The Many Seas to Guernsey - Catherine Taylor

 

In the last golden years before Europe erupts into WWII a young English writer and a German Roman Catholic priest-in-training meet by chance on the small British island of Guernsey – and are drawn into a forbidden, all-consuming love. Then history and duty intrude, forcing them to choose between complicity and courage in a fight for truth, freedom – and each other. A sweeping, morally complex love story that will stay with you long after the last page, from Catherine Taylor, author of no. 1 best seller Beyond The Moon, shortlisted for the Orion/eHarmony Love Story Prize and longlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize.

In 1936 Kitty Garland-Fry moves to Guernsey with her bohemian, artist parents and unruly siblings. Marooned amid her family’s chaotic lifestyle, Kitty, a passionate writer of fairy tales, fears she’ll die of boredom and frustration if she cannot find a life of her own. In Nazi Berlin, meanwhile, Lukas von Harnitz, an idealistic and devout Roman Catholic seminarian, is reluctantly leaving for Guernsey, too, forced to interrupt his priestly studies for a year to take his newly widowed English-born mother back home to safety. Fiercely anti-Nazi, he can’t help feeling he’s abandoning both his country and his calling at a moment of gathering darkness.

Two fish out of water together, Kitty and Lukas are drawn together in their shared loneliness. Bonding over poetry and books, their days unfold like a quiet, sunlit dream on white sand beaches beneath endless blue skies, sheltered from both the pull of responsibility and the gathering storm of war. But then friendship begins to deepen into something more, and Lukas is forced into a devastating choice between God and the woman he loves, while fate also compels Kitty onto a path that will take her into the very heart of Nazi Germany.

Charting the road to war from both the British and German perspectives, The Many Seas to Guernsey is an emotional, character-driven epic grappling with themes of faith, conscience and the power of love in an age of extremes. Moving from the secluded turquoise coves of Guernsey to the towering Bavarian Alps, then the Gestapo cells of pre-war Berlin and finally the hellish beaches of the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation, The Many Seas to Guernsey is the first in a planned duology and will appeal to fans of novels like All the Light We Cannot See, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Crooked Cross, The Nightingale, The Bronze Horseman and Atonement.

Catherine Taylor is a former journalist, starting off her career at the Guernsey Evening Press, and ending up at Dow Jones News, where she wrote for the newswire and The Wall Street Journal Europe. She was born and brought up on Guernsey, where her own family experienced the German occupation and evacuation, then went on to study German history and language, giving rise to a lifelong passion for the history of the two world wars. She lives in West London with her husband, two children and five cats.

**NB This story unfolds against the backdrop of Nazi Germany and the Second World War. It contains depictions of violence, imprisonment, war crimes, sexual abuse and themes of loss and grief that some readers may find distressing.

What did I think?

It's never easy to read books set in this period but I think it's important to be reminded of events in Nazi Germany leading up to the start of World War II.  The Many Seas to Guernsey leads us in gently starting with a idyllic island setting that is a stark contrast to the brutality and violence of pre-war Germany.

This is the story of Kitty and Lukas but it's not a traditional love story as Lukas is training to be priest.  It is clear that they are drawn to one another though and Lukas has to make a difficult choice between Kitty and God.  Kitty is part of a very unconventional family, which perhaps explains her willingness to take risks and travel so far from home and fate sees her crossing paths with Lukas once again.

The story is told in three parts covering 1936-1937, 1938-1939 and 1939-1940.  There is such a lot going on in such a short period of time and it's only the start of the war so there is worse to come.  It's good to have such relatable main characters to add some light and hope to the darkness of the storyline.

It's a very emotional story with shocking and devastating moments that really hit me where it hurts.  Catherine Taylor vividly recreates some of the horrific events leading up to the outbreak of war and it gave me chills when I was reading.  I was invested in the characters from the start so I felt every emotion with them and I admit to shedding a tear or two over the course of the book.

Haunting, poignant and powerful, The Many Seas to Guernsey is a vivid and emotional historical fiction novel that pulled at my heartstrings and kept me captivated.  I'm delighted that it's part of a duology and can't wait to read what happens next. 

