Far Side of the Sea by Kate Breslin

     In 1918 England, Lieutenant Colin Mabry spends his days decoding messages for MI8 after suffering injuries at the front. When he receives an urgent summons by carrier pigeon from Jewel Reyer--a woman who saved his life and whom he believed to be dead--he can only hope he'll regain the courage he lost on the front lines as he's driven back into war-torn France.
     But Jewel isn't the one waiting for him in Paris. Instead, it is a stranger who claims to be her half-sister, Johanna, who works at a dovecote for French Army Intelligence. She found Jewel's diary and believes her sister is alive and in the custody of a German agent. With spies everywhere, Coli is at first skeptical of Johanna, but as they travel across France and Spain, a tentative trust grows.
     That trust is quickly put to the test, however, when their pursuit leads them straight into the midst of a treacherous plot and their search for answers quickly turns into a battle for their lives.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book. It was filled with suspense, intrigue, and romance. Kate Breslin has created a well-balanced novel set during WWI that will leave the reader wanting more.

I love characters that are not only believable but ones that make the reader want to really know them. Lieutenant Colin Mabry and Johanna Reyer were just that, believable and so real that I wanted them to walk off of the page. From the very first page, I was pulled into the story and loved every minute of it. 

I really can't say anything negative about this book. I loved it from cover to cover and would highly suggest it to anyone who loves clean historical novels filled with suspense.

On a 5-Star Scale - 5 Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank the author for my copy of Far Side of the Sea.  I received my copy for free but I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR. Part 255.

Smiles & Blessings,

High as the Heavens by Kate Breslin

Before I say anything else I want to state, I LOVED THIS BOOK! It is one of those books that once you start reading it you just don't want to put it down. Now with that said, I will give you the synopsis from the back of the book.

Back Cover Synopsis

     A British nurse in WWI German-occupied Brussels, Evelyn Marche spends her days at the hospital and her nights working at a cafe...or so it seems. Eve's most carefully guarded secret is that she also spends her nights carrying out dangerous missions as a spy for a Belgian resistance group.
     When a plane crashes as she's en route to a rendezvous, Eve is the first to reach the downed plane and is shocked to recognize the badly injured pilot as British RFC Captain Simon Forrester. She risks her life to conceal him from the Germans, but as the secrets between them grow and the danger mounts, can they still hope to make it out of Belgium alive?

My Thoughts:

This book was without a doubt the best book I have read by Kate Breslin. It begins in Belgium in 1917 in the midst of World War I. But it also goes back in time in the early part of the book. First we go back ten years when Evelyn Marche first meets Simon Forrester. The author then takes us back to 1917 and flip flops for a few chapters between 1917 and three years prior. I enjoy learning the back story in this way as we are given a chance to experience what happened instead of being told what happened.

Evelyn Marche is keeping secrets as she tries to do her best to help the Allies fight the German's any way she can. Which means she's a spy. I loved this character. She was strong willed and had spunk. She pulled me into her story from the very first and I rooted her on until the very end. Captain Simon Forrester is a character that I also loved. While he was serving in the Royal Flying Corps for Britain, he was actually from Scotland. I loved how the author put a little brogue in his dialogue from time to time.

The story is filled with secrets, pain, unforgiveness and ultimately forgiveness while unfolding a beautiful love story. A love for country, family, and friends.

It's not often that I have read works of  fiction set during the WWI and so I found this book even more enjoyable because I learned a lot about this war. Ms. Breslin obviously did extensive research and it showed.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good historical set during wartime. 

On a 5-Star Scale = 5 HUGE Stars!!!!! I loved this book!

I would like to thank the author, Kate Breslin, and Bethany House, for my copy of High as the Heavens. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review.

Smiles & Blessings,

Not By Sight by Kate Breslin

After I read Kate Breslin's debut novel, For Such a Time (read my review here.), I knew she was a voice I wanted to read again and again. Her newest novel, Not By Sight, is another delightful read that I found hard to put down. If you haven't read either of Ms. Breslin's work you are truly missing out.

