Showing posts with label Liz Tolsma. Show all posts

Sunday, December 8, 2024

Liz Tolsma: What I Left For You

By Kelly Bridgewater

A Family's Ties Were Broken in Poland of 1939 1939 Helena Kostyszak is an oddity—an educated female ethnic minority lecturing at a university in Krakow at the outbreak of WWII. When the Germans close the university and force Jews into the ghetto, she spirits out a friend's infant daughter and flees to her small village in the southern hills. Helena does everything in her power to protect her family, but it may not be enough. It will take all of her strength and God's intervention for both of them to survive the war and the ethnic cleansing to come. 2023 Recently unengaged social worker McKenna Muir is dealt an awful blow when a two-year-old she's been working with is murdered. It's all too much to take, so her friend suggests she dive into her family's past like she's always wanted. Putting distance between herself and her problems might help her heal, so she and her friend head on Sabbatical to Poland. But what McKenna discovers about her family shocks everyone, including one long-lost family member.

My Thoughts:

What I Left for You by Liz Tolsma brings light to a small culture that has been erased by the Nazi's during World War II. She does a wonderful job at creating a story to show the lengths a mother would go to find her child again. Even put her own health at risk. Tolsma shows the horrors of a concentration camp with truth and grit. She does not shy away from the horrors inflicted on the bodies of these innocent people. The plot is not that much different than a lot of the World War II novels that I have read. Yes, Tolsma based it on true stories, and there are tons of them, but it is hard to be different when the plight was felt by so many of these people. The setting was definitely different with the small, uneducated people being forced to move and forget their heritage. Overall, What I left for You by Liz Tolsma was a World War II novel that tugged at the heart, but ends in a happily-ever-after meeting.

I received a complimentary copy of What I Left for You by Liz Tolsma from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stared are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase What I Left For You

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Liz Tolsma: What I Promise You

By Kelly Bridgewater

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.

My Thoughts:

What I Promise You by Liz Tolsma goes into World War II France and the Concentration camps. It is bad enough with all the horrors that men, women, and children had to suffer while being tortured in those camps, but can you imagine being pregnant at the same time. No energy. Cravings. Sickness. Trying to eat enough good food to keep your baby alive. Those are hard enough for mothers in the modern age. Let alone be in a concentration camp where they are trying to kill you. Tolsma does a wonderful job at creating a storyline that tugs at the heart of the reader and makes them empathize with Noemie. Every World War II story that I have read does show a new level of the disgust and hatred of the German Nazi’s. At least, in Tolsma story, there was not a lot of cringe-worthy moments. A safe, yet unique story. The plot features a modern young lady who through she wanted her life to go way, but through the help of another character, she realizes maybe that is not where God wants her to go with her life. A touch of romance. A surprise yet fulfilling ending to the story. Overall, What I Promise You by Liz Tolsma showed another element of World War II that I was not familiar with, but at times, the story does move quite slowly for my taste.

I received a complimentary copy of What I Promise You by Liz Tolsma from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase What I Promise You

Monday, January 30, 2023

Liz Tolsma: What I Would Tell You

By Kelly Bridgewater

About the Book

Book:What I Would Tell You

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction

Release date: January 1, 2023

DNA Test Unlocks a Family Mystery

Sephardic Jew Mathilda Nissim watches in horror as the Germans invade her beloved city of Salonika, Greece. What angers her most is the lack of resistance her people put up to their captors. In secret and at great risk to her life, she continues to publish her newspaper, calling her people to action. She doesn’t trust God to help them. When she and her husband find out they are expecting a child, Mathilda may have to resort to desperate measures to ensure her daughter’s survival.

Three generations later, college student Riley Payson and her cousin take a popular DNA test only to discover they don’t share any common ancestors. In fact, the test shows Riley is a Sephardic Jew from Greece. This revelation shakes Riley’s tenuous faith and sends her on a journey to discover what happened to her great-grandmother and how all this relates to her faith and her life today.

My Thoughts:

What I Would Tell You by Liz Tolsma features a dual time storyline. I love a good World War II novel that features a different element of the war. This time around the story in the past takes place in Greece, which I did not know Hitler's terror reached that far. It was nice to see the strong heroine, Mathilda as she worked really hard to resist and fight back against the German soldiers with her words. While she fought, it really does bring more harm than good. She does make the ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure the safety of her legacy. While the past heroine is brave, the present day heroine, Riley Payson, just wants to discover her heritage. Once she discovers this, it brings more questions to her mother. While the setting was told that it was in Greece, since I have read a number of World War II stories that take place all over Europe, this story could have taken place in any other place. Nothing unique about the setting jumped out to me. As for the plot, it was nicely handled as a dual time storyline, so as Riley is discovered the past as we read about the past. It was not really that original. I have seen this setting and story before. That was the only downfall I found to the novel. Overall, What I Would Tell You by Liz Tolsma is an interesting and well-written story that fans of World War II should read.

