A stranger's life hangs in the balance. But to save him is to risk
everything.
The war is drawing to a close, but the Nazis still
occupy part of the Netherlands. After the losses she's endured, war widow
Cornelia is only a shadow of the woman she once was. She fights now to protect
her younger brother, Johan, who lives in hiding.
When Johan brings Gerrit Laninga, a wounded Dutch
Resistance member, to Cornelia's doorstep, their lives are forever altered.
Although scared of the consequences of harboring a wanted man, Cornelia's faith
won't let her turn him out.
As she nurses Gerrit back to health, she is drawn
to his fierce passion and ideals, and notices a shift within herself. Gerrit's
intensity challenges her, making her want to live fully, despite the fear that
constrains her. When the opportunity to join him in the Resistance presents
itself, Cornelia must summon every ounce of courage imaginable.
She is as terrified of loving Gerrit as she is of
losing him. But as the winter landscape thaws, so too does her heart. Will she
get a second chance at true love? She fears their story will end before it even
begins.
Liz Tolsma has lived in Wisconsin most of her life, and she now resides next to
a farm field with her husband, their son, and their two daughters. Add a dog and
a cat to that mix and there's always something going on at their house. She's
spent time teaching second grade, writing advertising for a real estate company,
and working as a church secretary, but she always dreamed of becoming an author.
She'd love to have you visit her
at www.liztolsma.com.
This book is truly amazing and, even more so, because it was inspired by true events. It's a book that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole time. It will also bring you into sadness at what man is capable of doing to other men. This book is set during WWII and focuses on the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands. It's a horrific time in history where people were literally fighting against evil.
Gerrit is taken, with a bunch of his comrades, to the bank of the river to be shot by the Nazi's, however, while all those around him are dead, he survives. He is found by Cornelia's brother and he brings Garrit back to the house to be cared for. This is terrifying for Cornelia as she doesn't want her brother or herself to end up in a Nazi camp.
The author really brought this book alive with all her historical information and the truly wonderful characters. I love how we watch them grow throughout the story. I also love the strong Christian values and beliefs that are interwoven into their lives. How people reacted to the evil around them, as Christians, was interesting, too. Some felt it was right to submit to the authorities and some resisted the obvious evil that was Nazism. It's so easy for us to look back on history with 20/20 vision and judge what we would do, but this story really brings us into what it was like for these people.
This story grabbed me from the first page and didn't let go. The author made me feel invested in these people's lives and I cared what happened to them. There were many tears shed on my part, so I suggest having a tissue handy while reading this book. The suspense will have you turning the pages as quickly as you can to see what happens next.
This is a wonderful story of faith and I highly recommend it! I believe you'll love it as much as I did!
*This book was provided to me for my honest review by LitFuse Publicity Group
You can read more reviews of this book HERE
Blessings - Julie
Liz consulted many times with my father {and others} for this book to get it as historically accurate as possible. She is a great writer, and I agree that this was a great story{although I may be biased!}!
ReplyDelete