Page-Turning Intrigue and Romance from an Up-and-Coming Historical Romance TalentIn 1917, Evelyn Marche is just one of many women who has been widowed by the war. A British nurse trapped in German-occupied Brussels, she spends her days working at a hospital and her nights as a waitress in her aunt and uncle’s café. Eve also has a carefully guarded secret keeping her in constant danger: She’s a … danger: She’s a spy working for a Belgian resistance group in league with the British Secret Service.
When a British plane crashes in Brussels Park, Eve is the first to reach the downed plane and is shocked to discover she recognizes the badly injured pilot. British RFC Captain Simon Forrester is now a prisoner of war, and Eve knows he could be shot as a spy at any time. She risks her own life to hide him from the Germans, but as the danger mounts and the secrets between them grow, their chance of survival looks grim. And even if they do make it out alive, the truth of what lies between them may be more than any love can overcome.
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Heartfelt and historically accurate, this is a story of finding heroism in unlikely places. Kate Breslin brings a lost era to vivid life. Perfect for fans of Lilac Girls.
I was absolutely hooked from the first page. Kate Breslin’s writing is superb.
Between tense scenes in warn torn Europe, dashes of romance, and an iron-clad plot, I was all in on the story!
I’ll be searching for more to read from this gifted author. It’s a treat to yourself to read her novels.
I received this book from the author but was under no obligation to write nor review this novel.
A suspenseful and dramatic love story.
Another good WWII story.
I chose to read this book because I was looking for WWI fiction. The author does a good job of evoking the flavor of the time period (1917) and location (occupied Belgium). Grittier than I expected, the novel seems to be a realistic portrayal. It was interesting to see the war through the eyes of a British Red Cross nurse. I learned a lot which one of the reasons I read historical fiction. There are multiple points of view, including a couple of scenes from the unknown “bad guy” which enriches the story, and I was surprised to discover who it was. The book immersed me, and there are several sections where it becomes a page-turner. An afterward is included which gives information about the real people and incidents that inspired the story.
Reading Kate Breslin’s latest novel reminded me once again why I include her books in my classroom library & why my students love them! This well-researched page-turner, set in Belgium during WWI, is chock full of admirable yet realistically flawed & relatable characters, tightly drawn plot points, great historical details, plus close-calls & are-they-going-to-make-it-moments, can-she-trust-again-romance, family love that never gives up, surprise betrayals, falls from grace & ultimately redemption. Whew! What a ride! 🙂
Also, every potentially disturbing subject is handled delicately. So this book is great for any age teen on up to your sweet grandma. And the cover is just so pretty! (Which makes this great gift material.)
The main character is based on 3 real-life WWI heroines, British nurse Edith Cavell, British Intelligence worker Gabrielle Petit, and Belgian nurse & spy Marthe McKenna, which adds depth & believability to the story.
***Highly recommend.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
“She had railed at God’s silence; yet now she thought about the prayers He had answered for her.”
“Jesus was love, and love was all of those things: gentleness, patience, and understanding.”
“God had offered her forgiveness. But she had continued to allow the tyrant guilt to keep her locked in the past, blinding her to the future, to hope.”
“Perhaps God had only been silent only because He waited on her to put her faith forward and trust Him instead of sliding backward into fear and regret.”
This book was good. I wasn’t a huge fan of the flash back scenes, but I understand why they were in the story. I really liked the main characters in the story as well as the storyline. The theme of forgiveness was so real and well written.
There was a lot to this story. You saw what it took to fight this war, both from the inside and those on the outside. I was in tears from the ache that was palpable, when Eve had to defend herself and the end result. You could feel the longing of a husband and wife who had to be separated by this terrible war. Will they see each other again? Will this war ever end for them? Anyone who enjoys WWI/WWII storylines, you’ll enjoy this book.
*This is a review of all three of Kate Breslin’s World War 1 novels: Not by Sight, High As the Heavens, and Far Side of the Sea. No spoilers included.*
First of all, the covers are simply lovely and give a good idea of what to expect from these novels. All three stories keep fairly light as they have a strong romantic lean (but are non-explicit), making them good summer reads, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have plenty of moments of intrigue. Kate does a great job with her research, providing so many little details as to make us feel like we’re really part of the war scene. She also includes many lesser known elements of The Great War such as the Women’s Forage Corps in Not by Sight, German-occupied Brussels in High as the Heavens, and the French/English government’s use of carrier pigeons in Far Side of the Sea.
High as the Heavens was probably my favorite of these three as I love seeing a story about a troubled/estranged marriage finding redemption. There are so many novels about how to fall in love, but so very few about how to stay that way, so I really enjoy it when I come across one done well. Not by Sight also had a unique viewpoint in that the main hero, Jack, is struck blind during a mission and as such, it results in a growing romance based entirely on personality rather than physical attraction. And Far Side of the Sea taught me about Barcelona, Spain, an area I haven’t yet read much about in regards to World War I.
These three novels do not need to be read in any particular order; however, characters from Not By Sight are mentioned in Far Side of the Sea, which leads to some spoilers if you haven’t read the first book.
This review was first posted on kelseygietl.com.
Page turner!!! Wow!!! This book grabs you from the first page and won’t let you go!!! Constant conflict! Amazing characters!!!! Unforgettable story!! Read it!!
Kate Breslin is on her way to becoming one of my favorite authors.
I picked up High As the Heavens planning on reading a chapter or two before I went to bed. HUGE MISTAKE!!! I ending up reading for 4 hours before I finally forced myself to go to sleep. Breslin hits you with action and a twist right at the end of Chapter 1. This book has plenty of intrigue and drama, but it’s the spiritual element that I most enjoyed. Evelyn has a secret from her past, and she harbors the guilt from that secret, terrified of what will happen when the man she loves learns the truth. Watching her battle to get past the lies and secrets made this novel so compelling, and I was invested in her relationship with Simon more than what is probably normal.