I received a complimentary copy of What I Would Tell You by Liz Tolsma through Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase What I Would Tell You

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. Please visit her website at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.

More from Liz

Take a Trip to Greece with Me

I was privileged to travel to Greece last year to research my upcoming WWII novel, What I Would Tell You. God orchestrated it so beautifully. Because of Covid, we weren’t sure my daughter would be able to travel there for the summer internship she had applied for. Eight weeks before her scheduled departure, Greece reopened to foreign visitors. Around that same time, I sold What I Would Tell You, which is set in Thessaloniki, Greece, to Barbour Publishing. I had to go and visit!

Greece is a beautiful country. The pictures you see don’t do it justice. And to someone like me, the history is one of the best parts. My daughter and I explored the old city wall, built in the 1400s, many churches that predated the Ottoman Empire, and many excavated Roman ruins that have been dug up in the city’s process of putting in a subway system.

Because this is a WWII book, we also spent a great deal of time learning about the history of the Jews in the city. The Kapani Market, just down the street from our apartment, was a vibrant mix of colorful fruits, fragrant spices, and a cacophony of languages. I could well imagine what this old Jewish market was like prior to the war with people hawking olives, fish, and oregano.

We wasted no time in visiting the Jewish museum. I was shocked by the heavy security presence with armed guards outside of the building. Once inside, we had to show our IDs and were required to turn in our phones. Antisemitism is alive and well in Greece. But what a place. There were displays after displays tracing the history of the Jewish people in Thessaloniki from 1492 until WWII. The most breathtaking was the room with stone-covered walls, the names of all 48,000 Salonikan Jews killed in the Holocaust carved into the marble. There’s an entire scene in the book that deals with this room.

What saddened me most was what we saw when we visited the trainyard where the Jews were herded into cattle cars and shipped to Auschwitz. Before we got to where the station once stood, there was a wall on which someone had pained a mural covered with black-and-white figures in their striped uniforms, their eyes and mouths wide in horror. As if that weren’t difficult enough to view, what sickened me was the blue swastikas someone had painted over them.

We also trekked to the other side of the city to visit what had once been the Jewish cemetery, now the grounds of Aristotle University. All that remains to testify that half a million people were once buried here is a small, ill-kept memorial. There were two dead Christmas wreaths placed there. We visited in August.

In addition to a moving and thought-provoking story, I hope to also introduce you to the amazing city of Thessaloniki and give you a peek into the people and the culture of this amazing place. If you ever find yourself in Greece, plan some time in Thessaloniki. Many Americans miss this gem, but it’s packed with charm and history.

Blog Stops

Babbling Becky L’s Book Impressions, January 28

Texas Book-aholic, January 28

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, January 29

Blogging With Carol, January 29

Genesis 5020, January 30

Tell Tale Book Reviews, January 30

Where Faith and Books Meet, January 30

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, January 31

For Him and My Family, January 31

Cover Lover Book Review, February 1

Lily’s Book Reviews, February 1

Abba’s Prayer Warrior Princess, February 2

deb’s Book Review, February 2

Betti Mace, February 3

Connie’s History Classroom, February 3

Paula’s Pad of Inspriation, February 4

Locks, Hooks and Books, February 4

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, February 5

Books You Can Feel Good About, February 5

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, February 6

Holly’s Book Corner, February 6

Bigreadersite, February 7

Blossoms and Blessings, February 7

Mary Hake, February 7

Labor Not in Vain, February 8

Pause for Tales, February 9

A Good Book and Cup of Tea, February 9

Little Homeschool on the Prairie, February 10

Southern Gal Loves to Read, February 10

Lights in a Dark World, February 10

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Liz is giving away the grand prize package of a $25 Amazon e-gift card and 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/23ccb/what-i-would-tell-you-celebration-tour-giveaway

Monday, May 23, 2022

Liz Tolsma: A Promised Engraved

By Kelly Bridgewater

Can Promises Made in Times of Struggle Endure 200 Years?

Visit historic American landmarks through the Doors to the Past series. History and today collide in stories full of mystery, intrigue, faith, and romance.

Young, spirited Josie Wilkins life is about to take a turn when faced with political turmoil and forbidden love in San Antonio of 1836. John Gilbert has won her heart, despite being a Protestant preacher who is forbidden to practice his faith in Texas. Will either of them survive an epic battle for liberty to create a legacy of love?

Nearly 200 years later, Kayleigh Hernandez takes breaks from her demanding job as a refugee coordinator working with Mexican migrants to attend flea markets where she has found a uniquely engraved ring. Enlisting the help of appraiser Brandon Shuman, they piece together a love story long forgotten. But will dangers linked to Kayleigh’s work end her own hopes for leaving a legacy built on hope, faith, and love?