I received a gifted paperback for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Hope on Hope (Blossoming of Truth book 2) - Susan Gray

Can hope become… a lifeline…a defining attitude…a powerful reality?

In WW2 as her homeland France is occupied by enemy forces, Chantal receives a letter with a missing page – what wartime secret did her beloved Sam want to divulge? She is drawn into the French Resistance network and when the war ends, she embarks on her quest to trace her lost love.

On the cusp of womanhood, Darcy is headstrong, impulsive and outspoken. It’s 1946 and reuniting with her aunt, Chantal, the two strong women form a tight bond. But soon conflicting opinions force a wedge in their relationship.

Can secrets from the past and life altering circumstances refine Darcy’s attitudes?

Sadness has blighted Henri’s young life, but a chance encounter heralds a brighter future. Moving to northeast England he begins a new career and finds romance – only for his hopes to be dashed with an unexpected discovery.

From war-torn France to post war northeast England, engage in this romantic drama as Chantal, Darcy and Henri discover how the presence of hope can transform their lives.

 

What did I think?

I picked up Hope on Hope as it is set in my native north-east England and I really enjoyed it.  It's a cross between a family saga, historical and romance novel so it's a multifaceted story that keeps the reader entertained.

There's a great hook with a missing page from a letter that Sam sends to Chantal before he goes missing during the war.  Chantal has never given up hope of Sam returning to her, despite what her family and her niece Darcy might think.  I loved Darcy though, she certainly doesn't hold back from giving her opinion and she has some challenges to overcome when she dabbles in the world of dating.

I actually didn't realise that Hope on Hope is a sequel to Blossoming of Truth, which is Darcy's parents' story, but it works perfectly well as a standalone.  The secrets kept me riveted and the romance warmed my heart as I turned the pages of this incredibly charming novel.

Uplifting, poignant and enchanting, Hope on Hope is a beautifully written novel with family and love at its heart.  It's well worth a read.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

About the author:

Susan Gray writes uplifting character driven fiction, set in the twentieth century. She is intrigued by family secrets, mystery and romance so she endeavours to entwine these genres in her writing. Her books are set in northeast England, where she lives with her husband.

She enjoys travelling, reading, puzzling and people watching. Her plots are inspired by life issues and how her characters handle the twists and turns which ensue. Writing a novel was an unfulfilled dream, until celebrating a significant birthday five years ago.

To date she has penned eight books but only three are published. SPANISH HOUSE SECRETS was her debut novel and HOPE ON HOPE is the sequel to BLOSSOMING OF TRUTH.

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: In the Name of the Reich - Ian M. WIlliamson

London, 1969. Great Britain has flourished under National Socialist rule since its integration into the Third Reich after the Second Great War – a war Great Britain lost – and the nation is at peace.

Or so it seems.

A psychedelic drug named Yonder has taken the working class population by storm, and has become a figurehead for a “silent protest” against the Nationalist Socialist regime. It is now the single greatest threat to social order, and must be stopped.

British-born Detective Sergeant John Highsmith – an officer in the Metropolitan Police’s Drug Enforcement Squad – is a member of the Task Force dedicated to achieving just this. But the job is not so straightforward, and when John is confronted with violence, torture, and death, only his stead-fast loyalty to National Socialism will protect him as he puts his life on the line – in the name of the Reich.

A harrowing tale of what might have been, In the Name of the Reich examines how Nazi rule would have warped British society and a young man raised under it. It is uncompromising in its depiction, and aims to revolutionise this genre of fiction.

 

What did I think?

I didn't write a single note in my reading journal when I was reading In the Name of the Reich because I couldn't put it down!  I had to double check that it's a debut novel as the writing is so accomplished and it's absolutely fantastic from start to finish, with a breathtaking conclusion that deserves a chef's kiss.  

The alternative history feels so realistic; it doesn't read like a 'what might have been' it's more of a 'this is what is actually happening in an alternate reality'.  To cope with the National Socialists ruling the country, the British people are turning to a drug called Yonder to escape from their grim reality.  As with all drugs though, Yonder has a darker side and the police need to find the source to prevent the flow of it into Britain.

DS John Highsmith is about to become a father for the first time but his investigation into Yonder puts him in increasing danger.  John is a bit like a cat with nine lives as he has so many near misses that had me on the edge of my seat.  Just how long will his luck last?

