Set in Norway during the occupation there was much to glean about life for Norwegian people during this time.

We also learn much about the Lebensborn homes - a place where Norwegian women who were pregnant with the baby of a German soldier, could go to be cared for and give birth to their babies. However, all is not as it seems and the author has clearly researched this very well.

Laila is a marvellous main character and we follow her along her physical and emotional journey. She is a strong woman who we observe as discovering hidden resources and bravery within herself that she did not know that she possessed.

Many many thanks to #NetGalley, #BoldwoodBooks and the author #HelenParusel for allowing me to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own!
This is a debut book by author Helen Parusel but I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't read it. The quality of her writing was such that it literally kept me up reading all night!
I was drawn to the book both by the excellent cover art work and by the subject matter. The last big trip my husband and I took before the pandemic was to Scandinavia and we spent quite a bit of time in Norway visiting various museums that told their wartime story. I knew about the "Shetland Bus" and had definitely read about Lebensborn scheme which was part of Himmler's plan to create a perfect Aryan race, but this story told a lot more about what it was like for women who went there, many unaware of what they were really signing up for and what the consequences could potentially be.
Laila is a young Norwegian woman on the brink of adulthood, who lives with her loving family, grieves the disappearance of her brother several years earlier and works in a local hotel. She experiences the German invasion firsthand in her seaside community and though she hates the Germans, she is forced to work for them in her job at the hotel. She agrees with her parents who believe those who befriend the Germans are collaborators, but over time, she learns that not all soldiers agree with Hitler's goals and plans. When she gets to know Josef, she is torn between her parent's beliefs and her emotions. She wants to do her part to fight the Nazi machine but she recognizes Josef's innate goodness and becomes intimately involved with him. She discovers she is pregnant just as he is sent to the Eastern Front, and when rejected by her family she needs to look elsewhere for help.
She ends up entering the Lebensborn program assuming that she and Josef will marry when the war ends. She soon finds out, that life doesn't always turn out as hoped. She is a strong character and reading the book both shows that and educates as to the differing motivations of all who entered the program. The novel also touches on the stolen children of Norway who were brought to Lebensborn homes and adopted out.
There were a lot of emotions to process as I read through the book. It was devastating how quickly her family abandoned her believing she brought shame on them through her pregnancy. The violence of war was also in evidence and the entitlement displayed by the German officers. Laila's story was exciting and heartbreaking by turns. I would definitely recommend it to those interested in learning more about Norway in wartime. The story will stick with me for a long time.

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot.

This is an excellent debut novel by Helen Parusel.

Set during WW2 during the Nazi occupation of Norway, the author has obviously done plenty of research into the background of this period.

I was initially puzzled by the book title, but eventually the reason became apparent, as a large part of the book deals with the "Lebensborn" program. Whilst I'd heard of it, I knew very little about it, and was shocked to find out that it also involved the kidnapping and "adoption" (by suitable German families) of children born outside the program. Dark secrets indeed.

The main female character - Laila Olson - is very likeable, a naive yet courageous young woman, who stepped outside the world she knew and made a difference. I liked Josef - the main male character - as although he's in the German army (technically a Nazi) he has a conscience and does not approve of what he sees going on around him.

There's a strong cast of supporting characters - some likeable, others definitely not! - and the plot is well thought out. Plenty of ups and downs, and some heartbreaking scenes, so be prepared to shed a tear.

Maybe this will become a series? I would be interested to hear how Laila and Josef's story developed further, likewise some of the other characters.

Looking forward to reading more by this new author, this was an excellent debut!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

At first while reading into the early pages of this book entitled, A Mother's War, I wondered how this could be about mothers. After all it is a wartime setting and it was the men who went out to fight. The battlefront was not in Norway either during WW2 - so how and where do mother's get into the fray? Hitler's evil plan for his master race unfolds in this historical fiction account and as it progressed I realized, "Aha!" - the mother's war indeed. Laila, the Norwegian lass and Joseph, one of the German conqueror lads, along with other young Norweigian-German couples unfurl the little spoken of aspect of how young unwed mothers were treated as 'baby factories'.

