About the Book:
Book: What I Promise You
Author: Liz Tolsma
Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction
Release Date: February 1, 2024
A Family’s History Is Lost to the Ravages of WWII in Southwest France
1942
Noémie Treves, a young, pregnant Jewish woman, had her entire world shattered when she is arrested and taken to the Camp de Rivesaltes transit camp in Southwest France. No sooner does she arrive, though, than she assists in helping two young girls scheduled for transport escape to a nearby maternity hospital. The matron there befriends her and changes her name to help hide her. But nothing goes according to plan, and Hannah finds herself doing the unimaginable to save one precious life.
2022
Caitlyn Laurant is haunted by recent events in her life and hopes becoming a nurse on the mission field will help her forget. While in training, she and her friends travel to France where her grandfather was born. What should have been an easy search for his birthplace turns into anything but and reveals secrets that no one alive has ever heard.
My Thoughts:
I discovered Liz Tolsma’s books a few years ago, and for awhile now I have been reading all the books she publishes. She is very skilled at writing split-time fiction that draws me in and keeps me reading. I really enjoyed What I Promise You, and seeing how the two strands came together. I figured out the truth long before the end of the book, but certainly didn’t lose interest in seeing how everything turned out!
When I finished reading What I Promise You and read the author’s notes at the end, I realized that this was the second book I read this year based on the maternity hospital and the woman who founded it, helping expectant mothers and protecting Jewish children. Both books were quite engrossing, but I appreciated the Christian faith that came through in this book. The matron continually pointed Noemie to God, and Caitlyn was also pointed to God and His love, over and over. I loved the way her story turned out and the realizations she came to! If you love split-time fiction, and historical fiction set in World War II, you will enjoy this book.
WARNING: Chapter 24: A gunshot. Chapter 28: A body is laying on the floor. Chapter 33: All the employees of a factory were shot by the Gestapo.
I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it. Links may be affiliate links, which will benefit Esther’s website if purchases are made through them.
About the Author:
Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping.
More from Liz:
The Story behind the Cover of What I Promise You
In the late summer, I got the preliminary cover for What I Promise You. While Barbour Publishing always does a great job with their covers, and the one they sent was very nice, I wasn’t crazy about it because it didn’t tell the story at all. The mansion that plays such a big part in the novel was nowhere to be seen. Barbour is fantastic when it comes to working with me to get great covers, so I asked if we could include the real mansion that the story is based on. Turns out that they were having trouble getting copyright permission to use any image they could find of the maternity home.
That was disappointing. But I got brave and let them know that I took a picture of it when I was in France last year, and they could use it, but I’m not a very good photographer and I only used my iPhone. I attached the photo to the email and didn’t hear anything for a while.
Then in October, I wanted to include a preorder link to the book on social media or something and went to Amazon to grab it. And there was the cover. I went back and forth between the cover and my picture, and sure enough, it was the picture of the maternity home I had sent them! So I not only wrote What I Promise You, but some of my photography is on the front. I never thought that would happen. Am I in the wrong profession?? Just kidding!
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