Highly original and scarily realistic, In the Name of the Reich is a magnificent debut novel from Ian M. Williamson.  With a razor-sharp, compelling plot and blistering pacing, it is unmissable, unforgettable and unputdownable.  I will be raving about this book for a very long time and I can't recommend it highly enough.  A well-deserved five stars.  Wunderbar!

I received a gifted paperback for the Love Books Tours virtual book tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Troubador Publishing

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

About the author:

Ian M. Williamson graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2015 after studying History and Hispanic Studies, where his historical interests were based largely in 20th century world politics. These studies fostered a lifelong intrigue in what might have been, and provided an insightful basis for his work on an alternate history narrative.

Website: www.ianmwilliamson.co.uk

Instagram: @ianmwilliamson

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Never Tear Us Apart - Rowan Coleman

A spellbinding tale of love, strength and sacrifice from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Based on the gorgeous island of Malta in WWII, this is a story about the power of fate, and how sometimes, in order to find yourself - and to find love - you must first lose everything else. . .

Fate has brought them together. Will time tear them apart?

2025

Named after a star, war correspondent Maia knows how to find the brightest stories - the tales of survival and strength - hidden amongst the dark realities of combat.

Now, travelling to Malta to visit her estranged father, with one more chance to build a relationship with her last remaining relative, she's here to find her own story: never having found somewhere - or someone - she can call home, she's desperate for answers that might show her where she truly belongs.

But when she arrives on the beautiful mediterranean island, she realises her long-lost family is full of more secrets than she could possibly have imagined. . .

1942

Maia wakes up to find herself on an island under siege, a city in ruins - and knows she must have been sent here for a reason.

Who has she been sent to save? Or is it Maia herself that needs saving? And just when she's finally found what she's been seeking . . . will time separate them forever?

Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Santa Montefiore and Dinah Jefferies.

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, Rowan Coleman!  Never Tear Us Apart is an absolutely stunning novel that made my heart ache with love for the characters.  This is a dual timeline like no other and I adored it.

It's so beautifully written with the island of Malta being brought to life both in the present day and in the midst of World War II.  Maia has a foot in both timelines after she has a car accident in 2025 and wakes up in 1942.  It's historical fiction with a hint of fantasy seamlessly woven into the prose so any realists shouldn't be put off by the time travel storyline.

I'm not going to go into the plot for fear of inadvertently giving away any spoilers but it is extremely good.  I tried not to ask myself too many questions whilst I was reading so I could just sit back and enjoy the amazing literary ride.   I'm going to give Rowan Coleman a virtual chef's kiss for this exquisite book. 

Imaginative, emotional and breathtaking, Never Tear Us Apart is an unforgettable and highly original novel that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.  This is one of those books where five stars just doesn't seem enough.  I wanted to read it again the moment I finished it.  Don't miss it!  

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Year Zero - Rob Gittins

The worst atrocities in battle... begin when war is won

Berlin. May 1945. A city without institutions in a continent that has become a wasteland.

Thousands of former Nazis have been killed in Allied purges, many more incarcerated in the very concentration camps they themselves established.

But the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, has a problem. One of those former Nazis is actually a British spy, Edward Kayne, who has intercepted a top-secret document that Churchill insists is vital to settling the peace.

Martin Geller is selected to journey into the heart of darkness and extract Kayne, but a carrot is dangled before him. His daughter, Zaya, had been abducted two years before as part of the Lebensborn programme – the kidnapping of children deemed to be ripe for ‘Germanisation’. Zaya is now in the same camp.

Geller sets off on a two-pronged mission – to extract Kayne and rescue Zaya. But Geller will discover that far from settling the peace, the document that Kayne has intercepted threatens the opposite.

Can Geller save his daughter from the gates of hell? And how does Geller reconcile the rescue of Kayne with his knowledge that he may be condemning the world to a new Armageddon?

What did I think?

Year Zero gripped me from the start with a shocking prologue that haunted me throughout the novel.  Why are people willing to kill anyone in their path to discover the whereabouts of an old lady?  Why is Zaya so important?  Well, I couldn't even begin to imagine the answer to this question and even more shockingly is that it has a basis in fact.

