I applaud all authors who tackle romance or other fictional works set during WWII, because it’s important we never forget the atrocities inflicted by the Germans in almost all of Europe, in such a short period; between 1939-1945.
This book compelled me from the beginning when we meet a teenager, Danny McClain, living an ordinary life in Chicago, having a pen pal in Utrecht, the Netherlands, called Hans Versteeg. I’m very familiar with the Dutch language, as it also the language spoken in Flanders, Belgium, where I’m from. It felt recognizable to read about the life of Hans and his younger sister Anya.
As the years go on, Danny’s older brother, Joey is enlisted, and stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attack, and the now older Danny’s is conflicted; should he continue college or enlist. When he decides to do the latter, he chooses to go into the Army Air Force and after months and months of training he finds himself an officer and a co-pilot of a B17 Bomber, flying out of Framingham, Great-Britain in order to bomb and destroy targets in Germany. During one of those missions, Danny’s flying Fortress (his B17 plane) is hit, and Danny parachutes in West Holland, near the German border, where he finally meets Anya, who has become a resistance fighter, belonging to a Dutch underground network, helping to move endangered people, or helping stranded Allied soldiers (like Danny) to get back to the English coast.
Personally, I thought this was a great read right until Danny meets Anya. From that point on, I thought the book got a bit maudlin and syrupy. I totally understood Anya’s point of view, but it got a bit repetitive and tedious towards the end. Still, I enjoyed this book and would certainly recommend it, because it is important we keep on honoring the courage and the sacrifices made by a great generation of men and women.