Heart-Tugging WWII Dual Timeline Story -- What I Promise You

About the Book

Book: What I Promise You

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction

Release Date: February 1, 2024

A Family’s History Is Lost to the Ravages of WWII in Southwest France

1942
Noémie Treves, a young, pregnant Jewish woman, had her entire world shattered when she is arrested and taken to the Camp de Rivesaltes transit camp in Southwest France. No sooner does she arrive, though, than she assists in helping two young girls scheduled for transport escape to a nearby maternity hospital. The matron there befriends her and changes her name to help hide her. But nothing goes according to plan, and Hannah finds herself doing the unimaginable to save one precious life.

2022
Caitlyn Laurant is haunted by recent events in her life and hopes becoming a nurse on the mission field will help her forget. While in training, she and her friends travel to France where her grandfather was born. What should have been an easy search for his birthplace turns into anything but and reveals secrets that no one alive has ever heard.

Click here to get your copy! 

My Thoughts

Liz Tolsma has given us another great WWII novel in What I Promise You. This dual timeline story, with both current and WWII timelines has its share of heart-wrenching and heart-tugging elements.

As is usual in her historical fiction novels, the author has done a great deal of research and mixes factual elements with an intriguing fictional story. This story, set in and near a transit camp in France, delves into some of the terrible dangers and losses of WWII. But heroes also emerge directly in that camp and in a nearby maternity hospital where many children and young mothers are given chances at survival. Noémie Treves plays an important role in that part of the story. In the current timeline of the story, Caitlyn Laurent is searching for some answers in her life and finds a strong thread of connection to that fascinating story from WWII.

In both timelines, the characters are rich and well-developed, and their stories draw you in from the first page to the last. As I read the  story, it was easy to imagine myself in those various timelines and locations.

This is the second book in Liz's Echoes of the Past series. Although both stories have a WWII theme and setting, they are stand alones. I would recommend the first book, What I Would Tell You, as another great read.

I highly recommend What I Promise You to anyone who enjoys great inspirational stories set in the era of WWII. Thank you to Celebrate Lit for providing a copy of the book. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Author

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping.

More from Liz

The Story behind the Cover of What I Promise You

In the late summer, I got the preliminary cover for What I Promise You. While Barbour Publishing always does a great job with their covers, and the one they sent was very nice, I wasn’t crazy about it because it didn’t tell the story at all. The mansion that plays such a big part in the novel was nowhere to be seen. Barbour is fantastic when it comes to working with me to get great covers, so I asked if we could include the real mansion that the story is based on. Turns out that they were having trouble getting copyright permission to use any image they could find of the maternity home.

That was disappointing. But I got brave and let them know that I took a picture of it when I was in France last year, and they could use it, but I’m not a very good photographer and I only used my iPhone. I attached the photo to the email and didn’t hear anything for a while.

Then in October, I wanted to include a preorder link to the book on social media or something and went to Amazon to grab it. And there was the cover. I went back and forth between the cover and my picture, and sure enough, it was the picture of the maternity home I had sent them! So I not only wrote What I Promise You, but some of my photography is on the front. I never thought that would happen. Am I in the wrong profession?? Just kidding!

Blog Stops

Book Reviews From an Avid Reader, February 27

Life on Chickadee Lane, February 27

Lots of Helpers, February 28

Lighthouse Academy Blog, February 28 (Guest Review from Marilyn Ridgway)

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, February 29

For Him and My Family, February 29

Betti Mace, March 1

Devoted To Hope, March 1

She Lives To Read, March 2

Locks, Hooks and Books, March 2

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, March 3

Texas Book-aholic, March 3

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, March 4

Blogging With Carol, March 4

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, March 5

Lily’s Corner, March 5

Bizwings Book Blog, March 5

lakesidelivingsite, March 6

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, March 6

Gina Holder, Author and Blogger, March 7 (Author Interview)

Southern Gal Loves to Read, March 7

Tell Tale Book Reviews, March 8

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, March 8

Cover Lover Book Review, March 8

Connie’s History Classroom, March 9

Holly’s Book Corner, March 9

Pause for Tales, March 10

Labor Not in Vain, March 10

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, March 11

Becca Hope: Book Obsessed, March 11

Lights in a Dark World, March 11

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Liz is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon e-Gift card and print copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/2a3ce/what-i-promise-you-celebration-tour-giveaway

Riveting WWII Story -- Embers in the London Sky

Sarah Sundin is a master with WWII fiction. Embers in the London Sky provides even more proof of that statement.

