This book is well written and well research. I am not always a fan of historical novels but I really enjoyed this book.

I could not stop talking about this book! I loved it so much! I’ve come to realize that I really love historical romances that share a lot of new depth into an event or situation in history (but still have a good romance) and that’s exactly what this was! It highlighted the siege of Vienna by the Ottoman Empire, and it was incredible how much I felt I learned.

It shared multiple POVs from Katja, a Vienna resident staying in the city during the siege, Toby, a woodcarver turned counterminer, an Ottoman janissary and an emperial soldier. All such good characters with incredible stories to share. I was partial to Katja and Toby, because their relationship was SO precious and raw and real, but loved seeing a bit from everyone.

I loved reading about the trials they faced in their individual tasks, together as a nation, and on their way to making their relationship work. There was some powerful feelings expressed and detailed emotions that you can FEEL. A beautiful clean romance with the sweetest relationship.

Definitely a new favorite for me, and I’m so pleased with A.L. Sowards. I’ll definitely be reading more from her soon! Absolutely would recommend!

Romance, period, war setting;
Alternating points of view from several characters made this a powerful historical novel with a romantic sub-plot. You feel the desperation of the citizens, the family, the friends who turn to sweethearts. The siege and all the work trying to stop the invaders was so powerfully moving as the War in Ukraine started, and made this even more moving, relevant and intense. Katja, Wilhelm and Xavier, along with Toby were very well portrayed. Katja's decision to choose who to marry, intermingling with all the terror, horror and despair of wartime. Her decision to stay in the city, to stay in her home and help others was very moving. Toby's determination to fight and work and do whatever needed to be done so very moving. You experience the terror, the moments of worry, the intensity of the war along with the deprivation, hope and every day miracles. Very well done. I'll be a fan of AL Sowards for years to come.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. My opinions are my own.

Before the Fortress Falls by A. L. Sowards, 320 pages. Covenant Communications, 2022. $17.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Katja (25yo) can’t leave her home in Vienna, despite the evacuation in preparation for the impending Ottoman attack, and finds ways to help away from battle. Her twin, Xavier, arrives with his regiment just in time to fight from within Vienna’s walls, and their elder brother, Wilhelm, is part of the exodus to make sure his wife and son are safe as well as to plead for help from Vienna’s allies. While their roles vary, each sibling is doing their best to save their home and keep their hope alive.
Courage comes in many forms. No matter which part of the battle you are facing, you need courage in order to stay hopeful. This battle actually happened; those fighting for Vienna actually beat the odds. While the main characters are fictional, their struggles are universal: keep fighting your battles, reach out to allies, and choose to embrace joy and hope.
Katja, Xavier, and Wilhelm are German, and Toby is implied German. Ahmed is Serbian. Most characters are either implied German or Turkish. The mature content rating is for mentions of rape. The violence rating is for gun and sword use, mentions of domestic violence, battle scenes, and death.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Not my usual time period, but fascinating nonetheless. I’ll seek out more by this author. This was my first Sowards book, but it won’t be the last!

Loved this whole concept of a novel! I haven’t read much from this time period, so I loved learning more about it! A L Is a phenomenal writer and I will keep reading her stories! Thank you!!

This was a great book. This author has obviously done her research. I loved learning about a historical event that isn’t as well known (at least not to me).
If you want a book that is all fluff and sappy romance then this probably isn’t the book for you. It was realistic and not always perfectly happy but man was it good!

This is a story that will stay with you.
A. L. Sowards is an incredibly talented author, her writing is so beautiful, and the time and research she must have put into this book is astounding! Truly a masterpiece.
The Seige of Vienna is a very intriguing topic to learn about, but to read a story about it, to feel like you are there, to follow the lives of a family living it! It completely changes one’s perspective on historic events. It’s real and heartbreaking and hopeful, and if anyone could do justice to what those people endured, it is A. L. Sowards.
The story follows Katja and her brothers, Xavier and Wilhelm, as well as their childhood friend Toby, as well as an Ottoman soldier. We get a truly diverse perspective of the two month long battle. Each of them has such a crucial role, and I was grateful to have the story so well rounded out.
And if you’re here for the romance, you will be pleasantly surprised. It’s the sweetest of love stories, and a bright spot in a story of such a tumultuous time.
This is a story that will hit deep, you will come to love the characters, you cry with them, laugh with them and rejoice with them. And you will love every moment of it.

