This is a great book! Definitely add to a must read list! The characters are great and the story is well written! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

MY BOOK REVIEW:
Five Stars ***** 5/5
Oh, wow! I can't say enough good things about this book. I really grew to care for Emma and Will as I read their story and I learned a great deal about the Women's Army Corps that I did not know. This book has it all....romance, historical fiction, and mystery and suspense.
I received a digital version of this book from netgalley and Harvest House Publishers in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Good book. Good author. Loved the characters and the plot. Look forward to reading more of her work.

This was a wonderful book. I loved the history and how the author shown a strong female in such a time. Highly recommend this book to others.

I like Tricia Hoyer works and this one did not disaapoint. Characters were believable and plot moved nicely.

Fantastically done and richly detailed! Love the WWII era and Ms. Goyer captures it perfectly! Highly recommended with two thumbs up and 5 stars.

I absolutely LOVED this book. A very unique view of WWII from the perspective of the war. The romance was tender, the faith inspiring, and the history riveting! I can't wait to see what comes next from Tricia Goyer!

I received a complimentary copy of A Secret Courage. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

The style of writing related in words rather than being revealed in action is not the style of writing I like to read. Therefore, I’m not the right reviewer for this book. There are others who appreciate this style of writing and they will reveal veracious reviews.

Another Win for Tricia Goyer!

I’ve come to see author Tricia Goyer as a whiz at storytelling, both in the Amish genre and WWII historical fiction. And while I can never turn down a good Amish novel, it was refreshing to read some historical fiction. Goyer’s latest historical fiction release, A Secret Courage, is an amazing page-turner full of intrigue, romance, and mystery.

Set in England, 1943, A Secret Courage follows American Emma Hanson. Emma works in an undercover division of the WAAF, inspecting photos of Germany’s military movements. She has a keen eye and excels at what she does – nothing get in her way…until a dashing man named Will Fleming enters the picture. Will has his secrets and a life Emma knows nothing about. There is also a mysterious German spy that befriends Emma’s girlfriend, Vera. In their business, NO ONE can be trusted, including your friends. So where can Emma turn?

I was given A Secret Courage in exchange for my honest review. It was an excellent read. Your pulse will quicken, and the pages will fly as you get deeper and deeper into Emma’s world. My only criticism was the ending, which seemed abrupt. After such an intricate build in the storylines, the ending left me wanting. Of course, that could have been because I had no desire to leave England or the other characters of the novel behind. All in all, another novel to add to your TBR pile and another win for Tricia Goyer.

"Maybe courage had more to do with trusting God than she thought. Courage, as she could best describe it in her mind, was being able to do something that truly frightened her."

This was such a sweet book. I absolutely loved it. The characters, the setting, the history, the espionage, the romance, and just the overall story was great. I especially loved the history throughout it.

One of my favorite things about this book though, was how well Tricia portrayed and explained the pictures Will painted. She made them very vivid and real in my mind with how detailed she described them. Those were some of my favorite scenes in the book.

I also really enjoyed with how well I connected with Emma's character. Her emotions, actions, and thoughts are things I could see a quite a few people doing in situations like her's, so it made her character all the more real to me.

Definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves historical, romantic, and faith-inspiring books.

"As Emma lay there, she came to imagine God weeping with her. She pictured Him wanting to draw near even when she held Him at bay. And she wondered what would happen if she let Him close. Really let Him in. The war might not change, but she would. And then maybe she would have something wonderful to offer Will too-a heart of love, a heart of trust."

I received a free e-book copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although Tricia Goyer is the author of over 200 books, this was the first one of hers that I have read. Many of the others are Amish or American fiction, which doesn’t really appeal to me. This was also my first Christian novel set during the Second World War. Typically, I don’t tend to choose books set at the time, because I’m not very familiar with the period, and because a lot don’t really mention the British contribution to the war, normally just focusing on the American war effort, and American military personnel.