There was some joy in the narrative but also the heartbreak. Readers will need some stomach to read through the pages outlining the 'awful truth' of wicked men and war. Intimate scenes are described so some readers may need to take these graphices into consideration.

I like that there were good friendships made among the mothers and even compassionate German individuals showing how not all of them were condoning these actions and plans.

4-star rating from me.

~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~

April 2023

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent to me by NetGalley and the publisher.

A Mother’s War by Helen Parusel is a marvellous historical debut that enthralled me.
The story educates as you read. It is set in Nazi occupied Norway during World War II and concerns the Lebensborn program. This was designed to re-populate Germany with Aryan looking babies – some were born in Lebensborn homes, others were kidnapped from their parents and sent to Germany to be adopted. It was an open secret and not talked about much. After the war, some mothers and their children were shunned.
Mothers entered the program for a variety of reasons – for some it was the kudos, others had genuinely fallen in love.
We see that not all Germans were Nazis. Some were abhorrent at the persecution and the horrors that they witnessed. They did what they could to help others, from inside the Nazi war machine.
There was the Norwegian resistance. We see the courage needed to stand up and make a difference.
Love happens where it will. We witness the dilemma a character faces when she meets kindness in a young German soldier.
Children are a gift from God, whatever the circumstances of their birth.
There is the theme of forgiveness. Some withhold it and become bitter but sooner or later they will realise that enough is enough and forgiveness must be given.
All the characters were well drawn and likable. I cared for the fates of the two lead characters.
Thank you Helen Parusel for opening my eyes to a little known period in recent history. A Mother’s War is a fabulous debut and I look forward to hearing much more from this fantastic author.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

In a Mother's War we meet Laila who lives in Narvik (Norway). Early 1940, her home is invaded by the Nazi's and overnight her world is turned upside down. Determined to undermine the Nazi's as best she can, she utilises her job at a hotel (where the Nazi's have set up headquarters) to filter information to the resistance. However one soldier, Josef, is the antithesis of what she thought the Nazi's would be like. He actively helps protect her and support her work in the resistance.  She falls hard and ends up pregnant with his baby. As Josef is sent to the Russian front, Laila confesses to her family, who immediately disown her. With nowhere to go, she ends up a Nazi run women's home who promise to provide for her and her child. It is here that she learns how insidious the Nazi regime is. But with nowhere to go and no one to support her, can she untangle herself from the web she's trapped in? 

What a dazzling debut from Parusel. I only know the bare minimum about Norway's occupation during WWII in that Hitlter saw them as a superior Aryan race and actively wanted his soldiers to be proactive in building relations. However, I never have thought deeply about the young women who ended up being completely ostracised when they fell pregnant to a German. Their whole families and communities shunned them, happily putting them in Nazi run women's homes to be either shipped off to Germany (at best) or used as a baby factory and then sent to concentration camps if they didn't fall in line with Hitler's politics. 

In Laila, Parusel has given us a protagonist that you really care about and become invested in her story. It's a very easy story to get into and perfect if you love historical fiction. I found myself tearing through the last quarter of the book as the crescendo of tension built. It isn't a graphic or brutal book, but the undertones are implied. In fact, sometimes its more sinister when it is implied as we know more than the protagonist. A belter of a book, I highly recommend.

3.5 out of 5. Rounded up to 4.

After hearing stories of the War in Norway from my Norwegian friend, I was eager to read A Mother's War, especially with its focus on Ledensborn. However, the nativity of the main character partnered with the near perfection of the Nazi officer seemed troublesome. Laila Olson witnesses horrors as Norway is invaded, her mother nearly dying during their flight to freedom, and yet she remains hopeful that everything will turn out for the best. Private Josef Shultz is a Nazi with a heart of gold and pure conscience. It is not a surprise when our heroine becomes pregnant and Shultz is shipped off.

One aspect of this book I truly struggled with is the treatment of the pregnancy and the resulting child. I was not surprised when her family rejected the notion, or when her community did the same. However, Parusel takes a very dark aspect of Norwegian history, the harsh mistreatment of these mothers and babies, and puts a glossy spin on the whole ordeal.

This book is not bad, It is quite good for a debut novel. In fact, I will be greatly interested in reading future books by Parusel. However, I feel like this story could have gone deeper, and told a darker story that is closer to the truth.

