The.German Wife is a novel that encompasses two time periods. The book opens in the late 1980’s. Anna Vogel sees a picture in the paper of a man she believed was possibly dead. A man she had known well in the 1940’s. A man who helped shape her present. She starts to recall the long suppressed memories and relates them to her grown son, Sascha.
Annaliese having just buried her father is a 17 year old vulnerable woman in late 1930’s. Munich, Germany. She is alone in the world when she meets a young doctor, Hans Vogel. He is everything that Annaliese wants. He is warm, personable and caring. He is also ambitious and represents stability, financial security and a prestigious social position. He sweeps her off her feet. They soon marry and begin life in a house she could imagine only in her dreams. Annaliese soon makes it a home.
Hans dreams of helping humanity. He wishes to do research into a homeopathic cure for malaria. He joins the elite SS believing it will offer the best opportunity to advance his goals. He dreams of a modern lab fully equipped and stocked with animal test subjects. In reality his posting to Dachau,the infamous German concentration camp, offers a much different view. It’s not a dream but a nightmare. Though the lab is modern he finds that the test subjects would be human prisoners.
We see how Hans begins to make compromises in his ethical beliefs, rationalizing that the suffering of a few to benefit the many was acceptable. We see how he changes as he slowly devolves as a human. We see the ever increasing pressures placed on him by the depravity that was the Nazis. It is the strain on their marriage and the changes it brings about in both of them that forms the basis of the story.
It is a nicely written novel. The author has developed complex and compelling characters. They change throughout the novel in mostly appropriate ways. The pace is fast and the danger of their situation feels real. All in all a good and engrossing read that demonstrates how good people can do evil things, through the lies they tell themselves.
The only difficulty I had was with Annaliese. There were times when she was just way too naive. Refusing to believe the danger her actions were bringing to her family despite being told about it. Or maybe she knew but didn’t care if others got hurt. I would have in real life shook her and told her to stop acting like a besotted teenager and grow up! There where real dangers and bigger issues she needed to be dealing with then a broken heart! I had to put the book down a few times because her actions annoyed me so much. For this reason I’m rating the book 3.5 stars and not upgrading to four. I just felt there were better ways for the author to increase the danger and tension then making the main character a simpering idiot!

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley. This fact in no way influenced my review.

Since the past year, I've tried to read more historical fiction and books about World War 2 are welcome into my TBR, as no matter the number of books you read set during the darkest years of humanity, there is always new information to be discovered. The German Wife flows through three time periods- in early 1930s a young girl, Annaliese, at her father's grave meets an ambitious doctor and after a short courtship and romance, the doctor, Hans, proposes to Annaliese and she accepts. These are the years when Hitler was just rising to power in Germany and the SS Army seemed a good place to work for Hans who was hoping that Hitler's interest in homeopathy would enable Hans to continue his research on a cure for the dreaded disease, Malaria.

Hans is a very dedicated doctor who firmly believed that the work he did in his research would help humanity and this belief often made Hans blind to the stark truth that stared right in front of him. Hans was ordered to work in Dachau camp as a medical researcher and though initially the camp was only meant for prisoners of war and other criminals, very soon it became a torture chamber for Jews, Russians, radicals and everyone who expressed a dissent towards the Nazi propaganda. Hans because of his nature of work becomes depressed and insomniac but decides not to share anything with his wife Annaliese.

Annaliese, I felt is very naïve and selfish, and only towards the end, her character really picked up some nerve to live her life on her own terms. Although Annaliese is horrified when she learns about Hans's work at the camp, she is powerless to leave him as the SS not only had control over the career of their officers but also interfered in their personal affairs(something that I came to know through this book and was truly disgusted by it).

Hans appoints a tall, handsome Russian prisoner as a gardener for their home and soon Alexander and Annaliese are drawn towards each other. Through Alexander, Anna comes to know about the true nature of the camp and her own husband's medical experiments using the camp prisoners as subjects for these inhumane experiments.