The characters in Not By Sight captivated me from the first few pages and carried me along in their story until the very last page. I was there in England during WWI. I felt what Grace Mabry felt and wanted to help her help her country and ultimately her brother. I gasped when I saw the Tin Man's mask. I could go on and on but what I am saying here is that Ms. Breslin captures the feeling of the period. She takes simple words and turns them into a beautiful masterpiece that any artist would be proud of and might even envy. 

I enjoyed watching as Grace Mabry matured into a compassionate woman. One who finally understands the ugliness of war, I loved watching Grace and Jack's story unfold. The descriptions of the settings took my breath away and made me want to go back to that time so I could envision all that the story depicted. 

There is so much that I could say about this book, but I do not give out spoilers and so therefore all I will say is if you enjoy reading historical fiction this book is a must. You will find espionage and treason, the love of country, the love and faith in God, grace and love and hope. I can also say, it is a book that should hold your attention so strongly that you might want to set aside some time to ingest the story otherwise you might find yourself reading long into the night.

I would highly recommend Not By Sight to anyone who loves a good read. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

On a 5-Star scale - 5 Stars!!!!!

I would like to thank Ms. Breslin and Bethany House Publishers for my copy of Not By Sight. I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done.

Smiles & Blessings,

For Such a Time by Kate Breslin

 I have always been a fan of debut novels. One thing I love about them is the opportunity to discover a new voice, someone I will want to follow in their future novels. So when given the opportunity to read and review For Such a Time by Kate Breslin, I jumped at the chancce. I can honestly say her book touched my heart at the deepest level and I can hardly wait to read more by this very talented debut novelist.

For Such a Time is set during World War II and takes place over a little less than a months time in the year 1944. It is the story of SS Kommandant Aric von Schmidt and Hadassah Benjamin, who early in the novel, goes by the alias of Stella Muller in order to protect herself because of her Jewish heritage. Aric rescues Stella from being shot while she was a prisoner at Dachau. He takes her to his aunt's house where she is kept locked in a room. In time, Aric comes and takes her to the camp he is the commandant for, Theresienstadt, another prisoner camp that is known as a paradise ghetto, but it is just as bad as the rest of the camps that kept the Jewish people prisoners simply because they were Jewish. Aric tells her she is to be his secretary and will live in his home outside the walls of the 'ghetto'. 

Stella's parents died when she was very young and she was then raised by her uncle Mordecai. She soon finds out that her Uncle Morty is a prisoner in the Theresienstadt prison camp. She is able to see him on rare occasions and in the end they work together to escape the camp.

Aric is an Austrian who has had a difficult life. Stella is a Jew who is living a difficult life. Together they find that barriers between the Nazis and Jews can be torn down and they can coexist, after all, they are both human. 

Ms. Breslin based her story on the Book of Esther in the Bible. It's almost as if she used the Book of Esther as her outline for her masterful first novel.  She did a phenomenal job!

I could go on and on about all that happens but I don't believe in handing out spoilers, but I will say one thing, Please take a look at the cove on the novel. You will find that the red hair, pearls and the tattered Bible all play a significant part in the telling of this wonderful story.

I would highly recommend For Such a Time to any adults who love a good, well researched historical novel. Due to the topic of the killing of the Jewish people, I wouldn't suggest this to younger children.

I would like to say one more thing, this is without a doubt, the best book I have read since reading Francine Rivers' book, Redeeming Love. It is a book filled with forgiveness, trust, perseverance and love. I loved all the characters but I was particularly drawn to Aric. Ms. Breslin's words brought him to life for me. Remarkable!

I would like to thank the publisher, Bethany House, for my review copy of For Such a Time. I received my copy for free in order to read and give my honest opinion which I have done.

On a 5-Star scale = 5 HUGE Stars!!!!!

Smiles & Blessings,