Speaking of Simon, the scenes with them together from their reunion to the end made me root for them from the beginning. There’s so much emotion, and you can just feel the angst. At certain points, I did wish Simon had a bit more faith in Evelyn, but to me that made him human. Wars test allegiances, and the time they’d spent apart changed them both in ways the other couldn’t possibly understand right away.
Amazingly written. Beautifully crafted. Compelling and emotional.
Kate Breslin came onto the scene with For Such A Time. It was a great book that sparked a lot of national discussions. While I enjoyed her novel and didn’t see anything wrong with the novel, I couldn’t wait for more stories from Breslin. When she finished Not by Sight, I enjoyed that novel just as much. When I saw she was writing another novel, High as the Heavens, I couldn’t wait to read this novel too. Luckily, Breslin knew what is expected from the genre and gives it to her readers.
The writing is clear and concise. I jumped back and forth from Eve and Simon’s perspective a number of times, but Breslin allows there to be a break in the chapter or go to another chapter. As for the setting, I could imagine that I was in Brussels during the late 1917’s. I could feel the hatred run through the characters as they dealt with the demons from their past.
The characters of Eve and Simon jumped off the page. Eve is a brave woman who tries to forget the horrors of what happened to her in her home town and tries to sneakily pass on secret messages to the allies. I admire her ability to work with and under the Germans while trying to betray them on a daily basis. Then enters Simon, Eve does everything she can to bring him back to health and then sneak out of the country without going back to Germany. As for Simon, he is a man who is injured and spends most of his time healing in a bed. I really can’t say that much about him. Yes, he loves Eve, and he did do brave things before he became injured, but nothing changed in him. Both of them had a goal and they worked really hard to solve that goal.
The plot started from the first chapter and kept moving. There were many moments in the hospital, trying to get Simon better. Majority of the plot focused on Eve and Simon connecting with each other.
The plot is an original one with enough action to keep me focused on the the occurrences around Eve and Simon. I enjoyed the original and unpredictable concept that Breslin wove into the story. It fascinated me, and I hadn’t seen it done before. She kept me on my toes the whole time.
Fans of historical romances would be delighted to find another story to fit the World War I genre with a bit of spying to round out the plot. Fans of Myra Johnson’s Till We Meet Again series might enjoy this new book by Breslin. Highly recommended.
I receive a complimentary copy of High as the Heavens by Kate Breslin from Bethany House Publishers and the opinions state are all my own.
Excellent historical fiction. I’m excited to read more of her books.
The Christian aspect was refreshing.
I enjoyed this book. It was written during a time and event I haven’t read a lot about. I thought the author did a good job of describing details of life in WWI in an occupied country. It was an easy read and entertaining.
“High as the Heavens” by Kate Breslin is another wonderful book set during WWI. Evelyn Marche lives in Brussels in 1917, during the German occupation. Evelyn works as Sister Nurse Marche of the Belgian Red Cross in the German hospital in Brussels, and in her uncle’s café. What most people do not know is that Evelyn is also a member of La Dame Blanche, a resistance organization. She lives with her aunt, uncle, mother and two German soldiers who are billeted in their home. Her life is fraught with danger and intrigue. Just keeping her clandestine activities secret from the Germans which whom she must work takes lots of stealth. One evening she sees a plane crash outside the city, and rushes to help. One man is dead and the other badly hurt. When she really looks at his face, she is astonished to find that it is her “dead” husband, a British Officer who perished in the first weeks of the war. She takes him to the German hospital for help and then spirits him away for safety from the Germans. Simon and Evelyn have each lived through unspeakable horrors and need to find their way back to each other and get out of the mess they are in.
Again, Ms. Breslin has written a compelling and undeniably exciting war novel. I loved this book and look forward to reading many more thrilling works by this author.
You can read this review on my blog at http://wp.me/p2pjIt-r6. Check out other book reviews at http://imhookedonbooks.wordpress.com. I have also placed a review of this book on GoodReads.com at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2030397180, on NetGalley.com at https://www.netgalley.com/book/108343/review/48976, and on Amazon.com at https://www.amazon.com/review/RXMW09KX8SR6E.
Beneath the nurse’s apron Eve Marche wears while tending to German and Allied troops beats the heart of a spy. Pinned to it is the Iron Cross she was awarded for saving Major Otto Reinhardt. While the cross provides an element of protection from the Bosch, it also invites scornful glares from fellow Belgians. She can’t tell them the truth, no one must know—no one outside her family—of her involvement in the La Dame Blanch network. In her third novel, Kate Breslin dials up the danger and intrigue for a story I could not put down!
Breslin’s interplay between the greater European conflict (WWI), local resistance, and one woman’s remarkable stand against evil is brilliant. She accomplishes the first by using Belgium as her primary setting. Then, through a series of flashbacks, transports readers to Britain, Scotland, and France. In doing so, we catch glimpses of the war from different vantage points. As for the citizens of Brussels, who doesn’t enjoy the spirited efforts of the underdog? I cheered for the resistance workers who engaged in both small as well as grand acts of subterfuge against their German occupiers. Many of whose nail-biting escapades were inspired by actual people (see the Author’s Note). Overall, my favorite aspect of the story was Eve. She’s a daughter, sister, widow, nurse, and spy, all rolled into one dynamic character. The secrets she keeps would overwhelm me, yet through prayer and a keen intellect she perseveres to save many lives.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel. This review is my honest opinion, and I was not required to write a positive review.