Although none of the characters were likeable(they were definitely flawed but I think their flawed personalities formed the crux of the story), the narration flowed seamlessly through the different periods of the war. It was well researched and I could feel the desperation of characters as they struggled with differing ideologies. The audio book was narrated by Tamsin Kennard, who is really brilliant and I enjoyed listening to it.

This one will be definitely recommended to all historical fiction readers.

Loved this story, beautifully told and inspired by actual events. The story flowed seamlessly and time flew. I no sooner started and I was finished. No spoilers. I was completely satisfied, and left wanting nothing. Upon completion, I took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. I Googled the author, and see she has other books with different historical settings. I immediately wanted to read another by her.

The synopsis is spot-on. Rix has taken a WW II travesty and written a timeless and respectful book. Every human emotion is felt. The dialogues appeared genuine as did all character reactions.

I did have the audiobook, and while I don't reread, if I had a physical copy I would keep it. The narrator, Tamsin Kennard, did a brilliant job.

Thank you NetGalley, Debbie Rix, and Bookouture Audio for accepting my request to read and review The German Wife.

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The German Wife by Debbie Rix is a complex love story in a time of war and devastation. Set in three timelines; two in Germany and one in America, this book take a lot of attention to focus. But any historical fiction, romance lover will be deeply invested and enjoy the story all the way through.

I did enjoy this audiobook and found myself looking forward to listening to the next installment.
Beginning in Germany in WW2 it gave us some insight to life as an SS officer and how easy it was to become entangled in their ideology.
There were a few movements when I shook my head in disbelief at the way people were treated and was aware that the author had been successful in lots research for this information.
The story had some romantic parts, but it was much more than a love story.
I will be looking for more of this author's work and I can highly recommend it.

Full disclosure: WWII era historical fiction is my favorite genre. The title of this book caught my eye, “inspired by true events” on the cover caused a pitter patter of my heart, and reading the description made my soul sing! I was absolutely giddy at having been approved for an advanced copy of this audiobook for review.
I’m happy to report that this book lived up to and exceeded all of my expectations! Every layer of this heart-gripping story is so beautifully written, I could not suggest even the slightest improvement. But do not think for a moment that I am not picking up the pieces of my heart as I type!
• • •
I suppose, if hard pressed to find a fault, - if it can even be called that - I would have loved an added Author’s Note to accompany this story. I am always fascinated to hear about the inspiration and research involved when writing such a shining piece of historical fiction.

Thank you to the author along with Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for early access to this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I am a fan of WWII historical fiction books. The story had a lot of potential, however, I did not care for any of the characters … from Annalise’s naivety to Hans’ single-minded focus on his research. I felt like the middle portion of the book just plodded along and didn’t keep my attention. It was difficult listening to the audiobook about the experiments at Dachau but this was not to be a warm fuzzy read. It was interesting to explore the choices the characters made and how they affected their lives in the future. I continue to be amazed at the cold feelings and lack of compassion the people who played a part in Hitler’s reign of terror demonstrated.

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

The one thing that made this a three star instead of a two star was the epilogue, which went through some of the stuff I found problematic. I don't want to go into it to avoid spoilers. However, the problems that I have with this book remain the same. The relationship in this book is not what the synopsis tries to say, it's a relationship filled with abuse of power and weird dynamics. I found the main character to be stupid and a even annoying at times while still feeling like she had no personality. Her husband, a nazi doctor, was the only character that seemed *human*, but his POV was fairly uncomfortable to read about. The other man, Alexander, was also plain and uninteresting to read about, even though he had a lot of potential as a character.

The writing style made it easer to read through, and the narrator was good. Overall, it wasn't as good as the synopsis made it sound. Definitely not my cup of tea.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the audio version of The German Wife by Debbie Rix. This book is being released on January 13 for 3.99 in the Kindle Store. Very well worth the money!!!

Germany 1939 to 1943: Annaliese is married to Hans. Hans is a doctor who so wanted to do good work, but he ends up working at the Dachau concentration camp getting trapped into doing horrific work that he hates. He feels stuck because to quit or disobey is to be killed. As time goes by, Annaliese's life becomes more and more lonely and miserable. She hasn’t conceived a baby, her mother-in-law moves in, and Annaliese feels trapped.

