It is often difficult to comprehend the atrocities committed in the past, especially those related to World War II. However, reading books about this period can help us remember these events. This particular novel features a storyline that takes place in two different time periods: Germany during the 1940s, and America during the early 1980s. Although the events portrayed in this story are disturbing and heart-wrenching, the protagonist's determination to make things right --particularly the "sins of the mother" -- is powerful. I found myself cheering for Evie's quest for justice while holding my breath at the end because I wasn't sure how it'd play out. Overall, it was a good read.

Loved it! Evie was not my favorite character. All her issues were probably caused by her parents not loving her enough, actually at all. Evie refused to listen or take advice from anyone. She would do the exact opposite of what she was told to do. Marty, her immediate boss in the OSI, tells her not to contact her parents or share the information that was uncovered. So of course, Evie needs to confront them, numerous times. Evie was lucky to get out of East Berlin . She was warned numerous times not to make a scene or draw attention to herself. So naturally she does and draws the attention of the Stassi. She put herself and Sebastian in so much danger. It wasn't hard to figure out Evie's parents were hiding something. They never wanted to talk about their past and no pictures in the house. They were hardly loving parents and just tolerated their daughter (barely.) I never would have thought they were capable of trying to kill Evie, but then again there's all the atrocious crimes from their past. Helen and Alex had an extremely warped belief system and it didn't stop when they relocated to the Unite States. The Lebensborn program was horrible. The Angel of Death stealing so children and killing so many more in the villages that she would visit. Did the children ever find out who they really were? This was such a heartbreaking story for both Sebastian and Evie. Both learned the truth about their parents. One of the saddest moments was when Marty arrived at the hotel to meet up with Evie and Sebastian. Everything that happened was shocking and I never expected it.

Definitely recommend the book. Loved the story, characters and writing style. It was a great historical fiction, especially with all the information about the Lebensborn program and the atrocities associated with it. It's hard to believe this kind of stuff actually happened and so many people went along with it. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

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

I first learned about the Lebensborn program over thirty years ago. But it wasn’t until further research and reading that I realized they were also snatching children.
This story evokes heartbreak and rage. I liked the time era because it’s always refreshing to read when technology didn’t rule everyone’s lives.
Helene was just vile and I struggled to read her parts of the book.
The plot has much more depth than I anticipated.
Although historical fiction, it’s steeped in fact. How terrible that thousands of people never knew or will know their true heritage.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book and oh my word what a book

this book kept me riveted, even though this is an historical fiction you have to know that the the nazis did do some of this and its shocking in its extreme

the ultimate race, where hitler encouraged all of germany to have at least 4 children those with the right looks blonde and blue eyed and other attributes anything else was considered not good enough and were quietly sent else where.... even to the gas chambers

and this is the story of a doctor who led with that idea and looked for the right babies and placed them in the right families with all that entails....

evie is a lawyer and has just started a new job investigation war crimes, and its there that she meet sebastian who has a tale to tell about his birth and upbringing

together they discover some horrific news

what a storyline, so gripping and real and so shockingly absorbing i couldnt put it down....

I loved this thrilling story! I was gripped from early on where we meet Helene whose callous behaviour causes some of the worst war crimes committed by the Nazis.

One of the reasons I enjoy reading historical fiction is I often learn something new. I wasn’t aware of the Lebensborn homes that young German women of the right racial profile were guided to, to give birth. And even though we know about the Nazi’s generation and protection of the aryan race, I didn’t know the lengths that they went to. Their treatment of children along with every other atrocity committed is just so awful and heartbreaking.

This book is historical fiction but reads like a thriller with its gripping nature, the twists along the way and murderous characters. I’m not a big romance fan so when the main plot was interrupted by the love story I was shouting at them to get back to it, but I loved the back and forth and their emotions made the book very real!

Both main characters go on a journey to find their parents, even though there are heartbreaking outcomes, the need to find the truth spurs them on.

I don’t often say this but I think this would make a brilliant film!

This was captivating historical fiction novel set against the backdrop of World War II. It took me on an emotional journey through the lives of two women separated by time, yet bound by the same secret.

