Paris, 1940 When the Nazis march toward Paris, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. The Germans make it difficult for her to keep Green Leaf Books afloat. And she must keep the store open if she is to continue aiding the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books. Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. But in order to carry out his mission, he must appear to support the occupation--which does not win him any sympathy when he meets Lucie in the bookstore. In a world turned upside down, will love or duty prevail?
Review
If you are a reader of WWII historical fiction, don't walk, run to the bookstore (or ebook seller) and get this story. Every minute was filled with the delicious suspense caused by the Nazi occupation of Paris as well as the sheer will to survive. There is even a little romance, though it takes its time to develop. Lucie is a ballerina that buys a bookshop from her Jewish friends as they return to America to escape the Nazis as they invade France. She finds joy in the decision and finds herself helping the resistance. Paul appears to Lucy as a collaborator with the Nazis. He is an American and finds himself in a position to help the allies and spy on the Nazis. He loses friends over this, but stays on his dangerous mission. His daughter, Josie is his greatest worry, and she finds joy in the little bookshop run by Lucie This story had me turning page after page to be sure of the safety of our heroes. There were moments where I held my breathe and moments where I was unsure what would happen next. I felt all the things with this book. I felt as though I was there and trying to escape the Nazi regime. Sarah Sundin did an amazing job bringing this story to life. The characters were complex as were the relationships. The element of not knowing who to trust added to the suspense of this novel, with a few surprises just when things seemed to go smoothly. I received a copy through the publisher via Net Galley and this is my honest review.