Happy Monday! Over the weekend I finished *The Maid’s Secret by Shari J. Ryan. If you follow my reviews regularly you know that I’m a huge fan of Shari J. Ryan’s books. They are my cosy-up reading niche!
Book Description
Czechoslovakia, 1940: “We will always have our memories,” he says, as the soldiers pull him away. “You will survive this. You are braver than you know. Remember that, always.” This heartbreaking World War Two page-turner shows that love is more powerful than hatred, bravery can overcome evil, and hope is stronger than darkness.
In the middle of the night, while I am curled in Ben’s arms, there is a harsh knock on the door. My blood turns to ice. The love of my life is Jewish, and I am a Romany gypsy maid; every second that we exist in Hitler’s Europe, we are in danger. Every day, we have been huddling around a crackling radio, listening for news of this evil war. Every night, we have feared we won’t live till dawn.
The banging continues, and we leap out of bed. I can hardly breathe as I open the door, seeing Nazis standing before us. My heart cracks as the soldiers grab Ben. I’m powerless to stop them from shoving him into a wagon, bound for the place of no return.
The love of my life is now imprisoned in wire with thousands of other innocent inmates. For every moment he is trapped behind the gates of hell, he gets closer to death—surviving on scraps of food, and forced to work in gruelling conditions.
The soldiers haven’t arrested me yet, but it’s only a matter of time. I vow to stay alive for Ben, not to give up hope. I’ll stop at nothing to escape the enemy as they hunt me down.
With our fate in the hands of monsters, will we ever see each other again? And will our love for one another save us—or kill us?
What I Thought
I read a lot of WWII fiction novels, and Shari Ryan’s are some of the better. She gets to know her characters and draws their strengths out in wonderful words. Although the setting is bleak, hope glimmers past despair, bravery triumphs, and courage, love beats them all. All of these emotions are contained in this one book told through the eyes of Jewish Ben and Romany Gypsy Mila. The Maid’s Secret is a strong and heart-wrenching read both at the same time.
Where Can I Buy?
The Maid’s Secret is available to buy from *Amazon.
Author Bio
Shari J. Ryan is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Women’s Fiction, WWII Fiction, and 20th Century Historical Fiction with a focus on the Holocaust and Pearl Harbor.
Shortly after graduation from Johnson & Wales with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Shari began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer. She then found her passion for writing books in 2012 after her second son was born. Shari has been slaying words ever since.
With two Rone Awards and over 125k books sold, Shari has hit the USA Today Bestseller List, the Amazon’s Top 100, Barnes & Noble’s Top Ten, and iBooks at number one. Some of Shari’s bestselling books include Last Words, The Other Blue Sky, Unspoken Words and A Heart of Time.
Shari, a lifelong Boston girl, is happily married to her personal hero and US Marine and they have two wonderful little boys. For more details about her books, visit: www.sharijryan.com
Social Media
Website: https://www.sharijryan.com/
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Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7060506.Shari_J_Ryan
Bookouture Email Sign Up:https://www.bookouture.com/shari-j-ryan
Books On Tour
This sounds like a book I could really lose myself in.
Another great review and another one to add to my tbr list
Thank you so much for this lovely review!! <3