With historical fiction it shard to find books that stand out special when it's based in the same time period. Until the Leaves Fall in Paris really stood out with a captivating story line and lovable characters. My heart was beating os fast as dates of big events kept creeping closer and worrying about the safety of charters had restless and needing know what happen next.
The story follows a Lucie a ballerina that turns bookstore owner during the occupation of Paris, France in 1941. We also meet Paul an American that owns an automobile company and his 4 year old daughter Josie. The slow burner between the too will keep you hooked form the very beginning. As is help the resistance and another is help the Germans... or our they?
I enjoyed this books os much it captured my attention right away. I couldn't put it down until had all the answers.
This most read in my option!

Sarah Sundin's books are awesome and this one is one of her best. I read it in less than a day! Lucie, Paul, and Josie are amazing characters. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review a book from one of my favorite and one of the best authors. Can't wait for the next release!!

I have read a lot of WWII historical fiction books but I will always pick up a book by Sarah Sundin. She has a different take or scenario than what I've read before. Her writing style flows. She uses vivid imagery so you feel like you're right there. The danger and urgency will leave your pulse pounding. Such is the case with this book.

Lucie and Paul are both trying to do their part to work against the Germans occupying Paris. Lucie is part of the resistance and uses her bookstore for clandestine exchanges. Paul is an automobile manufacturer who is tasked with making trucks for the Germans. He figures out ways to harm them but he is still seen as a collaborator. Even though he wasn't, he paid the cost of being seen as a collaborator and couldn't tell many of his true motives.

Lucie and Paul are both courageous, warm, amazing people who are put in hard positions that I hope never to be in. I loved Lucie's heart for children and how she works to make Josie feel accepted. It's a great read.

Thank you to Revell for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This is by far Sundin’s best book yet!

With the fall of Paris on the horizon, Lucie Girard’s Jewish friends that own her favorite bookstore have decide to leave for their own safety. They’ve been so good to Lucie by allowing her to stay with them so she could study ballet when her parents moved back to the United States that she feels she must help them, so she buys the bookstore. A year later Paris is fully occupied, and several titles are banned from being sold, but she manages to get by a little at a time. When she discovers that the French resistance is using her bookstore to pass along coded messages, she knows that she too must do her part to be part of pushing back against the Nazis.

After the death of his wife, automaker Paul Aubrey wants to return to the United States with his daughter to keep her safe. But the US government wants him to keep the factory open and appear as a collaborator with the Germans so that he can pass information back to the US. Paul becomes shunned by the Americans remaining in Paris, even the young bookstore owner that his daughter has taken such a liking too. But he knows that to make it convincing, he needs to keep up appearances. As his silent effort grows by taking in British airmen at the factory, he becomes more drawn to Lucie Girard, but can he risk his secret?

There is no doubt that this is Sarah Sundin’s best book! I have been reading her WWII fiction for years and this book had me captured from the beginning through the end. Just when I thought that the story was about to let up, she threw in a twist that I didn’t see coming and kept me glued to the page. Thank goodness I had a couple of days where all I had to do was read!

I love both Paul and Aubrey. And as a reader you get to see what is happening before it ever does. But with that comes the pain that both characters feel from each other when the truth isn’t known. The tension is spot on. The romance isn’t forced but allows for a natural attraction. There just aren’t enough good things to say about this book. Get your copy today!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

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.

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This action packed novel about a ballerina turned bookstore owner living in German occupied France is a tale of resistance, love, and a journey to safety. I could not put it down! Being a ballerina who loves to read I enjoyed some of the descriptions that were exactly how I would teach ballet (although at first the way an arabesque was described as an arm movement was kinda strange, but later it was correct.)
The entire novel is so clever with many twists and turns that I am in awe of not just her writing style and imagery, but her ability to write a crazy plot that reads entirely believable.
I had never read a book by her, but I have already started my next one!

American dancer Lucie buys a bookshop in Paris at the start of WW2 to enable the Jewish owners to escape to the USA. She continues to run it as the Nazis invade Paris. Car maker Paul is also American and is running a factory in Paris that the Nazis have commandeered. Widower Paul has a young daughter who loves the bookshop and he and Lucie meet there.

