of such accuracy you feel you could really be reading a book about our history. As Karl follows his orders, the thought is in the back of your mind that he was raised by a Jewish woman who he called “Mummi” Surely he couldn’t believe in such hatred against the Jewish people. I enjoyed the story as there is no clear hero or villain such as with life. I loved the realism that we often cannot and will never know the heroics of the men and women who fought against Hitler. If you enjoy reading a story about an alternative universe but reads with such realism, I recommend A Prophet without Honor.

A Prophet without Honor

is available on Amazon for the Kindle

Broken Angels: a story of sacrifice during a time of great danger

Broken Angels by Gemma Liviero is a story about the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II. Told from the perspective of three individuals: a Nazi doctor, a Jewish woman and a young girl, the events during the war and the programs of the Nazis are told in vivid detail.

The story opens in 1996 with the funeral of a mother. Time is transported back to 1942 as a young Jewish woman, Elsi, helps her mother see the Nazi doctor assigned to the Lodz Ghetto. Willem Gerhardt is a doctor who is the son of one of Himmler’s top researchers. Matilda is a part-German child who is taken from her family and placed in a home in the hopes of molding her into the perfect Aryan child for a German family. As events unfold. Willem is confronted with the horrors and atrocities that the Nazis are doing to the Jewish people. He is sent to oversee the children’s program and he enters Matilda’s life. One night after a tragic loss, he sees Elsi, ill and being loaded onto a truck and decides to save her. He takes her in and treats her illness. He soon learns that the children who deemed unfit for adoption are being sent to the camps. He begins to falsify documents and save these children’s lives. Will he able to save these children’s lives? Will he be caught?

Broken Angels is a beautiful and heartbreaking story of Germany during the war. The atrocities of the Nazis, the indoctrination, the experimentation and the blatant disregard of human life. But it also a story of the unsung heroes who did their best to save lives despite the horrors around them and the dangers to their lives. There were moments in the story when the horrific events were just too much and I had to stop reading and process. I recommend Broken Angels as a deep look into events of World War II that many do not read about or don’t want to know about. Keeping the memories of the men and women who lost their lives simply because they were Jewish alive is important. We cannot forget them and Broken Angels will ensure that you never do.

Broken Angels

is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com

in paperback $14.95

Kindle Unlimited for free

and Audiobook $14.99

Time of Useful Consciousness: a great post-World War II mystery

Time of Useful Consciousness by Jennifer Ott is a post-World War II drama set in Allied-occupied Germany. Louisa Unger is caught in a world of secrets and when she’s arrested for murder, a U.S. colonel urges her to tell her story for her freedom. She must decide if she will give up the names of her countrymen for her freedom. The story is told in a series of flashbacks as Louisa begins her tale.

The story opens as Louisa kills a man and is arrested by the American troops. She is urged by Colonel Dan Taylor to give up the names of the men running an elusive black market in war torn Europe. She, at first, resists insisting she would never rat on her countrymen. She begins to talk without giving up too much information. She explains how her older brother, Freddy, and his friend, Kris Schuler, introduce her to flying as they run errands of secret cargo and shady deals under the nose of the Allied forces. She soon joins them on their runs and becomes deep in this secretive world. Louisa begins to wonder about their elusive employer, Marcus Visser. Is he man or myth? Soon, events begin to unfold as their operations begin to unravel. They must race to find a way out. Will Louisa trust Colonel Taylor and tell him what she knows? Will the identity or existence of Marcus Visser be revealed?

Time of Useful Consciousness is a great book which made writing this review difficult because there is so much that happens. I can’t write about a lot because it would spoil the reveal in the story. Like a great mystery story, so much builds on the clue before. The twists and turns which answers some questions and leads to even bigger questions. The title is a reference to the amount of time an individual is able to perform flying duties efficiently in an environment of inadequate oxygen supply. I found the tittle to be a great allusion to events of the story. I enjoyed Louisa and her survival mode as she must decide who she will trust and who she will not. I highly recommend Time of Useful Consciousness. This book is definitely on my keeper shelf.

Time of Useful Consciousness

is available on Amazon

in paperback for $24

on the Kindle for $4.99 and free with Kindle Unlimited