April 28, 2023

A LIGHT TO GUIDE US HOME

MY THOUGHTS:

It’s 1943 and the Nazis have taken over France.  Valérie Hallez is engaged and instead of making wedding plans she is hoping that she will see her fiancé Philippe again.  Philippe is fighting the Nazis in Italy.  As the war rages on across Europe, Valérie works for the resistance helping Jewish children cross the border to safety.  Valérie is their only hope of surviving through this horrible time.  Clara is an orphan that has lost her family to the Germans and Valérie does everything she possibly can to protect her and keep her safe.  Clara is in possession of a very important Nazi document.  Valérie begins searching for Clara but she isn’t the only one looking for Clara.  Just when Valérie thinks she has located Clara she gets bad news about her fiancé Philippe.  She has some very difficult decisions to make and some tough choices.


A Light to Guide Us Home by Dianne Haley was an extremely emotional historical fiction.  This novel is the second installment in The Resistance Girl Series.  This story was a very deep read and it was unputdownable.  My heart broke for Valérie and her story of compassion and love that she had for the orphans and her support for the resistance.  Valérie is a very strong character with a big heart.  I cried many tears while reading this story and was heartbroken through to the end.  This is definitely one of my top reads for the year.  If you are looking for a phenomenal historical fiction that grabs you by the heart strings from the first page to the very last, this story is for you.  I highly recommend it!!

Rating: 5 out of 5.

DESCRIPTION:


A LIGHT TO GUIDE US HOME
Author:  Dianne Haley 
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: April 26, 2023
Pages: 277

Please, you must get Clara out of France!’ cried the woman, her voice breaking in desperation. ‘She’s only thirteen and her parents have been taken to a death camp. Can you save her before it is too late?

1943, Nazi-occupied France: Valérie Hallez clings to the hope that she will soon reunite with her beloved fiancé, Philippe, fighting the Nazis in Italy. Until that day comes, she risks her life helping Jewish children flee across the border with the resistance, but each tear-stained face breaks her heart a little more.

So, when she learns of little lost 
Clara, anorphan whose family has been torn apart by the German occupation, and is asked to rescue her, she jumps at the chance to save another innocent life. But she isn’t the only one searching for the young girl…

Because brave Clara is carrying a crucial Nazi document. And the secrets it holds could change the course of the war forever.

Frantically trying to stay one step ahead of the Gestapo, Valérie traces Clara to an isolated children’s home
– but she is too late. German soldiers have already raided the building.

Her relief when she hears that Clara escaped is short lived, as there’s not a whisper of her whereabouts. And just when she’s about to start on her search, devastating news reaches her about Philippe.

Shattered by the thought that Philippe may never come home, Valérie tries to pull the pieces of her broken heart back together. She knows there’s a little girl lost out there who needs her. 
So, she must make the hardest choice of all. Even if she can’t save her dearest love, can she save poor Clara – and help her end this terrible war?

ABOUT DIANNE HALEY

Originally from the north of Scotland, Dianne now lives with her husband in Edinburgh and has two grown-up children. After a thirty-year business career in London and Edinburgh when Dianne wrote between projects, she is now writing full-time.

Dianne and her family have been visiting the area round Lake Geneva since 1992 and love the Alps in all seasons. The inspiration for her series set in WW2 Switzerland came from a drive through Geneva’s old town on a rainy October evening, the cobbled lanes a perfect setting for secrets and hiding places.


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