Courtesy of NetGalley, I received the ARC of Anika Scott's debut novel, The German Heiress. The premise of the moral decisions made by German citizens during WWII captured my attention, not questioning their intent but the results achieved. The post war situation was portrayed from the German perspective, with believable characters, emotional situations, and compassion.

I received an advance copy of this book from Net Gallery. The opinions expressed here are mine. I was not paid for this, or any, review.

My Interest

World War II, as I've soft quiet often recently, is a huge interest of mine. The period immediately after the war through the end of the Berlin Airlift does not receive as much attention. This book caught my eye since it begins soon after the war.

The Story

Say the name "Falkenberg" in Essen during the War and it would be like saying "Carnegie" in Pittsburgh at the turn of the century. Like their cross-town rival, Krupp, the fabled German Arms producer, the Falkenberg ironworks produced for the Reich. Headed by Theodore, the wealth of the Falkenbergs protected Theodore's English wife, Anne, and their children--the sons all in uniform,  leaving daughter Clara as her father's war-necessitated understudy.  Clara, who came to be known as the "Iron Fraulein," the Reich's most eligible heiress.

The war is over now, and the British occupy Essen Captain Thomas Fenshaw has studied Clara since she attended a British Union of Fascists rally with her mother in England in the late 1930s. Unlike her father, who is in custody, Clara remains free. Fenshaw is determined to find her.

Clara puts herself at risk trying to find her dearest friend, Elissa and Elissa's son, Willy. In the after-war chaos of stateless persons, homeless Germans, and occupying armies, this is a risky proposition.

My Thoughts

Forgive me if I spent part of the book giggling "Iron Mädchen" thinking of "Iron Maiden". Ok, that was silly. Clara's story reads like a thriller. There are turns and twists, secrets and lies--all the aspects of a well-told, suspense-filled thriller, with just enough romance thrown in to make it that much more interesting.


I felt that while the suspense could have been heightened more for my taste, and that Clara was a bit too 007 once in a while, overall this book exceeded my expectations. One secret I never anticipated! My one moment of disappointment was "the pet." I won't explain this as it would be a huge spoiler, but "the pet" was my one big "oh, come on!" moment in an otherwise great read.

My Verdict
3.75 stars

The German Heiress by Anika Scott is available for pre-order, publishing on April 7.

I am halfway through and absorbing it. Naturally, I would find that this could be a fast read, but, the details are haunting so I have to give myself time to get through it. Ms. Scott does very well writing and her attention to detail is meticulous.

The German Heiress is a well-written, thought-provoking WW II novel told from a different perspective, The main character Clara Falkenberg is intriguing and an example of going along with the majority and following the orders of Nazis unwittingly or wittingly adds to the evil destruction of thousands of lives. While the subject is not my favorite, I highly recommend the book mainly for the author's writing and character development. Thank you NetGalley, Anika Scott, and Morrow Publishing for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced ebook. I really enjoyed this book. Unlike most WWII books, it was from a fresh perspective.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3138029378

I thoroughly enjoyed this book told from the other side of the WW2. Well developed characters and daring plot. Highly Recommend for readers of WW2 era fiction!

I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down. It was interesting to read about post WWII from the German point of view and I found myself empathizing with the main character. Although I liked that it was not predictable and had several unexpected twists, I thought the ending seemed a little too neat and unrealistic. I would like to read a sequel so I could see what happened to the characters after the story ended.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's takes on a slightly different part of WWII history, the Occupation. The time right after the liberation is not often written about. That's why this story was so compelling to me. It was fast paced, intriguing and had elements of a thriller. Oh, and there's a touch of romance. I think this would translate very well to screen. You will find yourself championing Clara and Jakob. The author has done an excellent job and the reader can tell the research is extremely detailed. Perfect for fans of Pam Jenoff, Kate Quinn and Ellen Marie Wiseman.

I received this book "The German Heiress" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I like to occasionally read historical fiction, some are good and some not so good. This book was one of the good ones. This was told from a different point of view as Clara was the one being hunted down. You feel like you are right there along with the characters. Definitely an interesting read.

Such a beautifully written and impactful book where a person in a position of power takes a stand on what she believes in, even if it leaves her with nothing, to help those that need it the most. This book gave me serious pianist vibes in the opposite point of view. Personally found the first half pretty boring and hard to connect to but the second half I just could not put the book down at all. Strongly recommend.

I enjoyed this book! It's a historical fiction but reads like a mystery as you discover secrets and find answers with Claire, the main character. The author provides a different perspective of a German citizen during WWII that's caught in the middle between her family's views and of her own. It's beautifully written and emotional. Thank you to Harper Collins for the opportunity to read an early copy.

I had just finished another book set during WWII when I started The German Heiress so I wasn’t sure I as even in the mood to read the book. I will admit that the story started very slowly for me but after a while I really began to enjoy the story. Clara is The German Heiress. On the run from the Allied forces who are looking to arrest her for war crimes, she goes back to her hometown to seek shelter with her friend Elisa. But Elisa is nowhere to be found, nor is her son Willy. Clara does find Jakob, a black marketer who she slowly becomes her friend.

I liked The German Heiress because it presents a different perspective to the war and the actions taken during the war. Clara judges her father very harshly, believing he is rightfully on trial for war crimes, then begins to question her own actions during the war. The story also questions when the war actually ends: is it upon surrender or does it ever truly end for those affected? And how do you move on afterward? This was an interesting perspective that I hadn’t really read before.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced e-copy of The German Heiress. #netgalley #thegermanheiress

This is a very good read, I have not read a book from the German side of the war. Very informative and interesting.

This novel was set in post WWII Germany and I have to say it was a very different perspective of any other WWII era novel I have read. The story centered around a young woman who was, to outward appearances, a model Nazi. As her story progresses, we learn all of the difficult decisions she had to make in order to survive during and after the war. It was very interesting to read her (fictional) experience as she was not the typical hero/heroine that we usually encounter with this genre.

Shortly after the end of WWll, Clara Falkenberg is running from her past. As part of one of the most prominent families in Germany, she kept the family-owned ironworks running during the war. By taking over such a large operation, she also placed a large target on her back. Clara is running from a British officer attempting to arrest her for war crimes. When she decides to take shelter with her friend Elisa, she meets Jakob, and together they unravel the mysteries of Clara’s family.

This book was so intriguing because it brought to light what must have been so difficult for many during war time... Where do loyalties lie? With family? Country? What should you do when standing up for what you believe conflicts with everything you though you knew? Clara wrestles with the decisions of her past while trying to come to grips with the reality of her situation. The plot had many twists and turns, and each time Clara learned something new, it added a new layer of mystery to her family. It was interesting to see how Clara learns to separate her beliefs from what was expected of her. Clara’s character developed wonderfully throughout the story. Reading along with her thoughts had me examining my own and what I would do if I were in her shoes. I enjoyed the thought provoking themes as well as the air of mystery woven through the story.

I love a great historical fiction book and this one was fantastic. The author did an amazing job of writing a well written story that makes you feel as if you apart of the story. This book was filled with so many details and so many emotions. I couldn’t put this book down and highly recommend it.

I've read plenty of WWII novels...but it's rare to see a Nazi as the heroine. Heiress Clara Falkenberg earned the nickname "the Iron Fräulein" whilst running her family's ironworks company during the war and fled the city at the end of the war, assuming a new identity. 

But eventually, Clara returns home hoping to stay with her best friend Elisa as she seeks answers to questions about her family. Unfortunately, Elisa is nowhere to be found. More unfortunately still, Clara encounters an American soldier intent on bringing her to justice for war crimes.  

Clara begins a journey to find her best friend and meets Jakob, who is also looking for Elisa. As we get to know Clara, we learn there might just be more to the Iron Fräulein than first meets the eye. This novel will force you into Clara's shoes, demanding you to reconcile the idea of good and evil and the choices that make a person good or bad.

This novel takes place in Germany after the end of the war. A British officer is searching for the Iron Maiden, a German heiress who ran a factory which was staffed by foreign workers during WWII. Clara (the Iron Maiden) has changed her name to Margaret Muller and fled Essen as the town was getting bombed by the Allies. She meets and becomes engaged to a Dr. Blum who turns out to be a doctor from the women’s concentration camp. Clara had planned on returning to Essen to look for her best friend so she leaves immediately. Her train is stopped by the British officer who knows who she is and starts to interrogate her. She manages to escape and makes her way to Essen where she is in hiding. She goes to her friend’s home to find out it has been bombed. She finds people living in the basement who take her in until the British officer (Thomas Fenshaw) comes to find her. The story then revolves around her repeatedly hiding from Fenshaw. At one point she meets Jacob who helps her hid. Jakob has stumbled upon a hidden German cache of goods with a young boy guarding it. Jakob thinks this is lucky because he can sell the items on the black market. The boy (Willy) thinks the war is still on and won’t let Jakob take anything. Clara is still searching for her friend (Elisha) and her friend’s son while still hiding from Fenshaw.. Jakob finally tells Clara about the hidden supplies. Clara discovers that the young boy is Elisha’s son who has been in the mine for 2 years and won’t leave. Jakob is threatened by Fenshaw (to hurt his two sisters) so tells him where to find Clara. Clara is back in custody and tries to make a deal with Fenshaw to find out where Elisha is. Elisha had been killed at the end of the war along with many of the constricted employees of Clara. Once again Clara tried to make a deal. This time to protect Willy. If she tells him where all the German supplies are. Clara manages to escape once more and makes it to the mine where she finds Jakob who had gone to try to get Willy to come home with him. There is also a side story about Willy’s parentage and a former boyfriend. This novel was a look at the war from a German’s point of view and the choices that sometimes needed to be made, thus making it an unusual look at the war. For a first novel I thought this was very good and will look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for a preview of this novel.

I received an advanced copy of The German Heiress from NetGalley. I requested this book because I have read quite a bit of World War II fiction lately, but it was all from the French or English point of view. The main character Clara is a German Heiress who is hiding in plain sight after the war has ended. She has a fake identification card and tries to adopt a new identity. The British authorities are searching for her as we learn her story throughout the war. Clara questions whether she could or should have done more to protect workers during the war. We see her inner struggles throughout the story. An excellent read!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with an ARC of this title.

This story takes place in post WWII Germany, which is unlike any book I've read before. The characters and their changes throughout the book are developed well and there is resolve. I would have appreciated a little more romance between Jakob and Clara in the plot.

The first half of the book was a little sluggish, but it picked up the second half and kept my attention. Overall, the book was good, not great, but enjoyable.