As always, this author has done her research and built a fascinating fictional story around some of the realities of the world of WWII. In this one, set in war-time London, she uses a variety of elements, one of those being the temporary evacuation of children from their homes in the city into other nearby areas for their safety. 

The characters are full of life and invite the reader into their joys and struggles in this complicated time in history. As Aleida and Hugh fight their challenging battles, their personal strength and faith carry them through life-changing decisions and life-threatening situations. It is written in a way that makes it easy to share the feelings and emotions of the people involved. The story moves at a riveting pace that makes this book almost impossible to put down. 

I highly recommend Embers in the London Sky to fans of great inspirational historical fiction. Thanks to Revell Reads for providing a copy of the book. I was happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Book

London, 1940

As the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940, Aleida van der Zee Martens escapes to London to wait out the occupation. Separated from her three-year-old son, Theo, in the process, the young widow desperately searches for her little boy even as she works for an agency responsible for evacuating children to the countryside.

When German bombs set London ablaze, BBC radio correspondent Hugh Collingwood reports on the Blitz, eager to boost morale while walking the fine line between truth and censorship. But the Germans are not the only ones Londoners have to fear as a series of murders flame up amid the ashes.

The deaths hit close to home for Hugh, and Aleida needs his help to locate her missing son. As they work together, they grow closer and closer, both to each other and the answers they seek. But time is running short--and the worst is yet to come.

About the Author

Sarah Sundin is the bestselling author of When Twilight Breaks, Until Leaves Fall in Paris, The Sound of Light, and the popular WWII series Sunrise at Normandy, among others. She is a Christy Award winner and a Carol Award winner, and her novels have received starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, and have appeared on Booklist's "101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years." Sarah lives in California. Visit SarahSundin.com for more information.

Final Visit to Promise Lodge -- Miracles at Promise Lodge

Charlotte Hubbard has previously taken her readers on seven visits to her fictional Missouri community of Promise Lodge for a fascinating series of stories in this setting that falls a little outside your typical Amish settlement. 

On this eighth, and final, visit -- Miracles at Promise Lodge -- she brings back together a wide range of the characters and events from those other visits, along with a few new folks and experiences, to build a forward-moving story rich in hope, forgiveness, and second chances. Weddings are celebrated. New babies are anticipated. New and renewed dreams are accomplished. I don't think you can finish this story without a sense of good things yet to come, things that never would have been expected a few years earlier when this simple community was established.

As always, the characters jump to life off the pages, and their stories tie together into a very well-done book. I highly recommend Miracles at Promise Lodge to fans of Amish inspirational novels. It will be most enjoyed, though, if you have read the entire series in order.

Thanks to the author for providing me a digital copy of the book through NetGalley. I was happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

About the Book

Returning to the fan-favorite world of Promise Lodge, the small-town Missouri setting for her beloved Amish inspirational romance novels, Charlotte Hubbard charms readers with a Mother’s Day themed tale perfect for fans of Shelley Shepard Gray and Beth Wiseman!

A season of change has blessed the Amish of Missouri’s Promise Lodge, as mothers-to-be anticipate the arrival of their little miracles and one young man’s life is about to take an unexpected turn as he sheds his bad boy reputation and embraces the value of faith and hard work.

Long-time residents of Promise Lodge welcome a wave of newcomers that includes a pretty potter who’s come to help an expectant couple, and a hard-working dairy expert ready to manage the herds on the expanding Burkholder farm. Then there’s Isaac Chupp, the handsome, charming son of a notoriously unyielding Bishop from nearby Coldstream. Isaac has recklessly rebelled against his dat, and his bad boy reputation precedes him. Now he seeks a fresh start, applying for work at Dale Kraybill’s bulk store.

Proving himself reliable while Dale takes off for his wedding trip is Isaac’s bold first step. But more miraculous awakenings may come as he settles into the warm new light of the faithful community. And while Promise Lodge celebrates an abundance of newborns as summer turns to fall, Isaac discovers a kindred soul who has her own share of challenges. In helping her, he just may find his true purpose in loving selflessly, building up, and giving back . . .

About the Author

Charlotte Hubbard is the highly acclaimed author of Amish romances celebrating simpler times and a faith-based lifestyle. A longtime Missourian, she draws upon her experiences in Jamesport, the largest Old Order Amish community west of the Mississippi, to create strong, inspiring characters and uplifting stories. Faith and family, farming and food preservation are hallmarks of her lifestyle, and the foundation of all her Amish romance series. She’s a deacon, a dedicated church musician and choir member, and when she’s not writing, she loves to try new recipes, crochet, and sew. Charlotte now lives in Nebraska with her husband and their border collie. You can learn more about Charlotte and her novels at CharlotteHubbard.com.