Thank you to Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for a fair review.

Well written and complex characters. A WW2 historial fiction story that you don't want to miss.

A debut story by Helen Parusel and it is well written about Germans invading Norway and the small town of Narvik, in 1940. Young girls found themselves being pursued by German soldiers and becoming quite infatuated with them. The towns people are not happy about all the attention on the young girls. The author takes us through what happens during the occupation of Germany in Narvik with the food supply, what the residents can read, and not allowing anyone to have a radio.

The story follows Laila and her family. How they are treated and such. Laila sees other girls in the town getting pregnant and being shunned by the residents. She swears she will not fall in love with a German soldier but little did she know that one will become an ally to her and the town. He doesn't like what his commanding officer is doing....they were only supposed to be there to protect the town and it's residents.

One thing I did find that I was skimming through some of the story because it felt drawn out to me and most likely could have been left out. But overall, the story was good, and I did enjoy it.

Highly recommend

This is a little bit of a different twist on a often written about war. Following the story of a young woman who falls for a German man (against her better judgment) and she becomes pregnant. This is her story and it is gripping, heartbreaking,

Laila is a wonderful character and really makes this story her own. I enjoyed the context in which it is written and find Laila's strength and courage is what kept me wanting to know more. Being a debut novel I think this new author has done a wonderful job depicting the sole of a story that in anyone's eyes is a hard subject to swallow.

A fascinating, sometimes dark and a little but scary at times story but one I would highly recommend. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

Set in Norway during the Occupation, this tells the story of Laila, a young girl who bravely tries to help the Resistance, but finds herself falling in love with a German soldier, Josef. Josef is anxious to help, and not a Nazi, but when Laila falls pregnant her family and friends ostracise her. Alone and pregnant, she turns to the Lebensborn home for unmarried mothers. Although luxurious, it is full of dark secrets. Laila’s search for the truth of the home involves her in all sorts of trouble…

This book really draws you in, and captures the atmosphere of Norway in the war well, especially the spine-chilling occurrences at the home. Laila is a lovely character, and I felt for her, stuck in a terrible situation. However, some of the book was extremely harrowing.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I loved reading this debut novel from Helen Parusel.

Before resting it, I was unaware of the occupation of Norway by the Germans. This story made for an interesting read, it was very well written and had lovely characters.

It was enlightening to read about Laila, and everything that she went through.

I highly recommend.

I have always been fascinated by Norway’s history during WWII and the Lebensborn homes so this novel was a must read for me.
Laila commits an almost unforgivable sin by having a relationship with Josef, a German soldier. Then the inevitable occurs.
I thought the author’s depiction of the Lebensborn home was fairly accurate, given all that I’ve read an know.
Although the story ends well, I do think reality would have played a much harsher hand to the main characters as far as forgiveness, grudges, and acceptance.

A story of WWII in Norway and the hard choices people have to make when suffering occupation. Sometimes to love the enemy is the hardest choice of all.

“Fate has our joy and misery entwined; one cannot exist without the other.”

Historical fiction readers, you need to add this forbidden romance in occupied Norway to your reading list! This debut author has astonishing ability and promise.

Highlighting Himmler’s Aryan breeding program, author Helen Parusel sheds light on Norway’s dark secret - the children of shame. Written with a unique perspective, readers will see the impact of the Nazi occupation of Norway and the ripple effect of a hastily made decision.

Parusel’s carefully crafted main character, Laila Olson, possesses the courage to prevail despite finding out that her home and her family are not all she thought they were. She has a certain naivety that I found endearing and a big heart that drives her to make a difference. Counterbalancing Laila, is Private Josef Schultz. Despite being a Nazi, he’s driven by his conscience and pure motives. I loved reading about how they navigated the challenges that had the potential to steamroll them and was on the edge of my seat wondering if there would be repercussions for their actions.

How ironic that a heroine who strongly believes that family is important, is let down by the very people she thought she could rely on.

I don’t feel that Parusel is finished with Laila and Joseph’s story and hope that a sequel is planned. Congratulations on a title that gives readers pause, rather than handing it to them on a silver platter!

