A big thank you to the author Roberta Kagan, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

I was very disappointed with this book. The premise is that a beautiful Polish woman marries a Jewish man and bears a child, Karl. Then, after the Nazis take over, she poses as a single widowed mother in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. A Nazi officer is extremely interested in dating/marrying Kara. Then her son disappears and the only one who will help her is the Nazi officer.

This story was designed to incorporate every horrible atrocity perpetrated by the Nazis and collaborators all in the same story....no matter how loosely connected the story becomes. It includes the atrocities in the Warsaw Ghetto, the Liebensborn project, atrocities at the labor camps, the crematoriums, the adoption of Polish children into proper Aryan German families, and just about every story of horror in the war. The story is so unbelievable, the characters so unpleasant and the coincidences so contrived. I have read many, many books on WWII and this one was not just disappointing, it was an waste of time.

I love Roberta Kagan’s novels. They are honest and raw and believable. Her stories are always driven with suspense. Perhaps editing could be better, but when you have a good story to tell, you tell it. And writing a good story is not an easy task. This one kept me up all night and I am now on the third in the series. Frankly, I love the fact that her novels are not perfectly edited. I’ve read enough to know that you can have great editing, beautiful pose, but if the story isn’t good, or drags, it is not a good book. I highly recommend her historical novels.

This story pulled me in from the first page. The author captures the horrors of the Nazis and what the people had to live through, Germans and Jews. Two sisters are torn apart by German propaganda. This is a great addition to the series.
Many thanks to Book Whisperer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

In Nazi Germany, the life of a Jewish child is at stake. Whether Kara will be able to find him after he is kidnapped by his babysitter depends on many things, and with or without her friend Oskar and his influence in the Nazi regime, she must find her son.

This was one incredible story, as is all Roberta Kagan books are.
Kara was frantic, her son Karl had been kidnapped while being baby sat.
Kara knew her child would be in terrible danger if it was found out he was half Jewish.
Karl was sent to an orphanage to become a good German boy, and Kara had to find him before it was found out about his heritage.
This story was fiction but you could imagine this actually happening, it was an interesting and upsetting book but I would really recommend it to anyone interested in what the Germans did to anyone who was not pure German.
Look forward to the next book by this wonderful author.

I am a huge fan of WWII historical fiction. However, I did not enjoy this story. Kara’s naivete just got on my nerves. While the author does a good job of exposing the evil of Hitler’s regime, the writing style did not appeal to me. Granted, it may have helped if I had read the first book in this series. But to be honest, I’m not sure I’m interested enough to get invested in the series so I won’t go back and read the first book.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Whisperer for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

The second in a trilogy.. Kara was married to a Jew, she loved him dearly and they had a son Karl. He was taken away be the Nazi’s in the Second World War and send to a camp where he was tortured... Kara believed him dead.

An SS Officer Oskar fell in love with Kara, but the love was not returned. So Oskar devised a plan, unbeknownst to Kara, and kidnapped her son. He then gave her every assistance he could in her search for Karl hoping she would fall in love with him.

Did the plan work? You will have to read the book to find out. It is an interesting tale, one discovers that Oskar has dual personalities.

I loved this book. The Stolen Child takes us on an adventure to find a missing child. You travel with the main character as she struggles with family for her quest to find her child. I would recommend this book to others to read. How far will a mother's love go?

The Stolen Child is the 2nd book of the Sons Secret. It is a historical fiction.

I didn't read the 1st book of the series, although I didn't feel out of the loop, I do feel I may have missed certain pieces. However, I do feel you can read the book without the 1st one.

Although the book started of quite slow, it was written in a great way. It really made my opinions change on a certain individual couple times from like to absolute hate.

It did end in one interesting cliffhanger I do hope to see what happens next!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Roberta Kagan for the copy!!

This novel is the second book in a trilogy by Roberta Kagan. I really enjoyed it and now I have to go back and read the first one! Kara's son Karl is missing and she is desperate to find out what happened to him. Set during WWII, Oskar who is an SS officer vows to help her find him. But things are not what they seem to be and Kara is very naive about what is going on. This story shows how deceiving people can be to get what they want. My only complaint is that it has a very abrupt ending and now we have to wait for book 3!!

The Stolen Child by Roberta Kagan is a masterful story that had me captivated. It is beautifully written and Ms. Kagan's gift of storytelling brought this story to life for me. I found it deeply moving and I shed more than a few tears while reading it. I am still emotionally engaged and contemplating this book even after having read it a few weeks ago. For me, that's the highest praise I can give.

All in all, I highly recommend The Stolen Child and this book series. It's truly worth experiencing!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Kagan and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Compulsive and gripping! Suspenseful, addictive and complex! After the first few pages, I knew this was a book I wasn’t going to be able to put down, until I got to The End. Will keep you swiping the pages furiously. I felt every emotion.

#TheStolenChild #NetGalley

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from in order to read and provide a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.

