Tag: WW2

Throwback Thursday: Flight Before Dawn by Megan Easley-Walsh

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ThrowbackThursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Renee at It’s Book Talk. It’s designed as an opportunity to share old favourites as well as books that we’ve finally got around to reading that were published over a year ago. If you decide to take part, please link back to It’s Book Talk.

This week’s book, Flight Before Dawn, is one I’ve had sitting in my review pile for quite some time and I’d like to thank the author, Megan Easley-Walsh, for showing such patience while it slowly made its way to the top of the pile.

FlightBeforeDawnAbout the Book

Before there was D-Day… For over two years, she’s watched him. Now he’s on her doorstep. This is life in the Resistance. In Normandy in 1943, Victoire leads a band of the Resistance. When Leal, the man she’s had watched for over two years, arrives at her doorstep, she’ll have to face new challenges in war and in love. Robberies, a kidnapping and clandestine night adventures were not what Victoire planned for her life. She most certainly never planned to be betrayed. But war – and love – are unpredictable. Joined by her friend Rainier, the mysterious Voleta and Father Pierre, Victoire and Leal must struggle for survival, the grounds of France, and the material of their souls. When Leal unearths a twenty-five-year-old secret, with Victoire at the centre, her whole life is shaken. As the Allies approach, the past, present and future hang in the balance. Can anyone be trusted when the world spins upside down?

Format: ebook (366 pp.), Paperback (366 pp.)      Publisher: Pronoun/Ingram
Published:  2016                                                          Genre: Historical Fiction

Watch the book trailer here

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com ǀ Barnes & Noble
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Flight Before Dawn on Goodreads

My Review

Set in occupied France in World War II, this is an exciting story of life in the French Resistance which has as its chief character the brave and resourceful Victoire.

The author effectively conveys the atmosphere of suspicion experienced by those living through those times and, for those involved in Resistance activities, the constant fear of discovery, the difficulty of knowing who to trust and the consequences of the wrong move or careless word. There are twists and turns aplenty and sudden reveals which are effectively positioned by the author to wrong foot the reader. Plus, not everyone turns out to be exactly who they say they are!

The author has clearly done her research into the structure and activities of the French Resistance during that period because the detail of their operations is convincing. The book also sheds a light on the different motives of those who joined the Resistance: fighting for freedom as a principle, the desire to rid the world of the evil excesses of fascism or revenge of a more personal nature.

It was a really entertaining story set in a period of history I love with all the loose ends satisfyingly brought together. At times, the writing didn’t quite flow for me, however the story of Victoire and the other characters drew me in, the book is well-paced and well-structured so this didn’t significantly affect my enjoyment.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author in return for an honest review.  You can read my interview with Megan about the book here.

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In three words: Suspenseful, atmospheric, well-researched

Try something similar…The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

MeganEasleyWalshAbout the Author

Megan Easley-Walsh is an author of historical fiction, a researcher, and a writing consultant and editor at www.ExtraInkEdits.com. She is an award-winning writer and has taught college writing in the UNESCO literature city of Dublin, Ireland. Her degrees are in history-focused International Relations. She is American and lives in Ireland with her Irish husband.

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Throwback Thursday: The Pale House by Luke McCallin

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ThrowbackThursday

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Renee at It’s Book Talk. It’s designed as an opportunity to share old favourites as well as books that we’ve finally got around to reading that were published over a year ago. If you decide to take part, please link back to It’s Book Talk.

This week I’m reviving a review from Goodreads of a book I read before I started my blog. It’s The Pale House by Luke McCallin, the second in a series of books featuring Gregor Reinhardt, a German Intelligence Officer.   I enjoyed the first book in the series, The Man From Berlin, but I think this one was better and the third, The Ashes of Berlin, even better again (you can read my review of that here).

It’s a great series for anyone who loves a good crime mystery or for those with a penchant for books set in and around WW2. I can’t wait to see if Luke writes a fourth book, or a fifth, or a sixth….

ThePaleHouseAbout the Book

It is 1944 and German intelligence officer Captain Gregor Reinhardt has just been reassigned to the Feldjaegerkorps – a new branch of the military police with far-reaching powers. While retreating through Yugoslavia with the rest of the army, Reinhardt witnesses a massacre of civilians by the dreaded Ustaše – only to discover there is more to the incident than anyone believes. When five mutilated bodies turn up, Reinhardt’s investigation begins to draw the attention of those in power and his friends and associates are made to suffer. The stakes rise as he desperately tries to uncover the truth while his own past with the Ustaše threatens his efforts. When it comes to death and betrayal, some people have long memories… and they remember Reinhardt all too well.

Format: ebook Publisher: No Exit Press Pages: 383
Publication: 15th May 2015 Genre: Historical Fiction    

Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk ǀ Amazon.com
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find The Man From Berlin, The Pale House and The Ashes of Berlin on Goodreads

My Review

In Gregor Reinhardt, the author has created a compelling character with realistic doubts and flaws. The fact Reinhardt is a German officer provides an unusual viewpoint and it is to the author’s credit that Reinhardt remains a sympathetic character. In this sequel to The Man From Berlin, the author creates a convincing picture of the horror and brutality visited upon the citizens of Sarajevo as competing factions fight for control amid the confusion of the German army’s retreat. As Reinhardt comments, ‘These were end times. There was nothing to lose, and all to gain, for those…who chose to go out and seize it for themselves’.

The extremes to which some are prepared to go to achieve this becomes evident as the book progresses. In navigating the “end times”, Reinhardt once again questions himself and his principles, battling his inner demons. As he says, ‘Full circle. Back to where I was two years ago. Alone. Surviving.’

I really enjoyed the first book and this sequel did not disappoint. Reinhardt is a great character and I can’t wait to find out how his story continues in the next book.

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In three words: Compelling, authentic, suspenseful

Try something similar: The Swiss Spy by Alex Gerlis

 

LukeMcCallinAbout the Author

Luke McCallin was born in Oxford, grew up around the world and has worked with the United Nations as a humanitarian relief worker and peacekeeper in the Caucasus, the Sahel, and the Balkans. His experiences have driven his writing, in which he explores what happens to normal people – those stricken by conflict, by disaster – when they are put under abnormal pressures.

Connect with Luke

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