5 beautiful stars for an all-time favorite

Thank you, Kaje Harper, for this wonderful story!. I was so hestitant to read this. Mostly because I'm always reluctant when it comes to historical romances. More often than not the history is only used as a setting and everything else is ignored in order to make the romance possible. Which annoys me to no end. Because when you decide to write a story in a different time period, to me that means, you also have to do extensive research in order to make it at least a tiny little bit authentic.

If you ask me, Kaje did a formidable job here. Of course my "histotrical perspective" is somewhat different, since my country was the enemy in the war she described. But still, it felt right to me. The way she told the story of two young men deeply influenced and scarred by living and fighting during WW2 was impressive and felt unbelievably real. The anger, the depression, the naked fear, the love, the secrecy - all of it went directly under my skin and made me feel so much for the MCs.

I especially liked how she didn't end the story after they found each other again after the war was over. We were able to see this couple grow together, get even more close, fall even more deeply, grow old together and break free together. It took decades, and so many sticks and stones, before they could finally get married and even though I am not the type to cry easily over a story, I had to pick up a tissue or three at the end. Really, truly beautiful.