It must be said the premise and storyline of this book was great. It focused on a virtually unknown group whose job involved interpreting aerial reconnaissance photos. They played a major and vital role in certain aspects of the war, such as gathering intelligence on the Nazis secret weapon- which turned out to be the V2 rocket and its launch sites. Though I’m not entirely certain how successful that operation was, as many V2s fell on London and other areas in the last two years of the war.
Emma and her fellow WAF ladies were interesting and well-drawn characters, and Will was also intriguing, especially with the clever twist about him possibly being a double agent. National sympathies and motivations were also presented accurately in the story so that those wondering why Americans volunteered to fight in Europe might grow to understand their choice a little more.
My only complaints are the same as those raised by other reviewers- there were a lot of mistakes in terms of the language and other details, with British characters using quite conspicuous Americanisms.

Among them ‘sidewalk’ which British people still call ‘pavement’, and ‘kids’- although the term is common today, in the 1930s it would have been extremely unusual for a British person to be heard calling a child that. At another point Will mentioned ‘majoring in history at college’, - we would stay read or studied history at University, and finally Emma talked about her British mother taking cream in her tea. I don’t know any Brit who puts cream in tea, it’s disgusting. Milk is for tea, cream is for coffee, but there seems to be a lot of confusion over this in fiction.

Also, I did find the story a little confusing in some places, perhaps that was because it was meant to be complicated, and it dragged a little here and there, but I doubt there are many stories which don’t do this. Overall, I did enjoy the book and found the setting fascinating. It must, I suppose be rather difficult for an author of American Fiction to turn their hand to British fiction for the first time, and not all do it well. Mrs. Goyer has, but a little more research on the finer details might have made it even better.
I’m looking forward to the next installment, which I understand revolves around the Kinder transports. I just hope that the role of Nicholas Winton and other British men and women involved in that heroic effort to rescue Jewish children is not overshadowed by the novel’s American protagonists.

I requested a PDF of this book from Harvest House via Netgalley to read and review. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately I just didn't. I love WWII era fiction and I love books with strong female leads so I truly expected to adore this book but in the end I never connected with any of the characters, felt the pacing was too slow, and didn't get into the story until about the last 10% of the book which of course then went too fast.

For me a character has to be realistic and likable at least part of the time and I just didn't get that sense from any of these characters. And I need something to hook me into the story and this book just didn't draw me in like that.

I did enjoy the idea of the story. And toward the end I started to enjoy the plot a little more but honestly it just wasn't enough.

I can highly recommend The Swiss Courier and Chasing Mona Lisa but I'm starting to wonder if that wasn't because of the co-author?

I received this book through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

An inspiring story. Well written and delightful read

I have adored other novels by Tricia Goyer, so I came into reading this one with high expectations. She did not disappoint.

There is something about historical fiction set during WWII that is especially appealing to me. While it is before my time, I had grandparents and great aunts & uncles who lived through it. So, it seems less foreign than something set centuries ago.

This novel has a blend of intrigue and romance. Everything is kept 'clean' in the romance department. I'd be fine with having a child read it from 7th grade on up. It is kicking off a new series and I'll be watching for the next one to come out.

3.75
Oh, this was good. If you're looking for a WW2 story with a slightly lighter angle than some, this is a good bet. Rather than focusing on atrocities, it focuses on intel and stopping an invasion, so it's thrilling without being soul-shattering, which was good, considering my stressed-out life at the moment! I truly enjoyed learning about the photographic intelligence teams and how they managed to see and recall the smallest details in the pictures in order to alert the government when things changed behind the German lines.

I really enjoyed the interactions between Emma and Will. He shows a fine example of a gentleman, eager to take care of Emma and the children in his life. At the same time, though, he's not an overly macho man. After being injured in the Blitz and nearly losing his arm, he's not healthy enough to go to the front. He quite stole my heart with his quiet reliability and his dedication to his cause.

I received a review copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m often drawn to historical novels set in my home country, and World War 2 novels often give me a glimpse of what my grandparents might’ve experienced during that dark time. I occasionally learn something new from them as well; I’d not heard of Danesfield House before reading A Secret Courage, although I knew that aerial reconnaissance was a vital part of the war effort.

