Step Back in Time with Kristin Harmel


Thank you to Goodreads and Gallery books for a copy of The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel.  I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the first time that I have had the opportunity to read  a book by Kristin Harmel.  I had heard many good recommendations about her books, in the past.  I love a good historical fiction book that includes mystery and intrigue or more specifically the resistance during World War II in Paris.  Can she make this as exciting as the Nightingale by Kristin Hannah?

Kristin Harmel


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Synopsis:

When newlywed Ruby Henderson Benoit arrives in Paris in 1939 with her French husband Marcel, she imagines strolling arm in arm along the grand boulevards, awash in the golden afternoon light. But war is looming on the horizon, and as France falls to the Nazis, her marriage begins to splinter, too.

Charlotte Dacher is eleven when the Germans roll into the French capital, their sinister swastika flags snapping in the breeze. After the Jewish restrictions take effect and Jews are ordered to wear the yellow star, Charlotte can’t imagine things getting much worse. But then the mass deportations begin, and her life is ripped forever apart.

Thomas Clarke joins the British Royal Air Force to protect his country, but when his beloved mother dies in a German bombing during the waning days of the Blitz, he wonders if he’s really making a difference. Then he finds himself in Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, and he discovers a new reason to keep fighting—and an unexpected road home.

When fate brings them together, Ruby, Charlotte, and Thomas must summon the courage to defy the Nazis—and to open their own broken hearts—as they fight to survive.  (Amazon.com)

My Thoughts: 

Kristin Harmel is one of my new favorite authors.  I loved The Room on Rue Amelie!  The chapters are short and contribute to making the book an easy read.  I loved how the author wove the plot into the character driven story lines.  The readers will come to care for and cheer for these characters by the end of the book.   The pace slowed a little for me in the middle.  I encourage readers to press on because the story only becomes more interesting with a fascinating ending.

Rating:


4.7/5

To purchase a copy of The Room on Rue Amelie here.


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