One thing Annaliese misses is her garden, but a gardener is nearly impossible to find. Enter Alexander (a Russian prisoner) who Hans sends to work as their gardener. Naturally, Annaliese falls in love with him and is willing to take chances to spend time with him. There were many times in this part of the book I hated the character for being so reckless!!
Hans needs to have a baby to secure his career in the SS. He decides since he’s unfertile he would allow Annaliese to have a sexual relationship in order to have a baby. Annaliese is obsessed with Alexander and will go to any extent to have him.

America 1989. Annaliese’s past and lies are catching up with her!

Annaliese is a character you will hate and love. I wanted to slap her silly at times, and also I rooted for her her to win.

It’s no secret that I love history and seeing it from as many perspectives as I can, which is why I loved The German Wife by Debbie Rix. We don’t often read about World War ll from a German perspective and when we do it is typically a “Schindler‘s list” type story.

In The German wife Rix draws readers into the home of a young German couple with big dreams for their future family, home, and careers. With Adolf Hitler recently empowered the couple face a life they never imagined. Rix begs the reader to earnestly consider the heartbreaking decision many Germans face and what actions they, themselves would have taken to stay safe.

Masterfully written, wonderful narrated, and tragically realistic in its portrayal of one of humanities darkest times. The German Wife is a book that will stay with readers long beyond the final page,

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 heart wrenching stars for this unconventional story of love, family, and the devastation of war. 14+ rating for mature subject matter.

This book is a departure from my usual but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I usually read crime/thriller books but I do have an interest in the World Wars and this sounded like something a bit different so I took a punt and I definitely wasn't disappointed.

With strong characters, a riveting story line blended between real events and fiction, this book had me hooked from the very beginning to the very end. It's a story of love and survival set amongst the horrors of World War II. It's told from the German perspective and provides an illuminating insight into what life was like for a German SS Officer sent to Dachau in order to further his medical experiments and his wife. I'm not going to lie, this is a tough read in parts as you would expect from the subject matter but it's not overly gratuitous.

This book is filled with moral dilemmas and whilst I didn't want to like or sympathise with any of the main characters, I found myself torn and asking myself the question "what would you have done in the same situation?" I absolutely do not condone in any way, shape or form, the horrors inflicted by the Nazis on their fellow human beings but this book does make you question what you would have done had you been in their shoes. I would hope to think that I would make different choices in the beginning but hindsight is a wonderful thing!

This is a story about love and hope amongst horror and fear and one that I would recommend to others who enjoy this genre.

I must give a shout out to the narrator, Tamsin Kennard, her voice absolutely drew me in completely and was perfect for this book.

Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

This book is fiction based on fact but takes a very unusual angle. Set around Munich & the well-known Dachau concentration camp in the late 1930’s & through WW2, it focusses not on the prisoners, instead being set in the city just outside the camp & the life of one of its doctors and his family. After all, daily life in Munich continued fairly normally for the “Aryan Germans”, those known & liked by the SS/Hitler regime. The research has been well done, and it is refreshing to see a book that is coming more from the German perspective than the Allied one. I liked that the references to Dachau were recognisable for anyone familiar with it, but did not dominate the book.
“The German Wife” is question is Annaliese – at the start of the story she is a young, vulnerable and grieving young woman who has just buried her father. When she meets the handsome young doctor Hans Vogel, she finds companionship, security and a sense of belonging. The first year or so of married life is quite settled for Hans & Annaliese but as the Nazi power increases, Hans feels that he must join the SS to give him the job security he needs and feels that it might help him pursue his medical research, particularly into Malaria. He is allocated to work at the new work-camp at Dachau, with a belief that he is going to be doing experiments designed to protect the German troops. Unfortunately, it became clear very quickly to Hans that he was being pulled into more sinister & cruel experimentation, using the prisoners as subjects. He struggles to come to terms with this, and battled moral and ethical dilemmas on a daily basis. In trying to protect Annaliese from the horrors/reality of what he is dealing with, he becomes withdrawn & moody and they start to drift apart, not helped by Hans’ domineering mother and Annaliese’s lack of children. When Annaliese discovers what he is doing, she is unable to reconcile the gentle devoted doctor with the monster he seems to have become. Anna is then drawn into another secret by Hans, and the consequences of this would have life-long consequences for her, her child, her husband and her lover.

