Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar

Auschwitz Lullaby brings to life the story of Helene Hannemann—a woman who sacrificed everything for family and fought furiously for the children she hoped to save.

On an otherwise ordinary morning in 1943, Helene Hannemann is preparing her five children for the day when the German police arrive at her home. Helene’s worst fears come true when the police, under strict orders from the SS, demand that her children and husband, all of Romani heritage, be taken into custody. Though Helene is German and safe from the forces invading her home, she refuses to leave her family—sealing her fate in a way she never could have imagined. 

Through sheer force of will, Helene provides a haven for the children of Auschwitz—an act of kindness and selflessness so great that it illuminates the darkest night of human history. Based on a true story, Mario Escobar’s Auschwitz Lullaby demonstrates the power of sacrifice and the strength of human dignity—even when all hope seems lost.

Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar was a truly remarkable read. When I first began the journey into this story, I had no idea of the magnitude of human emotion that lay within the pages, especially as I reflected on the truth of the story. This book tells the story of the Romani gypsies that are so often forgotten in the sheer horror of the atrocities that went on at Auschwitz. The Romani people were persecuted as the Jews were, forced into "little Auschwitz" where they too suffered terribly, including entire barracks being massacred to avoid typhoid outbreaks, medical experimentation, and genetic tortures. Of the over 23,000 Romani sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, 19,000 perished in the gas chambers at Birkenau before World War 2 ended. 

All of these facts were new to me, as I had never read anything about the Romani's plight during this time period. As I absorbed the horrors that Helene faced, I was overwhelmed by her faith, her persistence, and her courage. She chose life in a death camp to be with her family when she could have walked away free. She demonstrated what it means to love so much that you will sacrifice your life for others. I was so inspired by her choice to use her gifts and her heritage to bring a little joy and love into seemingly hopeless situation. At the end of this novel, I was left in tears as I reflected on the bravery of this real-life woman, especially as I looked further into the real actions and cruelty of the doctor she worked for and the female guards. Overall, this book was an extremely emotional read, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who wishes to know more about what went on at Auschwitz. 

I received this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Caught by Surprise by Jen Turano

Miss Temperance Flowerdew is on her way to work when a stranger suddenly grabs her off the street and sends her on a Chicago-bound train before she can figure out what happened.

When Mr. Gilbert Cavendish is called upon to rescue a missing woman, he follows the trail to Chicago only to discover that the woman is his good friend Temperance. Before they can discover who was behind the abduction, they're seen alone together by a New York society matron, putting their reputations at risk.

Gilbert is willing to propose marriage--except Temperance will have none of it. She's finally stepped out of the shadow of her relations and won't give up her independence. But when it becomes clear the misunderstanding in Chicago has escalated into a threat on her life and followed her to New York, accepting Gilbert's help in solving the mystery may lead to more than she ever could have dreamed.

Caught by Surprise is the third novel and final novel in Jen Turano's Apart from the Crowd series, aka the Wallflower girls as I like to think of them. All of the novels in this series can be read separately, but you certainly will have the most understanding about the backgrounds of the supporting characters in this novel if you read them in order. Caught by Surprise was an entertaining read, with secret villains, incompetent criminals, lip-reading spinsters, and lots of almost-lists. The plot moved at an appropriate pace and held unexpected twists and turns that took me a little while to figure out. 

I enjoyed the dialogue between characters, particularly between Mercy and her brother at the beginning, as well as the verbal sparring between Temperance and Gilbert throughout the novel. It was fun to see how characters from the previous novels were interspersed as well, which allowed the reader to see how their lives had progressed from the other books. I also liked watching both Gilbert and Temperance work to discover both their similarities and differences and learn to embrace change the habits they had adopted in the decade or so before. One thing I would have liked to see more of was a better weaving of having faith and trust in God into the story. I think the characters' faith could have been expressed more clearly, especially as they began to return to their trust in God throughout the story. Overall, however, I thought this novel was a light and enjoyable summer read, and it was amusing to get to know the characters over the course of the three novels. 

I received this novel from Jen Turano and Bethany House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own. 

Behind the Scenes is only 99 cents -LIMITED TIME

Behind the Scenes by Jen Turano is 99 cents on Amazon for a limited time. So if you have not begun Jen's Apart from the Crowd series yet, this is a great time to begin as this is the first novel in that series. I will be posted a review of the third novel in the series, Caught By Surprise, this weekend. In the meantime, head over to Amazon and check out this great deal!


https://www.amazon.com/Behind-Scenes-Apart-Crowd-Book-ebook/dp/B01M5AM9OF/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535134923&sr=8-1&keywords=9781441230959