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the complimentary e-arc in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Content: clean
TW: warfare- realistically depicted but not graphic.
Romance: kissing
Violence: moderate; warfare, injuries, deaths, beheadings, etc. Nothing graphic, but stays true to the historic events while trying to remain wholesome.
Language: none

WOW! What a great book! This book sucks you in from the first page and you are connected to the characters from the beginning. I love how this story was told and that it was based on actual events. I loved learning about an event that I didn’t know much about. A. L. Sowards did a wonderful job telling this story and it is one that everyone should check out.

I received a complimentary book from publishers, publicists, and or authors. A review was not required and all opinions and ideas expressed are my own.

This was an epic tale of the siege of Vienna. The battles were tiresome at times; much like they truly were at the time for those fighting them, I am sure. Katja was a young woman of privilege. Her older brother, Wilhelm, was focused on things of society and tried to arrange a marriage for her that she would not have been happy in. He fought with Katja's twin brother, Xavier, which caused a rift in the family.

There is so much to this story and I don't want to give the story away but there is not only a real battle being waged around Vienna, but also in the hearts of those characters involved in the battle. When the battle ends, all is not as one would hope, but there is resolution to many difficulties that the characters faced and there is peace, along with grief and an abundance of love and forgiveness.

I was given an arc copy of this book and I willingly offer my honest review.

I have read four books by this author over the past year and, although each have been different, I have enjoyed each one. I love how this author challenges me to read outside of my usual comfort zone. Historical Fiction is one of the main genre's I read, but the time period and events in Before the Fortress Falls were unfamiliar to me. After reading of the extreme challenges the brave men and women involved endured, I was eager to learn more about this time in history.

The author’s in depth research is reflected in the details on every page, but presented in a way easy to understand. The way the author writes her characters is what draws me most to her stories and Fortress was no exception. The characters quickly feel like lifetime friends who invite you to experience their immersive journey with them. This is the first book by this author that made me cry, multiple times. Any book the elicits true emotion from readers is 5 stars in my opinion.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Historical Christian Fiction, sweet romance, and true to life characters.

Caution: There are multiple scenes of battle and death. However, I feel the author did a good job of including enough detail to make the story authentic without being overly graphic.

I look forward to seeing what A.L. Sowards releases next.

I received a free copy of this story from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This well-researched book is set in a period of history that I didn’t know about. I want to go to Vienna now and see all the places that were destroyed in the siege and rebuilt.

Katja is spunky, and tired of her brother’s pride. Since he has become head of the family, and works with the emperor, Wilhelm definitely has ideas about what’s appropriate for her to do. When she’s suddenly presented with the chance to go back home as they evacuate Vienna, she takes it, meeting childhood friend Toby on the way. They resume their acquaintance as the danger to the city increases.

The way the love between Katja and Toby grows is realistic. They build on their childhood past, but come to appreciate each other as adults, seeing each other through both the good days and the bad. Of course, Toby finds the difference in their social classes to be a problem far more than Katja does, and it definitely holds him back. His dangerous assignment as a counter-miner also makes him hesitant to pursue her also, as he literally faces death on a daily basis.

Secondary characters are well-drawn overall, as they have lives and personalities of their own.

This book definitely has more violence and death than we are used to seeing from this publisher, and there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the book to that effect—none of the descriptions are graphic, but this was a bloody period of history.

As this book was released shortly after the beginning of Russia’s incursion into Ukraine, the author donated profits from the book for the month of April to Ukraine relief.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Again, it’s war. People are wounded; they die. Times are hard and people are hungry as the siege progresses.

Who Might Like This Book:
If you like historical novels with a bit of romance, this is a great choice.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-handful-of-april-releases.html

Wow, this book just blew me away! This is historical fiction like I have never read before. Sowards so completely paints a picture of what it is like to be living inside a city under siege. I felt the fear, the hopelessness, the courage, the strength and determination that the characters were feeling. From deafening cannon fire to explosions from the mining, it all became real as the story unfolded. Katja had courage that was admirable and awe inspiring. Her willingness to help anyone pulled at my heartstrings and emotions. Everyone should want to be like Katja.

Told from three different perspectives, Sowards pulls everything together in an amazing way. The world building was so realistic that at times I was flinching. I had to remind myself that it wasn’t real. This book is not for the feint at heart. It depicts war during the 1600s in a very real and raw way. That is what makes it ring true to the reader. The gentle interweaving of faith and the power of music was beautiful. With the perfect amount of romance sprinkled in, Before the Fortress Falls is an intense and exhilarating journey you don’t want to miss!

A.L. Sowards did an amazing job of weaving this story with five different viewpoints—Katja helping at a makeshift hospital, Xavier a soldier fighting at the wall, Toby digging mines to get to the enemy, William rallying an army to help, and an Ottoman officer telling the enemies side of the story. The hope that this story shares even in the midst of a war can give us the hope we need to keep fighting our daily battles in this time of war and confusion in the world.

Give me a book with history and a love story, and I am happy // 🎻

Based in the seventeenth century, this story tells of the battle for Vienna and the courageous soldiers and people who stood their ground amidst a great enemy

I loved the history and the multiple perspectives in which this story was told // I loved the themes of forgiveness and the power of faith and hope no matter your circumstances // I loved Katja and her siblings // I loved Toby // 💕

If you are a fan of historical fiction and a little romance then you most definitely should read this amazing story // thank you @a.l.sowards for allowing me to be a part of your launch team for this wonderful book.

Before the Fortress Falls is an absolutely beautiful book. The characters, the story, the heartache and joy are so well built that I could feel it all deep in my heart. This is definitely a must read!!!

This is a new author for me. I was expecting a historical romance set during the time of war, but the romance between Katja and Toby was a very small part of the story. This is a book about war. Very well written historical fiction, just not what I was expecting.

Told from five different perspectives about the Siege of Vienna by Ottoman troops in 1683. Katja is from a noble family of privilege, loves music, and places the highest value on her father’s violin. Her twin brother Xavier had a falling out with their older brother Wilhelm, left home, and is now a soldier fighting to stop the Turks. Wilhelm is torn between his siblings and his wife Urszula, young son Wilhelm and baby girl Theresa. Katja and Xavier have been close friends with Toby since childhood even though he is of a lower status in society. He became an apprentice at age 10 and is now a master joiner but works as a counterminer during the siege. His assignment is to find where the Turks have mines and destroy them to prevent them from entering the city. It was interesting to learn that fighting also occurred underground. Ahmed gives the perspective of the opposing side as he is an officer in the Ottoman forces.

This is very well researched down to small details. It is obvious the author wanted it to be accurate. I was a little worried after reading the note at the beginning warning about the content, but the author shows what the war was like without going into graphic detail. I found the map, diagrams, and list of terms at the beginning very helpful. I loved the messages that family is more important than status, the importance of healing broken relationships, and the power music has to bring hope and peace. Thanks to Covenant Communications and NetGalley for a temporary digital copy to use for my review.

Book Review: Before the Fortress Falls by A.L. Sowards
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I received an eARC via NetGally but my opinions are my own.
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Wow this book was really good! It was written from multiple points of view, including both sides of the siege of Vienna. It takes a really good writer to get into the heads of two sides in a conflict. I could tell a lot of work and research went into this book. This was pretty different from the historical fiction that I usually read. I loved it! I enjoyed learning more about an event I haven’t heard much about.
This book really sent me on a roller coaster of emotions. I had to take some breaks because I was so emotionally drained. Katja, Toby, and Xavier were my favorites. I loved their courage. Some of the themes I found in the book were faith, hope, and love. It was beautiful to see love and happiness even during such darkness. This book was a great reminder to appreciate what you have, and love fiercely today because tomorrow is never a guarantee.
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My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content: war scenes (message me if you are concerned about triggers)

Before the Fortress Falls is a historical fiction book set in Vienna. My first book from this author. Interesting depiction of the story, especially the portrayal of the characters. I appreciated how the author wanted us to see how every character felt about the event. I am not a fan of war stories, but I’m glad I’ve read this one because it gives you a new perspective on how to hope during hard times.

Recommend this to anyone interested in historical fiction and the siege of Vienna in 1683. Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read an arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My rating: 3/5

The writing is so immersive, you feel like you are living through the siege of Vienna. The actual siege lasted over 2 months, but it definitely won’t take you that long to read this book. I could not put it down, even when I couldn’t breathe because of the suspense. It was just so, so good! I NEEDED to know what was going to happen.
 
This book has 5 different perspectives, though focuses mostly on 3 – Katjia, her twin brother Xavier, and Tobias. This allows you to get information from all sides of the action. You have Katjia working in the infirmary, Xavier fighting on the front lines, Toby digging tunnels to countermine the enemy, Ahmed the enemy, and Wilhelm who is trying to gather reinforcements before it is too late. I felt like the perspective changes kept the story flowing, it didn’t bother me at all that there were so many. It added to the suspense because you wanted to know what was going on with the other characters.
 
This book had themes of reunited family and friends, not losing hope, letting others choose what they want instead of thinking you know what is best for them, and fighting for what you believe in with all your might.
 
I definitely would recommend this book! It is not for the faint of heart, but I think it is tastefully and powerfully written that most would enjoy it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the free advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own and in no way biased.