Sarah Sundin is one of my favorite authors, and Until Leaves Fall in Paris is a great addition to her book catalog! I really enjoyed getting to know Paul, Lucie, and Josie, and learn more about Paris during the tumultuous years of 1940-41. The inspiration for Lucie’s story (see the author’s note) is especially close to my heart, and it was so cool to see that familiar story within this book. It was a treat getting to see old character friends, and I was intrigued by the teaser for Sundin’s next book. I can’t wait for more stories from her! 4/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sarah Sundin delivers another epic tale filled with danger, romance and all the good feels! Grab a coffee and settle in because Until Leaves Fall in Paris will not be easy to put down.

​Sundin excels at WWII fiction. Her evocative prose sets the reader right down into the scene's action. Her characters are engaging, and I will miss them terribly.

As always, the author has included a faith element that defines her characters and enhances the story. More than once, I found myself asking whether I would be as brave as Lucie or Paul if faced with similar circumstances.

I appreciated the details of what the people of Paris went through when Hitler invaded France. There was a lot I didn't know about the resistance efforts, so this was not only entertaining but also enlightening.

If you love WWII books, intrigue, danger and romance - this book has it all. I cannot recommend it enough!

This was a quick book to read - not due to the length - but because I wanted to read it to find out what happens! After finishing, I added it to my library system's selection list since I enjoyed it so much. Sarah Sundin's books, are well written, contain stories of a historical nature and usually contain a visit from former characters (in this case, the main characters from "When twilight breaks".

I got this free in exchange for an honest review. I genuinely enjoyed this book (as I do all of Sarah's books). Sarah takes the time to research properly and create interesting characters, infusing them into a rich plot. This is probably why I've enjoyed all of her books thus far. I'm already looking forward to the next one (advertised in the back of the book).

I always enjoy books by Sarah Sundin. This is no exception. The story of Paul and Lucie and Josie caught my interest from the beginning. The downfall of Paris and the takeover by the Nazis, Paul’s work and the Resistance all kept me reading late into the night. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes to read historical fiction.

Thank you very much to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this exceptional novel in exchange for an honest review, as well as to one of my top favourite authors, Sarah Sundin, for writing it.

Two Americans in Nazi-occupied Paris. A war divides them. A bookstore unites them.
As the Nazis march toward Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. Lucie struggles to run Green Leaf Books due to oppressive German laws and harsh conditions, but she finds a way to aid the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books. Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, Josie, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. After they meet in the bookstore, Paul and Lucie are drawn to each other, but she rejects him when she discovers he sells to the Germans. And for Paul to win her trust would mean betraying his mission. Can they work together for the higher good, or will it cost them everything they love?

I really loved the leaf motifs that this book carried throughout. Infused with inspiration, the commonplace becomes extraordinary. The humble leaf, for example – from the simple shapes of some to the complex web of veins in others – has captivated artists, including jewelry designers, for centuries. The simple leaf has transformed into enduring beauty throughout the periods of history.Leaves hold symbolism in many cultures, but in general, they symbolize fertility and growth. The green leaves of spring and summer depict hope, renewal and revival. Blazing yellow, orange and red leaves of fall represent the change of season. Ultimately, fallen leaves complete the circle of life with the final stages: decline and death. It is a fitting title for this book, as although the leaves fell during the dark days of Paris, they also came back again when the war ended and Paris was back to being one of the most famous cities in the world. In the Chinese tradition, leaves represent all of the beings in the universe; they collectively allude to people because of their vast number. In heraldic coat of arms, leaves represent different virtues or qualities. For example, oak leaves represent strength, heroism and victory. Grape leaves represent plenty, freedom and rebirth. Holly or mistletoe represents truth, foresight and defense.

Americans in France consists of immigrants and expatriates from the United States as well as French people of American ancestry. Immigration to France from the United States date back to the 19th century. Paris was the art capital of the world in the nineteenth century and has attracted painters, sculptors, and architects from around the world including the United States. In the decades following the American Civil War, hundreds of Americans joined the throngs headed to Paris. American artists, who formed the largest contingent of foreign painters and sculptors in Paris, were only one segment of the capital's extensive American colony, which also included writers, businessmen, diplomats, and others in more-or-less permanent residence. Many American artists stayed together, and enclaves of them developed on the Left Bank, along the rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs and near the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian's headquarters. Although some lived in Paris for long periods—even the rest of their lives—most insisted on identifying themselves as American.

