From the Multi-Award-Winning Author comes, The German Half-Bloods.“A historical novel steeped in horror, danger and suspense; a true page-turner.”2018 Readers’ Favorite Award winner.Germany, September 1939. At the outbreak of War, Dieter Vogel and his family face catastrophic events and separation as each member embarks on their deadly paths towards survival, love, and freedom.Dieter Vogel, a … freedom.
Dieter Vogel, a German industrialist, believes in protecting his family at all costs, but in a bid to keep his English wife and children safe, he is plunged into a well of deceit that tears the family apart.
Doctor Paul Vogel is coerced into working in the Nazi eugenics programme and soon discovers that sterilising handicapped and mentally-ill Germans is just a prelude to a more lethal plan against those the Reich deem unworthy of life. Paul, trapped by the SS, seeks help from the unlikeliest of people and is plunged into a world of espionage and murder.
British Army Major, Max Vogel, is attached to The British Intelligence Services and Winston Churchill’s Special Operations Executive. His missions in occupied Europe are fraught with danger, and his adulterous affair with a woman he cannot give up leads him deeper into the quagmire of treachery and lies.
Wilmot Vogel dreams of winning the Iron Cross, but when he confronts a mass killing of Jews in Poland, his idolatry of Hitler is shaken to its roots, and he finds himself imprisoned in the infamous Dachau concentration camp with no release date in sight.
Hannah Vogel has no ambition other than to marry her English fiancé, Frank, before the lines of war are drawn. Against her father’s wishes, she leaves Berlin on the eve of the German invasion of Poland, but when she arrives in England, she learns that Frank is not the civilian engineer he claims to be.
The Vogels, On All Fronts, coming October 2018 The Half-Bloods Series Book 2
Editorial Review, Readers’ Favorite 5 Stars
The German Half-Bloods (The Half-Blood Series Book 1) by Jana Petken is an intense, nail-biting ride through WWII Germany. The unique perspectives of the characters in Germany, as well as those in England, were refreshing and charismatic. I am well-versed in the history of the time period, and I must say that very few historical novels of the period are satisfactorily accurate enough for me to enjoy, this book being a rare exception. I was deeply impressed with the characters’ viewpoints and the extent of the plot. The author spun such an intricately woven web of intrigue that I didn’t want to stop reading. I was transported back in time and enjoyed every minute of it! I loved this novel! It is beautifully written and deeply moving. Although there are some historically accurate details that may disturb a younger audience, I feel that this novel is an essential historical read.
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A page turner if your into world war 2 and the times leading up to it. Good historical story
I normally do not have the time to write reviews on all the books that I have read, but this book is well worth the time to do so. I highly recommend it, as it is a series of 3 books, (I am on the second now) it is advisable to read in order. It is a page turner, it is a book that keeps you guessing, it is a book that draws you in with the characters and events, and keeps you up with sleepless nights to just read one more chapter and find that you have gone beyond.
Another side of the War I never knew. Of course there is two sides to every story & this book showed both.
It’s hard to read about this terrible time in history, but I am eager to read the next book in this trilogy. Definitely my favorite author of the ebooks I have read.
I can’t wait to read book 2 in the series. It was a very complicated plot with lots of unpredictable twists and surprises.
This book was so good I’ve purchased the others in this series. A fascinating family enduring WW2 provides excellent perspectives of the times.
This was a rather unusual perspective on a historical period.
A good Nazi German history novel, with several interesting stories in one. It is suspenseful, with good characters in spots where you’re holding your breath.
Grabs you from page one. Reminds me of the some of the works of Ken Follett.
It was hard to put down. The main people in the book kept me interested
Very informative about WW2 and Nazi Germany.
Excellent read written using quite historical info. Can’t wait to read the next 2!
5 stars
** Please be aware that this is a difficult book that deals with the horrors of WWII. It might not be for the faint of heart.
This is a wonderful book. It is about the four adult children of parents who spend their time between Berlin and Dresden in the 1930’s. The father is a very wealthy businessman, a native German, who has been married to an English woman for thirty-seven years. The children are Hannah who is engaged to an Englishman named Frank and plans to move to England with him, Wilmot “Willie” who has been newly- and proudly – accepted to the SS, Paul who is a doctor and is essentially blackmailed into joining the Nazis in their eugenics program and Max currently living in England and living a secret double life.
The characters in this book are all very different. We see WWII through their individual eyes, both in England, France and Germany. Their reactions to the goings-on in Germany, Britain and France in the 30’s and 40’s are described brilliantly and very detailed.
The reader gets a lesson in the resistance movement in France, as well as in Germany. We meet the people in the movement, all with their own reasons for joining this quest to free their countries and its peoples from the yoke of Nazi oppression.
This book is extremely well written. Ms. Petken’s descriptions of the Nazi atrocities and the children of Dieter and Laura Vogel are complete. The sons and daughter, indeed the parents, too, all react differently at first, but their reactions change with time and experience. Of all the secret lives lived in this book, Dieter’s comes as perhaps the biggest. My only disappointment with this novel is that it ended rather abruptly and I want to know what happened to the other characters.
I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for forwarding to me a copy of this instructive and very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this epic tale. A truly compelling story full of totally believable characters. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.