"Until Leaves Fall in Paris" is a Christian romance set in Paris starting in May 1940 but mainly from April 1941 to March 1942. Lucie reaches out to widower Paul's lonely young daughter because she doesn't feel it's right to punish her for her father's actions (of selling civilian-use trucks to the Germans). Paul appreciates her help and helps her learn to run the store. They fight their attraction to each other's thoughtful, kind personality until they finally discover that both are doing resistance work--work that could get either arrested at any time if discovered by the wrong person.

The characters were well-developed, had complexity, and acted realistically to events. They felt like real people who really lived through these events. The historical details were woven into the story and brought the story alive in my imagination. Paul and Lucie were engaging characters who helped others and supported each other. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this enjoyable historical romance.

I was swept away by Ms. Sundin's Until Leaves Fall in Paris. With great skill she pens a story of courage and love as two Americans willingly stay behind in Paris to aid the resistance as tensions grow between Germany and America in 1940. Within a market that is saturated with WWII novels, Ms. Sundin's beautiful prose and skill as a researcher brings this period to life among the pages of a book that stands out with its well-paced and original plot. One for the keeper shelf.
I have only read a couple of books by Ms. Sundin. This book has placed her on my automatic must read list.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher through Netgalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The setting is 1940 in Paris and the Germans are occupying the city. Lucie Girad, now 26, has lived in Paris since she was a young girl and she considers Paris her home. Paul Aubrey, a widower, an engineer with his own factory that produces race cars, wanted to leave with his young daughter (Josie) and return to the USA but was persuaded to stay, convert his factory to producing trucks and become a collaborator and share info with the USA about the Nazis.

Lucie, who bought the bookstore from her Jewish friends who had to return to the USA, met Paul and his daughter in her bookstore. They both have secrets to hide, and can’t tell each other without revealing their involvement.

Many events happen leading to the discovery that they are both working for the resistance. When they decide to leave Paris when there is no other choice, many obstacles, heartbreaks, and delays are revealed in the story. It became a compelling read towards the end of the book to see if Lucie, Paul and his daughter Josie make it safely back to America.

I was sent these books to review from the Nuts About Books program at Graf-Martin Communications. After reading the books are donated to the Christian thrift store, the local library, or left in little free libraries for others to enjoy,

To stand up for what you believe is a difficult thing. To do it while giving the appearance that you are living a life in direct opposition to your beliefs and shoulder the burden of judgement is exceptionally difficult. This is precisely what Paul Aubrey must do when he finds himself called upon to remain in Paris and collaborate with the Nazis for the sake of his own country. As an American living in France, a widower with a young and creative daughter, Paul walks that fine line for the greater good, always keeping a watchful eye for the moment when he must take sweet little Josephine to safety back in the States. It is no wee complication when he finds himself drawn to the beautiful and lively Lucie Girard, owner of Green Leaf Books, the American bookstore in Paris where Paul takes Josie to look at storybooks and encourage a creativity he doesn’t quite understand.

Though she was born in America and remains a citizen, Lucie has lived in France most of her life, dedicating herself to the ballet. As American Jews, her friends Hal and Erma must quickly escape Paris and leave behind their beloved bookshop, which stands to be a total loss until Lucie decides to quit the ballet and purchase Green Leaf Books from them. Though she knows nothing of owning a shop, she is determined to keep it open and safe until the Greenblatts are able to safely return and resume their business. The shop takes on a new vibrance the day Paul Aubrey and little Josie enter it, bringing the child’s vivid imagination and inspiration, but beneath the facade Lucie has fashioned flow the undercurrents of resistance. Though handsome and charming Mr. Aubrey provokes a favorable response in Lucie, she must distance herself from the collaborator and avoid risking the chance he might discover the secret she holds on the very shelves he peruses.

When their world comes crashing down, what will Paul and Lucie discover about themselves and each other?

Sarah Sundin is my hands-down go-to author for World War II era historical fiction. Her research is phenomenal and her dedication to bringing the Greatest Generation into our hands and hearts is admirable. Her tales of grit, determination, and perseverance never cease to thrill me and Until Leaves Fall in Paris is no exception. I enjoyed the appearance of our friends Peter and Evelyn from When Twilight Breaks and look forward to meeting Baron Henrik Ahlenfeldt, friend of Peter and Paul, in Sundin’s upcoming release.

Thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me a copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own and are completely genuine.

