Monday, November 26, 2018

Liz Tolsma: When the Heart Sings


By Kelly Bridgewater

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About the Book:

Title: When the Heart Sings
Series: Music of the Heart #2
Author: Liz Tolsma
Publisher: Gilead Publishing
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction/ Romance

Natia has a secret, and she's hiding him right beneath her captor's nose . . .

The Nazis have forced Natia and Teodor from their Polish farm to a labor camp. Separated, Natia is chosen to be the housekeeper for the camp's overseer, and her husband Teodor is sent to work in the factory. Despite the strict camp rules--and the consequences for disobeying them--Natia finds a way to communicate with Teodor by sending messages through song as she passes Teodor's dormitory.

But then Natia finds a Jewish orphan on the overseer's doorstep. She is determined to protect the boy and raise him as the child she and her husband were unable to bear--but if her German captors discover how much she's hiding, both she and Teodor may pay the ultimate price.

From Amazon
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads  Amazon  B&N  Christianbook  Book Depository

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My Thoughts:

World War II novels are wonderful and one of my favorite genres. I enjoy reading about the greatest generation and the heroic acts they endured. Soldiers who went into battle just to defend Old Glory. I love their attitudes. I know with a historical romance there will be a struggle wrapped in a historical setting and filled with adventure. Liz Tolsma's newest novel When the Heart Sings does exactly that.

I love the concept of her story. Using songs to share her heroine's current situation and love for her husband and the ability to sooth the baby was a wonderful twist on a familiar topic. I flew through the story and really enjoyed it. There were moments of realistic horror that made me cringe, but I knew the reality of the treatment of Jews and Poles was horrifying. The plot moved fast, and I had a hard time putting the novel down.

The romance was between a husband and a wife. It showed how deep a romance can go even if the most horrific of places. I loved how Natia and Teodor Palinska cling to the hope of getting back together holds their hope of leaving the horrible concentration camp.

The only problem I had with the plot is being another concentration camp story. When I first started reading the World War II genre, I didn't mind, but now tons of authors have written stories on the horrors that occurred during at the concentration camps. From Kristy Cambron, Joel Rosenberg, Kate Breslin, and Tolsma among a number of others, the idea appears to be the same. How to share the horror and make the reader cringe.

Overall, When the Heart Sings by Liz Tolsma is a wonderful story blanketed with the horrors of World War II reality. The novel is fast-paced and captured my imagination. Fans of Kristy Cambron, Joel Rosenberg, Kate Breslin, and Anna Schmidt will enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of When the Heart Sings by Liz Tolsma from Gideon Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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From Amazon
About the Author:

Passionate might best describe Liz Tolsma. She loves writing, research, and editing. Her passion shone through in her first novel which was a double award finalist. On any given day, you might find her pulling weeds in her perennial garden, walking her hyperactive dog, or curled up with a good book. Nothing means more to her than her family. She's married her high-school sweetheart twenty-eight years ago. Get her talking about international adoption, and you might never get her to stop. She and her husband adopted three children, including a son who is a U.S. Marine, and two daughters. (Taken from Amazon.)


CONNECT WITH LIZ: Website  Facebook  Twitter   Pinterest

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

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  • (1) winner will receive (US only) a print copy of
When the Heart Sings
  • Just One More Chapter' throw pillow seen HERE

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. 

Giveaway will begin at midnight November 26, 2018 and last through 11:59pm December 3, 2018. US only. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found HERE
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Thank you for stopping by!!!!!!






2 comments:

  1. I'm definitely going to read When The Heart Sings as well as any other books by Liz. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this story. I also love this genre but it is and was a very emotional and devastatibg time to read about as far as the horrors of concentration camps. The sad thing is it was a reality. Thank you for your post & thoughts.
    Carol Luciano
    Lucky4750 at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by, Carol. Yes, World War II was awful, but we can't ignore it either. Good luck in the giveaway!

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