It was such an interesting dealing with the resistance of some Germans during WWII. They risked everything to help the few they could get to safety. The Angel of Vienna does a heart wrenching job of showing this. Such incredible bravery and such a good book!

WW 2 era story about a nurse who is assigned to a psychiatric hospital in Vienna in order to look after her nephew. Hannah discovers that chilling, horrific things are happening to the children at the hospital. As she gets to know Margarethe – another nurse – she learns that there are a few people who are trying to save some of the children. Hannah goes from a naïve young nurse to a courageous person who is willing to help the vulnerable. It was hard to put down this book!

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

I really enhoyed this book. It is a great story with surprising twists and turns i couldn't put it down. I have recommended it to friends and family.

“Are you going to be like all the others, Hannah? Margarethe asked with a quiet, pulsing intensity. “Are you going to turn a blind eye because it’s easier?”

I knew right away that there was major character development on the horizon and Hewitt certainly did not disappoint.

Stories of triumph, faith and heroism appeal to me…especially historical fiction stories set during the adversity of WW2. Set in Nazi-occupied Vienna in 1940, this story is the perfect mix of historical research, interesting characters, intriguing conflict and a little romance. It explores the familiar themes of forgiveness, hope, redemption, sacrifice and love and is told through fresh individualism in true Kate Hewitt style.

Have you heard about:
- the Am Steinhof Trials?
- Dr. Erwin Jekelius?
- Luminal?
- Am Speigelgrund, the ‘Special Children’s Ward’?
- the gypsy round-up prior to the Berlin Olympics in 1936?
- “The gentleman with the syringe” or “The Urn Handler”?
- Aktion T4?
- Hartheim Castle in connection to ‘further treatments’?

If you answered ‘no,’ and you love historical fiction, then this needs to be on your reading list.

Hewitt is known for writing about the unsung heroism of ordinary people and highlighting the extraordinary risk they took in helping their fellow man. At the core of this story is a terrible and tragic part of our history, the human wickedness is stomach-churning, yet Hewitt writes to make sure we learn from our past. You might want to grab tissues.

The two main characters, Margarethe and Hannah, are strong women with a clear vision of what’s right and what’s wrong. Although there’s initial tension between them, they learn to work together and influence each other to become better people. The result is that lives are saved. Children’s lives. Hewitt writes to make their core of humanity available for us all and show us that indeed, the power of one single person CAN and DOES make a difference. We all have a part to play in a tragedy. What part will we play?

Hewitt shared a poem by Martin Hiemoller, a German pastor, earlier this year and it has stayed with me. I kept thinking about it as I read this book.

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me.

If this resonates with you, please read this spectacular book and discover what Hannah Stern and the Angel of Vienna did when they dug deep into their souls -

“Still, we need to remind ourselves there is something beautiful in this world, don’t we? Because it can be so difficult to find it in this place. We must work together, to remind ourselves. There is always beauty, even here.”

I think this is a necessary thought to tuck into our hearts as our world gets a bit darker every day. Let’s look for the beauty. It’s there. Always.

I was gifted this advance copy by Kate Hewitt, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This has got to be my book of the year and one which j think should be on every school curriculum. It's a salutary reminder of the evils of war, discrimination, ethnic cleansing and the corruption of absolute power. Hannah is a young nurse who finds herself working at the infamous psychiatric hospital where children who are deemed less than perfect, are disposed if in the most appalling, heartwrenchingly cruel ways. Hannah has been tasked by her half brother ,himself a reluctant soldier of the Reich ,to care for his son, Will I, a sweet ,clever boy who suffers fro cerebral palsy and therefore deemed to be worthless by those who should have cared for and nurtured him. It reminds us how fear is a powerful emotion which sometimes suppresses natural human empathy . It takes the brave ones who stand up to be counted to remind us that all that's necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing. Hannah finds a courage within that she didn't know she possessed and puts her own life on the line in order to rescue as many children as possible. The awful fact that this powerful book was based on true events makes it even more devastating,especially when we ser that nothing has changed and the innocents are still being abandoned to their fate while powerful people put greed and self serving policies before the lives that are being devastated by unjust wars. This book will stay with me forever.