Absolutely stunning! I will always love a good Sarah Sundin novel. Until Leaves Fall in Paris is about two Americans, Lucie Girard and Paul Aubrey who are living in Paris during the German occupation. How can two Americans with vastly different lives, Lucie a dancer who purchased a bookstore and Paul who owns a manufacturing business fall in love? An unexpected love story with two characters facing adversity. To learn to trust one another and those who need their help, Lucie and Girard realize they must return to America, but how can they?
A page turner that kept me up into the late hours of the night. If you’re looking for romance mixed with mystery and intrigue, than this book is for you.

Oh what a memorable story! You know how some stories are really enjoyable in the moment but then fade from your memory? Until Leaves Fall in Paris by author Sarah Sundin really is a wonderful story that will stay with me long after turning the last page. I was enthralled and immediately immersed in this WWII story about Lucie Girard, a ballerina turned bookstore owner, and widower and Paul Aubrey and his adorable four year old daughter. I love the sweet nicknames he uses for her. The talented pen of Sarah Sundin places you in occupied France, where you don't know what each day will bring, who is fighting for freedom, and who is collaborating with the Nazi's. Read the description of the story and I know you will love this book! It had me on the edge of my seat, and made me smile and even cry.

I HIGHLY recommend Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin for lovers of fantastic historical fiction.

Sarah Sundin is one of the many reasons that WWII is my favorite historical time period, no one writes this genre quite like she does!
Sometimes I forget just how long WWII was brewing in Europe before the US joined and I’ve been really appreciating the way Sundin has been highlighting what things were like in those early days in this book and her last novel.
Paris isn’t my favorite city for books to be set in (don’t come at me) but it was also fascinating to see how things progressed in the city of love as the Germans invaded.
Lucie was such a bright soul, seeing beauty wherever she went. But she also had a strength and resilience to her.
Paul was much more on the serious side, seeing life through rules and order, but had a good heart and a desire to see good prevail.
Paul and Lucie fell for each other hard and fast, they were like puzzle pieces fitting together, each having what the other needed to balance them out. They didn’t have an easy road though and they had to fight countless battles to be together.
I greatly admired the way both of them did their part to help the Allies even at great risk to themselves and their livelihoods. They stood strong under pressure and thought quickly on their feet in ways that I just don’t think I could.
This book had me on the edge of my seat, anxiously turning pages to see what would happen but also had many sweet and romantic moments to balance it out.
Overall this was another hit from Sundin and I cannot wait for her next one!

Paris. A city of contrasts—the Left Bank artists and the Right Bank’s bourgeois. Sarah Sundin’s newest novel, Until Leaves Fall in Paris gives the reader an understanding of the contrasts and conflicts of Parisian society. Now throw in the Nazi’s largely non-violent invasion of the beautiful city and the reader has the backdrop for a unique WWII story.

American ballerina Lucie Girard was just cut from the famous corps de ballet and she now learns her guardians, the Greenblatts, will need to sell their quaint bookstore, Green Leaf Books to pay for their passage back to America. Lucie offers to purchase and run the bookstore to help her friends and give her an income, even though her years of study were at the Paris Opera Ballet School, not regular school. Unfortunately, it seemed unlikely her ballet acumen would help keep the bookstore afloat.

Widower, engineer, and high-end car designer and maker, Paul Aubrey needs to cut his losses and gather his young daughter, Josie and leave France as quickly as possible. But when the US Army convinces him to keep his factory open and become an unofficial spy for the military, Paul reluctantly agrees. Even when it means all of Paris thinks him to be a collaborator with the Nazis. Including the lovely Lucie whom he—and his sweet daughter—are growing attached to.

This story has something for everyone. Adventure. Espionage. Creativity. Love. And so much more. Sundin does a beautiful job getting into the hearts and minds of her characters. What was especially striking is to see the brutish Nazis try to fit into a city that had long embraced diversity. They enjoy the delights of the city and seem on the surface to be polite to the compliant, but in truth they want to handcuff this beauty to their obscene politics.

Lucie and little Josie are kindred creative spirits, something left-brain practical Paul does not understand. Josie’s creativity is instrumental in helping the failing bookstore. And because of Lucie, Paul is learns to understand his little girl better.

When Lucie "casually" becomes involved with the resistance by passing secret messages inside books, danger now escalates in her world of beauty and books.

Although I trust the stories of Sarah Sundin, I was a little concerned that this wasn’t the typical WWII book I read—I'm not so accustomed to spies, espionage, resistance. Nevertheless, Sundin always knows how to bring humanity to her books. And I didn’t know how it was possible in this genre, but a bit of whimsy, too.

As always, the faith message is interwoven naturally with plot twists that kept me glued to my screen.

I highly recommend this book for those who love WWII novels and for those who want to check out this genre.

I received a complimentary ebook from Revell through #NetGalley for my unbiased and honest review.

This book is absolutely delightful. If you like historical fiction with a little bit of romance, this book is for you.

Pre-WWII France- the author provides vivid scene settings and has obviously performed the appropriate research on the topics and characters that she has included in her writing. The suspense of the characters' situations makes this book hard to put down in some spots. The book's main characters are very "likeable" and demonstrate their faith in God throughout the text. I was brought to tears on more than one occasion, so have the tissues ready.

The book takes place during the German occupation of France. It continues into the early stage of American involvement in the war. The included violence is mild and is what one would expect from a story in this time and setting

I absolutely loved this book!!

It’s rare for me to say that about a book right off the bat, but that’s how I feel more than a week after finishing it. It was historical fiction wrapped in Paris wrapped in a bookstore wrapped in a love story! The characters Lucie, Paul and Paul’s daughter Josie are all characters you want to cheer for! Paul is a man of integrity and willing to be thought otherwise for those he cares about, Lucie likewise is keeping her own secrets while running a bookstore.

The last third of the book I was absolutely riveted as the action ramps up to the book’s climax.

If you’re a fan of Sarah Sundin you’ll definitely want to read this one.

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Five stars!

Let's talk about the cover first. All of Sarah Sundin's covers are gorgeous, but this one makes me want to get on a plane and head to Europe, STAT. Until Leaves Fall in Paris is a page-turner and had me thoroughly entertained.

When the world around me these days is a little crazy, I like to escape into a historical fiction novel. This one, although set in Paris during the Nazi invasion was an eye-opener. Seeing Europe in those days through the eyes of a ballerina was delightful and also stirred up the right amount of empathy for people living in those times. Lucie experiences the change in Paris, as the world changes during the war, and finds a world in Paul she never knew would bring out the best in her. But first, there is so much to overcome and I was cheering these two along the whole way.

Enjoy this one!


This advanced reader e-book was provided by the publisher through NETGALLEY from Graf-Martin Communications. My opinion is my own.

I adore historical fiction, and this is such an interesting premise. I recommend because of the story itself, writing style, and its ability to transport you into a different world/time period.

I was gifted a copy from netgalley and the publisher of Until Leaves Fall In Paris.

This book, this book, this book!!! This has easily slipped into my favorite books of all time. If you love a sweet romance story set during WW2, and heart dropping moments, roller coaster feelings...than you will love Sarah Sundin's new book.

Lucie is a ballerina from Paris who buys her friends bookstore to save it. She soon finds herself working for the resistance and delivering messages.

Paul owns an automobile company that is now making trucks for the Germans, his used to be friends now hate him and he is unwelcome because he now builds for the Germans. But could there be something more going on?

Lucie and Paul meet and struggle with the feelings they both feel as they get to know one another in hard times in a war torn country.

Lucie lived in Paris most of her life. It was the place she called home. She might have been born in America but she was loyal to her adopted country until she found herself in danger. And then she had to make a decision.

Paul was an American businessman who was running a company in Paris. Was he a German sympathizer? Lucie struggled with her feelings for Paul. She was confused. Who was he?

A very intense story that is based in a historical period of time that we should never forget. How could this really have happened? It did. Will Lucie and Paul survive? Could they even have a future together?

This was a page turner. I am always impressed by Sarah Sundin's research. I enjoy her books.





I received this book from Revell Books to review.

Paul, Lucie, and Josie were all such lovable characters and brave in their own ways. So many hard and moral choices to make when facing what they faced, interesting to see different groups like the art vs business vs working class and all different political views and backgrounds working together as the resistance. This book was fast-paced and easy to read for me, the sweet romance that blooms after some surprising revelations and then the escape part of the book that had lots of twists and turns and left me rushing to reach the end. I liked the themes and character progression as they got over some of their prejudices and learned to use their gifts and appreciate others.

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, 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.

Master of WWII-era fiction Sarah Sundin invites you onto the streets of occupied Paris to discover whether love or duty will prevail.

LaVerne and Maggie read Sarah Sundin’s Until Leaves Fall in Paris, then (virtually) got together to discuss the novel and are here to share their thoughts.

Maggie: I’ve read every novel Sarah has published since her first A Distant Melody, so naturally when I got a chance to review this one, I jumped at it.

