Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review. Sarah Sundin's "Embers in the London Sky" is a gripping historical romance set against the backdrop of World War II. The novel captures the tumultuous atmosphere of London during the Blitz, blending personal struggles with the larger themes of courage and resilience. The descriptions of London under siege are haunting yet beautifully rendered, allowing readers to feel the tension and uncertainty of the times. Sundin excels in character development; her protagonists are relatable and complex, grappling with their own fears and desires while navigating the harsh realities of wartime. The romance that unfolds is tender and realistic, grounded in genuine emotional connections rather than mere escapism. One of the standout elements of the book is its exploration of themes such as sacrifice, hope, and the indomitable human spirit. Sundin deftly balances the heart-wrenching aspects of war with moments of humor and warmth, making for a well-rounded reading experience. Overall, "Embers in the London Sky" is a powerful novel that will resonate with fans of historical fiction and romance alike. Sundin has crafted a story that not only entertains but also pays tribute to the resilience of those who lived through one of history's darkest times. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a moving and immersive read.

This book was a 5-star read that made me really mad because I disagreed with the female MC's conclusions. I'm really not sure how to rate it, but deserves 5 stars for merit alone, so we'll leave it there. Really great, loved the hero and heroine (up until some of her decisions that I just hated), and would probably read again despite how much I hated said decisions.

Aleida van der Zee Martens has just experienced the unimaginable. Trying to escape the Nazis in her homeland of the Netherlands, Aleida wakes up only to discover that her despicable husband has given away their son to strangers who are also fleeing the Nazis. Vowing to do anything to find him, Aleida reaches London, only to endure the Blitz and all its horrors. Desperate and alone, Aleida turns to journalist Hugh Collingwood to help her find her son. Working together, they rely on each other to help get through the War. After the suspicious death of Hugh’s uncle, Aleida and Hugh set out not only to find Aleida’s son, but also who may have murdered Hugh’s uncle. When secrets come to light, will it tear apart their delicate friendship or bind them more strongly together? Sarah Sundin, has once again written another compelling and riveting novel that takes the reader deep into the story. The rich historical detail, the strengths and weaknesses of the characters, and the themes of sacrifice, courage, and faith, combine to form a novel that will leave readers breathless until the very end. I appreciate Ms. Sundin including those with disabilities into this novel. I thank NetGalley and Revell for the ARC of this book. I am not required to leave a positive review. All opinions within this review are my own.

Embers In The London Sky by Sarah Sundin is an absolutely wonderful Christian historical wartime suspense. It captured my imagination from the start, engaging me till the very end.
The novel opens in Nazi-occupied Holland in 1940, continuing to London and finishing halfway through 1941. Sarah Sundin waves actual events into the novel. We ‘see’ the total devastation caused by the Nazis in central Europe – lives and dwellings broken or disrupted by the Nazi war machine. We ‘witness’ the evacuation from Dunkirk in May 1940. “Soldiers plucking cheer and courage from the cauldron of defeat.” Many lives were lost.
The reader follows the lead character, Dutch born Aleida as she travels to London in search of her young son. Aleida speaks up for those whose voices are unheard. Whilst her personal search continues, she researches the lives of the evacuated children. Prejudices raise their ugly head as foreign-born children are given to institutions and not families. Their stories need telling. We see that though humans may forget others, “God would never forget her.” God sees all. His heart breaks for injustice and war. “Surely His [God] heart broke at the suffering and destruction Hitler caused.”
There are those within the novel who suffer from disabilities. These are hidden away for fear of being treated as ‘less-than’, or in the case of a cruel father, for embarrassment or disgust. The reader’s heart breaks for a young boy and his mother, both of whom are subject to domestic abuse.
A grown man hides his asthma for fear of being seen as a label. “When people know, they no longer see me, only the asthma. They treat me as an invalid.” His fears are unfounded. People see him and they care.
We witness the burden of inheriting money and a title. A life is pressured by parents to do one’s duty, rather than to follow one’s dreams. We can see the tension that this causes.
Jesus sees our hearts. He knows our worries. He asks us to trust Him with our lives. “The Lord was strong enough to carry her burdens… so why did she cling to her cares?” We do not always believe that God does see us. We are important to Him. What worries us, is His concern too. When we surrender our lives to Him, we can live in freedom.
If we seek approval of man, we will always be striving. “Seek approval from the Lord alone, then he’d be free to do his best in the world.” We will be abundantly free if we live with our eyes on Jesus.
When we trust God, we can experience peace despite our circumstances. “He [God] was with her. Live or die, she wasn’t alone. Warm peace filled her.”
Sarah Sundin has set her novel in London during the height of the Blitz. We see how lives are disrupted night after night but still the people continue with their daily lives.
Running alongside the war is a series of murders. Are they linked? Or isolated coincidences? Who are/is the perpetrators? Alongside the characters, the reader tries to follow the clues. We witness amateur sleuthing.
Within the novel, there is sacrificial love that is prepared to let go for the benefit of the innocent.
All the characters are well drawn, realistic and believable. Sarah Sundin has created an eclectic mix of characters who gel perfectly with her intricate and well executed plotline.
I thoroughly enjoyed Embers In The London Sky and am sorry it is ended.
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