This book was so thought-provoking! I haven’t read any accounts of the Hitler era that have been quite like this. Hannah bravery is amazing!!! Loved this!

based on actual events which need to be talked about so we never forget . Heartbreaking , and will have you in tears as well as make you feel all of the emotions , right from the very start . Will make you just want to hug the characters and say everything will be alright even through you knew it won't be. Shows the strength and courage , as well as the fears of the characters . The author brings every thing to life : her characters , the places she talks about , the time period , and I do mean everything. Which each turn of the pages the story comes to life as you read about what happened to the children , and how the main character and one other nurse risk everything from their own lives as will as freedom to help the other children to escape ,

This is truly an emotional and heartbreaking story based on true events that happened during the Nazi rule.

The Nazis did not just persecute Jews--they persecuted Gypsies as well as disabled children and people. This story talks about how a brave woman sacrificed her own life to save disabled children from getting murdered.

Hannah became a nurse at a prestigious psychiatric hospital in Vienna, Austria, thanks to her half-brother's connection. She agreed to become a nurse there on one condition--that she had to look after her nephew Willi who is disabled. At first, the hospital is just like a normal ordinary hospital. But soon, Hannah comes to realize that the hospital is not what it seems. Children starts going into a special treatment but never return back to their beds. This was a part of the plan to remove all the disabled children--a part of Nazi's eradication plan.

As a person who had done German history, this book was truly emotional and heartbreaking. I may have said this same thing in Holocaust books but killing innocent disabled children was somewhat disturbing and emotional to me. Worst case is that these murders and experiments happened in real life, which made it more heartbreaking. The author has done a good job of captivating the reader into the story and must have done tremendous research to this story. The heroine, Hannah Stern has become a favorable character and is portrayed as a courageous woman who would do anything to save those innocent children. All in all, this is a page turner and emotional rollercoaster ride, that will not allow you to put the book down.

If you are someone who is interested in WWII history, I recommend you to read this book. Guaranteed, this book will keep you up all night and will make you cry till the end. Worth fill five stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Another outstanding and heartbreaking work of historical fiction by Kate Hewitt. I read a great deal of historical fiction and WW2 is a period that is especially interesting to me. The disturbing details of the children’s psychiatric facility during the time of Nazi Germany and the real-life characters that were used to craft the novel were well done. Hannah is a nurse who at first works at a Lebensborn, but when her half-brother Georg contacts her and asks her to accompany her disabled nephew, Willi to a facility in Austria that he hopes will provide specialized treatment, she agrees. She quickly bonds with Willi, and soon comes to learn that the facility has no interest in helping the children at all but is quietly killing children with disabilities to rid society of those with imperfections. Hannah is not a perfect character. Even after she learns the truth, it takes her some time to act. But she is a character whose weaknesses the reader can understand and relate to, and as she grows into the best version of herself, and fights for the children there, you cheer for her in her best moments. I especially liked Margarethe. This was a heartbreaking story to read, and was very well written, covering an important time in history.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from Bookouture and NetGalley for review purposes.

Once again Kate Hewitt has brought us another outstandingly fabulous book she has a knack of drawing you on from the first couple of chapters then your hooked once again an amazing read that I can highly recommend

THE ANGEL OF VIENNA by KATE HEWITT is a beautifully written and poweful WW11 novel that I cannot recommend highly enough. Not only is it inspirational, but there is also a strong Christian message of sacrificial love, forgiveness, compassion, and courage in the face of fear. I really enjoy the way this author takes us right into her characters’ emotions, hopes and fears, as they face the horrors of the Nazis’ killing of those they see as useless and less than human, especially children with disabilities.
We meet Hannah Stern at Heim Hochland where she works in the Liebensborn maternity home delivering babies for the Reich. She is called from there by her half brother Georg, a major in the Abwehr, to take his disabled son, Willi, to Am Steinhof in Vienna where he has obtained a position for her and where he hopes she will look after his beloved child.
She is shocked by the brutality and abuse shown towards the children by the doctors and nurses, but, in this horrible place she looks for beauty, even in small things, to share with Willi and the other unfortunate children. When she becomes friendly with sister Margarethe Bauer and sees Christian love in action she realizes she has a choice to make…
That is all I am going to tell you for fear of spoiling things for you.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

My goodness, that book was an emotional Rollercoaster. Heart wrenching . Twists that I didn't see coming that had me literally yelling noooooooooo at my phone as I was reading

“The Angel of Vienna” by Kate Hewitt is a WWII historical fiction novel. In this book, the main character is Hannah, who is a children’s nurse who worked at a Lebensborn, but due to her half-brother’s influence is transferred to a children’s medical facility, Am Steinhof, to care for her nephew.

This was a rough read for me. The subject matter is disturbing - as nearly any WWII story dealing with the horrors of what the Nazis did to try to achieve their “one pure race.” I had never heard of Am Steinhof before reading this book and was pleased to read that it’s now a memorial site. Hannah is a bit innocent, but I found it worked in this book. I found Hannah’s last conversation with her half-brother to be heartbreaking for all involved. I liked the character of Margarethe as she tried to influence Hannah’s actions and thoughts. Per the Author’s Note, some of the characters were real (including Dr. Jekelius, who was a colleague of Dr. Asperger) and others were made up, but sadly there was no organized movement to remove the children from Am Steinhof. Well researched book about a heartbreaking topic.

A really enjoyable read that I couldn't put down. Well written with an inpteresting and well execute story and well developed characters taht jumped off of the page. I loved it.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion
Having read other books by this author I knew it would be a delightful tale which it was I throughly enjoyed the characters and the premise and can highly recommend this book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have loved this novel! Hannah is a nurse who will be sent to Vienna to work in a psychiatric hospital for children during WWII. We all know what happened to disabled/sick children during those days. How will Hannah react to information?
This book is however definitely not only about courage and heroism. Before Hannah decides on helping (or not), she will go through a psychological development which I found very cleverly conveyed by the author. Hannah will go through several stages, a bit like grief: denial about the horrible killings, anger, self-protection and acceptance which will push her in her decision to help. Her friend Margarethe, a fellow nurse and friend will play the role of Hannah's conscience as she tries to influence Hannah' s reactions. I found this very cleverly done. I can well imagine that Hannah's psychological development (also constantly driven by fear), reflects that of most Germans in these tragic days. This novel is a page-turner, cleverly and well-written which will definitely stay with me.
I received a digital ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Angel of Vienna by Kate Hewitt is set during World War 2. I really enjoyed this book, particularly the central character. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

This book was sent to me Netgalley for review. Historical fiction at its best….written by a talented and gifted author…characters who come alive on the pages…it is a can’t put down book about the past…the novel is written on more than one time period…setting Austria…what happened when…the horrors of war…friends and family…loved ones…characters who are likable and others not…enjoy this book.

The Angel of Vienna- by Kate Hewitt WW 2 fiction 19th June. BO netgalley 4*
It's wartime in Germany and Hannah is working at a maternity home. Many are having children “ for the fuhrer '' and there are even medals to be won for four or more children. Sadly any births with even slight defects will be shipped off to the orphanage, only the perfect children will be adopted by the SS. Hannah has a half brother and is surprised to receive a telegram from him asking her to come to him asap as they have only fairly recently met. It turns out he has arranged a position for her at a children's hospital in Vienna and she is to take his disabled son with her for him to receive treatment for his cerebral palsy. On arrival it appears that it is far more than just a children's hospital.
Oh my. Through modern eyes this is an eye opening read. We all know of some of the horrors of the second world war and this is part of them that I feel many won't necessarily know about. I quickly took to Hannah and her more modern outlook (for the era) and nursing, caring ethic to try and do the right thing despite putting herself and possibly others in danger at a time when you could be reported and then sent to a camp for a mere slip of the tongue. Of her tenacity to try and get others to see what was happening when most were frightened for their own lives let alone trying to save others. An inspiring memorable read.
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This book centers on the tale of Hannah, a children’s nurse working in a Lebensborn hospital, who goes to work in a children’s medical facility in Vienna to care for her young nephew, Willi. Hannah believes that her nephew, who has cerebral palsy, is being sent to the facility so he can receive advanced treatment to help him. However, soon after arriving, she learns that the center is not what she had expected.

From the very first pages it is clear that Hannah loves children and cares for them, but is becoming disillusioned with the ideals that she encounters every day. This heightens throughout the book as Hannah learns more about the work that the facility does.

Readers will all be too familiar with the atrocities of world war 2 and understand the significance of some of the events described. As a result, Hannah’s naïveté, can be frustrating from a modern lens but this actually lends itself well to the narrative of showing how this young woman’s eyes are being opened to the atrocities around her.

The novel is harrowing and heart-breaking, exploring important themes of world events. Would recommend for fans of historical fiction and WW2 fiction.