LaVerne: And I see that you reviewed quite a few of her books for AAR. *SMILE* What caught me was the WWII time period, especially those early years before the US entered the war. Add Paris and our main characters who are part of the resistance movement, and I was all in.

Maggie: The resistance movement aspect would have made me a bit leery had this been a book by any other author since I’m not a big fan of spy romance. In this case, I had to like the book in spite of that premise. It helped that I liked both Lucie and Paul. Lucie had self-worth issues she needed to work through and Paul had to come to terms with doing what is right even when it is costly. Both these issues showed the strength of the characters, who conducted themselves with courage and integrity as they learned these painful lessons.

LaVerne: I just adored Lucie for dancing on pointe in the bookstore and her general lightness of spirit. Underneath that sparkle was a bright woman who knew how to judge how much risk she should take for the good of the resistance. Paul shows that same discernment with a more reserved air.

Maggie: Yes, they shared some core characteristics although their road to true love certainly didn’t run smooth. Lucie is initially quite attracted to Paul and then discovers he is (allegedly) collaborating with the Germans, which causes her to do an about-face and behave quite rudely to him.

LaVerne: I did enjoy the tension brought into the story through this interesting conflict of two spies hindered from revealing they are on the same side. I do love a good Superman/Lois conflict in a romance. Lucie had a definite ‘drama queen’ moment when she learned about Paul’s ‘collaboration’. Her deep emotional reaction seemed appropriate, but making it clear Paul was unwelcome in the bookstore did seem over the top. She regularly served German soldiers and collaborators but made this one exception for Paul. I was disappointed that she made an outward fuss when handling it when cold civility would have been better for her resistance work.

Maggie: I agree. Her behavior at that moment would have been likely to draw his ire and possibly cause him to make trouble for her if he had in fact been a collaborator. It would have been better to stay friendly but distant. Once they worked past that, I felt Lucie and Paul helped bring out the best in each other. He helped her have confidence as a business owner, while she helped him appreciate the creative side of life. They make a good pair. However, at one point, Lucie points out to Paul that they went from meeting to wanting to marry “so soon”. The romance was rushed, I thought.

LaVerne: I didn’t have the same reaction. The accelerated move to thoughts of marriage made sense. They’re sharing the same dangerous experience, they get along very well, Lucie is attached to Paul’s little girl Josie, and there are weeks between their meeting and the marriage discussion. That seemed like enough time for me, so I wondered what was in Lucie’s background that prompted her comment.

Maggie: The concern she mentioned in the book was a fear of not fitting into Paul’s world, which I thought might be a legitimate issue given their different financial stations. You mentioned little Josie. A lot of people have negative feelings about children in romance novels, especially when it involves the child instantly adoring the new love interest as it does in this novel. Four-year-old Josie falls in love with Lucie quicker than Paul does!

LaVerne: She certainly does! But Josie is that barometer of instinct letting Paul know that Lucie is one of the ‘good ones’. Overall Josie plays an interesting role. She forces Paul and Lucie to interact even when they don’t want to. She is the guiding reason behind the choices both Paul and Lucie make throughout the book, and she shows how baffled parents can be when their child is not like them. Josie was an important and joyful character in the novel.

One thing that drew me out of the story was the constant presence of the ‘Historian’. For example, the specific dates at the top of each chapter or scene shift and the statements of historic fact interjected into characters’ musings, but not sounding like them. There’s a little too much of the author’s voice in this book for my taste.

Maggie: I felt the opposite in that it seemed authentic to me. Covid has dominated so much of the conversation in my friend group in the last few years and so many are measuring time in terms of lockdowns/variants. I would imagine being occupied by an enemy army would have a similar effect on conversation/thought/time measurement for people in Lucie and Paul’s situation.

This is an Inspirational romance, and I would rate the religiosity level of the novel as fairly high. I struggled to pin down any particular faith theme that runs through the story unless it is that of living righteously in whatever circumstance you find yourself in. I’m not sure the author really explored this issue with the depth it needed, though.

LaVerne: I felt the author was using the ‘faith in action’ technique to share the spiritual element. Every time Lucie or Paul made an important decision, they did it by reviewing the moral code they’ve been taught and then striving to follow the code, all supported by prayer. I didn’t recognize a theme either, but your description fits very well.

Maggie: I would argue that the secondary characters are very secondary in this novel. We never really got to know any of them well, as the emphasis was on the action and the romance.

