Today, I’m hosting a stop on the Book tour for Marion Kummerow’s latest release. Thanks to Bookouture for the gifted ebook to write my honest review.
Book Blurb
She kneels by her husband, his face contorted with pain. “You must get yourself to safety,” he tells her. She grips his hand tighter as a tear tracks down her drawn, pale face. “I promised to stay beside you. I will keep that vow to the end.”
Berlin, 1944. Edith Falkenstein weeps with joy when the crowds of brave women protesting on Rosenstrasse manage to save their Jewish relatives, including her husband Julius, from deportation to the camps.
Julius once believed abiding by the rules would shield him and his wife. But now he knows better: there is no such thing as mercy from the Nazis, and they must do all they can to save others. Their apartment, long stripped of its luxurious furnishings, might offer little protection from the frigid winter air, but it has become a place of secret shelter—though it puts all their lives at risk.
As bombs rain a thunder of devastation on the city and Soviet soldiers close in from the east, the Nazis have only become more desperate, and more deadly. For the inhabitants, their only option is to flee. But when another raid leaves Julius critically injured, Edith realises he is far too frail to make the perilous journey. She closes her eyes and prays for a miracle.
The final days of the war are here, but there is no cause for celebration in Berlin, where death lingers on every corner. Their love has been the source of their strength and survival all these long years, but will either of them live to see the end?
An absolutely page-turning and deeply heartrending story of one woman’s promise to protect the people she loves. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Alice Network and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
My Review
This book is the fourth and final book in the German Wives series. Every single book has been no less than excellent. Marion Kummerow writes from the heart, and this is so clear throughout the series. It can be read as a standalone, but I am sure if anyone reads just one book, they will surely want to read the rest of the series.
Picking up in 1943, when the previous book ended, I was back in Berlin at a time when families were being torn apart, and the fact you married a Jew mattered way too much. As always, I felt heartbroken as the story unfolded, and the plight of the German families with Jewish relatives had them living on tenterhooks daily. When every trip outdoors could mean families would be separated if only for religion.
The reason I constantly rate Marion Kummerow’s historical fiction five stars is that she brings the German side of WW2 to vivid life. Her research is impeccable, and she brings the characters to life, so they almost pop out the pages as you read. I am a lover of historical fiction, and when it’s written this way, I revel in it. Just the fact it teaches us the other side of the war. Germany was an enemy, but the people of the country suffered in ways that the people of England didn’t. To me, books like these at least make the readers think and actually realise that the victims of Hitler’s war weren’t just every other country he invaded.
The Berlin Wife’s Vows is a fitting conclusion to this series, well written and so emotional. I am sad I won’t be able to revisit these characters. I can only look forward to whatever Marion Kummerow writes next.
Buy Link
Amazon https://geni.us/B0CTCPdeanH7GJsocial
Author Bio
Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to “discover the world” and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she’s now living with her family.
Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.
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Buy Link
Amazon https://geni.us/B0CTCPdeanH7GJsocial
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