Beginning in the 1920s, U.S. intellectuals, painters, writers, and tourists were drawn to French art, literature, philosophy, theatre, cinema, fashion, wines, and cuisine. It was during this time that jazz was introduced to the French and black culture was born in Paris. With the defeat and dismantling of Austria at the end of World War I, Paris replaced Vienna as the cultural capital of Europe, if not of the world. Many foreigners settled in Paris during this period, some briefly and some long-term, some exiles and some voluntary, because of Paris's tolerance for unorthodox sexuality, politics, and art. The movement built on itself, as the more intellectuals and artists moved to Paris, the more attraction it had for others. Among the Americans living in Paris during this period are Paul Bowles, Aaron Copland, Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and Alice B. Toklas.

When France officially declared war on Germany in September 1939, as a response to the Third Reich's invasion of Poland, more than ten thousand Americans lived in or near Paris. Although that declaration was followed by roughly nine-months of what often was called the "phony war" or "drôle de guerre," the inevitability of coming conflict led most of those expatriates to leave France while they could. In June 1940, the inevitable occurred with massive German attacks and after scarcely three weeks of battle, Nazi troops marched uncontested through the gates of Paris and some 5,000 Americans still were in the French capital. For various reasons, such as family ties and professional obligations, they had chosen to remain in Paris. At that moment, the United States was not at war, however, and not militarily allied with anyone. It was still a neutral nation. German occupying forces were legally obligated to treat U.S. citizens better than French nationals even though many were bi-nationals with French passports as well as American ones.

Americans who stayed in the capital endured most of the shortages and hardships of their French neighbors but to some extent for nearly a year and a half they were not imprisoned by German occupying authorities. However, their lives were not easy and often tragic, in particular for African-Americans and Jewish Americans who were frequently singled out by the Nazis for harsher than normal treatment. Because the United States still remained neutral, the German occupying forces at first allowed long-standing institutions in the French capital such as the American hospital, the American library, the American church, the American Chamber of Commerce as well as various others of a commercial or charitable nature to remain open.
When the United States entered the war, it led to a clamp down on U.S. citizens in German-occupied northern France. Many were rounded up and sent to internment camps. Those who were not still were obligated to report regularly to German occupying authorities or French police. Internments applied initially only to men although, in September, 1942, German authorities began to intern American women as well.

Sylvia Beach (14 March 1887 – 5 October 1962), born Nancy Woodbridge Beach, was an American-born bookseller and publisher who lived most of her life in Paris, where she was one of the leading expatriate figures between World War I and II. She is known for her Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, where she published James Joyce's controversial book, Ulysses (1922), and encouraged the publication of and sold copies of Hemingway's first book, Three Stories and Ten Poems (1923). Shakespeare and Company remained open after the Fall of Paris, but by the end of 1941, Beach was forced to close. She was interned for six months during World War II at Vittel until Tudor Wilkinson managed to secure her release in February 1942. Following her release she occasionally assisted the American member of the French Resistance, Drue Leyton in sheltering allied airmen shot down in France. Beach kept her books hidden in a vacant apartment upstairs at 12 rue de l'Odeon. Ernest Hemingway symbolically "liberated" the shop in person in 1944, but it never re-opened for business.

The Bibliothèque nationale de France (French: "National Library of France") is the national library of France, located in Paris. It is the national repository of all that is published in France and also holds extensive historical collections. During 1940–1945, more than two million books were lost through the ravages of war, many of them forming the irreplaceable local collections in which France abounded. Many thousands of books, including complete libraries, were seized by the Germans. Yet French librarians stood firm against all threats, and continued to serve their readers to the best of their abilities. In their private lives and in their professional occupations they were in the van of the struggle against the Nazis, and many suffered imprisonment and death for their devotion. Despite Nazi opposition they maintained a supply of books to French prisoners of war. They continued to supply books on various proscribed lists to trustworthy readers; and when liberation came, they were ready with their plans for rehabilitation.

The American Church in Paris is the first American church established outside the United States. It started in 1814, when American Protestants started worshipping together in different homes around Paris. The first sanctuary was built in 1857, on rue de Berri. The American Church continues to minister to many Anglophone Protestants in Paris, both American and other English speaking communities, with multicultural programming, and a congregation of over nearly 40 nations and 35 Christian denominations.
Similarly, American Cathedral in Paris has served the American community since the 1830s, when services were organized in the garden pavilion of the Hôtel Matignon. A parish was formally established in 1859 and the first church building consecrated in 1864 on Rue Bayard.

Hiram "Harry" Bingham IV (July 17, 1903 – January 12, 1988) was an American diplomat. He served as a Vice Consul in Marseilles, France, during World War II, and, along with journalist Varian Fry, helped over 2,500 Jews to flee from France as Nazi forces advanced. William Christian Bullitt Jr. (January 25, 1891 – February 15, 1967) was an American diplomat, journalist, and novelist. He is known for his special mission to negotiate with Lenin on behalf of the Paris Peace Conference, often recalled as a missed opportunity to normalize relations with the Bolsheviks. He was also the first U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union and the U.S. ambassador to France during World War II. Miriam Davenport or Miriam Davenport Ebel (June 6, 1915 – September 13, 1999) was an American painter and sculptor who played an important role helping European Jews and intellectuals escape the Holocaust during World War II.