The Stolen Child was the most difficult book I read this year. I know it's a work of fiction, but, most, unfortunately, this story might have happened and we just do not know. The horrors of the holocaust and the brainwashing made by the Nazis during WWII were true and this book is all about it. People were lied to, were made believe that there was a superior race, and I quite believe that some were just too alienated in their own world to really grasp and understand what was really going on. To the dismay of the whole world when the horror of the concentration camps was divulged all that was left to do was cry and promise that it would not happen ever again. If you do not want to read about prejudice, hate, difficult times, situations resembling the story of Jekyll and Hyde, do not download this book. The Stolen Child is not a book for those who don't like to read about the horrors of war and transgressions against human beings. In spite of all I said above, I did enjoy reading this book as it reinforced my beliefs that situations like those lived during WWII must never happen again and that it's up to each of us to do our part in this world.

The Stolen Child is the second book in Roberta Kagan’s Jews, The Third Reich and a Web of Secrets series. I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, but had I read book one, I think I would have better appreciated the back story and the dynamics of the characters and their relationships to each other. While I wanted to feel sympathetic toward Kara, her naïveté grated on my nerves more often than not. I also struggled a bit with the writing style as it felt stilted and lacked depth at times. I really wanted to experience what the characters were feeling but I felt the balance between narrative and dialogue hindered my ability to feel more. Overall I did enjoy the story and the ending piqued my curiosity enough to read the next title to see what fate has in store for these characters. The writing is simple making this a suitable read for middle grade or high school readers interested in historical fiction from this period.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Whisperer for a chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Jews, the Third Reich, and a Web of Secrets, Book 2

Ms. Kagan knows how to pen a story that will pull you in from the start and keeps you captive till you reached the conclusion ... then you are left there wondering what comes next...I never felt lost not knowing what had previously happened in “Her Son’s Secret” book #1 but now I wish I had known that book#2 picked up where book#1 left...

The principal characters:

Kara (the mother), Karl (the son) and Oskar (SS officer)

In a few words what to expect:

Four year old Karl suddenly disappears launching an increasingly frustrating search. Oskar will do anything for Kara’s love; his empathy towards the situation is in absolute contrast to the macabre nature of an officer. What game is Oskar playing?

My thoughts:

What a captivating story. For most part I wanted so much for Kara to see through Oskar but he was so conniving that she never did. I felt like screaming open your eyes...but again I had the advantage as the reader to see Oskar’s side. I felt the pain Kara had losing her son and the torment she suffered not knowing if he was dead or alive. The emotions get to you...and behind all this is Oskar... This story is a terrifying look at how manipulative and cunning some can be. Oskar in front of Kara is a sweet and loveable man but deep down he is a devious and cruel individual.

Ms. Kagan writing style is simple and easy to follow. The narrative pulls you in from the start and serves to drive the sheer anguish felt by many. This is another poignant war story.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book. I enjoyed Robertas book and although the second in the series you can catch up with the story. If you are like me I need to read books in order roll on tje next in the series

I have read that this is the second book in the series and worried that I would have missed something by not reading the first book. I'm not sure if I have missed out as I feel I have but all in all the book is gripping, it tears at your heart and your emotions.

It is heartbreaking to think the world has had and still does have so many evil, nasty and manipulative people in it and this book takes you on a journey you hope you never have to take yourself.

I will be looking for the first book in the series and then maybe re-read this one so as to get some semblance of order. But on its own it is a good book and well worth the read.

The Stolen Child is the second book in a series, which I didn't realize ahead of time. Kagan is a new author for me, and is excellent at weaving a story around historical events. The story takes place in Germany during the second world war. I'm hesitant to share more without having read the first book, but I will definitely read the first book- My Son's Secret and check out others from Kagan. Thank you for the advanced read!

The Stolen Child by Roberta Kagan

I was so surprised to receive an email from Roberta Kagan giving me a link to her second book in her latest saga, The Third Reich and a Web of Secrets But at the same time I was honoured to be given the privilege.

I enjoyed reading The Stolen Child, it was so good to see what happened to little Karl who was abducted at the end of book One when Kara, his mother left him with a Polish babysitter while she attended a party with her sister Anka, her sister’s husband, Ludwig and Ludwig’s friend, Oskar.

At first you think how wonderful Oskar is to be doing so much to help Kara get her boy back, it seems he goes far beyond anyone else would have but then you find out what he has done behind the scene to convince Kara that she should depend only on him and marry him, you become truly shocked how manipulative a person can be.

I cannot wait to read book three in the saga.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Roberta Kagan herself for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Oh my word, I don’t even know if I have enough words to describe how much I loved this book. I had to go buy the first one so I read it first, but this arc was such an amazing read for me. There were some disturbing things in it for sure, but the book is so well written. I couldn’t put it down, I think I read both books in three days maybe 4 days. I can’t wait for the third book to come out.

I will be posting a review on my website www.slytherinbooklady.wordpress.com within the next week. I’m hoping to have it up on the 13th sometime in the morning.