LaVerne: Now that you say it, I do agree – definitely for Lucie’s acquaintances. Sundin gives us a little more character growth and background for the floor manager at Paul’s factory and the German overseer, but only in the context of the action.

Maggie: Overall, I enjoyed Until Leaves Fall in Paris but wouldn’t say it is Sundin’s strongest work. It gets a B from me because I felt the romance was a bit rushed, the author covered too much in too little page space and the story spent too much time on the action. On the positive side, the prose is excellent, the plot appropriately thrilling, our hero and heroine are perfect for each other and our primary characters are well-drawn and behave consistent to their nature throughout.

LaVerne: For me, I would agree that Until Leaves Fall in Paris has a few weak spots. I’m giving it a B- because the ‘Historian’ aspect was too intrusive for me, the “too much in too little page space” you mentioned diluted the emotional punch this story could have had, and I could easily set the book aside. However, as you say, the prose is excellent, the main characters are drawn with skill, and the action plot is well-conceived, providing exciting moments as our hero and heroine navigate through the dangers of espionage.

Lucille Girard is a ballerina; but when her Jewish friends, Hal and Erma Greenblatt, needed to flee to America when France was taken over during World War II, she agreed to take care of their shop, Green Leaf Books. Little does she know that she will become involved in the war when the bookstore becomes a drop for messages from the Resistance.

This was a lovely World War II story, that focuses on the lives of Lilian Girard and Paul Aubrey both Americans that have involved themselves with the French Resistance using their places of business.
Sundin's research once again led to a well written and historically accurate telling of a part of the action of the resistance against the Nazis in Paris. They both had a chance to go along with the Germans and make their lives easy; but, instead, they chose the more difficult route and did all they could to help the Resistance at a cost to themselves. The suspense thread that wound its way throughout the story along with a romance that whispered in the background produced a wonderful plot that kept me reading until the very end.

Once again, Sundin has penned a captivating World War II historical fiction novel.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

Until Leaves Fall In Paris was the first book I read by Sarah Sundin, and I loved it!

WWII books are special to me. They feature people who witnessed evil we can hardly imagine and stood firm to protect others. The characters Lucie and Paul were some of my favorites I've read in this genre. Lucie truly was effervescent, even as she doubted herself. I loved her bookstore and its aid to the Resistance. Paul was a strong character as well with his courage to do what needed done even if others thought him a collaborator. (Also, I typically don't like children in books, but Josie was a delight!)

The pacing fit the story perfectly. The tension was never too much to handle but still made it DIFFICULT to put the book down, especially in the latter half. I won't spoil anything, but one scene did make me cry. The story is charming even as the horrific actions of the Nazis are shown.

If you are a WWII fiction reader, you need to read this book!

Simply put, this novel is a work of art! I could not get enough of the streets of Paris through the lens of a quaint bookstore, a ballerina with many hidden talents, and an engineer with a heart of gold. Many times, I thought tears would come streaming down my face from the events these characters faced. The further I went into the story, the more I needed to know how it would end.

I’m relatively new to Sarah Sundin’s books having only read her other standalone novel When Twilight Breaks, but there’s no doubt that Sundin is a premier voice for WW2 fiction from a Christian perspective. Until Leaves Fall in Paris earns a worthy 5 stars!

What a delightful, high-suspense story! I read it all in one sitting, into the wee hours of the morning on a work night—tomorrow will be fun on 3.5 hours of sleep! Simply couldn’t put it down and couldn’t quit flipping pages. I’m pretty sure I’ll reread the whole thing again when I get a paper copy.

Lucie has had a dream of being a top ballerina in the top Paris ballet for a long time until war closes in and she finds herself stepping up to take over the English bookshop for her Jewish friends as they evacuate Paris ahead of the Germans. When she meets the young car-factory owner, Paul Aubrey, sparks fly instantly when she sets out to capture his daughter’s imagination and snags his broken heart in the process—but instantly, vey real issues force them apart. Both hold dangerous secrets and won’t risk others in their lives as they do what they can against the German advances. And just when they begin to truly grow closer, America and Germany declare war and Paris erupts into a pit of danger.

Lucie and Paul truly have perfect chemistry and four-year-old Josie continually steals the show. Characterization is done so well that they spring off the page and seem to take on a life of their own.

I’m glad to count this action-packed WW2 romantic thriller as a new favorite for this year. Now I’m off to pout because I have to wait a whole year for the next Sundin book. (And maybe to sleep a little.)

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy. A favorable review was not required.