At the start of World War II in 1939, the Portuguese Government announced on 1 September that the 550-year-old Anglo-Portuguese Alliance remained intact, but since the British did not seek Portuguese assistance, Portugal was free to remain neutral in the war and would do so. In an aide-mémoire of 5 September 1939, the British Government confirmed the understanding. As Adolf Hitler's occupation swept across Europe, neutral Portugal became one of Europe's last escape routes. Portugal was able to maintain its neutrality until 1944, when a military agreement was signed to give the United States permission to establish a military base in Santa Maria in the Azores and thus its status changed to non-belligerent in favour of the Allies.

The French Resistance (French: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations who fought the Nazi occupation of France and the collaborationist Vichy régime during the Second World War. Resistance cells were small groups of armed men and women (called the Maquis in rural areas)] who, in addition to their guerrilla warfare activities, were also publishers of underground newspapers, providers of first-hand intelligence information, and maintainers of escape networks that helped Allied soldiers and airmen trapped behind enemy lines. The Resistance's men and women came from all economic levels and political leanings of French society, including émigrés, academics, students, aristocrats, conservative Roman Catholics (including priests and nuns), Protestants, Jews, Muslims, liberals, anarchists, and communists.

The French Resistance played a significant role in facilitating the Allies' rapid advance through France following the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. The French Resistance provided military intelligence on the German defences known as the Atlantic Wall and on Wehrmacht deployments and orders of battle for the lesser-known invasion of Provence on 15 August. The Resistance also planned, coordinated, and executed sabotage acts on the Nazi electrical power grid, transport facilities, and telecommunications networks. The Resistance's work was politically and morally important to France both during the German occupation and decades that followed. It provided the country with an inspiring example of the patriotic fulfilment of a national imperative countering an existential threat to French nationhood. The actions of the Resistance stood in marked contrast to the collaborationism of the Vichy régime. 1940 was the year of initial shock, and counteraction, and 1941 was when armed resistance began.

Françoise Frenkel (14 July 1889 - 18 January 1975) was a lifelong book lover, bookstore owner and author. With her husband, in 1921 she opened the "Maison du Livre français", Berlin's first specialist French book store, which she ran till 1939. Frenkel was a Pole of Jewish descent. On 27 August 1939 she belatedly escaped from Germany as a passenger on a special train to Paris which had been organised by the French embassy. Shortly before June 1940, which was when the invading German army reached Paris, she joined the thousands of Parisians fleeing to the south of the country. As the Nazi invaders tightened their grip on southern France she was forced to flee again, crossing into Switzerland near Annecy, on her third attempt, in June 1943. She survived. She wrote the famous "Rien où poser sa tête" ("No place to rest her head") also known as "The Bookshop in Berlin."

The Paris Opera Ballet (French: Ballet de l'Opéra national de Paris) is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded as one of the four most prominent ballet companies in the world, together with the Royal Ballet in London, the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and the Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg.Just as prestigious as the Paris Opera Ballet is its dance school, the Paris Opera Ballet School (French: École de danse de l'Opéra national de Paris), considered to be one of the world's best dance schools. The Palais Garnier is an opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III. Initially referred to as le nouvel Opéra de Paris (the new Paris Opera), it soon became known as the Palais Garnier, "in acknowledgment of its extraordinary opulence" and the architect Charles Garnier's plans and designs, which are representative of the Napoleon III style. It was the primary theatre of the Paris Opera and its associated Paris Opera Ballet until 1989, when a new opera house, the Opéra Bastille, opened at the Place de la Bastille. The company now uses the Palais Garnier mainly for ballet. The theatre has been a monument historique of France since 1923.

In 1929, Jacques Rouché invited 24-year-old dancer Serge Lifar to become the maitre de ballet of the Paris Opéra Ballet, which had fallen into decline in the late 19th century.As ballet master from 1930 to 1944, and from 1947 to 1958, he devoted himself to the restoration of the technical level of the Opéra Ballet, returning it to its place as one of the best companies in the world. Lifar gave the company a new strength and purpose, initiating the rebirth of ballet in France, and began to create the first of many ballets for that company. During his three decades as director of the Paris Opéra Ballet, Lifar led the company through the turbulent times of World War II and the German occupation of France. Lifar brought the Paris Opéra Ballet to America and performed to full houses at the New York City Center. Audiences were enthusiastic and had great admiration for the company of dancers.

I also loved getting reacquainted with Peter and Evelyn from the previous stunner book, When Twilight Breaks. I cannot wait for the next standalone novel set in occupied Denmark starring Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt.