Obviously I am in the minority here when I say I didn't particularly enjoy this book. The characters were either flat, or over-the-top. Overall I found the book to be predictable and boring, and on the whole, poorly written. I just didn't really like any of the characters, and the story could have been better.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Bitter Rain is an incredible read. The details and descriptions are so vivid, I felt like I was right there struggling with Trude, Britta and Erik. The action and suspense in the story were so great at times that I could not even guess what would happen next. I had no problem to continue turning the pages. The ending is one I would have ever imagined.
Awesome read.
100 stars.

well written heartbreaking historical fiction. This asks what would you do and what responsibility do you bear- questions we would all do well to consider. Erik is complicit and actively supporting the Nazi regime even as his friend Trude (and millions of others) are facing its horrors. There are lessons to be learned here. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I love reading interesting and well-written historical fiction, and A Bitter Rain definitely fits into that category. The book was captivating and held my interest until the very end. It's set in Germany during WWII and is a fascinating read.

The story is told from two very different points of view. Erik Mueller is a Nazi soldier in the SS. He's not a true believer, but he loves his country and his family. His wife is a social climber who believes that the higher Eric's rank rises, the better off their family will be. He goes through some truly horrible experiences.

Trude Bensheim is a Jewish woman whose life gets worse and worse as the war gets closer and closer. She has a husband and a daughter, but her husband is killed and she is sent to a camp. She's not sure what has happened to her daughter. She and her husband waited too long to leave Germany when they could have escaped. They put too much faith in another German who betrayed them.

I don't want to give away the plot, but it had twists and turns and the ending was satisfying. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Erik Mueller is an SS Sergeant in charge of a small unit as the Germans get ready to invade Poland in 1939. He faces fierce fire, boredom and the questionable actions of his superior. He is in line for a promotion until he voices his concerns to Lieutenant Sauer - the person who shot two unarmed Polish men. He is married to Corina and has a daughter named Greta. Corina is a social climber and a fanatical believer in the Nazi propaganda. His parents live with the family. A part of this book is told from his point of view on the frontlines of the war.

The other point of view is told from Trude Bensheim’s, a Jewish woman who is married to Johannes and has a daughter named Britta. Johannes was an activist who was obtaining visas for other Jewish persons but failed to get his own family out of Germany in time. They are hiding in their apartment, hoping against hope that the Gestapo doesn’t find them before they can think of a way out of the country.

After charging a machine gun nest almost singlehandedly and killing all five occupants, the Captain of the platoon promoted Erik to Lieutenant. They move through Belgium, France and head to Russia. All goes not too badly until they get just outside of Moscow.

Meanwhile Trude and her family are not faring well. In a last ditch attempt to escape and for an exorbitant sum of money, they are assured that a ship awaits them. When they arrive at the dock, Johannes is arrested. Trude and Britta manage to escape. Hiding in the house of a neighbor for several months, they make do. Trude keeps telling the elderly woman that they must move on; that the woman is putting her life in danger as well, but the woman won’t listen. One night when returning to the apartment, the Gestapo is at the house. Trude is dragged away as the Gestapo no doubt arrests her daughter and the elderly woman.

As the years roll by, Erik’s fortunes rise and Trude’s life is nearly destroyed. Then in one fell swoop, Erik falls.

This book is well written and plotted, but there is something about it that jars me. Perhaps it is a bit sappy, if one is allowed to say that about so serious a story. It was moving and sometimes difficult to read. I can’t put my finger on the reason I am left confused. The suspense starts out immediately and continues throughout the story. I enjoy WWII novels and this one is a winner for sure. I liked the characters: Erik with his sense of right and wrong, Captain Dutt, Mrs. Werner and Trude with her passion. I didn’t like Gunther the self-deluding monster, or Sauer the lying so-and-so or the social climbing Corina. Perhaps that’s it. There were so few characters to admire and so many to dislike. But then the topic is a horrific one and I’m sure the reader cannot like many people in so tragic a story.

I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Press for forwarding to me a copy of this interesting and engrossing book to read and enjoy.