The story starts with nineteen-year-old Annaliese, who finds herself alone and pregnant in war-torn Berlin. Seeking refuge at a home for expectant mothers. Annaliese becomes suspicious of the nurses and their secretive behavior. The book created an atmosphere of tension and I felt Annaliese's uncertainty and fear.

In 1979, lawyer Evie travelled to Berlin to investigate the heartbreaking stories of infants torn from their mothers during the war. As she delved into her research, Evie found a photograph that shook her up. The author smoothly wrote the two timelines bringing them together.

Annaliese, was determinated and resilient. Evie, on the other hand, was a determined and lawyer who wanted to seek justice for those who needed it.
I felt heartbreak in parts of the story, and was sucked into it from the beginning.

This author was a new author to me and I intend to read more of her work. She's such a brilliant writer.

Thank you net galley for giving me this opportunity to read this book.
This is a dual timeline story of WWII and 1979/80.
Annaleise is a young pregnant woman and has just been kicked out of the family house. She is eventually housed in a Lebenborn house to wait the birth of her baby. The baby's father told Annaleise that when the baby is born they will be a family of three. Annaleise gives birth to a son who is then taken away from her and placed in the care of another family.

Fast forward to 1979/80 the 'lost' son Sebastian is now a man nearing forty. He has just lost his adoptive mother and has found out some shocking information about his birth.

Evie is a lawyer how is now working in the OSI office to hopefully reunite the Lebenborn children with their right families. Evie and Sebastian eventually go East Germany looking for answers. But what Evie finds out is their are skeletons in her own life.

These are my own opinions.

What an enthralling yet heartbreaking story!
It is a very hard story to read. And, one that you will not forget. Definitely a story we should not forget.
The history aspect was an eye opener. The authors writing of this page turner World War 2 novel pulls you in ands won’t let you go.
The story duel timeline of Germany 1944 and America in 1979. The story revolves around the Lebensborn children. Such a gripping and unputdownable book.
I have to say, this is one of the best WW2 historical fiction books I have read.
Highly recommended to anyone that reads WW2 historical fiction.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Lebensborn…Germany not only exterminated many people, but they also had breeding plans. The Aryan race needed to take over. Many children were cleaned out of entire towns never to see their families again.
We often think of the hideous male persons who carried out such vitriol and hatred but yet,many women were just as evil and cold to both children and other women.
It is amazing how many Nazi war criminals were able to hide and escape prosecution and prison or death. Even now, we hear of extremely elderly Nazi Germans who lived their entire lives free until the very end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I loved this book, it was exciting, riveting and sad. It ticked all the boxes I expect from a good book and more. I loved the romance that was introduced gently and unobtrusively, I am an action packed, thrill seeking reader whose books do not have a lot of romance, but this was just enough.
I enjoyed the author's attention to detail and the historical facts portrayed. It was a time in the 2nd World War which impacted on a lot of people, but Catherine Hokin handled it beautifully and gave us a novel that had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. I loved the main characters, Evie and Sebastian, they were strong, stubborn and brought me to tears and feelings of anxiety at times. This book is for anyone that loves a good, exciting story, it was so good I read it in a day, just could not put it down!

The Children We Lost by Catherine Hokin is an emotionally devastating tale of the unthinkable cruelties perpetrated by the Nazi regime through the Lebensborn agenda. Designed to perpetuate the Aryan race, Himmler oversaw a program stealing “desirable” children and placing them with loyal Nazi families while eliminating “undesirable” children. At the heart of Lebensborn was a woman known as the Angel of Death.

Hokin’s fictional account tells the story through dual timelines. Set in WWII Europe and America in 1979, she blends historical events with intrigue and family drama to create a fast paced, impossible to put down novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I appreciated the story and how different it was from most historical fiction covering WWll. I learned more about the stolen Lebensborn children which seems often to be forgotten in the retelling of history during this period. Some of the characters were very likable while others were deplorable. The only negative about the book is that it was too coincidental and, in that respect, unbelievable. It made for a good story and I suppose that was the author’s intent. Overall, a nice read about a terrible time in history.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review.