It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of the book as it flicks back and forth between several locations from London to Tibet and several places in between, but each location is stated at the start of the chapter.  Once I got a handle on all of the characters though, I was totally riveted by this breathtaking historical thriller.

Rob Gittins has a real talent for bringing his books to life and oh my word, I really felt as if I was there with the characters struggling to survive in the concentration camps.  The more I read, the more I wondered how much was actually based on facts.  I don't know a lot about the Nazi party, other than their horrific practice of genocide, and I have found myself researching some of their (bonkers) theories after reading Year Zero.  

Haunting, vivid and riveting, Year Zero is a stunning historical thriller.  It is quite intricately plotted so you need to keep your wits about you while reading and it is well worth a read.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Hobeck Books

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: A Death in Berlin (Berlin Wartime Thrillers Book 3) - Simon Scarrow

BERLIN. MAY 1940. AS HITLER PREPARES TO INVADE WESTERN EUROPE, THERE IS BLOODSHED CLOSER TO HOME

'Scarrow's Berlin is sharply drawn with closely observed detail, a place that reeks of threat and fear - and not just from the Gestapo' Financial Times

CI Horst Schenke is an investigator with the Kripo unit. Powerless against the consequences of the war, he fights to keep criminals off his patch. But with doubts growing about his loyalty to the Nazi regime, he is walking a tightrope. If his relationship with a Jewish woman is exposed, a dreadful fate awaits.

Berlin's gangsters run their crime rings with impunity. Decadent senior Nazis protect them. Schenke is different. He won't turn a blind eye when innocents are caught in the crossfire between warring gangs. But dangerous enemies know everything about him. They will do whatever it takes to bend him to their will . . .

From the seedy wartime nightlife scene to aristocratic homes frequented by the Führer, as the distant war spirals ever closer, A Death in Berlin conveys the horror and banality of evil - and the terrible danger for those who dare stand against it.

The stunning new Berlin wartime thriller from the author of Blackout and Dead of Night.

 

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, I could not put this fantastic book down!  A Death in Berlin is the third novel featuring CI Horst Schenke but it is the first one that I have read and I absolutely loved it.  You can definitely read it as a standalone and it has certainly made me eager to read the first two books.

This period of history is often a depressing subject to read but it's important that we never forget these awful events.  Simon Scarrow brings wartime Berlin to life in this outstanding novel as rival criminal gangs fight to be top dog.  Corruption is rife and the gangs are protected by members of the Nazi party so the police have quite a task on their hands when they investigate ration fraud and a murder.

I loved the character of CI Horst Schenke; he doesn't buy into the Nazi ideology that has caused him to hide his relationship with Ruth, a Jewish woman.  It does mean that he has a secret that can be used to blackmail him, despite the imaginitive precautions he believes he has been taking to communicate with Ruth.

Filled with danger and suspense, A Death in Berlin had me on the edge of my seat as I raced through the pages as fast as I possibly could.  I was gripped from start to finish and I am well and truly hooked on this magnificent series after just one book.  Very highly recommended and unmissable for fans of historical fiction.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Blood Ribbons (Steph Grant Murder Mystery Series Book 4) - Lin Le Versha

 

Arnhem 1944

British paratroopers launch one of the most audacious plans of the Second World War – Operation Market Garden. Private Duncan Shaw records his experiences as his unit fights desperately to capture a vital bridge from the Germans.

Arnhem, Present Day

Duncan’s great granddaughter Zoe retraces his steps as part of a college project to accompany veterans of the battle and record their experiences. What Zoe doesn’t anticipate is uncovering a series of disturbing family secrets, some with deadly consequences.

Another dangerous case for Steph and Hale

A body is found tangled in the rushes on the banks of the Rhine, close to the river boat where former police officer, Steph Grant, and her partner, Chief Inspector Philip Hale, are chaperoning students from the college where she now works. Working with Dutch police, the pair investigate further, and quickly discover that no one is safe – be they pupils, veterans or staff.

What did I think?

Blood Ribbons is the fourth book in the Steph Grant Murder Mystery series but it can be read as a standalone.  Although the characters are familiar to fans of the series, it has its own contained storyline and it's a real good 'un.

