Mists Over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin

 

If you could choose a group of fictional friends, which characters would be a part of your group?  I would love to have the group of fictional friends and family found in Mists Over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin.

Dr. Ivy Picot is a new practicing doctor when her father, mother, and other family members evacuate Jersey island for England.  She stays behind with her sister and brother to help keep the family practice afloat during the German occupation of the Island during WWII.  She meets and is attracted to Dutch Civil Engineer Gerrit van der Zee, but as he works for the Nazis, she knows they cannot be together.  As the years pass, Ivy realizes that everyone must chose a side.  Will she side with the resistance or with the Nazis?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Mists Over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin is a very engaging story.  I read this book quickly and greatly enjoyed it.

·       I enjoyed that characters from Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin made an appearance at the end of the novel.  I loved that book!

·       The setting was a unique and integral part of the story.  The Island seemed beautiful, but it was slowly marred by the concrete structures built by the Nazis to reinforce the island.  There was a great author’s note at the end that states that there are tours of some of the structures mentioned in the book.  I love to visit Jersey and see these structures!

·       I was sad to learn that all the diabetics on the island really did die due to lack of insulin.  The rations and doing without were very hard during the occupation on an island.  They only received five ounces of meat for an entire week!

·       The chemistry between Ivy and Gerritt was alive.  They were attracted to each other but couldn’t show it.

·       Ivy and her sister Fern’s relationship seemed very realistic.  Fern is the older sister and can’t accept that as the doctor, Ivy is the boss.

·       I didn’t know why Fern wouldn’t have left the island with her husband and sons.

·       I loved that Gerritt was a civil engineer.  I am an environmental engineer, and my husband is a civil engineer.  It makes sense that he would be the perfect person for espionage to get plans to the allies.

·       This was a clean read with Christian content.  The main characters struggle with finding the path that God wants them to follow, and how to treat all people with empathy and compassion when it is not allowed by the authorities.

·       There are great book club questions at the end.  This would be a good read for a book club that enjoys WWII fiction

·       I also enjoyed the excerpt at the end of the new Christmas WWII novella by Sarah Sundin at the end as well. It will be realized this fall and looks great.  I can’t wait – I love Christmas historical fiction!

Overall, Mists Over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin was an engrossing WWII historical romance with a unique setting, story, and characters.  It was a very enjoyable read!

Book Source:  Thank-you to @sarahsundinauthor @revellfiction @greatreadsbookpromo for the review copy of this novel as part of the Great Reads Book Promotion Tour.

Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

What's a book that you wish you could experience for the first time again?  I have so many favorites, but one would be Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Cilla van der Zee is a Dutch citizen living through the horrors of the Nazi occupation.  She infiltrates the Dutch Nazis for the resistance movement.  After witnessing them murdering one of her friends, she decides she needs to get out of the Netherlands.  She volunteers to become a spy in England where she went to school and has an aunt.  Once on the shores of Scotland, Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie immediately arrests her.  To save her own life, she has to become a double cross agent.  Will Lacklan and Cilla be able to work together to further the allied cause?  Will Lacklan ever be able to trust Cilla?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin was an engaging novel that captured my attention right from the first chapter.

·       I loved the spy story and how everyone worked together to make the double cross work.  Espionage and suspense were rife in this novel.

·       It really put WWII into perspective on how it was a life and death situation for so many people without any clear options to get out of the terrible situation they were in.

·       I don’t know why, but I hadn’t really thought of submarines dropped off spies off the shores of Great Britain.

·       I loved the characters, but especially Cilla and Lachlan.  Cilla is in a tough situation and must figure out how to keep herself alive while wondering about her family and friends that are left back in the Netherlands.  She is a strong woman. Lachlan is trying to protect his own country, while also wondering about his brother who is involved in a separatist group.  He is a sensitive man who plays the bagpipes, wears a kilt, and loves poetry.

·       The Scottish setting was wonderful.  It was scenic as described on the page and I also loved the descriptions of the Scottish traditions.

·       Cilla and Lachlan had a great enemies to lovers’ romance.

·       Great questions at the end of the novel for a book club to use.  This would make a great book club selection.  It’s a riveting story with morally gray areas that could be explored.

·       I also enjoyed the author’s note at the end which went through the real history that is in this novel.  The Double Cross program is fascinating history.

Favorite quote: “Double cross is a game, Cilla.  It’s the grandest of games.”

Overall, Midnight on the Scottish Shore by Sarah Sundin is a very engaging espionage WWII historical fiction novel with great characters and a fascinating Scottish setting.  I highly recommend it!

Book Source:  Review copy from Revell Books as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

BOOK DESCRIPTION

The only way Cilla van der Zee can survive the German occupation of the Netherlands is to do the unthinkable--become a spy for the Nazis in Britain. She soothes her conscience with a plan to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. Her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed.

But perhaps she is more useful alive than dead. British intelligence sends her to Scotland to radio misleading messages to Germany, messages about the naval base at Scapa Flow to be crafted by Lachlan. At the station in the lighthouse at Dunnet Head, Lachlan and Cilla must work together if the war is to be won. But how can he trust a woman who arrived on his shores as a tool of the enemy--a woman certain to betray both him and the Allied cause?

Master of World War II fiction Sarah Sundin takes you to the wild Scottish seaside, where danger lurks under the surface of the water--and in the depths of the human heart--for a WWII tale you won't soon forget.

AUTHOR BIO

Sarah Sundin is the bestselling author of When Twilight Breaks, Until Leaves Fall in Paris, The Sound of Light, Embers in the London Sky, 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. Sarah lives in Southern California. Visit SarahSundin.com for more information