The Berlin Wife’s Vow by Marion Kummerow. Edith is married to Julius and by a miracle he is saved from his fate as a Jewish man in Nazi Germany. The end of the war is a time I find so interesting because everything breaks down even further than I can comprehend. This book is obviously sad but it’s very well written but apparently it’s not the best one in the series so I’ll have to read the rest of them and report back.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster that pulled me in from the very first page. Edith’s unwavering love and devotion to her husband, Julius, as they face the horrors of Nazi Germany is both heartbreaking and inspiring. The story is filled with moments of raw fear, hope, and the desperate choices people had to make to survive. The author beautifully captures the tension and devastation of Berlin in 1944, making it impossible not to feel deeply for these characters. If you love historical fiction that tugs at your heart and keeps you turning pages, this is a must-read.

I enjoyed this book, indeed series. It was a different slant on life during wartime in Germany. I couldn’t put the book down until I’d finished it.

What a story! I loved it. It did not disappoint. Having read the earlier books in this series I really wasn’t sure how the suspense could be held right to the last page. In the end, what other ending could there be: it was simple but yet gripping. These were real people who had lost everything but retained their humanity. Can’t wait for the next book.
When you choose to read this book you will feel love, fear, great fullness, admiration, joy and sadness. Once you open this book, you won’t be able to put it down. Thank you everyone, author, publisher and NetGalley for making it possible to read.

I received an advance copy for free, and I’m leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you

I’m looking forward to the promised side stories.

This is a heartbreaking story but one that everyone should read. A great story of hardship, family, and love. This is a great series!

TRIGGER WARNING: Nazi antisemitic ideology and violence
1943, Germany. Jews in hiding. Nazi officers working against their leadership. Friends and family in danger of being denounced and arrested at every turn...
The Berlin Wife's Vow is an historical book set during the second half of WW2. It is the fourth book in a series and I do feel that I would have benefitted from reading the earlier books to better understand the journey the characters have been on. I was able to catch up quickly but it did feel a little like I'd been dropped into the middle of a story.
There are a wealth of characters introduced to us at the start of the book. All of them are struggling to cope with life in Germany under the Nazis and are united in wanting to subvert the regime. Edith is married to a Jew and has been rejected by her brother who is a Nazi officer at an extermination camp. Her other brother is involved with resistance, putting his life in danger. Thea is brutally beaten until she agrees to betray others, while Helga and her family are trying to help those at risk of arrest and deportation.
Initially I was unsure of the wife and vow in question so felt that the title and book blurb didn't quite match the plot (this was before I realised that it was the 4th book in a series). However, I understood better later in the book as events progressed. The writing style is easy to read and the characters were all depicted authentically and vividly brought to life. There is unpleasant violence and attitudes as you would expect due to the historical and geographical setting but these were not gratuitous. This was balanced by the kindness, love and hope that the characters cling to as they battle the worst of humanity.
The author has clearly researched the background for the book and has invested a lot in her characters and plot development over the series. My degree is in history and I have studied Nazi Germany a lot but I enjoyed being shown new perspectives and lesser known events such as the Rosenstrasse protest.
The Berlin Wife's Vow is an engaging, emotional and well researched historical novel.

I felt that this story is about belief, not always the right one. Wether it was in the powers that be, who loves you, that’s you will see the end of the war, that you won’t be discovered,
There was more than one nasty character Dobberke was up there however Thea (for me) was the worst kind of nasty, sell your own if it got you something.
The research was immaculate, the story is smattered with memorable events. I love books that have you checking out events and places.
It met all my expectations and more.