The college that Steph works at are planning to write a book to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Operation Market Garden, which was the World War II battle for the bridge at Arnhem that inspired the film A Bridge Too Far.  One of the students has a personal link to the battle and she shares poignant extracts from her great grandfather's journal.

With Steph and Hale around, there's bound to be a dead body or two and the pair find themselves investigating once again.  The plot is very clever as Lin Le Versha catches the reader in a pincer movement with both a present day and a past mystery to solve.  I was completely riveted by both strands of the story and I simply couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Of course it wouldn't be a Steph Grant book without an appearance from Derek, her faithful hound.  Derek may not make an appearance until towards the end of the book but it's definitely quality over quantity as he has a big part to play in the story.

Blood Ribbons is an outstanding murder mystery that had me on the edge of my seat throughout.  The historical element is beautifully and sensitively portrayed and I found it quite emotional and poignant.   A highly recommended read.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Hobeck Books

Amazon

Follow the tour:

Nineteen Steps - Millie Bobby Brown

The debut novel from global star Millie Bobby Brown

Love blooms in the darkest days…

London, 1942.

Despite the raging war, spirited 18-year-old Nellie Morris lives a quiet life in the tight-knit East End community of Bethnal Green. Her family and friends all tease that she will marry air raid warden Billy, the boy next door who’s always been sweet on her.

The arrival of Ray, a handsome American airman stationed nearby, causes Nellie to question everything she thought she knew about her future.

Nellie’s newfound happiness is short-lived when a tragic accident occurs during an air raid. Even the closest family can’t escape the devastation of war, and as the secrets and truth about that fateful night become clear, they threaten to tear Nellie – and those dearest to her – apart.

Inspired by the true events of her family history, Millie Bobby Brown’s dazzling debut novel is a moving tale of longing, loss and secrets, and the lengths that we will go to fight for love.

 

What did I think?

Millie Bobby Brown's debut novel has been written with Kathleen McGurl and it's based around an absolutely tragic event that I had never even heard of, although similar horrific events have happened over the years.  

When I first started reading, I thought it would be a traditional wartime love story with boy meets girl and boy goes to war but Nineteen Steps is so much more than that.  It absolutely devastated me and as hard as it was to read about the horrific tragedy, it's a story that really needed to be told.  I'm not going to reveal what the tragedy was as it would spoil it for other readers but I applaud Millie Bobby Brown for bringing it to light, especially when it is very personal to her.

I absolutely loved Nellie and her whole family.  I feel very fortunate to have never experienced a war on home soil as it must have been so frightening.  Parents, often women on their own as their husband was fighting in the war, had such difficult decisions to make to protect their family, not least whether they should evacuate their children.  

Everyone thinks Nellie will end up marrying Billy the boy next door but fate has other plans for her and American airman Ray is thrust into her life.  It wasn't exactly love at first sight but I loved how their relationship grew, almost cruelly right in front of Billy's eyes.

Haunting, devastating and poignant, Nineteen Steps is a heartachingly beautiful story that will stay with me long after turning the final page.  I was close to tears on several occasions and I had a lump in my throat at the end.  It's well-written, very easy to read and should come with a warning that it may cause tears.  A solid 4.5 stars from me.

I received an ARC for the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

The Turn of The Tide (The Sturmtaucher Trilogy Book 3) - Alan Jones

 

The Turn of the Tide is the third book in the Sturmtaucher Trilogy: a powerful and compelling story of two families torn apart by evil.

As Hitler's greed turns eastwards to the fertile and oil rich Soviet heartlands, life for the Kästner and the Nussbaum families disintegrates and fragments as the Nazis tighten the noose on German and Polish Jews. Implementing Endlösung der Judenfrage, the ‘Final Solution to the Jewish Problem’, Hitler, Himmler, Heydrich and Eichmann plan to have Germany, and Europe, Judenrein, ‘cleansed of Jews’.

General Erich Kästner, increasingly alone, fights a losing battle to protect his friends, and their fellow Jews, putting himself and his family in jeopardy.

As the tide of war turns, he looks anxiously to the Soviets in the east, and to the Western Allies, desperately hoping, despite his patriotism, that Germany is defeated before there are no Jews left in the countries occupied by the Third Reich.

