Snow on the Tulips
November 9th, 2013. Filed under: This & That.Snow on the Tulips
By Liz Tolsma
The war is drawing to a close, but the Nazis still occupy part of the Netherlands. After the losses she’s endured, war widow Cornelia is only a shadow of the woman she once was. She fights now to protect her younger brother, Johan, who lives in hiding.
When Johan brings Gerrit Laninga, a wounded Dutch Resistance member, to Cornelia’s doorstep, their lives are forever altered. Although scared of the consequences of harboring a wanted man, Cornelia’s faith won’t let her turn him out.
As she nurses Gerrit back to health, she is drawn to his fierce passion and ideals, and notices a shift within herself. Gerrit’s intensity challenges her, making her want to live fully, despite the fear that constrains her. When the opportunity to join him in the Resistance presents itself, Cornelia must summon every ounce of courage imaginable.
She is as terrified of loving Gerrit as she is of losing him. But as the winter landscape thaws, so too does her heart. Will she get a second chance at true love? She fears their story will end before it even begins.
ISLAND BREEZES
Living in the Netherlands under Nazi rule was a very tough time for the Dutch. Cornelia had lost her newlywed husband to the war. Now she’s desperately trying to protect her brother. If found, he would be shipped off to Germany to work for the Nazi cause.
Both foof and material needs are as scarc as freedom during this occupation. Unfortunately being locked up in the house is hard on young Johan. One night he venture out and came back with an executed man who, although wounded, didn’t die.
The plot thickens. As if Cornelia didn’t have a big enough burden just trying to survive with an intact family, she now was hiding a wounded Dutch Resistance member. Now their lives are in even more danger.
As Gerrit slowly recovers, Cornelia’s heart is being dragged kicking and screaming into play. She doesn’t want to love someone who is probably going to hurt her by dying for “the cause.”
Can she really resist loving him and becoming more involved in the cause?
I really enjoy historical novels. This one was well researched and had me right there in that country during its occupation. It also had me on the edge of my seat more than once. There’s a bit of a teaser for Ms Tolsma’s next novel at the end of this one. I’m looking forward to reading Daisies Last Forever.
***A special thank you to litfuse for providing a review copy.***
Liz Tolsma has lived in Wisconsin most of her life, and she now resides next to a farm field with her husband, their son, and their two daughters. Add a dog and a cat to that mix and there’s always something going on at their house. She’s spent time teaching second grade, writing advertising for a real estate company, and working as a church secretary, but she always dreamed of becoming an author.