This is an excellent novel, very thought-provoking and endearing, which is pretty much on-par for Sundin's works.
The characters were easily relatable, and I absolutely loved poor Theo. Disability rep was fantastic to see in this story!
The scenes are immersive, characters dynamic, and the story keeps you guessing up until you realize--and then it's a race to see if the characters themselves find out in time.
(And I gotta given an honorable mention to a scene where a cat went missing. Granted everything else that was going on in the book at the time, that one just took the cake as The Last Straw...) While there were a few times where I wanted to yell at the characters to get their stuff figured out, this book is easy to get into and I read the second half of it in one sitting, so I daresay it's a good one.
***I read an ARC edition of this novel in order to share my above thoughts, which are my own***

Great book! This was an engrossing book set in world war 2. The story of a mother trying to protect her son in London during the bombing of London. How heartbreaking that time was in Europe for families. I would recommend this book to anyone. I was given this book for the purpose of reviewing.

There are a lot of WWII-era novels out there. Believe me I have read a bunch. But I have to say that Sarah Sundin keeps writing fresh and unique stories. Her latest novel, Embers in The London Sky captures the very real fear when faced with an unknown future and outcome. The story revolves around a young mother who has lost her son in the escape from the Netherlands during the German invasion. She ends up in England hoping against hope that her child has been brought there as well. I can’t imagine what the people facing this real-life scenario went through. Themes of trusting God’s plans and goodness, the welcome/rejection of refugees by the Brits, and sacrificing desires for another’s good are all examined. This book really made me think. It also really touched me. I cried several times while reading, something that is a rare occurrence for me. The historical details were great — Sundin is a wonderful researcher, and the characters relatable. There’s some romance and a good twisting mystery. This book really has it all!

I can’t say enough about how good Embers in The London Sky is. It truly is highly recommended.

Highly recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(Thanks to NetGalley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

Aleida cannot stay in Denmark any longer - Hitler & his army have made that very clear. She also cannot stay with her husband Sebastian any longer - his years of abuse & neglect for their child has made that very, very clear. But just as she is about to make an escape with her son, Sebastian packs them all into their car to flee together. As Aleida tries to find a way for she & Theo to escape, Sebastian is looking for his own way to escape. His plan - to rid himself of his deformed child in any way possible.

Hugh Colllingwood loves reporting for the BBC radio and bringing the news to life with his broadcasts. However, his family thinks this is beneath him and tries repeatedly to convince him to give it up. As tensions grow and rations diminish, keeping up England’s morale is becoming increasingly difficult. Then, tragedy strikes when his older brother, his uncle, and his good friend are killed. Can Hugh survive this war much longer? Can England?

Another wonderful book from Ms Sundin! Her novels never disappoint in historical accuracy or interesting plot lines. I cannot wait for the next book in this series! Thank you LibraryThing Early Reviewers for the advanced copy of this book!

This is my first Sarah Sundin book and I was blown away! Her prose is stunning and her storytelling took my breath away. I need to read more by her asap!!!

Title: Embers in the London Sky
Author: Sarah Sundin

Ch: 49

Pg: 391

Genre: Christian Historical fiction Christian historical romance

Rating: 4 stars


Publisher: Revell


I love how this author with each WWII novel she writes can find a new bit of history to tell. Even though Sundin writes WWII for each of her storylines it feels like a new story each time. And she never disappoints. Though I d think Hugh Collingwood might be my new favorite hero of hers. And I think it’s because he doesn’t let having Asthma stop him from doing what needs to be done. And Aledia is proof of what a mother’s love can do.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

This book started out really well. When the FMC is separated from her son, she is desperate to find him. When she finds a job placing children with safe houses, It seems like the perfect opportunity to find her son. However, I felt like she had a lot of distractions when trying to find him. Even the beginning of a relationship. I feel like the storyline took a shift, and I didn't feel like it fit well with the main plot of the story.

Sarah Sundin has become one of my favorites throughout the years. I know what to expect and she continues to deliver.

This story is based during WW II. Aleida escapes from the Netherlands to London. She is separated from all that she loves. Can she survive the loss? Will she ever trust again?

A beautiful friendship develops between Aleida and Hugh Collingwood, a BBC reporter. He is battling his own demons. But together they can accomplish anything.

I loved the story. It made me think of my family history. My mother lived in England during the war. She has told me many stories of the hardships they endured.

I have really enjoyed Sarah Sundin's WWII novels. Her meticulous research transports readers to London during the Blitz. While the market of WWII novels is saturated, Ms. Sundin provides an original plot that broadens readers' understanding of the era.
Through tragic circumstances, Aleida van der Zee Martens was separated from her son during the German invasion of the Netherlands. Upon her arrival in London, she begins her search for him amid the chaos of the evacuation of children to the countryside. I loved Aleida's growth, as she found an inner strength to not only search for her son, but to fight for a cause. She gains the help if a young correspondent with the BBC. I loved his desire to digress from family expectations and find a niche in which he could excel and serve his country. As they began to work together, danger loomed as they began to link a strand of murders.
I was engaged from the beginning to the end with this perfect blend of history, mystery and romance. With bombs falling from the sky and the unexplained murder count growing, I couldn't wait to see how Aleida and Hugh would find a happy ending.

****I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher and Netgalley. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I loved this book. The characters, the setting, the bits of history. From the beginning, I was hooked.

Hugh is a great hero, and I loved seeing his dedication to his work, even when his asthma tries to get the best of him. And I especially loved the gentle way he treats Aleida.

Aleida’s character arc is exceptional. I was completely invested in her search for little Theo. And I loved seeing her begin to heal from her first husband’s abuse.

I also liked the tidbits Sundin included about wartime London. She’s great at seamlessly weaving in details that give the reader more background without sounding like a school report.

Overall, Embers in the London Sky is a sweet historical romance with great characters and rich historical detail.

Before I get into why I loved this book so much, I want to start with a brief content note. The first chapter of this one starts with a young woman living with an abusive husband. While we aren't shown much and this only lasts about a chapter, I can see how it would turn people off from reading farther. If it's not a trigger for you, I do recommend continuing with the story because (in my opinion) the story is so worth it. However, I do understand why this topic is unsettling for some so I wanted to put the warning at the beginning of my review.

Now, on to the review.

I don't see many English books in WWII that feature a Dutch hero or heroine, are historically and culturally accurate, or whose authors aren't Dutch themselves. When I heard @sarahsundinauthor was writing a novel featuring a Dutch heroine, I right away had the thought that if anyone could do it well, Sarah could! And she most certainly did.

I loved how complex the storyline is, how well-researched it is, all the bits of academia sprinkled throughout, and overall I just loved the entire story itself. Additionally, Sarah has this ability to craft characters so true to life, it's honestly mind-boggling how accurately she can depict certain traits or mannerisms, without making them sound like caricatures or stereotypes. In one character, we see a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Sarah takes us so deep into this character that you may not really recognize the condition right away and so you might have trouble relating to her. Maybe that doesn't sound like a positive, but to me it is because I love accuracy (much like this character :D) and it's such a skill to craft characters this way that I highly admire about Sarah.

The romance is minimal, the faith is distinct, and of course there's a few mysteries tossed in that surprised me as Sarah took a new direction with this WWII novel that had me reading nonstop nearly from start to finish.

On that note, this book does read different from some of her other books; if you've come from her trilogies, the tone of this one may surprise you. But her vivid writing and exploration of deep themes remain true in Embers in the London Sky.

While fleeing the Netherlands that has just been invaded by the German army, Aleida's abusive husband sends their son with strangers, shortly before losing his own life to the Germans. Once in London, she starts a long, difficult search for her son. There, she meets Hugh Collingwood, a BBC radio correspondent trying to inform the public and boost morale while reporting on the Blitz. When his uncle and friend are murdered, it looks like the bombs falling on the city every night aren't the only danger.

In a way, this book almost seems like two different stories. The first is a combination of Aleida searching for her son while also trying to shine light on the way some of the kids are treated as they're evacuated out of London during the Blitz and Hugh trying to maintain integrity in his reporting while struggling against the threat of censorship. This main part of the story kept me engaged, and I liked seeing these different sides of London during this part of history. Then the book turns into a murder mystery as Aleida and Hugh, both apart and separately, try to solve a series of murders. I'm a fan of mystery, and the rest of the story was interesting enough that I didn't need the mystery angle to be expanded on. Still the pacing of the mystery being in the background for a long time to then suddenly jump into the foreground threw me off just a little.

I appreciated the development of the relationship between Aleida and Hugh and that it didn’t come across as the main point of the story. I prefer a subtle romance, and Aleida and Hugh developed a great foundation of friendship first. Though some of the drama involving their relationship felt too much like it was thrown in there just to prolong the inevitable declarations of love. I look forward to the next book, which appears to be about Aleida's sister, who is still in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, and I recommend this one to anyone who likes historical fiction from this time period in the Christian romance genre.

Good historical fiction with mystery and romance. Nice to read a book that delivers all 3.

We hear about immigrants every time we watch the news. But I had never thought about immigrants in England during WWII. This is not a war book that describes fighting in much detail. It is about the war in London after Hitler started dropping bombs on the city. Night after night bombs were dropped so that people did not get sleep but had to go to bomb shelters.

Embers in the London Sky is about what to do with children to keep them safe. Do people send their children to live with strangers in the country or keep them close and risk losing them in a bombing? How and who keeps track of the children going to the country?

Should immigrants get the same amount of rationed food as English citizens?How do you house and care for people that came to England with nothing? All these questions and more are topics in this book.

This mom got in trouble for not doing her jobs because she couldn't put this book down. So amazing! Courage, self love, trauma, romance, WWII, it's got it all!

Sarah Sundin has written a compelling story in her novel, Embers in the London Sky. In a WWII setting readers find a mother desperate to find her missing child. Tension was kept high which kept my pages turning. Characters and their actions and emotions were realistic and relatable. Romance, murders, and mysteries blend with historical details of the WWII era to bring readers a wonderful story that is not soon forgotten. I read a complimentary copy of the book and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are my own.

Sarah Sundin has written an intriguing WWII novel worth reading.
I may not be in a position to classify Embers in the London Sky as Sarah Sundin’s masterpiece owing to having read only two of her works, but I am convinced that this will be shelved as one of her greatest works.
Sarah Sundin’s Embers in the London Sky, an historical novel, begins in 1940 at Tilburg, Netherlands, where Aleida Van der Zee Martens is forced to evacuate with her family to London, United Kingdom, following the invasion of the Nazis in her home country. Aleida enters her new country, widowed and in search of her beloved son, Theodoor. Her determination to find her son causes her to cross paths with Hugh Collingswood, an aristocratic BBC war correspondent. With a common denominator of being plunged into war and the loss of loved ones, the two begin a friendship that blossoms into love.
I loved this novel’s plot. It was totally different from other WWII novels that I have read. The author’s addition of a murder mystery to a WWII novel was different but beautifully executed. I was kept in suspense throughout the novel. The creation of awareness of unpopular incidents during WWII, specifically xenophobia, is very commendable on the author’s part.
The main characters were great. It was as if I were there, reporting with Hugh during the London air raids and assisting Aleida in the search of Theodoor. The main characters were relatable in terms of their struggles during such a difficult period. The minor characters, Lennox, the cat, Lousia, Gilbert, and Jouveau, the journalists who met up at the Hart and Swan, all left a good mark on my mind.
If you are a fan of Sarah Sundin, make sure to grab her latest novel. For those yet to read any of this author’s novels, may this one usher you into her works.
I received a complimentary copy courtesy of Bethany House through NetGalley and Interviews & Reviews for my honest opinion."