When Evalina Cassano and Taichi Hamasaki are torn apart by the events following the attack on Pearl Harbor, they must fight if they want any hope of returning to one another before World War II steals their future together. Within These Lines is one unflinching, haunting, historical novel you don’t want to miss; perfect for fans of Monica Hesse, Ruta Sepetys, and Elizabeth Wein.

Evalina Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family living in San Francisco in 1941 is quiet and ordinary until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants. Despite the scandal it would cause and that inter-racial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together. But anti-Japanese feelings erupt across the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Taichi and his family are forced to give up their farm and move to a Japanese-American internment camp.

Degrading treatment makes life at Manzanar Relocation Center difficult. Taichi’s only connection to the outside world is treasured letters from Evalina. Feeling that the only action she can take to help Taichi is to speak out against injustice, Evalina becomes increasingly vocal at school and at home. Meanwhile, inside Manzanar, fighting between different Japanese-American factions arises. Taichi begins to doubt he will ever leave the camp alive.

With tensions running high and their freedom on the line, Evalina and Taichi must hold true to their ideals and believe in their love to make a way back to each other against unbelievable odds.  

Within These Lines:

• Is a young adult historical novel set in the World War II era
• Contains themes of love, separation, social justice, war, and diversity
• Perfect for junior high and high school students
• A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection

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Stephanie Morrill writes books about girls who are on an adventure to discover their unique place in the world. She is the author of several contemporary young adult series, as well as the 1920s mystery, The Lost Girl of Astor Street, and the WWII era romance, Within These Lines. Since 2010, Stephanie has been encouraging the next generation of writers at her website, GoTeenWriters.com. She lives in the Kansas City area, where she loves plotting big and small adventures to enjoy with her husband and three children. You can connect with Stephanie and learn more about her books at StephanieMorrill.com, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.  







CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR: website | facebook | twitter | instagram

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(5) First Prize winners will each with a special designed poster of Within These Lines from the publisher, Blink YA. Featured quote on poster: "Be Brave Enough to Care and Bold Enough to Act"

Be sure to check out each stop on the Bookstagram Tour and (upcoming) Takeover Tour, as well as this tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule shown below. Giveaway began at midnight March 5, 2019 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on March 18, 2019. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. Due to shipping cost, only US mailing addresses valid. For our giveaway rules and policy, click HERE.

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Thank you to Just Read Tours, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The Sky Above Us
Author: Sarah Sundin
Publisher: Revell
Pages: 384
ISBN:  9780800727987
Publication Date: February 5th, 2019

About the Book:

Facing the past may be the most fearsome battle of his life.

Numbed by grief and harboring shameful secrets, Lt. Adler Paxton ships to England with the US 357th Fighter Group in 1943. Determined to become an ace pilot, Adler battles the German Luftwaffe in treacherous dogfights in the skies over France as the Allies struggle for control of the air before the D-day invasion.

Violet Lindstrom wants to be a missionary, but for now she serves in the American Red Cross, arranging entertainment for the men of the 357th and setting up programs for local children. Drawn to the mysterious Adler, she enlists his help with her work and urges him to reconnect with his family after a long estrangement.

Despite himself, Adler finds his defenses crumbling when it comes to Violet. But D-day draws near . . . and secrets can't stay buried forever.

My Thoughts:
Sarah Sundin is an author who knows her history. I know when I read one of her stories, I'm going to be transported back in time to a certain point in WW2. Her attention to detail is one I haven't really seen in this era. I've read other WW2 historical fictions, but Sarah Sundin stands out for me. Everything for the background, to the secondary characters, the equipment, to dress and hair, it all pops off of the pages.

The landing of Normandy is a time that has fascinated me. The strategy that went in to it. The strength and bravery that these men showed charging the beaches, it is a gripping and pivotal time of the war. Sarah Sundin was able to weave her characters into this back drop.

The story moved with fluidity. It just flowed for me. There was a couple of spots in the story that hit a snag, but it wasn't anything major and didn't take away from the story. This was a book that kept me turning the pages. Even though this was book 2 of the Sunrise at Normandy series, I was able to read this as a standalone....however, with all of Sarah's books, reading them all is a must.

War changes they the thoughts and ideas that people have. Violet and Alder show this. They have plans for other things, but War comes and Violet, it shifts what she thought she needed to do, into something where she offered hope to many others in another way. For Alder, war is a chance of an escape of sorts. Haunted by past issues, the war offered him away to try and do something else.

This was a story that captured me up and I can't wait to see what book Sarah will share with us next!

4 out of 5

About the Author:
Sarah Sundin is the author of The Sea Before Us, as well as the Waves of Freedom, Wings of the Nightingale, and Wings of Glory series. Her novels have received starred reviews from Booklist and Library Journal. Her popular Through Waters Deep was a Carol Award finalist, and both Through Waters Deep and When Tides Turn were named on Booklist's "101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years." Sarah lives in Northern California, where she works on-call as a hospital pharmacist.
Visit www.sarahsundin.com for more information.





Thank you to the publisher, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Catching the Wind
Author: Melanie Dobson
Publisher: Tyndale House
Pages: 416
ISBN: 978-1-4964-1728-2
Publication Date: May 9th, 2017

About the Book:

What happened to Brigitte Berthold?

That question has haunted Daniel Knight since he was thirteen, when he and ten-year-old Brigitte escaped the Gestapo agents who arrested both their parents. They survived a harrowing journey from Germany to England, only to be separated upon their arrival. Daniel vowed to find Brigitte after the war, a promise he has fought to fulfill for more than seventy years.

Now a wealthy old man, Daniel's final hope in finding Brigitte rests with Quenby Vaughn, an American journalist working in London. He believes Quenby's tenacity to find missing people and her personal investment in a related WWII espionage story will help her succeed where previous investigators have failed. Though Quenby is wrestling her own demons--and wary at the idea of teaming up with Daniel's lawyer, Lucas Hough--the lure of Brigitte's story is too much to resist. Together, Quenby and Lucas delve deep into the past, following a trail of deception, sacrifice, and healing that could change all of their futures.

My Thoughts:
I have been a fan of Melanie Dobson's writing for a while. She has a wonderful ability to capture historical details and make them pop.

Catching the Wind was a unique story. It is one that is a duel time line. One present day, one set during WW2. And what intertwines them is a mystery that happened during the war. Quenby is hired to use her investigative ability to solve this 75 year old mystery. Daniel Knight, the man who hired Quenby is desperate. His despair is evident, and as you read, you can't help but hope for him that he gets answers.

As the mystery and story unfolds, this book shows how much the decision of one person can affect the lives of many, over multiple generations. As the story moves, you can't help but wonder where the next turn will take you or how it will be connected if it will be at all.

I downloaded this audio-book and I have to say, the narrator was phenomenal! I will say, starting off, I wasn't sure how I would like this narrator, but as the story progressed, she ended up being one of the best I've heard. She could perform multiple accents, speak German flawlessly, and was able to carry the story, allowing it to come alive and bring you into the story.

The details in this story was fascinating. It focused on aspects of WW2 I hadn't thought about, with spies for Germany, being among the English people and how they could pull it off. Seeing a new aspect for this time of history is very intriguing.

Quenby and Lucus both come off as people are very strong willed, but as you dive into their background, you come to find out, they are broken people, each trying to get over their past. This investigation, allows to them to not only get to know each other, but learn to rely on others and to open themselves up to find out who they really are.

Quenby is a woman who has been broken, lives with a traumatic memory, that has shaped her to who she is today, however, despite that, she loves God, and follows him. She knows she needs him. Seeing her work through her hurts was realistic. Living in faith, while working to get over the past is hard. It leaves scars and they don't always fade.I appreciated how it was displayed.

This was a book that kept opening new layers for me and bringing me in more and more. I absolutely loved it! It has to be one of my favorites for the year.

5 out of 5

About the Author:
Melanie Dobson is the award-winning author of nearly twenty historical romance, suspense, and time-slip novels including Catching the Wind and Chateau of Secrets . Three of her novels have won Carol Awards; Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana won Best Novel of Indiana in 2010; and The Black Cloister won the Foreword Magazine Religious Fiction Book of the Year.

Melanie is the former corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and owner of the publicity firm Dobson Media Group. When she isn't writing, Melanie enjoys teaching both writing and public relations classes at George Fox University.
Melanie and her husband, Jon, have two daughters. After moving numerous times with work, the Dobson family has settled near Portland, Oregon, and they love to hike and camp in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest and along the Pacific Coast. Melanie also enjoys exploring ghost towns and abandoned homes, helping care for kids in her community, and reading stories with her girls.

Visit Melanie online at www.melaniedobson.com.



Thank you to Tyndale Blogger Program, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: The One True Love of Alice-Ann
Author: Eva Marie Everson
Publisher: Tyndale
Pages:418
ISBN: 978-1-4964-2234-7
Publication Date: April 4th, 2017

Synopsis:

Living in rural Georgia in 1941, sixteen-year-old Alice-Ann has her heart set on her brother’s friend Mack; despite their five-year age gap, Alice-Ann knows she can make Mack see her for the woman she’ll become. But when they receive news of the attack on Pearl Harbor and Mack decides to enlist, Alice-Ann realizes she must declare her love before he leaves.

Though promising to write, Mack leaves without confirmation that her love is returned. But Alice-Ann is determined to wear the wedding dress her maiden aunt never had a chance to wear—having lost her fiancé in the Great War. As their correspondence continues over the next three years, Mack and Alice-Ann are drawn closer together. But then Mack’s letters cease altogether, leaving Alice-Ann to fear history repeating itself.

Dreading the war will leave her with a beautiful dress and no happily ever after, Alice-Ann fills her days with work and caring for her best friend’s war-torn brother, Carlton. As time passes and their friendship develops into something more, Alice-Ann wonders if she’ll ever be prepared to say good-bye to her one true love and embrace the future God has in store with a newfound love. Or will a sudden call from overseas change everything?

Review:
This was my first book by Eva Marie Everson. I have to say, it won't be my last one by her either. This is a story that has stuck with me, even after reading it. The writing was elegant and it flowed and offered a wonder visual for me.

We follow Alice-Ann over many years, from being a teenager to early 20's. In this time, we see how life was like in this small town during WW2. This story had such a realistic feel to it. As I read through this story, through Alice-Ann's eyes, it felt like I was able to watch it all play out in front of me like a movie. The writing was phenomenal.

Alice-Ann was a girl I enjoyed following. She is a young girl who thinks she loves someone, who is older, but has always had a crush on. Just like life though, things change and shift as she got older. Her mind matures and with what is going on with the war also shapes her.

I really enjoyed how this story weaved and shifted. Alice-Ann was a fantastic center to this story and I was happy how the story ended the way it did. It is a story that made me feel good.

Too Read!
5 out of 5

About the Author:
Eva Marie Everson is a best-selling, multiple award-winning author of both fiction and nonfiction. She is the president of Word Weavers International and the director of Florida Christian Writers Conference. She enjoys teaching and speaking at writers conferences across the US as well as coaching new writers via her company, Pen In Hand, Inc.





Thank you to the publisher, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: A Sparrow in Terezin
Author: Kristy Cambron
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 336
ISBN: 978-1-4016-9061-8
Publication Date: April 7th, 2015

Synopsis:

Bound together across time, two women will discover a powerful connection through one survivor’s story of hope in the darkest days of a war-torn world.

Present Day—With the grand opening of her new art gallery and a fairytale wedding just around the corner, Sera James feels she’s stumbled into a charmed life—until a brutal legal battle against fiancé William Hanover threatens to destroy the perfectly planned future she’s planned before it even begins. Now, after an eleventh-hour wedding ceremony and a callous arrest, William faces a decade in prison for a crime he never committed, and Sera must battle the scathing accusations that threaten her family and any hope for a future.

1942—Kája Makovsky narrowly escaped occupied Prague in 1939, and was forced to leave her half-Jewish family behind. Now a reporter for the Daily Telegraph in England, Kája discovers the terror has followed her across the Channel in the shadowy form of the London Blitz. When she learns Jews are being exterminated by the thousands on the continent, Kája has no choice but to return to her mother city, risking her life to smuggle her family to freedom and peace.

Connecting across a century through one little girl, a Holocaust survivor with a foot in each world, these two women will discover a kinship that springs even in the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kája must cling to the faith that sustains and fight to protect all they hold dear—even if it means placing their own futures on the line.

Review:
I have to be honest and start off by saying, that I haven't finished reading A Sparrow in Terezin yet. I got a late start on the book, but I have already have read quiet a bit, and my goodness, even though I haven't finished it yet, it doesn't matter. My opinion on this story is set.

When I read Kristy Cambron's debut book last year, The Butterfly and the Violin, I fell in love with her story!  The story hooked me from page one and I was sad when it ended. I didn't want to leave these characters. Several months ago, when I heard about A Sparrow in Terezin, you can imagine how excited I was!

Kristy came off strong in her first book, and I have to say, not only has her writing stayed as beautiful, and has brought forth a gripping and heartbreaking story of two lives from two different eras.

We are reunited with Sera James from Butterfly, and with the continuation of her and William's story. Their story ended on a high note in the previous book and starts off with a bang in this story! Following them along, is a nail bitter with everything that has been happening.

Then we are introduced to Kaja. She is a young woman, who is living in a time of war. Everything she ever knew has been ripped from her and she must hide who she is for her and her family's safety. When introduced, she is so innocent and caring. It's heartbreaking the struggle she has to deal with, but as the story progresses, she does her best to move along in the right path, knowing that where she is only temporary till she can go back to her home.

This is a beautiful story and I honestly can't wait to finish up the last little bit I have left! Kristy Cambron has made a name for herself on my favorites shelf.

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Author:
Kristy Cambron fancies life as a vintage-inspired storyteller. Her second novel, A Sparrow in Terezin, was named Library Journal Reviews’ “Pick of the Month (Christian Fiction)” for February 2015. Cambron is an art/design manager at TheGROVEstory.com storytelling ministry. She holds a degree in art history from Indiana University and has nearly 15 years of experience in instructional design and communications for a Fortune-100 company. She lives in Indiana with her husband and three football-loving sons, where she can probably be bribed with a coconut mocha latte and a good Christian fiction read.



Giveaway:
Bound together across time, two women will discover a powerful connection in Kristy Cambron's new book, A Sparrow in Terezin. Connecting across a century through one little girl, a Holocaust survivor with a foot in each world, two women will discover a kinship that springs even in the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kája must cling to the faith that sustains and fight to protect all they hold dear—even if it means placing their own futures on the line.

Kristy is celebrating by giving away a basket filled with goodies inspired by her new book!


One grand prize winner will receive:

• A set of poppy notecards
• A poppy pin
• A copy of I Never Saw Another Butterfly
• A copy of the Mrs. Miniver DVD
• Literary tea bags
• Tumbler
• A copy of A Sparrow in Terezin

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 28th. Winner will be announced April 29th on Kristy's blog.



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Thank you to Litfuse and Thomas Nelson, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Remember the Lilies
Author: Liz Tolsma
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Pages: 352
ISBN: 978-1-4016-8914-8
Publication Date: February 2015

Synopsis:

Can Irene and Rand stave off starvation until the American troops bring freedom?

Interred by the Japanese, missionary Irene Reynolds comes across a mysterious note while working at the censor’s office. She memorizes the parts she must black out and delivers it to wealthy nightclub owner Rand Sterling. Before she knows what’s happening, she’s drawn into a web of secrets and danger.

Rand Sterling wants nothing more than to reopen his nightclubs once the war ends. But slimy Frank Covey wants his hand in the till—and has news that could threaten Rand’s reputation if it became public. More importantly, beautiful and intriguing Irene Reynolds cannot discover this information if he expects to persuade her to become his wife.

When Irene is attacked by a sinister Japanese guard and their secrets are exposed, they must learn the true meaning of forgiveness—if they can stave off starvation until the American troops bring freedom.

Review:
Liz Tolsma has a passion for WW2 and you can see it in her work. She started this series out with a story close to her family in Snow on the Tulips and has worked her way across Europe and now to the Pacific Island in her newest book, Remember the Lilies.

We are put in an interment camp with our leads, Rand and Irene, in the Philippine Islands. The Japanese have taken everything and refuse to let go. In the very beginning, Rand suffers a major trauma when an idea he has goes wrong on so many levels. Irene tried to help, but it was too late for any help.

With this experience, it brings these two people together helping each other when possible. However, they come from different backgrounds and have lived life very differently. They have to work out much between them, with the added stress that their captors put on them.

In each of her stories, Liz Tolsma has been able to create very unique characters, and this book is no different. She also able to create a very vivid picture of the area surrounding them and make it pop. Her attention to detail shines through as the people of history mingle with the fictional ones. She is also able to tastefully add in the atrocities of war, so they add to the story, and not take away.

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Author:
"New York Times" best-selling author Liz Tolsma is the author of "Daisies are Forever," "Snow on the Tulips," and the contributing author of "A Log Cabin Christmas." When not busy putting words to paper, Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and children, all adopted internationally.






Giveaway:
This gripping new tale from Liz Tolsma, Remember the Lilies, is a must-read for fans of WWII-era fiction. When Irene is attacked by a sinister Japanese guard and their secrets are exposed, she and Rand must learn the true meaning of forgiveness—if they can stave off starvation until the American troops bring freedom.

Help Liz celebrate the release of Remember the Lilies with a Kindle Fire giveaway!


One grand prize winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire
• One copy of Remember the Lilies

Thank you to Litfuse and Thomas Nelson, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Where Treetops Glisten
Author: Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, & Sarah Sundin
Publisher: Waterbrook
Pages: 368
ISBN: 978-1-60142-648-2
Publication Date: September 16th, 2014

Synopsis:

The crunch of newly fallen snow, the weight of wartime

Siblings forging new paths and finding love in three stories, filled with the wonder of Christmas

Turn back the clock to a different time, listen to Bing Crosby sing of sleigh bells in the snow, as the realities of America’s involvement in the Second World War change the lives of the Turner family in Lafayette, Indiana.

In Cara Putman’s White Christmas, Abigail Turner is holding down the Home Front as a college student and a part-time employee at a one-of-a-kind candy shop. Loss of a beau to the war has Abigail skittish about romantic entanglements—until a hard-working young man with a serious problem needs her help.

Abigail’s brother Pete is a fighter pilot hero returned from the European Theater in Sarah Sundin’s I’ll Be Home for Christmas, trying to recapture the hope and peace his time at war has eroded. But when he encounters a precocious little girl in need of Pete’s friendship, can he convince her widowed mother that he’s no longer the bully she once knew?

In Tricia Goyer’s Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Meredith Turner, “Merry” to those who know her best, is using her skills as a combat nurse on the frontline in the Netherlands. Halfway around the world from home, Merry never expects to face her deepest betrayal head on, but that’s precisely what God has in mind to redeem her broken heart.

The Turner family believes in God’s providence during such a tumultuous time. Can they absorb the miracle of Christ’s birth and His plan for a future?

Review:

I've really been enjoying WW2 era books this year. There is so much history there that can be used as a background and the authors who I have had the privilege to read, have used these settings to their advantage. I have to say that Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, and Sarah Sundin combined their creativity and these backgrounds well and made a wonderful novella collection.

I have to be honest and say that novellas can be hit and miss for me. My main pet peeve can be when there is no connecting factor to the stories. I didn't have to worry about this here. These three short stories were all connected through the family of the characters. With that connection it allowed who they were to be flushed out a little more then in other types of collections and you weren't left wondering, "What now?".

I'm going to do my best to not spoil any of these stories, so I will probably keep this a wee bit short.

All three of these stories take place in the days leading up to Christmas. Much loss has been suffered and there is a lot to over come with these characters. Each face these tragedies in their own way and they each have decisions to make. We are first introduced to everyone as a whole a year before these stories unfold and really bring out the characters. It is through this introduction, we get a glimpse them all and the raw grief they each have to battle through. And with that jumping point, as we dive into each of their stories, we find out what barriers they have put up and what barriers they need to tear down for their faith to be restored.

I will say, my favorite character through this collection was Grandma Louise Turner, the matriarch of the family. She was the back bone to the family always wanting to help and be there for her family. And her faith was wonderful thing to read about, especially in such a hard time.

This was a wonderful collection. If you love WW2 era stories, you will really like these. And if you love seasonal stories, it is a great Christmas collection!

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Authors:
TRICIA GOYER is a prolific author of nearly forty books, including “Chasing Mona Lisa,” and a speaker and blogger. CARA PUTMAN is the author of twenty books including “Shadowed by Grace.” She is the winner of the 2008 Carol Award for historical fiction. SARAH SUNDIN is the critically-acclaimed author of the Wings of the Nightingale series, the Wings of Glory series, and the forthcoming Waves of Freedom novels.


Thank you to Litfuse and Waterbrook, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Feast for Thieves: A Rowdy Slater Novel
Author: Marcus Brotherton
Publisher: River North
Pages: 288
ISBN: 978-0-8024-1213-3
Publication Date: September 1st, 2014

Synopsis:

Sergeant Rowdy Slater is the most skilled-and most incorrigible-soldier in Dog Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne, an elite group of paratroopers fighting for the world's freedom in World War II.

Through a bizarre set of circumstances, Rowdy returns to the States after the war, turns his life around, and falls into the only job he can find-preacher at the sparsely populated community church in Cut Eye, Texas, a dusty highway town situated at the midpoint of nowhere and emptiness.

The town's lawman, suspicious that Rowdy has changed his ways only as a cover up, gives an ultimatum: Rowdy must survive one complete year as Cut Eye's new minister or end up in jail.

At first Rowdy thinks the job will be easy, particularly because he's taking over for a young female missionary who's held the church together while the men were at war. But when a dark-hearted acquaintance from Rowdy's past shows up with a plan to make some quick cash, Rowdy becomes ensnared due to an irrevocable favor, and life turns decidedly difficult.

Rowdy's a man used to solving problems one of two ways: with his rifle or with his fists. Will he be able to thwart his old friend's evil schemes while remaining true to his new higher calling?

This is a wild ride of a book bursting with a bank robbery, kidnapping, desperate prayers, and barroom brawls. Before the smoke clears, all sides just might end up getting exactly what they want.

 Review:
I have to say, I've been on a WW2 kick lately and I've enjoyed each story I've read. Feast of Thieves was different in it's look of WW2, it looked at the life of a solider after war. Coming home, what was there to do...what if there were no jobs, what would you do then?

Rowdy Slater made his introduction with a bang...in the midst of a bank robbery. He comes flying off the pages right away, but unlike most bank robbers, he has a conscious that tickles him and follows him along until he decides to do the right thing.

Rowdy's offer by the sheriff is a unique one and it is one that Rowdy is not trained for, it shows in his first sermon. It was hilarious and cringe worthy all at the same time. Thankfully, Rowdy does have guidance from Bobbie, the missionary who has been filling in the small church. She has been doing her best in the small town, but it seems everything has been fighting against the church and the people wanting more from it. As time goes by and Rowdy gets into this job, he really opens up and things start to change.

However, when things are doing ok, and his chopped wood pile is a good size, Rowdy's past shows up and throws him under a train. After finding out why Rowdy started in to robbery and hearing of his past, I couldn't help but think, what else could have done? My goodness, the things he is fighting against doesn't quit. You feel horrible for him, and with the pressure, what else could he have done. I had so much sympathy for him and I was glad he had people in his corner.

Marcus Brotherton has such a captivating way to tell the story. He starts you out with the character and he slowly unwinds them before your eyes and you are able to get to know them better and your ideas slowly change with the new revelations and you just hope that things will work out.

This was a story that I started to read and before you know it, quite a bit of time has past and a third of the book as been devoured. There is a realness to the story that connects you instantly to the characters. You either understand the struggles these characters are facing or know someone similar.

Too Read
4 out of 5

About the Author:
MARCUS BROTHERTON is the author or coauthor of more than twenty-five nonfiction books. Notable works include Shifty's War, A Company of Heroes, and the oral history project, We Who Are Alive and Remain: untold stories from the Band of Brothers, a New York Times bestseller. This is his first novel. www.marcusbrotherton.com.







Thank you to Side Door Communications, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Thief of Glory
Author: Sigmund Brouwer
Publisher: Water Brook
Pages: 288
ISBN: 978-0-307-44649-7
Publication Date: August 19th, 2014

Synopsis:

A boy coming of age in a time of war…
the love that inspires him to survive.

For ten year-old Jeremiah Prins, the life of privilege as the son of a school headmaster in the Dutch East Indies comes crashing to a halt in 1942 after the Japanese Imperialist invasion of the Southeast Pacific. Jeremiah takes on the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings when his father and older stepbrothers are separated from the rest of the family, and he is surprised by what life in the camp reveals about a woman he barely knows—his frail, troubled mother.

Amidst starvation, brutality, sacrifice and generosity, Jeremiah draws on all of his courage and cunning to fill in the gap for his mother. Life in the camps is made more tolerable as Jeremiah’s boyhood infatuation with his close friend Laura deepens into a friendship from which they both draw strength.

When the darkest sides of humanity threaten to overwhelm Jeremiah and Laura, they reach for God’s light and grace, shining through his people. Time and war will test their fortitude and the only thing that will bring them safely to the other side is the most enduring bond of all.

Review:
The only thing I knew to expect when diving into Thief of Glory was that I knew the story telling was going to be superb and the writing would capture me up. What I didn't know much about were the prison camps that were set up in the Dutch East Indies during WW2. I got a bit of a history lesson and a desire to look up more. I will admit, I focused a lot of attention to the issues of Europe and hadn't thought about what else was going on in the world at this time. My goodness, how this story brought the view around.

I just have to say right off, if I had a son like Jeremiah, I would be the proudest mother ever. Talk about a smart kid! He knew how things worked and could make them work to his advantage. As it said in the book, he was a kid who would never lose a fight. He didn't win them, but he didn't lose, because he never gave up. Jeremiah was a kid with guts and he needed it for everything he faced in this book.

The prison camps that the Japanese set up weren't the death camps that the Nazi's built, but they were rough. Women were on their own with their children to take care of, while the men and their older sons were taken to build railways until they fell over dead. It was a depressing time, but how Jeremiah figures out to survive and help his family was brilliant. His friendship with Laura was also a bright spot in this book. Jeremiah was a young boy in love and he and Laura had the same desire, to help those that they love. Sadly though, Jeremiah and Laura's adversary's weren't just the Japanese guards, it was also another kid about their age, Georgie, who was bound and determined to ruin Jeremiah. He was a rat of a kid who loved to have power. I hate to say it, but the kid got what was coming to him in the book. He was a selfish boy that didn't seem to care that the world was at war.

This book brought out the emotions, mainly anger (not the bad kind) and sadness and also that of disbelief. The twist at the end left me speechless. I didn't see it coming. I was floored, but as I thought about everything leading up, their were signs.

There is a realness to Sigmund Brouwer's writing. He brings you in and lets you see what is going on. He doesn't tell you. I was forced to set this book down a couple of times by things going on, but I could pick it right back up and be dropped back in without missing a beat.

Too Read!
5 out of 5

About the Author:
SIGMUND BROUWER is the best-selling author of nearly thirty novels, with close to 4 million books in print. Based on his inspiration for Thief of Glory, which Sigmund wrote as a way to learn and honor his parent's stories, especially of his father's boyhood in a Japanese concentration camp, Sigmund leads The Chapters of Our Lives memoir seminars across the United States and Canada. (www.thechaptersofourlives.com). Sigmund is married to recording artist Cindy Morgan and has two daughters. 



Thank you to Blogging For Books, I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.