Until Leaves Fall in Paris

When I see Sarah Sundin's name on a book in NetGalley.com, I am instantly requesting to read it.  She writes historical fiction that is near and dear to my heart--the World War II era.  The generation that lived through that horrific time is quickly dying out and her writings keep that part of history alive for me.  My parents lived in that time and my dad served.  

Until Leaves Fall in Paris takes place a year or two before the United States entered the war and at a time when Americans living abroad are leaving Europe to go back to the US at least for the duration of the war.  This is where the story picks up.  Lucie has been with the Paris Opera Ballet for a number of years, but she's just not advancing.  Her friends, the Greenblatts, own a bookstore that they must leave because the handwriting is on the wall for the Jews in Europe. Lucie offers to buy the store and eventually it becomes a letter box for the resistance to pass messages. 

Paul is a widower with a small daughter who also owns an automobile manufacturing plant. It gets taken over by the Germans to produce trucks.  On the surface, Paul seemed to be collaborating with the Germans, but, in fact, he's participating in quiet resistance by work slow downs, sabotage in the assembly line, and whatever else he can do without arousing suspicion. Because he is on "friendly" terms with the officer assigned to his plant, he is required to go to parties and evenings out with German officials.  He had another reason for going to the soirees--to gather information to pass on to the American consulate. Even though the United States was not involved in the war, the government wanted to keep tabs on what the Germans were doing.  

Paul and Lucie meet when Paul brings his four-year-old daughter, Josie, to Lucie's book shop to find some new books. Josie is a precocious child who draws stories about a mythical creature, Feenee, who fights against the Rock Monsters. There were quite a few ups and downs in their relationship, such as it was in the beginning, but Paul did help Lucie with some business matters to help her stay in business and build up her bookstore.  

At first, Lucie doesn't want anything to do with Paul because she thinks he is a collaborator, but her attraction to him grows as she observes how he treats his daughter.  The romance in this book is understated and not over the top, which I appreciated because it does not detract from the seriousness of the subject matter in the book.  The trials that Paul and Lucie face were realistic and at times heartbreaking.  The history is accurate and while it is not a military story per se, as most of Sarah's other books have been, it is a glimpse into the lives of ordinary people trying to live their lives out as best they can under trying circumstances.  The lines of demarcation between whom to trust or not are clear in this book.  The only criticism I have for this book is that both Paul and Lucie have to escape from German soldiers forcibly holding them.  Their escapes seem a bit super-human, but I'm not sure how I would have done it better.  Toward the end of the book, the plot takes on a genuine sweetness that will gratify the readers of Sarah's books. 

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a beautiful little girl to tell you stories. 

Revell Publishing and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review.  All opinions expressed are solely my own.