A difficult book to review…
During WW2, thousands of children were rounded up across Europe by the Nazis, but they did not all share the same fate. The Jewish children were quickly eliminated, because they were “vermin” to Hitler. “Imperfect” children also met untimely deaths. Many children, however, did fit the Aryan ideal with their blond hair, blue eyes, and 63 other qualifications used as a checkpoint. Some of these little ones were literally kidnapped from homes and parks by the Nazis and handed over to German families to raise, their biological parents never seeing them again. One woman in particular became known as, “The Death Angel”, because when she came around, children always disappeared. Mothers quickly learned to hide the young ones when this officious doctor was in town.
These terrible activities were all part of the German Lebensborn program. Proud followers of Hitler would stop at nothing to bring his ideals of a perfect Aryan world to fruition. But what happened to these Nazi zealots when Germany was defeated and the “thousand-year reign” came to nothing?..
Excellent historical fiction; a must-read for history buffs.

This was such a good read, it was so good I couldn't put ti down. It is well written with a heartbreaking story line. I really enjoyed it

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and this book did not disappoint. The parallel storyline is perfectly woven together!!! The characters pull you in along with the detailed descriptions of times and places. I love WW2 historical fiction, and this hit on parts of WW2 that I did not realize had happened and are not covered like other portions of the war.

I absolutely love this author's work, and this novel is no exception.

1944 in Berlin and Annaliese is abandoned at the Lebensborn home, cast out by her own family and left to get on with things by her Nazi officer lover. She knows he will come for her eventually, but until then she must make the most of the situation she has found herself in, for there are many worse off.

1979 in the US and Lawyer Evie has been set a new task by her boss, dealing with Nazi war criminals who may have come the US legally under Operation paperclip but now need to be held accountable for their crimes.

Her first task is to investigate children who were misplaced during the war at the hands of the Nazi regime. A chance meeting with Sebastian who is looking for his birth Mother leads them both to travel to Berlin.

Neither of them are prepared for what they are about to discover, for the truth is worse than either of them could ever have imagined.

Sebastian who has so desperately sought the truth is now wishing that he hadn't bothered as he learns that both his parents are potentially Nazis, and Evie who only wanted to help, has her own life turned upside when when she stumbles across a newspaper article featuring a high society Nazi wedding.

It seems that everything she's understood about her own life up until then has been a lie. She now has her own story to deal with alongside Sebastian's. Which only makes her more determined than ever to bring the guilty to justice, no matter how dangerous that might be...

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

I am a fan of historical fiction, especially books set during WW2 and having read some of this authors books before I began The Children we Lost with high expectations. This book had everything I hoped for and really hit the mark with me. I think the authors writing style is good - it is engaging, beautifully descriptive at times and I was immediately drawn into the story which grabbed and held onto my interest and attention all the way through. The dual time lines, the way the story moved from past to present times so easily, and the different country settings make for a very, very good and moreish read. I really liked Evie and Sebastian who became alive in my mind when reading. I hated one character and couldn't wait to see them be found out and face the consequences of their actions. I think the plot line is well thought out and the authors research shines throughout the story making this a very absorbing, compelling and yet heartbreaking read at times that just pulled at my emotions. This is one of the best WW2 historical fiction books I've read this year and one of those reads that will stay with me a while after finishing it. I loved everything about this book and can't fault it at all. If you enjoy WW2 historical fiction I'd definitely recommend this to you.

5 stars

This story is set in Germany in 1944 and also America in 1979.

Children are being taken from their homes and the streets during the war. There are rumours of a woman called The Angel of Death who is taking them. She decides which of the children live and which ones die, she has a power that no other woman has.

Evie is part of a team in America in 1979, who investigate the stories of these missing children and try to reunite families after all these years. As she tries to help Sebastian, they embark on a journey that leads to unlocking the most horrendous secrets and lies.

This is an outstanding story of historical fiction. It is plain to see throughout the book just how much research would have gone into writing this book.

A truly compelling and emotional story, that I did find difficult to read.

It is one of those stories that stays with you for a long time and reminds us of how lucky we are.

My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Gripping, chilling and very, very satisfying

Superb writing from this author, a very eye catching cover, this book will go far, 5 stars. Blindingly excellent ... This book should come with a disclaimer as once you start reading you aren’t going to want to walk away.

Such a heartbreaking story! My mama heart was drawn to this while reading the description and I couldn’t wait to see how everything played out. It was so well written and my heart ached for every character. Another beloved WW2 novel!