My Thoughts:

A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma invites readers into the story of the Battle of Alamo. With plenty of battle scenes and the rush through the Texan landscape, Tolsma invites her readers into a different world than the current Texan landscape. Josie Wilkins, the heroine from the past, is a brave woman who has a horrible past that she is trying to forget, yet cling onto certain aspects too. The present heroine, Kayleigh, also wants to know some truth about her biological parents. As both women seek to figure out the truth, they learn more about themselves and their past. Tolsma shows how understanding one’s legacy and ancestors is important to everyone. Similarly, the plot of the story was okay. As a reader, I had a hard time personally wanting to stay with the story. At times, it was boring and not a lot of movement on the page. I wanted, personally, a bigger mystery to dive into. Overall, A Promise Engraved does fit well into the Doors into the Past series, and I believe readers will enjoy the novel as part of the complete series.

I received a complimentary copy of A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase A Promise Engraved

Monday, November 8, 2021

Liz Tolsma: A Picture of Hope

By Kelly Bridgewater

About the Book

Book: A Picture of Hope

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

Release date: October, 2021

A Photojournalist Risks Her Life to Save a Very Special Child

Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.

Journalist Nellie Wilkerson has spent the bulk of the war in London, photographing mothers standing in milk lines—and she’s bored. She jumps at the chance to go to France, where the Allied forces recently landed. There she enlists Jean-Paul Breslau of the French underground to take her to the frontlines. On the journey, they stumble upon a great tragedy, leaving a girl with special needs being orphaned.

Can Nellie and Jean-Paul see the child to a safe haven while being pursued by the Nazis, who are pressed by the advancing Allies and determined to destroy all they can before they flee?

My Thoughts:

A Picture of Hope by Liz Tolsma starts with an American photojournalists who happens to be in England during The Battle at Normandy and her ability to capture the fallen soldiers and the horrors of World War II. The story travels through the countryside of France. Readers will be introduced to numerous French cities after the horror causes by the Nazi’s. The story takes place in a convent, reminding me a little bit of The Sound of Music. Plenty of moments that are breathtaking as the characters encounter Nazi’s soldiers again and again, allowing them to wonder if this is the moment that they meet their death. While the concept was interesting, the plot really did not capture my attention. It appeared to be the same action occurring over and over again. Like I mentioned earlier, Nazi’s appearing all the time. The heroine stuck me as a selfish person who wanted her pictures, so she thought of herself. Yes, she did do some heroism actions, but nothing to write home to America about. Being thoroughly well-read in the World War II, this novel really did not capture my attention.

I received a complimentary copy of The Picture of Hope by Liz Tolsma from Barbour Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Picture of Hope

About the Author

More from Liz

Why Another WWII Novel Set in France

You may well read the back cover of my latest release, A Picture of Hope, and wonder why on earth we need another WWII novel set in France. After all, Kristy Cambron just had one. Melanie Dobson and Sarah Sundin will be coming out with theirs in 2022. So why did I feel the need to write my novel with the same setting?

First of all, I’m a Francophile. I love all things French. It started when I took French in high school. Everyone else was learning Spanish, but I wasn’t into being part of the crowd. There were only a few of us in the class, and it was great fun. We had a wonderful teacher. Being able to pull out some of that French, refine it a bit, and use it in the book was a blast. But I also love French food (who doesn’t?) and everything else.

Secondly, I hadn’t written about France before. When I wrote this proposal at least five or six years ago, I didn’t know France would be so hot. God did, and the book came about in His perfect timing. I’d explored the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the Philippines. Such a shame that I was leaving out France, so I set about to write a novel located in that country.

Thirdly, there was so much good material to pull from. The French resistance, while small, did good work and sacrificed a great deal to get Jews out of the country and into Switzerland or Spain. The books that Kristy, Melanie, Sarah, and I write are all so different. Only the setting is the same. And when I found out that the famous mime Marcel Marceau was part of the resistance, I couldn’t help but giving him a cameo. Be on the lookout!

Along the way, I discovered some truly heartrending incidents that took place in France. They also compelled me to write this book. I long for the world to remember what happened so that we will never forget. And so that the atrocities committed there will never be repeated.

Fourthly, this was originally the third book in a series. Don’t worry – it’s a stand-alone. Maybe someday I’ll get to publish the other two. The women in the series are all American journalists in Europe. One is a reporter, the other is a broadcaster, and so I decided to make Nellie, the heroine in A Picture of Hope, a photojournalist. And where better to take pictures than on Omaha Beach soon after D-day. How she gets there is based on a very interesting true story, so be sure to read to the end for that one.

There are so many stories about WWII to be told and so many countries that participated in the conflict in one way or the other. The ground is so rich that we aren’t plowing the same parcel. You’ll find all of these books to be very different from each other, each with its own message, its own voice, and its own plot.

The focus in my book is on children with Down syndrome. I have a background in special education, and my husband and I adopted a child from the Philippines with an intellectual disability, so I’ve always had a heart for people with special needs. My daughter brings us so much joy that I wanted to share a glimpse into what these remarkable people are truly capable of.

So that is why I wrote a WWII novel set in France. Make yourself a cup of café au lait, butter up a croissant, and enjoy A Picture of Hope!