Hearts of Resistance

Amazon’s blurb:
When Hazel is given the chance to parachute into Nazi-occupied France, she seizes the opportunity to do more for the British war effort than file paperwork. Alongside her childhood friend, French-born Rose, she quickly rises up the ranks of the freedom fighters. For Rose, the Resistance is a link to her late husband, and a way to move forward without him. What starts out as helping downed airmen becomes a bigger cause when they meet Sophia, a German escapee and fierce critic of Hitler who is wanted by the Gestapo. Together the three women form a bond that will last a lifetime.

You know those cozy mystery series with cats or bookstores or knitting? Well WWII is like my cozy mystery genre. It doesn't have to be show more groundbreaking or novel, it just has to follow the formula and hit all the familiar guidepost and it will do. Hearts of Resistance is a perfect example of that. It did everything it was supposed to and I enjoyed my time with it. Now I will likely forget the details in a bit and will only remember that I read it because I log my reading here on LT. Not to say that it's a bad book, just explaining how I read in this genre show less

The history books would have you believe that wars are won only because of the men on the front lines while the women are at home knitting socks and growing gardens. This wonderful book puts an end to that myth because its about three strong women working in the French resistance during WWII. They all have different backgrounds and different reasons for fighting against the Nazi regime but their goal is the same.

Rose lives in luxury in France. Her beloved husband died and she found out afterwards that he had been helping the Resistance. She decides to carry on his role and is soon hiding British pilots in her home and helping them return to England. Hazel is engaged to a man in the British Army and wants to do more to help Britain win show more the war. She gets trained as an agent and dropped into France to help the resistance. Sophia has been hiding her Jewish boyfriend in her apartment in Germany. Her father was a high ranking Nazi and she was aware of what the results would be if she was discovered so she and Alex escape Germany - he goes into hiding and she vows to work with the French. All three of these women were tough and brave on their own but when they joined forces, they were a force to be reckoned with.

This is a wonderful, well researched book about WWII in France and the French resistance. I loved the three main characters and their firm belief that they were willing to give up their lives to get the Germans defeated. This is a wonderful book about war and bravery and friendship between strong women.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book for review. All opinions are my own. show less

Elizabeth Knowelden's narration was a bit too breathy for me at first, but I suppose that's a French style so it was appropriate and after awhile it got so I didn't notice anymore. Nice "girl-power" story of three young women, each from a different country, finding themselves striving together in WWII's French Resistance.

I just couldn’t warm to this, it felt like it was trying to be more dramatic than it actually was and the character descriptions were really laboured. I like my historical fiction with a bit more substance.

Girls Own Adventure

Not my favourite reading matter, but competently written for those who like wholesome and uplifting stories about women who can be heroic.