This book is one of my favorites of all the World War II books I have read. There is not a lot of the actual fighting, except when Hugh goes with the RAF over to Norway. There is romance, a murder mysteries, and of course bombings. Aleida is looking for her son Theodoor, who she calls Theo, but later becomes Teddy. She gets a job following up on the children that were moved out of London for their safety, though some were not treated well. This allows her to ask about her son, who has all the fingers missing on his right hand. Her boss is not sympathetic and despised her for being a foreigner. However, she does meet Hugh with the BBC who is supportive in her search. I won't go on, so as to not spoil it for others. ( )

Aleida cannot stay in Denmark any longer - Hitler & his army have made that very clear. She also cannot stay with her husband Sebastian any longer - his years of abuse & neglect for their child has made that very, very clear. But just as she is about to make an escape with her son, Sebastian packs them all into their car to flee together. As Aleida tries to find a way for she & Theo to escape, Sebastian is looking for his own way to escape. His plan - to rid himself of his deformed child in any way possible.

Hugh Colllingwood loves reporting for the BBC radio and bringing the news to life with his broadcasts. However, his family thinks this is beneath him and tries repeatedly to convince him to give it up. As tensions grow and rations diminish, keeping up England’s morale is becoming increasingly difficult. Then, tragedy strikes when his older brother, his uncle, and his good friend are killed. Can Hugh survive this war much longer? Can England?

Another wonderful book from Ms Sundin! Her novels never disappoint in historical accuracy or interesting plot lines. I cannot wait for the next book in this series! Thank you LibraryThing Early Reviewers for the advanced copy of this book! ( )

I really enjoyed this book. This historical book covered the London Blitz, refugees and the children that left the city to avoid the bombs. Probably the first book I’ve read on this part of history. The author did a great job, and I felt like I was right there with them.

I loved the characters, Aleida and Hugh. Not to give anything away, but the choices that Aledia had to make and all she went through was emotional to say the least. Hugh was a great character, he was witty and humorous and I loved him! There’s a great murder mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Actually, the whole book kept me guessing.

This is Christian fiction with no bad language, no sex, and a wonderful faith thread woven throughout. Not overbearing but just perfect.

Sarah Sundin did it again! Another great book! I highly recommend it. ( )

Embers in the London Sky takes place during World War 2. Aleida Martens escapes the Netherlands as the Nazis are invading, and she makes it safely to London. But during the evacuation, she is separated from her young son, Theodoor. She has reason to believe that he, too, made it to England, but she has no idea where he ended up. She manages to find employment with the Ministry of Health in hopes that her position will allow her the opportunity to search for Theo. Hugh Collingwood is a reporter for the BBC, well-known for his on-the-ground, dynamic reports. When Hugh goes to the Ministry of Health to conduct interviews, he is introduced to Aleida, and she has the chance to tell him her plight. Although he can’t report on it, Hugh does take an interest in helping Aleida search for her son. But along the way, they find themselves also searching for clues in a series of murders. Will Aleida find her son, and will they manage to escape murder themselves?

I was drawn to this book, as I really enjoy historical fiction. This book sheds light on the plight of refugees in London during World War 2 and on England’s mission to protect children by sending them to live in the country, far away from the bombings. Starting off, I was drawn into the story, but a few chapters in, it seemed to slow down, and I struggled for several chapters. But it picked back up and became quite exciting. Hugh and Aleida were both likable characters, each having weaknesses and struggles that make them relatable. The story is a clean romance which is important to me, and it does involve the main characters’ faith and trust in God. Overall, I enjoyed the book, and I’ll be looking to read more by this author.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. ( )

A big Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

I honestly wanted to love this book. It seemed like something right up my alley and it started out so good.The book alternates chapters between Aleida, a dutch woman is separated from her child as she escapes to London when the German army invades the Netherlands, and Hugh Collingwood, a reporter for the BBC struggling to report the truth of what is happening vs what his boss wants to to report. What started out as a page turner quickly lulled after the first few chapters. I honestly found it so hard to continue reading. It picked back up around 60% of the way, but I had to skim over paragraphs to make it through.

The main characters are nice but they lack depth and are almost TOO perfect. Aleida is far too calm & rational for someone who has lost her child. Hugh is the perfect gentleman. And on the other end of the spectrum, the antagonists are almost TOO over the top & cartoon like. The romance was like a hallmark movie... sweet, but also cheesy and unrealistic.

There is so much going on in this book as well. A lost child, Nazi Germany, London bombings, budding romance, serial killer murder mystery, domestic abuse, Censorship reporting, etc.... It's doing too much and instead of focusing on a couple of things and really delving into those plot lines we have a story that consist of many things but only at a surface level which makes me feel like the story is lacking.

With all of that being said, I do think it was a nice story. It could have been a lot shorter and the writing was long winded & drawn out. There were lots of unnecessary paragraphs that lacked substance. BUT it was a nice story and the ending did tug at my heart strings which is why I give it 3/5 stars . ( )