The book details life under the Nazis in Paris very well, and deftly chronicles Lucie & Paul's growing closeness. They become involved in helping the resistance but eventually have to flee Paris as the US enters WW2. How all this develops and what happens next is well-written with a good period feel. I found myself wantingto know what happens next when this particular tale comes to an end.

Loved, loved, loved this book! American born Lucie is such a caring protagonist who gives up the life she loves at the ballet to buy a beloved bookstore so the Jewish owners can escape! As the Germans place more and more restrictions on bookstores, Lucie finds ways to assist the resistance. Widower American Paul Aubrey has run an automobile factory but is persuaded by the US Army to produce and sell trucks to the Germans and obtain information. His main concern is keeping his four year old daughter safe. Sarah Sundin is an expert at war-time fiction. I learned so much about this period and the dangers faced by many. I recommend Until Leaves Fall in Paris even if you don't think you like war-time stories. I received a complimentary e-book through NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Highly recommended! Well thought out and very well executed.Thank you for the opportunity to review this story.

Set in Paris during the German occupation in 1940, Sarah Sundin’s newest book, Until Leaves Fall in Paris, is a heart-wrenching, poignant tale of courage, intrigue, adventure, and love. Sundin is a master at creating riveting historical fiction with colorful, realistic, and engaging characters. She’s also a master at plopping them down in dangerous, suspenseful situations and then skillfully bringing them out the other side while turning the reader’s heart upside down in the process.

Lucie Girard is a plucky, courageous, talented dancer who takes over Green Leaf Books when her friends, the Jewish owners, flee Germany. When an opportunity presents itself to aid the resistance, she takes it, although it puts her in great danger. Paul Aubrey, an American widower with a small daughter, owns an automobile factory and is gathering information against the Germans, even while he’s selling them trucks. I enjoyed the interaction between Paul and Lucie and seeing their relationship change and grow, even though doubts and mistrust plague them both.

Sundin’s vast knowledge of World War II events and settings and her impeccable research add a compelling quality to her stories as they come to life through her beautiful writing. Filled with historical detail, intrigue, suspense, and a dash of romance, this tale is one you don’t want to miss.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Revell through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

In the early days of World War II, Lucie Girard forgoes her career as a ballerina at the Paris Opera Ballet to run her Jewish friends’ bookstore when they flee Paris as it falls to the Nazis. Paul Aubrey’s wife makes him promise as she was dying that he would take their young daughter back to the US before the Nazis came. However, his commitment to his factory, his workers, and his country won’t allow him to let the Nazis requistion his factory, so he allows people to believe him to be a collaborator as he carries out his mission. What unfolds is a story of resistance and sabotage in the bohemian left bank and the bourgeois right bank of the Seine River during 1940-41.

I thoroughly enjoyed this upcoming release by Sarah Sundin. The stakes continuously rise throughout the whole book to the point where I was holding my breath constantly through the final chapters. There was one particular point where I was literally biting back a scream over something that happened to one of the characters. I read a handful of books about the French Resistance last year, but what I thought was interesting about this one was that it took place during the early days of the resistance as opposed to the books that I read last year that were more focused towards the end of the war. The characters were extremely likable and bounced well off of each other, constantly learning from one another, and had wonderful natural chemistry that didn’t feel forced.

If you love:
•Books that include an infusion of art
•High-stakes danger
•Espionage and sabotage
•Clean romance

Then this book is for you!

It is 1940 and Lucille Girard and Paul Aubrey, both Americans, are living in Paris. Lucille's career as a ballerina was put aside when she bought an English-language bookstore from her friends. They were Jewish and needed money to leave Paris. Paul, a widower and car factory owner, wants to take his young daughter back to America. They met at the bookstore, and neither could have foreseen what was ahead for them.