The opening scene was set in 1940 and showed Will being chased by the London police through the city. Although it was a tense passage, I admit that I didn’t quite understand how it was important to the plot. Readers were next introduced to Emma at her job in 1943, and then Berndt Eldwin who was obviously the bad guy. I couldn’t see where the plot was going, however, until some way into the book. As the tension slowly built, I felt at times like Emma. I didn’t know who to trust. I knew that Berndt couldn’t have been acting alone, but I didn’t guess the identity of his co-conspirator until that person was introduced at the climax.

Although Emma is American, there are several mentions of her mother being British. One description of Mrs. Hanson really stood out to me: that she was someone who “buttered her bread one bite at a time.” I wanted to shout out, “Yes!” It might not seem as anything other than a passing comment but it rang true for me, because this is something I do.

I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. It isn’t what I would call a perfectly happy ending, but it is one of hope. I thought there were some floating loose ends concerning supporting characters and, since, this is the first book of a new series set during the war, I’d hoped the story of these characters might’ve been continued. It appears, however, that the second book in the series will be about new characters.

Thank you to Harvest House for my complimentary electronic copy of A Secret Courage, which I downloaded via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed Tricia Goyer's new book, A Secret Courage. I have only read her Amish fiction in the past.

I think my favorite part of the book was the description. The author has the ability to make me feel like I'm really there. I can see the countryside, the train station, and even the food they are eating.

I loved the dynamic between Emma and Will. Very nice, easy romance. I wasn't too sure which side Will was on, so had to finish the book. I recommend you read it!

This is a very interesting story about the people who analyzed pictures taken during WWII to discover what Hitler's plans were. Emma had almost a sixth sense when evaluating the photos. The stress of her job could be felt throughout the book. I was often confused about Will's character and only towards the end able to see his true job. I felt the ending came a little too quickly. An epilogue would have been nice. I believe this is a great start to another wonderful series. Recommend.

I have always enjoyed Tricia Goyer's WWII books (well, all of her books for that matter), and I am always intrigued by the roles women played during the war. This book takes the reader inside Danesfield House, where some of the best and brightest evaluated areal photos in an effort to determine the movements and activities of the enemy (Germany in this case).

I had a lot of difficulty keeping track of the players in this book and whose side they were on. There were a lot of characters that we heard about but never really had a chance to meet, and it was confusing -- I frequently had to go back and search to find out more. I wasn't able to read this book in a couple of days like I typically do, and this may have made it harder to follow the storyline.

I learned a lot of new, fascinating things about the time period, and I look forward to the next book in the series.

This is the first book I've read written by Tricia Goyer. What an interesting read! The topic of Allies' photographic investigators being the "brains" at work of WWII air raids and the involvement of MI5 in the war effort were both unique and fascinating. The author's writing flows well and her description of the countryside in the midst of war is so detailed.

At first, I was a little confused and had trouble following the premise of the story. I wasn't sure how the characters introduced in the first few chapters were all connected and how these characters will bring together the story. A third way into the story, events and roles of each character fell into place and I raced to the end to find out how the mystery gets solved.

Emma is an intelligent, vulnerable, stubborn heroine working as WAAF bent on contributing to save the world from Hitler. Will is a loyal, compassionate, loving MI5 agent posing as a painter to thwart the German spies. Their faith is tangible, their loss is real. Their romance felt a bit choppy, perhaps because the plot concentrated heavily on the intrigue of why and who is trying to bring down Danesfield where the photographic reconnaissance is being played out and planned. The ending seemed a little rushed as well, but I guess good overcoming evil can't be dragged out too much.

Perhaps there will be a sequel? It sure felt that way when I finished the last page.....

There were more grammatical errors than I would have expected, but since I received an advance review copy, hopefully those errors would have been corrected by now.

I received ARC from Harvest House via NetGalley. I was not required to give a favorable review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.