I will eagerly read this author’s future work as I loved how she implemented the occupation to bring out the soul of her characters and show us the effects of Lebensborn in unwilling, albeit naive, characters with shaky or misplaced allegiance.

I was gifted this copy by Boldwood Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

In Helen Parusel’s debut novel, A Mother’s War, Laila lives in Narvik, Norway when the Nazis arrive and quickly occupy the town. With her work at the hotel, she discovers a few things about herself. She is able to have firsthand contact with the Nazis housed at the hotel and she meets a young Nazi named Josef who awakens something within her. As she gets closer to helping the local resistance, she also realizes that Josef is not all he appears to be. As their relationship builds, Laila knows her family would disapprove if they knew. After a Josef is sent to the Russian front, Laila throws herself more into helping the resistance in the hope the war ends sooner.

Soon, Laila finds she is pregnant and goes to a Lebensborn house near Oslo. Within the walls of the houses she finds secrets and has questions that people are hesitant to answer. When she finds herself in the fight for her life with he baby, will she be able to find her way home? Will she be reunited with Josef and able to build a family? Will her family welcome her back or continue to shun her for the choices she made? Parusel writes a sometimes difficult to read novel that sheds light on the Nazis’ push for a perfect Aryan race and their willingness to get it at any cost. As this was a debut novel by Parusel, I look forward to her storytelling in the future. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the advanced copy. Opinions expressed are my own. This book is set for publication on May 16, 2023.

#netgalley #arc #bookstagram #helenparusel #amotherswar #boldwoodbooks

WW2 Norway. When loving a German soldier meant you were betraying not only your family, but your country as well. But love bloomed nonetheless. Happy and pure. And then, it all went wrong. From bad to worse.

“Your conduct here over the last three months was only tolerated because you carried a child for the Reich. You were never of any importance. Just a woman of loose morals giving us what we wanted.”

It is heartbreaking to read about people who have endured horrors that we cannot even imagine. And all of it, majorly because of the overpowering beliefs of one man that changed everything about life into something unthinkable. Honestly, we are lucky that we only have to read these horrors as against living them. Unless we read and remember, history can easily be forgotten which would be a massive shame. Instead, knowing that humanity exists even in the harshest of enemies will serve to give us the hope we need.

Thank you for my advance copy @netgalley

Scarily real and beautifully written. The snow feels cold, the hunger pangs pull and I could really feel the taste of blood as beatings and punishment was handed out. A hard read, not least as it has its base in the truth, and one well worth reading.

A Mother’s War is an incredible debut novel for author Helen Parusel. Set in Norway beginning in April of 1940 when the Nazi’s invaded, the main character Laila is angry and heartbroken as her homeland is invaded. She vows to do whatever it takes to fight back and remain true to her country and its people. But, fate intervenes and before Laila can stop herself, she falls for the young soldier Josef, who also hates the Nazi’s and what they’ve done to his homeland of Germany, and does whatever he can to defy the uniform he’s forced to wear. The romance of a summers night by the fjord with Josef ends with Laila pregnant. To avoid being shamed, Laila is sent to a Norwegian Lebensborn home to carry out her pregnancy.

I admire the strength and bravery of Laila. She is the true definition of a mothers love. She will let nothing and no one come between her and her baby. The author tells a beautiful story of heroism, bravery, womanhood, motherhood, and love amidst the chaos of war. It’s such an addicting and beautifully written story. I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this book! I can’t wait to read future books from this author.

Thank you to Boldwood Books, Helen Parusel and NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

Absolutely adored this book! It teaches about a subject of WW2 that a lot of people forget about. The characters are so well written and there will be times that will have you on the verge of tears due to the connect built between the reader and the characters.

This was a really interesting read about Norway during the war and how the Nazis actively encouraged the women of Norway to become involved with soldiers. They would become pregnant and then have their children taken away and given to German families. This was one way that the German regime was trying to create the master race. It is a part of world War 2 history that I didn’t know much about and I found it all very fascinating. I loved the main character Laila and could really feel for her. Her relationships with family, friends and soldier Josef and the heartbreaking decisions she had to make. She came across as a real fighter but also someone who was very thoughtful of others. A brilliant read that gave an insight into what women went through. Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.