The author has crafted two extraordinary characters who when faced with difficult choices and options don't put themselves first. This is their story of when they became part of the resistance, each playing a different role. One woman and one man, could they make a difference? Precisely crafted and emotionally stirring, tension builds steadily. Ever constant is the element of fear. The risks they took could bring dire consequences. Heart pounding action, suspense, romance and faith all blend together in this absorbing novel. This book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Have you ever read a book that wraps you up so completely that you forgot that you are even reading? Until Leaves Fall in Paris is that book. Sundin is a splendid storyteller and she beautifully built Lucie and Paul’s world. I felt like I was a part of it and walking the streets of Paris with them. I could see Greenleaf Books, Lucie dancing ballet, and Josie writing her Feenee stories while Paul worked at the factory. Sundin easily transports the reader to Paris and the character’s lives that it becomes real. So real that I cried at parts and my heart was pounding at others. The reader feels all of the emotions in this World War II set story. Sundin easily weaves in the thread of faith while describing the resistance movement in Paris. This is an absolute must read for historical Christian fiction fans. This one will win awards because it is a book that will change your life. Run and get your copy, they get cozy because you won’t be getting up until you have finished the last page. I received a copy of this book for free; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

An excellent and immersive story. Really enjoyed the plot of this one, and I loved the characters. There were surprises along the way and I got teary eyed at least a couple of times. Fantastic read!

Three things I loved about Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin

I like to give balanced reviews. I really do. I like to think that even when I am just writing about the things I love about a book I am able to be just a little bit objective. Nup. Not here. Not with this one. With this one I am going to fangirl HARD.

Sarah Sundin is one of my go to authors. I’ve written before about how in the past I have had to ration myself on her books. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing when you write in similar genres! But I came to this book after watching The Dressmaker and Atonement back-to-back. Now they are both great movies (and wow! Kate Winslet’s Australian accent was flawless in the Dressmaker!) but they don’t exactly have HEA’s at the end. (Sorry about the spoilers, but the movies are a few years old now!). So I came to this book wanting high drama, espionage, a bit of swoon-worthy kissing and a satisfyingly romantic ending. Sarah Sundin delivered on all counts.

What’s it about?
Until Leaves Fall in Paris is a sweet, historical romance set mostly in Paris between 1939-1942. Lucille Girard is a French-American who quits her job with the Paris Opera Ballet to buy a bookshop off her Jewish family friends who leave France as the Nazis draw ever nearer to the French capital. After the inevitable German invasion she meets American industrialist Paul Aubrey, who has a public face as a conspirator but a private life as a member of the resistance. He can’t tell her the truth about his work, but his four year old daughter’s regular attendance at the bookstore keeps them in contact, long enough for them to both learn there is more that meets the eye to each of them. They fall for eachother, but the war makes Paris a very dangerous place for two resistants in love…

Research
Sarah Sundin’s research ethic is, quite frankly, amazing! She is super serious about details. It shines through in this book, where I was almost as excited at getting to the Author’s notes as I was to read the final chapter.

Green Leaf Books
I haven't been to Paris for over 20 years, but for ages after I went I had a photo on my wall of a sign out the front of the Shakespeare and Company English-language bookshop, which was the store that inspired Green Leaf. I recognised it straight away and loved it. And I was particularly intrigued by the mentions of the American Colony in Paris as I hadn’t known about this before.

Everything else
Yes, I know it’s cheating to write a three things review and have this as my final thing…but really there isn’t anything NOT to love in this book. There were plenty of twists, turns and reveals that I didn't see coming. There were some wonderful swoon-worthy moments (oh my goodness: the reunion!). There was well drawn romantic tension and high stakes escapes. After visiting Munich and Paris with Sundin as my guide, I can’t wait for her next book set in Copenhagen

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley.

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.

My review: I found this book to be very good. It seemed a little slow paced at first. But once I got into it it picked up and I couldn't put it down. The first part of the book was setting the scene for the rest of the book. Ms. Sundin seems to get into how bad things were in France during the Nazi occupation without going into much detail. How Lucie was always hungry, and Paul always had the best. The trials of their escape from France kept me reading.

I recommend this book to all who love history, mystery, and a little romance thrown in.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

Beautiful, heartwarming, and an aspirational novel about war, books, love, and survival.

