The Melody of the Soul Book Review

Music of Hope Series

Book One

SUMMARY:  Anna has one chance for survival - and it lies in the hands of her mortal enemy.

     It's 1943 and Anna Zadok, a Jewish Christian living in Prague, has lost nearly everything.  Most of her family has been deported, and the Nazi occupation ended her career as a concert violinist.  Now Anna is left to care for her grandmother, and she'll do anything to keep her safe - a job that gets much harder when Nazi officer Horst Engel is quartered in the flat below them.

     Though musical instruments have been declared illegal, Anna defiantly continues to play the violin.  But Horst, dissatisfied with German ideology, enjoys her soothing music.  When Anna and her grandmother face deportation, Horst risks everything to protect them.

     Anna finds herself falling in love with the handsome officer and his brave heart.  But what he reveals might stop the music forever . . . 

REVIEW:  Having heard great things about this author and her previous book, I was interested in reading her latest novel.  Liz Tolsma makes you feel like you are there in Prague during the Nazi occupation.  The fear of being discovered or even doing something that might accidentally draw attention, dreading every knock on the door and even reading the mail, constantly looking over your shoulder in fear is felt throughout this story.  Her desire to protect her grandmother at all costs is admirable.  Even though she is leery of trusting Horst, she soon sees his true colors.

     Horst is a character I grew to admire.  He also lived in fear that his true feelings would be uncovered - that the German ideology of a pure race being completely wrong.  He enjoyed the job his father, a high ranking German officer, secured for him (logging and preserving the architecture of the old city) but knew one day he would be forced to kill innocent people to prove himself as a man and a worthy German.  The struggles Horst faces is heart-wrenching, especially when you find out his secret.

     This novel is a tale of the healing power of music, the struggles faced by man, and the deep desire God puts in each one of us to pursue Him at all cost.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group and Gilead Publishing 

for review without compensation.

Liz Tolsma's specialty is historical fiction - from WWII to prairie romance.  She resides in semi-rural Wisconsin with her husband and two daughters; her son currently serves as a U.S. Marine.  Liz spends her free time working in her large perennial garden,kayaking, and camping with her family.  Visit her blog, The Story behind the Story, at www.liztolsma.com. 

Troubled Waters Book Review

Montana Rescue Series

Book 4

SUMMARY:  With their past tearing them apart, it will take a storm to bring them together . . . 

     Billionaire Ian Shaw can have everything he wants - except a happy ending.  Or at least that's what it feels like with his fortune recently liquidated, his niece missing, and the woman he loves refusing to speak to him.  Despite her love for Ian, Sierra Rose knows he has no room in his life for her as long as the mystery of his missing niece goes unsolved.  Sierra has solved it, but a promise to the girl to keep her whereabouts secret has made it impossible to be around Ian.  

      When Sierra needs funds to repair the damaged PEAK chopper, Ian offers a fundraising junket for large donors on his yacht in the Caribbean.  But the leisurely excursion turns into a nightmare when a rogue wave cripples the yacht and Ian and Sierra find themselves washed up on a strange, empty shore.

     It will take guts for the PEAK team to rescue the duo.  But it will take a miracle to rescue Ian and Sierra's relationship.

REVIEW:  Susan May Warren's books are some of my favorite.  I love how she intertwines the characters, answers some tough questions and gets her characters in and out of very difficult situations.  This book is no different.  I like how Ian tries to look out for and protect Sierra even when it is difficult for him.  After a devastating fire destroys a town due to a fault in the software program Ian designed, he liquidates all his assets to help the town rebuild and to pay off the federal fines acquired.  With very little left to his name, Ian STILL tries to help Sierra raise money to replace a damaged PEAK helicopter.  All in the name of love.  Sierra is an encourager and doer.  She loves helping people in need, so when Ian offers to help raise money to replace the chopper, she jumps in and gets the job done.  

     One of the things that bothered me about this book is all the different story lines happening at the same time.  Four other stories are occurring and being discussed during Ian and Sierra's story.  While this idea is more like real life (other people's lives do not stop just because we are focused on one particular couple), it does make for a confusing read at times.  All of this author's books are like this and it's never really bothered me before, but for some reason, this time it was distracting.  I found it hard to keep track of every couple and the events surrounding them.  A list of characters and brief descriptions of each in the book would have been VERY helpful, especially since all of the story lines cross throughout the other books in this series, and future ones to come.  This said, I see the potential for a minor character in this book to get her own story sometime soon.

     All that being said, even though I found some things a little distracting, I liked this book and what I've read of this series.  Hope you pick it up and check it out.  DISCLAIMER: I read the first book and this one but missed books 2 and 3.  There were a few times I wished I had read the others and was glad I read the first one because it gave the background to Sierra and Ian's relationship and issues.  If you only read this one, you might be a little confused. The book does a good job of quickly explaining things but it doesn't rehash events discussed in the previous ones.

This book was provided by Revell for review without any compensation.

Susan May Warren is the USA Today, ECPA, and CBA bestselling author of over fifty novels with more than one million books sold, including Wild Montana Skies, Rescue Me,and A Matter of Trust. Winner of a RITA Award and multiple Christy and Carol Awards, as well as the HOLT and numerous Readers' Choice Awards, Susan can be found online at www.susanmaywarren.com, on Facebook at Susan May Warren Fiction, and on Twitter @susanmaywarren.