When an assassination attempt on Hitler and his henchmen fails, Erich Kästner himself comes under the scrutiny of the Gestapo, and his own survival, and that of his family, becomes uncertain.

As the war draws to an end, with Germany in ruins, time is running out for the Kästners and the Nussbaums…

What did I think?

The Turn of the Tide is the stunning conclusion to the magnificent Sturmtaucher Trilogy that I have lived and breathed for the past few months.  Even when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking about it and now that I’ve finished it, I’ll never forget it.  It's an epic novel that took me around 20 hours to read and I simultaneously wanted to devour it quickly and savour it slowly. I opted for savouring as this is a story that’s not to be rushed. 

Although you could read The Turn of the Tide as a standalone, you really do need to read the books in order to fully appreciate the rich depth of character and the history behind the families in the book.  I can't even begin to describe this breathtaking novel but it's a story that completely consumed me as I experienced all the trials and tribulations along with each character.  I'm not ashamed to say that I cried several times, especially as the novel drew to a close, but whilst the story is terribly harrowing it's also hopeful and uplifting as the characters show strength, tenacity and resilience against pure evil.

The research that must have gone into this novel is mindblowing and Alan Jones must have dedicated a significant number of years gathering information and sifting through details.  Although the characters are fictional, it's still shocking to think that this is real history and it only happened 80 years ago.  It is a period of history that should never be forgotten and Alan Jones has played a massive part in ensuring that 'the final solution' is never wiped from our memories. 

Each book in this trilogy is an absolute masterpiece and for an author to write three books of such consistently high quality is incredible.   Alan Jones deserves every accolade that is coming his way and I can't see anybody honestly rating this book less than five stars - I would give it more if I could.  I don’t do top 10 books of the year anymore but if I did, I can guarantee that all three books of this superb trilogy would be fighting for the top spot.

Historical fiction at its absolute finest, The Turn of the Tide and the complete trilogy are simply not to be missed.  A masterpiece and an absolute triumph!

I really can't thank Alan Jones enough for sending me a digital ARC to read and review as no review I write could ever do it justice.  This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Flight of the Shearwater (The Sturmtaucher Trilogy Book 2) - Alan Jones

 

Flight of the Shearwater: Book 2 in the Sturmtaucher Trilogy, a powerful and compelling story of two families torn apart by evil.

With Poland divided between Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s Union of Soviet Republics, the increasingly confident Third Reich flexes its military muscles northwards into Denmark and Norway, while the rest of Europe watches anxiously over its shoulders.

General Erich Kästner, in his key role in the Abwehr, is fast becoming aware of the mass expulsion of Jews and other minority groups from Germany and from northern Poland, to the new ghettos of the Generalgouverment area of southern Poland, and has an inkling of what the National Socialists' have in mind for Europe's Jews.

As Holland and Belgium fall, and the British are routed at Dunkirk, barely escaping across the channel, the seemingly impregnable France collapses under the Wehrmacht Blitzkrieg, sealing the fate of millions of Jews, now trapped under Hitler's rule.

The Nussbaums, thwarted in their attempts to escape to Denmark, desperately seek other routes out of Germany but, one by one, they are closed off, and they realise they have left it all too late...

What did I think?

Oh my goodness, words failed me when I turned the final page of this wonderful book; no review I write will do it justice as it is SIMPLY STUNNING!  Alan Jones may very well have written the finest historical trilogy of all time and it's not to be missed, so I'm just going to add the buy link for the series right here: BUY IT HERE!!  If you're still with me, I'll tell you what I thought.

Listed as 800 pages in length, it takes about 18 hours to read this second instalment in The Sturmtaucher Trilogy but it's well worth the time investment.  Although you could jump into the series at book 2, I would recommend reading the series in order to understand the background of the characters.  Wartime Germany and the persecution of the Jews is a difficult subject to read about and on more than one occasion I had tears in my eyes.  The characters are brought to life so vividly that I walked every step with them and I was completely invested in their wellbeing.