The characters were good – there was a risk that Annaliese could have come across as a very naïve spoilt young woman, and in many ways in the early parts of the book she was, but she grew well to become a character that will not easily be forgotten. Elisabetta, Hans’ mother, was suitably dragon-like! Throughout the story, we see clearly how ordinary people were taken in by the Nazi propaganda/regime and forced to accept their philosophy even against their better judgement.

I listened to the audiobook & felt that the narrator suited the story perfectly. Her differentiation in voices was good without being over-dramatic or stereotypical, and I felt the characters grow as the story unfolded. The dual timeline also worked well & added a sense of completeness to the story, letting the reader know what happened to them after the war. I appreciated that the ending was not the twee “happily ever after” that is so often expected – it felt realistic.

Debbie Ria is a new author to me and I am glad I have found a new author. I enjoyed this book! I am sure there were so much that we don't know that was going on during the war.It is interesting reading. I loved the love story and that would have to be tough to have during a war. Thank you for writing such a great book!

I really enjoyed this book. I felt the author had done a good job of crafting very definitve characters. It was very easy to get into the story and to see how it was progressing. The description of the house of Anna and Hans was very poignant and it was easy to picture what it was like..

The description of Dachu was not as clear. I think there was an assumption that the reader was knowledgable about the camps that the Nazi regime created. However, I felt the descriptions of the 'supposed medical trials' captured the appalling conditions that prisioners were trying to survive in. The author was skilled in having a look at the parallel life of Anna who although was married to an SS officer appeared initially to be totally unaware of what he was actually involved in. The way everyday life in Munich continued for non-Jewish germans was quite amazing.

As the story progresses and Anna falls in love with the ''slave' a russian doctor who her husband has brouight to the house to be the gardener it begins to become quite 'unbelievable' . Anna's husband is required as an SS officer to father children. He has discovered he is infertile. He suggests to Anna that as she is in love with the Russian she gets pregnant by him and passes the child off as his. This eventually happens. The baby is born and soon the russian is sent back to his camp.

As it became clear that Germany was going tolose the war Hans left to try and escape being captured by the allies. Anna chose not to go with him. He left her the house but very little money so she rented out rooms to the allied forces. She also sought out her Russian lover and the father of her child.

Eventually she found him and quite a while later he came back to her. He was offered a job in USA in return for telling the story of Dachu.. They moved to New York.

Although it was a novel I felt it had been created around a period of history that is well known andl is well documented. It is hard to understand how people lived their lives in such circumstances and I did find myself doubting the innocence of Anna for some time. However, the book did not gloss over the details of the camp that were referred to but I think we all know what happened was evil.

This was a story that was written with a german women at its centre and how her life unfolded. It was easy to listen to and well read.by the narrator.. It was a story set in the second world ward and I don't think the horror of what happened by the Nazi regime can ever be understated. However, as a story I thought it was well written.

I really enjoy WWII fiction, particularly from a different point of view of the UK history that I know. This book was no different. Annaliese a young girl whos parents have passed marries a young doctor who joins the SS to better his career. He becomes reluctantly tied up in working in concentration camps, and his new job drives a wedge between their marriage.
Meanwhile Annaliese falls in love with their Russian slave who is working as their gardener.

Eye opening story which really draws you in. The narrator is great and really portrays Annaliese well, I think there could have been risk of her being a spoiled brat character type but the narrator really stops that from happening.

Debbie Rix's novel is exquisite. The story is uniquely told. I appreciated learning about a doctor and his wife during the atrocities of World War II.

Annaliese Vogel is married to Hans, a doctor whose background is research. He has so many ideas and wants to further his work. The SS come calling, and give him an opportunity to explore this. Unfortunately he assigned to . Dachau Concentration Camp where he conducts medical experiments on prisoners. Hans is forced to commit unspeakable acts in the camp, all for the Fatherland.

The perspective of this book was interesting as it was through the eyes of the Nazi doctor and his wife, and not on the prisoners. The experiments were inhuman. Battling moral and ethical decisions daily is a struggle for Hans.

I loved the dual timeline, as it lets the reader know what happens to the characters after the war and the outcomes of many of those heartbreaking decisions. This is a must read for Historical Fiction fans. .Due out Jan 13th

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher(s) for providing me with a free advanced copy of this novel for review purposed. I was immediately attracted to "The German Wife" because as you know I am a WWII history junkie. Rix did not disappoint with this one. I listened to the book in audiobook format, which I found pleasurable for this novel. One of the things that I thought was very powerful in this novel is that Rix dived into descriptive detail about the medical experiments being performed at the camps during WWII. She explained to the readers that the experiments were not only performed on Jewish people but prisoners of war, priests, and other people the Nazis imprisoned as "undesirables." Though of course it was very emotionally challenging to read through these passages, it was one of the first books I ever read that actually gave enough details of the medical experimentation to make me feel viscerally horrified. I struggled with the romance arc in this book between two of the protagonists because of their power inequality. But, Rix made sure to resolve that arc and as a reader I ultimately felt satisfied. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and especially enjoyed the book post-concentration camp because again, I feel like that period is usually glossed over in most WWII books.

This was an audio I received from Net Galley for an honest review. This book was set in WW2, portraying a German Wife and her Scientist husband. It was very good.

Dual timelines represent this novel with Annaliese being the focus of both story lines. Reflections during the time of the story and as looking back on the time and decisions at a different time. Germany, 1939: Annaliese is a doctor’s wife, living in an elegant grey stone house with ivy creeping over the balcony. When her husband is ordered to work at the Dachau labor camp, her ordinary life is turned upside down by the horrors of war, Annaliese finds herself in grave danger when she dares to fight for love and freedom as she learns about her husbands work. America, 1989: Turning the pages of the newspaper, Annaliese gasps when she recognizes the face of a man she thought she’d never see again. It makes her heart skip a beat as a rush of wartime memories come back to her. As she reads on, she realizes the past is catching up. Germany, 1942: Annaliese’s marriage is beginning to crumble. Her husband, Hans, has grown cold and secretive since starting his new job as a doctor at Dachau. A handsome Russian prisoner named Alexander is sent from the camp to work in their garden, lonely Annaliese finds herself drawn to him as they tend to the plants together. In snatched moments and broken whispers, Alexander tells her the truth about the shocking conditions at the camp. The setting was detailed and the story flowed well and was easy to read. Rix writes characters that are richly developed, easy to both love and hate, and that mesmerize the reader. Rix also shows how people were swallowed up by the Nazis and forced to accept their philosophy despite their better judgement. The character Annaliese entertains the notion that there were those amongst the Germans who were oblivious to the harshness of the regime. This book is for any historical fiction fan seeking look behind the scene of some of the most horrific times in history. Another perspective on this historic time. Expectations of women during the war as well as more insight to the treatment of prisoners.
Thank you to Bookouture, the author and to Net Galley for the ARC.

I could never imagine being a wife to man who kept his career such a secret because he was ashamed at the work he was performing. When you hear “doctor” most people would think someone that helps people, not someone who tortured, or as they would say, “experimented” for science. Annalisa endured a great amount of pressure on all angles. She was in love with Hans, her now husband who is a doctor at Dachau, but after he proposed and she was soon to be married, he told her that he was going to become SS and was asked to work at one of the concentration camps. Hans kept his work a secret from his wife, however, Annalisa definitely felt like something must be happening because Hans came home angry every day. Hans decided to utilize one of the prisoners as help around the house. Alexander tender the garden at their home and Annalisa befriended him. There were secrets being kept at work and also on the home front that ultimately came to a head. Secrets could only be kept for so long before they must be uncovered. The secrets Annalisa & Hans kept from each other affected more than just them, and now, everyone would know.