At the beginning of WWII, an aspiring ballerina of the Palais Garnier buys an English bookshop from her dear Jewish friend. The provided funds buy the family a ticket to freedom. Just like people say - you save one jew - you save them all. And with that thought in mind and heart, Lucie leaves her beloved dream and begins a new journey as a bookstore owner. Thru the American/English-speaking customers, Lucie meets a widower Paul and his little girl. As sparks of mutual affection between Lucie and Paul grow, Lucie suddenly learns of Paul's collaboration with the Nazi. But all is fair in love and war. And despite their differences, the two create a plan to escape the Nazi occupying country. Will their love survive the journey?

The fact this novel took place during WWII and in a bookshop was the reason I requested this novel. I loved everything about "The Green Leaf" shop: the coziness, books, and support of french resistance. American born but Franch raised young girl with no family throws herself into the most dangerous position, just proves her pure love for the country and its people. Lucie's selfishness thru the war and her journey to America has inspired me. A beautiful novel, filled with joy, love, courage, and fearlessness. I would recommend this novel to any historical fiction lover like myself. Thank you NetGalley and Baker Publishing for a free and advanced copy of the book.

Are you a history buff or a fan of historical fiction? Are you learning about World War II before the Americans entered the war? Desire to find out more about Nazi Germany and what Hitler did in France. Well, this book “Until Leaves Fall in Paris” by Sarah Sundin will take you on a lovely adventure and danger of two people trying to flee and get home save to America.

At this point, we have to meet Lucille and Paul. Will they learn to work together and see if they are made for each other? Will Lucie’s friends influence her to stay away from the new friend she meets and enjoy the company of?

Hitler and Germany are now really somewhat abetted in Paris, France. Is America still unaligned, or are they getting ready to jump in and fight? Both Paul and Lucie have stayed in Paris for two different reasons. The other was convinced to remain; and help the US, while the other chose to help her fled friends.

We are dealing with more resistant and some Germans. The Germans are occupying more of Parisians. Lucille and Paul are doing some dangerous work. Will they be found out?

Paul seems to have detected bad things in his factory. But Will his worker blackmail him? Lucille finds out Paul is working for the US. Paul finds out the bookseller is involved.

What will happen to Josie? Will they all get out safely?

I was captivated from the very beginning. It was a book I had a hard time putting down. I usually like historical fiction blood and though I know this is fiction it is so well written that it seemed it could be true. The characters were very well described and filled out. They seemed very real.

The story flowed well. It's a good mix of history, a love story, and intrigue. It gives a good depiction of what life might have been like for Americans living in Paris when the Germans invaded and how life there deteriorated quickly.

I don't give a synopsis of a book as that is in the description and 5-star reviews are saved for the very best books. I wish there were half stars as I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5. I have read several of Sarah Sundin's books, all with a WWII theme and I've liked them all. This book is as good or maybe better than those I've read.

I was given an ARC copy through Netgalley and Revell Reads program. I requested to read this book and this review is my own, honest opinion. Even though this was an ARC copy, the editing was very well done.

Sarah Sundin again provided an emotional and captivating story set in France during WW2. Every time I read a novel by this author, I learn about a different aspect of WW2. This time I learned about how even though Paris allowed the Germans to invade peacefully, the French still resisted in a quieter, underground way.

At first I was a bit irritated with how Lucie treated Paul, but as the story slowly developed, Lucie did redeem herself. I loved Josie and her "stone-monsters" and how good Lucie and Josie connected.

Paul, I loved him and how he just took the judgment of everyone with integrity though he felt the rejection and loss of friends, especially for his little girl.

The story is beautifully written and for 80% it was slowly developing which matched well with the events - people living in Paris, quietly doing their small part in resisting the Germans, but then the danger grew and the last 20% I was really hoping these characters will be getting their HEA.

I loved that we were able to catch up to Peter and Evelyn from When Twilight Breaks by Sarah Sundin . Each book is a stand alone, even though there is a brief mention of the characters we met in the previous story.

Another great Historical fiction which fans of Sarah Sundin will love.