Wow! Codes of Courage is a perfect title for this book. Courage takes many forms in this book. Courage to reach out and grasp love. Courage to fight a war that needed to be fought to beat evil. Courage to believe that not every 'enemy' is truly an enemy. Courage to do hard things. Courage to use talents given to help the war effort. Courage to move on when things didn't turn out the way you wanted or hoped.
This is a beautifully moving story that brings you along for an incredible roller coaster ride of emotions. A.L. Sowards has done it again, she really knows how to write a historical novel that grabs every emotion while learning something more about our history.
Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

In Heirs of Falcon Point (Oct 2021,) the Nazis take control of Austria and Leopold Lang decides to flee with his children. Unfortunately, the children end up being separated. Differing authors are writing the stories of what happens to them during WWII and beyond. In Codes of Courage, A.L. Sowards' writes son Karl’s story. (This can be read as a stand alone but the first book is an excellent set up for the series.) Karl makes it to England and wants to fight the enemy. He begins by joining the Merchant Marines because he can’t enlist as a foreigner in the Royal Navy.

Karl experiences the perils of being at sea when they are being patrolled by the Nazi u-boats. Along the way he meets and begins writing letters with Millie Stevens. She is giving the war her best skills by working at the secretive Bletchley Park. They meet up when they can during his leaves. I’ve read a few previous books from Soward's and found them very readable and historically accurate. There is cost to war on both sides. But there is love and moments of happiness too. I appreciate the authors notes at the end about the Enigma machines (which I knew about) and what changes she made to make the storyline work.

This is appropriately labeled historical fiction with a romance as most of the time the two MCs are not together. I appreciate the authors research and storytelling. The book is clean for language, limited closed door intimacy and contains war time injuries and death. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series although it will be written by a different author. And of course I will read future books from Sowards. Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review. (4.5 Stars)

AJ Sowards is such a good writer I look forward to her books and this one was worth the anticipation. I have not read the Heirs of Falcon Point. That didn’t impact my enjoyment of this book but I am definitely going to look it up and read Karl’s backstory. I easily came to live Millie and Karl. I have always been drawn in by the mind boggling work done at Bletchley Park and what an impact it had on the war. The story, packed with well researched historical fact is engaging, poignant, heartbreaking and beautiful.
I highly recommend this book to readers who love WWII fiction and/or lovers of great fiction in general.
Thanks to NetGalley, Covenant Communications and the author for the opportunity to read for my honest review.

CODES OF COURAGE by A L SOWARDS is a well written, poignant love story that takes place during WW11 against the background of the London blitz, codebreaking at Bletchley Park and the U boats’ destruction of the merchant navy supply ships and the convoys sent to protect them. We see the U boat war from both sides, with Karl Lang, who escaped from his home in Austria with the help of Millie Stevens’ father and has joined the British supply ships, and Rolf Denhart who braves the dangerous life of the U boats to make his fuhrer proud.
There are many more characters who are all well portrayed and the author gives us vivid descriptions of fighting at sea and shipwrecks, which will keep you on the edge of your chair.
Whilst fighting for survival, and with a hatred for the Nazis who killed his father and sister, I like to see the Christian humanity shown by Karl towards Rolf.
I highly recommend Codes of Courage to anyone who enjoys this genre.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Covenant Communications. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Austrian Karl Lang lost his father, sisters, home, everything to the Nazis and he wants revenge. The only way to do that is as a seaman in the Merchant Marine.
Crossword-loving Millie Stevens gets a post at Bletchley Park, trying to break German codes. She and Karl fall in love.
Twice, Karl comes across U-boatman Rolf Denhart. Rolf believes in Germany’s triumph, but his wife erodes his confidence.
This book keeps you turning pages, but I didn’t like the ending. It’s entirely plausible. In war, many don’t find their happily ever after. And there is a satisfying conclusion, just not the way I would have liked.

My goodness is all I could say when I first finished Codes of Courage by A L Sowards. The action, the angst, the author’s ability to make me sympathize with the good guys and the enemy (well, maybe just Rolf and his wife) was worthy of a standing ovation. I learned a lot and commend Soward for her in-depth research on U-boats and the war. But I’m torn!
First, you taught me a history lesson and made me care for the characters; then, you tore my heart out. The ending of the story completely gutted me. And as a fellow author, I understand that it cannot be all rainbow sprinkles, and that was the way of life during WWII, but also, as a fellow author, the character development made me care way too much for this treatment. Anyway, I enjoyed the story immensely and will continue to torture myself with more of your work.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for giving me an ARC copy of this book to read and review. All of these thoughts and comments are my own.

Wow. What an outstanding book! I was so excited when I heard this book would be written as part of the Falcon Point series to let us know what happened to Karl. And it did not disappoint! This author is a pro at historical fiction revolving around WWII, and can weave historical facts into a compelling fictional story so well. I enjoyed learning more about codebreaking and the battle of control of the seas. I can't recommend this book enough!

If you enjoy WWII historical fiction, then you may like Codes of Courage by A.L. Soward.

While most WWII novels look at the perspectives of the allies, in Codes of Courage, the author has also included a German officer's (Rolf) perspective as he fights the "enemy" beneath the waters in a submarine. The level of research the author did is evident. At times, I felt claustrophobic as Rolf and his fellow officers endured all the smells one would encounter in an enclosed space.

The battles at sea and the results of those lost at sea were incredibly real and so well described that I had to keep reading to see who would get rescued and who would not. This was a very tense book!

Much of the novel takes place through letters between Karl and Millie, as he was at sea most of the time. Unfortunately, for me, their love story fell a little flat. While the letters indicated how long they were apart and how their feelings changed toward each other, in the end, it still felt rushed to me.

While the story moved along at a brisk pace and kept me reading, at times I also felt like part of the story was missing and had the feeling that this wasn't the first book in the series. And yet it is! I felt like I was supposed to know about Karl, his past, and his missing sisters. I suppose if the story hadn't just rushed everything, I would have felt more for him as a character. The end of the story threw me for a loop, and while it eventually tied everything up, it was not what I expected and still left some unanswered questions regarding some characters. I hope there will be a second book to clear them up!

In the end, this is a great WWII historical novel that will keep you entertained but also leave you with many questions.

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Covenant Communications through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

I loved Millie and Karl’s story! I learned so much in this book about the navy fleet and how the German army was actually superior in this arena, the American navy was desperately needed in WWII. It was so interesting. If you love historical fiction read this one!!

This was my first A.L. Sowards book, it was beautiful. I got to see history from three different sets of eyes and how they played a part in World War II. I knew what was coming, and I still wasn't ready for it. It was heart-breaking and I sobbed. I would definitely recommend reading The Heirs of Falcon Point before you read this, it helps ease you know the ending.

I really loved this title. I am a huge fan of historical fiction and love anything that has to do with literature, code breaking, libraries etc. I especially love reading about the important roles that women played in the war effort.

I also really liked the dual perspective of the war from the side of England and also from the side of Germany. We tend to see history as so black and white that we often forget the complexities of what makes us human and that yes our ideals may be different but the things that define us and what we care about aren't all that different at all.

I will definitely be suggesting that we add this title to our acquisitions and recommending it to patrons in the future.

We first meet Karl in Heirs of Falcon Point. And then, just as it is getting good, we leave him and his sisters! I will be honest, the first part of that book was my favorite, and I was disappointed that I didn't get the rest of their stories. I was so excited when I saw this, I couldn't wait to read his story. I hope we he get to know the sisters stories too!

Karl is quite the guy! He is brave, resilient and loyal! His harrowing story is just that, harrowing! The legacy he created is strong in kindness and love.

Millie is also a strong woman, not many American women would work at Bletchley Park prior to US joining the war effort. I love her dedication to the cause, to her family and to Karl. She pushed through when it was hard, as did all the people during that time.

And then there is Rolph, the character I wanted to not like, but loved the strength of his wife.

What a great read. If you enjoy WW2 historical fiction, this is one to read. 4.5

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was an absolutely FANTASTIC historical fiction novel set in WWII. The author did a very good job researching events so it felt like you were out at sea feeling the spray, hearing the death charges, and all the rest. Millie and Karls relationship is sweet and clean and absolutely heartbreaking.

I will say I've read the other two books related to this in the Heirs of Falcon point. This is a stand alone novel but having that knowledge base definitely helped. I am really hoping that Ingrid and Anna's stories will be told next!

Excellent writing, clean romance, and history all in one equal a strong 5 star read!!!

A WWII book that sheds light on the work of Bletchley Park’s codebreakers. It also gives an insight into life on merchant navy ships, German U-boats, the Royal Navy and lesser known events that eventually led to the end of WWII. It’s definitely an interesting tale through which a reader gains an understanding of what these men and women must have lived through.

The author does an excellent job of telling the story within the setting of WWII. It feels authentic and the attention to detail reveals that quite a bit of research took place before the writing process started. The descriptions of the different machines, procedures, and events are meticulously done. The book is quite heavy on mishaps of which I prefer to see fewer. Initially, it feels as if Karl and Millie’s relationship exists so that the Enigma story and the effectiveness of the merchant navy can be told. However, as the book moves on, it gets better and better and instead of cardboard-like characters, they become people with feelings that go beyond falling in love and being set on revenge. In case this is important to anyone, it’s a clean read without sex or profanity. Bletchley Park has been featured in many a novel, but a detailed description of life at sea during WWII is not something one runs across regularly. For people interested in WWII stories, this is a great addition.

Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for providing me with an ARC. I was not required to leave a positive review and all opinions are my own.