Welcome to my stop for A. L. Sowards' The Spider and the Sparrow! I loved this author's previous book, The Rules in Rome, and you can check out my five-star review of her newest as well as enter the giveaway below...
The Spider and the Sparrow
The Spider and the Sparrow
by A. L. Sowards
Adult Historical Romantic Suspense
Paperback & ebook, 291 Pages
February 1st 2016 by Covenant Communications Inc.
Summary
May 1915. After tragedy strikes during the Second Battle of Artois, Frenchman Julian Olivier will do anything to get out of the trenches. So when British Intelligence recruits him to spy behind enemy lines, he jumps at the opportunity. Just before he begins, however, he has a chance encounter with a young French woman who leaves his heart marked for the remainder of the war—even if he doesn’t know her name.
Warren Flynn is a Canadian airborne hero, and dogfights with the Germans are all in a day’s work. Second only to his love of flying is his fascination with Claire Donovan, the daughter of an American munitions manufacturer living in Paris. Warren flies Julian into Germany and soon receives orders to post the Allies’ newest operative—an attractive peasant woman named Evette—in Claire’s home.
As a dangerous ring of spies and saboteurs threatens to turn the war against the Allies, Julian discovers goodness in his enemies’ hearts. But even if he survives, will he ever be reunited with the woman whose memory he can’t erase? Will Warren survive the war, and will Evette unearth the infiltrator in her own territory before it’s too late?
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My Review
THE SPIDER AND THE SPARROW was another superb release from this author! I frankly do not know how she does it... How she immerses the reader in this historical and terrible time in history where your emotions are pulled in every which way. Emotions of devastation, heartbreak, but also determination that these characters will do what they can, and hope for the future, for a future with the possibility of love. The tensions and suspense grows throughout the story until the climax at the end when you can barely hang on and wonder how these heroes will make it. Another story from this author that I highly recommend!
These characters grew on me throughout the story. I saw the misery they're experiencing in the beginning and the efforts they make in pushing forward. I saw their humanness, their conviction and determination, their hearts. There was so much heartbreak, but also so much strength and love among these characters. Difficulties and tragedies like war really bring out the best or the worst in people and the characters, both good and bad, show that. These characters showed the way war and death weighs on someone, even when victorious. Even when shooting down enemy planes a character struggled with knowing that there were people inside who lost their lives. Then the soldiers and so many deaths on both sides as if they were pawns in a game that they had no choice in.
The author also did something different in this story when one of the spies was living across enemy lines... We see the German people and how their lives were impacted. How terrible the war was for so many of them and how their own enemy could learn to love and care for them. War is terrible for both sides and not all of the enemy believe as their leaders do.
The plot slowly built as the spies were set up and as the war and other movements become more precarious and urgent. I could feel the intensity building. The end was extremely tense and I was really nervous about how it would end and if everyone that I had grown to care about would make it. This is fiction at its best, when you can relate and feel for characters and cheer them on against these terrible odds.
Here are a couple of touching quotes from the book:
If you read historical romantic suspense or stories that are set during WWII, I would highly recommend THE SPIDER AND THE SPARROW!
Content: Some violence and suspense relative to the genre and war, but would consider this clean.
Source: I would like to thank the publisher, Covenant Communications, for my complimentary review copy, which did not affect my review in any way.
These characters grew on me throughout the story. I saw the misery they're experiencing in the beginning and the efforts they make in pushing forward. I saw their humanness, their conviction and determination, their hearts. There was so much heartbreak, but also so much strength and love among these characters. Difficulties and tragedies like war really bring out the best or the worst in people and the characters, both good and bad, show that. These characters showed the way war and death weighs on someone, even when victorious. Even when shooting down enemy planes a character struggled with knowing that there were people inside who lost their lives. Then the soldiers and so many deaths on both sides as if they were pawns in a game that they had no choice in.
The author also did something different in this story when one of the spies was living across enemy lines... We see the German people and how their lives were impacted. How terrible the war was for so many of them and how their own enemy could learn to love and care for them. War is terrible for both sides and not all of the enemy believe as their leaders do.
The plot slowly built as the spies were set up and as the war and other movements become more precarious and urgent. I could feel the intensity building. The end was extremely tense and I was really nervous about how it would end and if everyone that I had grown to care about would make it. This is fiction at its best, when you can relate and feel for characters and cheer them on against these terrible odds.
Here are a couple of touching quotes from the book:
Real love obeys boundaries and stretches hearts, makes you feel like you can fly but always keeps the other person's happiness at the center of your thoughts and deeds. Real love doesn't take what it wants and leave the other person with the consequences. Real love is patient. Real love is kind.
For some reason, it made him miss Claire. Even when she couldn't put it into words, he felt her comfort, her lack of condemnation with each touch of her hand.
If you read historical romantic suspense or stories that are set during WWII, I would highly recommend THE SPIDER AND THE SPARROW!
Content: Some violence and suspense relative to the genre and war, but would consider this clean.
Source: I would like to thank the publisher, Covenant Communications, for my complimentary review copy, which did not affect my review in any way.
About the Author
I was born in Georgia but consider Moses Lake, Washington my hometown. I came to Utah to attend school (BYU) and ended up staying. Books have always been an important part of my life. I remember writing self-illustrated storybooks at my grandparent's house when I was in elementary school (none of those made it to publication for many good reasons) and attending my first writer's conference when I was in third grade.Now I'm a busy mom with young chidren. I still love to read and I also love to write. I'm usually reading a couple books at once and working on multiple writing projects too. Other than that, my life is pretty ordinary. I'm grateful for that. I'll let the characters in my books have all the adventures.
Tour Schedule
Feb. 15th: http://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/index.html, http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/, https://joyinthemoments.wordpress.com/
Feb. 16th: http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://www.littlelightdesigncollective.com/, http://thethingsilovemost.com/
Feb. 17th: http://www.wishfulendings.com/, http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/
Feb. 18th: http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/, http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/
Feb. 19th: http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/, http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/, http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/
Tour-Wide Giveaway
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