The Nussbaum family has tried to stay together throughout the war, despite the increasing threat to Jews in Germany.  When it becomes clear that they aren't all going to get out of Germany as a family, Yosef and Miriam make a heartbreaking decision to try to save their children, Ruth and Manny.  With the help of General Erich Kästner, the Nussbaum's employer and friend, the children must embark on a perilous journey to reach safety.

Heartbreaking, harrowing and completely compelling, Flight of the Shearwater is an exceptional piece of historical fiction.  Five stars is simply not enough and I can't wait for the final book in the trilogy to continue reading this outstanding story.

I received a digital ARC from the author to read and review; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

The Gathering Storm (The Sturmtaucher Trilogy Book 1) - Alan Jones

Kiel, Northern Germany, 1933. A naval city, the base for the German Baltic fleet, and the centre for German sailing, the venue for the upcoming Olympic regatta in 1936.

The Kästners, a prominent Military family, are part of the fabric of the city, and its social, naval and yachting circles. The Nussbaums are the second generation of their family to be in service with the Kästners as domestic staff, but the two households have a closer bond than most.

As Adolf Hitler and his National Socialist Party claw their way to power in 1933, life has never looked better for families like the Kästners. There is only one problem.

The Nussbaums are Jews.

The Sturmtaucher Trilogy documents the devastating effect on both families of the Nazis’ hateful ideology and the insidious erosion of the rights of Germany's Jews.

When Germany descends ever deeper into dictatorship, General Erich Kästner tries desperately to protect his employees, and to spirit them to safety.

As the country tears itself apart, the darkness which envelops a nation threatens not only to destroy two families, but to plunge an entire continent into war.’ 

What did I think?

Wow wow wow!  This book is seriously good.  Alan Jones has written an outstanding piece of historical fiction and better yet, it's the start of a trilogy so it's only the beginning of the story.  I usually like to read historical fiction in physical form because of the added extras like maps and glossaries that are handy to refer back to, but at 800 pages long The Gathering Storm would be quite weighty so I was pleased to read this one on kindle.  It really doesn't feel like a long book as I was so immersed in the story that I didn't want it to end and could have happily kept on reading.

Set in Germany in 1933 when war is just a twinkle in Adolf Hitler's eye, it's unusual to read a WWII novel written from this perspective and I absolutely loved it.  Germany building up to war is a huge story in its own right but I found The Gathering Storm to be surprisingly character driven.  The Kästners and the Nussbaums, along with their acquaintances, were brought to life right before my eyes and I felt all their hopes and fears with them.

It's shocking to think that this is real history as the treatment of the Jewish people is horrific and it makes for uncomfortable reading at times.  Of course, this part of history is well known but when it happens to characters you care about it's even more disturbing.  I found it amazing how easily the German people were brainwashed by Hitler but I'd never really considered how losing the First World War had affected them.  Reading about Hitler's rise to power and the measures he took to stay there is quite astounding and I could see how the population found him so charismatic.

Alan Jones' research is meticulous and it really adds depth to the sketchy history I already knew of this period.  I felt like I learned more reading The Gathering Storm than I ever learned in a whole year of history lessons.  History is brought to life in this exceptional novel.

The Gathering Storm is stunning, breathtaking and so very highly recommended.  It really deserves more than 5 stars to show how exceptional it is.  I can't wait to continue this epic story.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Alan Jones is a Scottish author with three gritty crime stories to his name, the first two set in Glasgow, the third one based in London. He has now switched genres, and his WW2 trilogy will be published in August 2021. It is a Holocaust story set in Northern Germany.

He is married with four grown up children and four wonderful grandchildren.

He has recently retired as a mixed-practice vet in a small Scottish coastal town in Ayrshire and is one of the RNLI volunteer coxswains on the local lifeboat. He makes furniture in his spare time, and maintains and sails a 45-year-old yacht in the Irish Sea and on the beautiful west coast of Scotland. He loves reading, watching films and cooking. He still plays football despite being just the wrong side of sixty.

His crime novels are not for the faint-hearted, with some strong language, violence, and various degrees of sexual content. The first two books also contain a fair smattering of Glasgow slang.

He is one of the few self-published authors to be given a panel at Bloody Scotland and has done two pop-up book launches at the festival in Stirling.

He has spent the last five years researching and writing the Sturmtaucher Trilogy.

Follow the tour: