Review of When Stars Dream at Midnight (The Midnight Stars Saga #3) by Tess Thompson

 

Unveiled truths. Unrequited love. A world torn apart.

Mireille

When war threatened Europe, my parents sent me from our vineyard in France to safety in America, where I found a new life, with friends who become family. But even in a land untouched by the bombs, the shadows of war loomed over my heart. As secrets from my past emerge and the world around me is torn apart, I must confront the grief of loss, the weight of duty, and the delicate balance between love and loyalty.

Peter

I’ve always stood in the background—quiet, loyal, and resigned to love a woman I could never have. While her heart belonged to my best friend, mine was hers, a silent devotion that I buried beneath duty and the horrors of war. When tragedy sends me home, scarred and broken, I don’t expect to find healing in the life I left behind. But as grief turns into something deeper, I must decide if I have the courage to face a future shaped by love, hope, and loss.

The third installment in the Midnight Stars Saga follows Mireille Perrin, the baby Estelle entrusted to her twin sister Mauve in When Stars Fall at Midnight. Now grown and navigating the heartache of war, Mireille’s journey will unearth family truths, test her resilience, and challenge her heart in ways she never expected.

In this American Historical romance, Tess Thompson delivers a heartwarming, sweeping family saga filled with long- buried family secrets, unspoken desires, and characters torn between love and duty. A clean wartime that explores the power of second chances and healing nature of love is perfect for fans of 1940s historical fiction and WWII love stories. This sweet, inspirational tale will tug at heartstrings while reminding readers of the enduring resilience of the human spirit.

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**My thoughts**

Every time I feel like I have read Tess Thompson's best historical book, she brings me another one like this. I have a new favorite. And as I am always saying with her books, I'm surprised because I am typically NOT a fan of historical romances. 

Granted, this one takes place during WWII, which is one of my favorite time periods in history to study. I cannot imagine living during that time, watching families get ripped apart and humanity disappearing into evil. I am intrigued by the strength of those who resisted and persisted. This saga builds upon the first two installments, which were the story of Mireille's birth mother, yet somehow grips me even tighter. It also begs to be turned into a miniseries on a streaming platform.

Mireille was raised by her bio mom's twin sister in the south of France. [You'll want to read the first two books to better understand Stella's story, but it isn't necessary to appreciate this book.] And now she is returning to America, to stay safe as Hitler starts to take over France. Her father is Jewish, thus making her family a particular target.

This poor girl is completely uprooted from the vineyard that she has known and loved her whole life and transplanted onto a foreign land. She is fortunate to land a benevolent roommate at school who adopts her into the family, thus setting Mireille on her crash course of love and resistance during one of the most trying times in our history.

She will love and lose and love some more. Her path doesn't go on a straight line, instead meandering a bit to find its way to the ending you are waiting for. I felt like I was standing by her side as she went through every experience. I faced her fears, embraced her challenges, and loved all of her loves. I rejoiced in her happiness and cried alongside her in her grief.

Dare I hope for more in this world?

Well done, yet again, Ms. Thompson!

In the Mood (The Air Transport Auxiliary Mystery Club) by M.W. Arnold

 

Ah, it is my favorite historical time period! So let's take some ladies and through in a bit of mystery! Check out an excerpt from In the Mood by M.W. Arnold! Share your thoughts in the comments section. Follow the tour for even more. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

Violette & Ginger by Uri J. Nachimson

 

Violette was born in Vienna to Jewish parents who immigrated to the United States before World War II. Due to Nazi racial laws, she was forced to leave her university studies, was arrested by the Gestapo, managed to escape, and joined the partisans, where she met her red-haired lover. The novel is based on testimonies of survivors of the extermination camps.

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Uri J. Nachimson was born in Szczecin, Poland in 1947 and two years later his parents emigrated to Israel. In 1966 he was drafted into the Israeli army and participated in the six days war as a photographer in combat and his photographs.

 
Fifteen years ago, Uri decided to relocate to Tuscany in Italy where he lives and writes.

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel will be of interest to my readers.

Read an excerpt from The Book of Uriel by Elyse Hoffman

We are thrilled to share The Book of Uriel by Elyse Hoffman with you today with this great excerpt.

The Book of Uriel is a Historical Fantasy set in WWII Poland and is available now!

   

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Book Description:

In the fires of World War II, a child must save his people from darkness…

Ten-year-old Uriel has always been an outcast. Born mute in a Jewish village known for its choir, he escapes into old stories of his people, stories of angels and monsters. But when the fires of the Holocaust consume his village, he learns that the stories he writes in his golden notebook are terrifyingly real. In the aftermath of the attack, Uriel is taken in by Uwe, a kind-hearted linguist forced to work for the commander of the local Nazi Police, the affably brutal Major Brandt. Uwe wants to keep Uriel safe, but Uriel can’t stay hidden. The angels of his tales have come to him with a dire message: Michael, guardian angel of the Jewish people, is missing. Without their angel, the Jewish people are doomed, and Michael’s angelic brethren cannot search for him in the lands corrupted by Nazi evil. With the lives of millions at stake, Uriel must find Michael and free him from the clutches of the Angel of Death...even if that means putting Uwe in mortal danger. The Book of Uriel is a heartbreaking blend of historical fiction and Jewish folklore that will enthrall fans of The Book Thief and The World That We Knew.  

   

“An otherworldly tale with indelible characters in a realistic wartime setting. Hoffman’s novel sublimely fuses world history and Jewish folklore.”---Kirkus Reviews

2021 International Book Awards Award-Winning Finalist in the Historical Fiction Category.

   

Excerpt:

1.

Uriel wished he could scream.

Normally, he could. A scream was one of the few noises that ever emerged from the boy’s lips. No words ever escaped, but he could summon a scream.

Yet his lungs couldn’t gather enough air to produce a cry. They struggled to supply enough oxygen to keep the child awake. Smoke invaded his throat and clawed at his lungs. Although screams pierced the air from every angle, he couldn’t add his own to the din.

He still felt the pressure of mother’s fingers locked around his hand, even though she was gone. Uriel’s golden eyes darted to and fro, searching for her face. His fingers twitched as her warmth faded. He strained his ears, trying to hear her call to him, but her voice did not rise above the ruckus.

Mama! Uriel thought, his tears allying with the smoke and assaulting his eyes. He wanted to cry out for her. Perhaps if she heard him, she would find him, and they could get to safety. But his voice had never worked before, and though he opened his mouth to call out, all he could do was pant and cough.

Gunshots rang out. The fleeing villagers clung to their families and their few precious possessions, shoving one another out of the way as they tried to escape the flames enveloping the little town and the murderous mob cutting down the Jews. Young and old, women and men, little children and babies were thrown to the ground, beaten with clubs, shot, stabbed, and slaughtered. Their blood mingled with the warm ash coating the cobblestones.

Uriel stood in the midst of the mayhem, still as a statue, alone. His right hand yearned for his mother, while his left clutched the one possession he had snatched before fleeing his house. His little golden notebook. Small enough to fit in his pocket and filled with stories he couldn’t leave to burn.

Although the villagers would normally never leave a small child alone in the street, concern for their own lives and the lives of their families caused them to stampede. Uriel was pushed against a brick wall, and his golden notebook flew from his hand. He gasped, inhaling an army of ash. The boy desperately tried to crawl to his notebook. Boots and shoes stomped on the cherished book, but Uriel reached it. He grabbed the notebook and held it to his chest, shielding it with his body.

The child was trampled and kicked. His lungs began losing to the smoke and ash entering through his nostrils and silent lips. He felt as though his insides were on fire, as though every bone in his body was about to shatter.

When darkness finally took him, all he felt was gratitude.

 

   

Elyse Hoffman is an award-winning author who strives to tell historical tales with new twists. She loves to meld WWII and Jewish history with fantasy, folklore, and the paranormal. She has written six works of Holocaust historical fiction: the five books of The Barracks of the Holocaust and The Book of Uriel. If you love history and want to read some completely unique stories, follow Elyse at Project613Publishing.com.

      

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The Ack Ack Girl by Chris Karlsen

 

Welcome to the book blast for The Ack Ack Girl by Chris Karlsen! I love WWII stories and am happy to bring you an excerpt to enjoy today before you download your own copy. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for even more excerpts, including at my site Candrel's Crafts, Cooks, and Characters. Let the author know your thoughts along the way. Best of luck entering the giveaway!

It’s 1941 and the German war machine has defeated all of Europe except England. In an effort to force a surrender, the German Luftwaffe is bombing villages and cities the length of the country. As the battle rages, Britain is in desperate need to put more pilots in the air.

To free up more men a new unit is formed: The Ack Ack Girls. Teams of courageous young women will now fight in anti-aircraft stations. Excited to be part of the effort, Ava Armstrong has volunteered for one of the special teams. Her unit just happens to be located near an RAF airfield teaming with pilots. Sparks fly, and not just from artillery, when Ava crosses paths with the highly decorated and handsome Royal Airforce pilot, Chris Fairfield.

Read an excerpt:

“I have a couple of favorites. I like Night and Day and Blue Moon. Ava sang a couple of lines from each and added a shoulder and body sway. “They’re good to dance to.”

“Nice moves.”

“Do you dance?”

“When necessary.”

She wondered what that meant, exactly. She heard her mother in her head advising her not to pry. But what if he had a fiancé and she liked to dance and that was the necessity? Sorry Mum, I have to ask. “Pleasant as this evening has been, flirtations and all, just curious but do you have someone special waiting for you somewhere?”

“No. If I had, I wouldn’t have invited you out.”

“I had to ask.”

“Understandable. What about you?”

“No one special is waiting for me either.”

“Good. Back to the songs. Sing Night and Day again.”

She sang the first line and as she did, Chris put his arms around her and danced with her. The warm touch of his hands felt through her uniform. “You’ve nice moves, yourself.” He pulled her closer. “Oh.”

“My mother insisted my sister and I take ballroom dancing when we were in our teens. She said it was uncivilized not to know how to dance.” Without missing a beat, he added, “We’d make a cracking good recruitment poster. Join the RAF or ATS—”

“And share the starry sky?”

“And share the starry sky, I like it.” He gave her one more whirl and stopped. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”

Falling off a cliff, she had no better words to describe the sudden sense of loss. They hardly knew each other. He’d warned her he’d be going within days, but none of that made the loss less acute.

“Well, who knows what the future holds. Maybe I’ll get leave down the road and if I go home, we can meet for drinks or something.” She didn’t know what else to say.

“I don’t want to lose this.” He gestured wide a broad stroke of his arm to the sky. “More starry nights, I hoped you’d agree to write me.”

That jolted the life back into her. “Of course. I don’t want to lose this either.”

He kissed her, thoroughly, deeply, and like no other had.

Read another excerpt here.

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I was raised in Chicago. My father, a history professor, and my mother, a voracious reader passed on a love of history and books along with a love of travel. My husband and I retired to the Pacific Northwest where we live with four crazy rescue dogs.

I am a retired police detective. After twenty-five years in law enforcement I decided to pursue my dream of writing. I’ve completed a historical-time travel romance series called Knights in Time. I currently write a historical suspense called The Bloodstone Series.

I am also working on a world war two series of novella romances.

https://chriskarlsen.com/

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Chris Karlsen will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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A Savage Kultur by Monique Roy

Van Gogh and Nazis, two of my favorite historical topics, both of which feature in this historical fiction, A Savage Kultur by Monique Roy. Take a peek inside with an excerpt and let the author know what you think. Be sure to follow the tour for even more. And of course, best of luck in the giveaway!

Ava is a Jewish art student who suddenly inherits her grandfather’s gallery in London. Acting on his final wish, Ava begins a journey to discover a valued Van Gogh, which was looted by the Nazis in 1937. As Ava unlocks this complex journey, we begin to travel between her timeline and that of the war itself, where we find out what ordinary people had to do to survive under the power of the Nazis and their wishes.

Read an excerpt:

London, England
New Year’s Eve, 2013

It was an icy New Year’s Eve in London when Ava Goldman contemplated the bitter side of life. As she strolled home from a cozy bookshop before sunset, she noticed the wind crisscrossed between ancient buildings, thick snow blanketed the streets, and a single piece of newsprint swirled up in the gust. This weather was not everyone’s cup of tea, but Ava liked the invigorating, crisp air and the hoarfrost on the grass. She could stare for hours at the individual snowflakes that sparkled like glitter and diamonds.

The chilly weather scarcely dampened the mood as the city, on the dawn of another year, still hummed with activity and celebration. Ava knew she was not alone in her thoughts. Merry revelers stood on the banks of the Thames River, which lay frigid from below London Bridge. They, too, were on a journey, quietly observing the world before them as they tried to imagine the future and rehash the past. Glowing fireworks burst around Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, illuminating the night sky with explosions of bright and vivacious colors of light.

In these moments when nothing stirred, she remembered the past, understood the present, thought of the future, and she dug deep into her soul. Ava vowed to remain centered no matter what came her way. To her, this meant being more grounded and calm. She hoped the new year brought with it hope and renewal like a radiant flower that springs from a timeworn vine.

Available on Amazon

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Monique loves writing that twitches her smiling muscles or transports her to another time or place. Her passion for writing began as a young girl while penning stories in a journal. Now she looks forward to deepening her passion by creating many unique stories that do nothing less than intrigue her readers.

Monique was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and her grandparents were European Jews who fled their home as Hitler rose to power. It’s their story that inspired her to write Across Great Divides, her debut, historical fiction novel.

Monique holds a degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and is also the author of a children’s book Once Upon a Time in Venice. In her free time, she loves to travel, play tennis, pursue her passion for writing, and read historical fiction. In 2008, she was chosen by the American Jewish Committee's ACCESS program to travel to Berlin, Germany, on the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, to explore German and Israeli relations along with 20 other Jewish professionals from across the U.S.

Discover more at http://www.monique-roy.com

https://twitter.com/MonWriter1

Monique Roy will be awarding electronic book copy of A Savage Kultur to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Review of Survival: Hijacking into Freedom by M. Ben Yanay

Survival: Hijacking Into Freedom

World War II through the eyes of four exceptional heroes

Janus is a Hungarian Jew serving in the Hungarian Army. When his brigade is put to the service of the fleeing German forces, at end of the Second World War, Janus finds himself driving an SS truck under heavy soviet attacks in the Hungarian woods. With his wife and children on his mind, he tries to escape.

An engulfing human drama based on real historical events

In the woods, Janus meets Bob, an Afro-American pilot from the famous all black "Tuskegee Squadron" unit. Bob is shot down at war and captured by a group of Partisans, where he meets Ina, a Russian medical officer who dreams of a new life in America. Against all odds, and despite their different backgrounds, religions and languages, these three uncommon heroes manage to capture a German train locomotive and try to drive it to their freedom.

All the while, Janus's wife, Terry, endures war with their three children, first in the city, and then at the Ghetto of Debrecen, their hometown. After her middle child is murdered, the family is sent to extermination in Auschwitz, but miraculously saved at the last moment.

A remarkable view of World War II read with bated breath

Towards the end of the war, these four stories converge into one unbelievable drama, providing a gripping and multidimensional view of a most significant period in the history of humanity.

**My review**

I love WWII stories. I love watching documentaries and movies and reading stories about the conflicts. So when I saw this book available, I was intrigued, especially because the description sounded like a different kind of story than I had heard before. Then there's also the appeal of a story based on true events.

Terry intrigued me as a Christian woman who converted to Judaism for the love of her life. She clung to her Jewish identity, even though she could have saved herself by revealing her Christian background and reverting to those roots. She also shows incredible strength while struggling for survival in the concentration camp and when losing her son to the evil guards. 

Janus has an especially interesting history, as his story is revealed through flashbacks. He is Jewish but proves to be worth quite a lot to the enemy. I couldn't decide how I felt about Ina. Bob has a very proud heritage with his service with the famous Tuskegee Airmen.

The story is told both in the present tense as the war is coming to an end and through a series of flashbacks. The flashbacks are important to explain how each character came to be where they are today and why they make the decisions that they do. Sometimes I got a little confused during the flashbacks, keeping characters straight. I also felt like they could have been organized a little differently. Perhaps maybe more of an even rotation of points-of-view or character focus?

I loved hearing each character tell their own story.  It did feel like each character was speaking as an Americanized version of themselves. I think the hardest thing for me was everyone referring to Bob and the other black men as African-Americans. I don't believe that term was in wide use back in the 1940s in America, let alone overseas. It was made more popular in the 1980s. I want to say back then, the term coloreds or others were more likely to be used.

There was an air of authenticity with some real terms in the native languages being used, complete with translation. I did love that the author provide translations for these terms and a bit of clarification about certain events or places. I would suggest that any explanation longer than one word would maybe function better as footnotes instead of being in brackets in the text, to facilitate readability. 

Reading this story, I definitely got the feeling that the author was telling a true story, sharing something he had been told many times. When the story is over, he does disclose his connection to the characters in the story. I think he has more of their stories and I would love to hear more of them, or even see this one fleshed out a bit more. I feel like there is so much more to tell! 

So while this book is not one that is going to necessarily be dubbed as a classic, it is definitely an interesting read that is worth checking out, to give you another perspective into how people functioned during the horrible conflict. And without giving away too much, I will just say that the whole story of the train is definitely one I have never heard before and is definitely a unique story that needs to be told!

Available on Amazon

About M. Ben Yanay

M. Ben Yanay is an Israeli journalist and author.

He was born in Hungary in 1940 and survived the holocaust as a child, arriving in Israel with his parents in 1948.

As an adult, he lived for a few years on a Kibbutz, later becoming the editor of an economic journal and working as a journalist for Associated Press in Israel as well as the Jerusalem Post. 

He studied history and philosophy at Ben-Gurion University.

This is his forth book. Three of his other books have been published in Israel in Hebrew:

• Mushrooms and Octopuses - Nuclear terror thriller. Published by "Masada", 1979.
• Secrets of the Canaa-idim - Science fiction for young adults. Published by "Masada", 1980.
• Hast Thou Killed - and also Taken Possession? - Cold blooded murder account of the Ya'ari-Granot trial. Published by "Hotam", 1990.

Other of his short stories have also been published in various journals.

'Elsa' Book Tour - Review

Elsa

Elsa Baum dreamed of moving away from Germany a country she had watched everyday being dragged deeper into war by Adolf Hitler.

Everyone was under his spell, listening and believing in everything he told them. Elsa and her close friends were the exception, they despised the Nazi’s and were soon to learn the extent of their hatred towards others they considered a threat to their ideology of the perfect superior race. After a chance meeting with the daughter of a high ranking Nazi, feelings developed and she found herself a part of the minority the Nazis were trying to eradicate.

“I don’t want my story to inspire people nor make them sad; I want it to educate them because hate, homophobia and racism still exist today, and although the chance of another event like the Holocaust is rare; the world will never be rid of the foundations that cause hatred among us.

— Elsa Baum”

**My thoughts**

This is a book that caught me off guard. I love stories about the Holocaust. It is a sick obsession of mine and so many others, that began back in the days of reading about Anne Frank. The horrors faced by those persecuted by the Nazis are still unimaginable to me, no matter how much I have read and seen.

The majority of those tortured were the Jews. Little attention has been given to those who were theoretically a part of the pure Aryan race, until they did something to shame their families. Elsa and her friends were the daughters of fine upstanding officers in the Nazi regime. Their love and acceptance of each other and those who were different caused them to lose everything. In a time where we strive to love everyone for who they are and to accept those who are different, it is frightening to fathom being tortured or even killed for those beliefs. It does still happen today, all over the world.

The timeline of this book is quite rushed, yet feels so much longer. You will be appalled by the horrors endured by Elsa and her friends. You may even shed a few tears with them and for them. You will reexamine your own beliefs and outlook on the world and this haunting time in history. 

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Boardinghouse Stew by E. E. Smith

Boardinghouse Stew by E. E. Smith is an interesting snapshot about life in a boardinghouse during World War II. The author tells her own story of working as a maid and cook for a summer in Mrs. Mumson's home on the West Coast in 1943.

Told from the point-of-view of eleven year-old Eileen, the story is about the interactions between Mrs. Mumson, and the six "guests" who live with her. Patsy, the beautiful stenographer; Iris, a welder and air raid warden; and Margaret, the telephone operator who has been a little "sickly" lately, make up Mrs. Mumson's "girls." Howard, a supervisor at the cannery; Doc, who is a doctor; and Teddy, whose job is a mystery, yet he comes home with a new car every few weeks, make up Mrs. Mumson's "boys". Eileen, who lied and said she was thirteen years old, has been hired to do the cooking and cleaning, because Mrs. Mumson's Japanese help has been transferred to a holding camp.

Eileen works hard to run the household. She has to be frugal in her shopping, due to the rationing, and becomes creative in her culinary creations, following the misguidance of the fictional "Miss Kitchen". Her treats leave much to be desired, but no one else is doing the cooking. She strives to keep the house clean, and works harder than even most adults. Along the way, she gain insight into various prejudices of the time, against the Japanese and the Germans. These come to a head when a mysterious visitor appears on the doorstep. She even learns a life lesson from the mysterious goings-on between Margaret and a certain man.

Boardinghouse Stew is an easy read, as it is written in the style of a play, told mostly through dialogue. As someone not as familiar with reading scripts, I could picture the play-by-play action, as if it were occurring on a stage, thanks to the narrative style in lieu of stage directions. The strong voice of an eleven year-old narrator helps you appreciate any filtering and interpretation of events that could easily otherwise seem ludicrous. Photographs of people familiar to the author, and of places and things of the times, also bring about a real quality to the story.

The story is unique, because most novels about WWII seem to focus on the concentration camps and the war being fought overseas. This brings the fear back to the homefront, and brings about a sense of reality to the daily happenings of Americans at the time, even if the characters seem sensational. It helps that it is based on the recollections of E. E. Smith's actual experiences during the war.

In the end, E. E. Smith addresses any burning questions that the reader may have, such as what happened to certain characters in the novel in real life. She also shares her experiences with the boardinghouse as an adults, as well as some experiences from writing and producing the original play.


Buy Boardinghouse Stew





Andrea Coventry is a book reviewer for Bookpleasures.com.

Review of The Box From Braunau by Jan Elvin

Author: Jan Elvin
Publisher: Amacom Books
ISBN: 9780814410493

The Box from Braunau: In Search of My Father’s War is a touching tribute. Not only does it celebrate the life and legacy of author Jan Elvin’s father Bill, it also gives honor to the men who fought in WWII and celebrates the prisoners of the concentration camps they liberated.

All through Jan Elvin’s childhood, she and her siblings were warned to be careful around their father. They were especially warned to never be close-by when waking him, as he may attack. He was anxious and controlling. He often appeared apathetic to his family and their needs. What they didn’t know then, was that he was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.

Jan Elvin had a somewhat strained relationship with her father, as he seemed incapable of really opening up to anyone. Then, a few years before he died, Jan stumbled upon a familiar box from her youth. It was a metal box, upon the side of which read “Braunau 1944”. When she questioned her reticent father about its significance, she discovered that he had been a part of a regiment that freed a slave labor camp in Braunau, Austria. He received the box from a prisoner out of gratitude.

Bill Elvin also revealed that he had witnessed first-hand the atrocities of the concentration camp Ebensee. Desperate to discover more about her father’s experiences, which were too painful for him to articulate, Jan Elvin began a four-year quest to find out about Ebensee and Braunau. The Box from Braunau is the result of her research.

Jan’s research literally took her around the world and introduced her to many of America’s finest, who served with her father. Through those experiences, and through her father’s journal, she was finally able to paint a better picture of her father, and of the war in which he fought.

The Box From Braunau alternates between narratives of the author’s memories of her family and journal entries made by her father during the war. She supplements those entries with factual information garnered in her research. The combination of memory, journal, and research provides an insightful and personal look at one of the worst experiences of mankind.

In addition to the book itself is a comprehensive bibliography for those who wish to research the war further. Jan Elvin also includes resources for those who wish to research their own family’s history as it relates to WWII.

It is an interesting read for anyone who is interested in WWII. It is also a sharp reminder to listen to your father’s stories, and to embrace him while you still have him.

Andrea Coventry is a book reviewer for Bookpleasures.com

Available on Amazon

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