In the fourth book of the German Wives series, readers follow Edith, Julius, the rest of their family, and their neighbors as life somehow continues in the aftermath of the Rosenstrasse protests. With the war seeming to come to an end, everyone tries to find a way to fight back and retain their dignity; if the Nazis are coming for them, then they will do what they can to keep themselves safe and damage the Nazis’ efforts. As the world continues to change and Nazis raids escalate as the Soviets move closer and closer to Berlin, Edith and Julius must make some hard choices to keep their family alive. With such high stakes and new horrors to live through, the Falkensteins’ story is just as fascinating and immersive as the first three books. Bringing many arcs and stories to a close, this novel is an immersive and detailed look into the lives of Berliners during World War II and their brushes with deportation and imprisonment. Kummerow’s characters are the stars of the novel, and the alternating perspectives add to the tensions. A fantastic read and an excellent continuation of the series, readers are guaranteed to enjoy the latest book in Kummerow’s series.

Such a great ending to the series! If you have read the first 3 in the series you will want to get your hands on this book. Readers are finally able to see how the Falkenstein family fares thorought the war. These are characters that you will have come to love and to have the finality of the book was great.

This is the fourth (and sadly last) book in The Berlin Wives series and what a fantastic ending!

The book starts in the year 1943 – the previous books date back to the period of when Hitler came into power in 1933 and the agonising persecution of the Jewish population. The different bans and things that the Jewish people couldn’t do were happening slowly, but steadily, and it was apparent in the previous stories.

In Berlin Wife’s Vow, the story is centred around the younger generation. Edith, Julius, Helga and Heinrich still feature in the book, but they are more in the background.

David Goldmann, who is Helga and Heinrich’s son, takes a centre stage and his relationship with Roxi, who is of Romani background. David gets involved with the resistance activities, which were perilous, but necessary to overthrow Hitler’s reign.

We also see more of Thea Dalke, who was David’s girlfriend many moons ago. I found her story fascinating, but it angered me at the same time. When caught by the Nazis, she decided to collaborate with them to save her skin.

Overall, I am quite saddened to see these characters go, as I grew quite fond of them. I hope that they will make an appearance in the author’s other books.

In the meantime, I urge everyone to read these books. If you like historical fiction, particularly WWII, then this is a series for you!

Berlin wife

The Berlin Wife’s Vow is the fourth and final book in the German Wives Series by Marion Kummerow. A fantastic historical fiction series about life in Germany before and during WWII and the rise and fall of Nazism. I have read all four books in the series and thoroughly enjoyed them all. But I have to say I think The Berlin Wife’s Vow was my favourite. I loved the character development of the younger generation, Amelie, David and Roxi and how the story line focuses more on their lives and journey through the war. I also felt like a lot of loose ends were tied up and gave me closure. Like the other three stories in this series, I felt heartache for the Falkenstein and Goldman families and all they endured but also was amazed at their resiliency, tenacity and determination to survive. For the first time in the series I felt a sense of hope for the future of The Falkensteins and Goldmans. If you are a fan of historical fiction, and World War Two and want to learn more about the struggles Jewish people endured during Nazism then I’d highly recommend you read The German Wives series.

Thank you Bookouture for having me on this book tour and for my arc of The German Wife’s Vow. All opinions are my own. This book was a definite 5⭐️read.

World War II rages on across Europe and people are growing weary wondering when the horror will ever end. Edith Falkenstein is over joyed knowing that some family members are saved from being transported to the camps, including her husband Julius. But it is way too soon to let their guard down. They must still fight to survive and they can never give up hope. I loved the characters David and Roxi and it didn’t surprise me that they bravely joined the resistance. As the bombs continued to fall from the sky, their life seems to get more and more dismal. But they hang on to each other and the hope of freedom one day.

The Berlin Wife’s Vow written by author Marion Kummerow is an amazing addition to the German Wives Series. I was heart broken at the horrible conditions and the life they had to endure. This gripping story was a fast-paced story that was unputdownable. I enjoy this author’s writing style so much, she keeps me coming back for more of her stories. She intertwines stories that are entertaining, engaging and inspiring, while educating the reader on the facts of history. I love that even though it was a long time ago, there are so many lives and families that will be forever changed through all the generations to come. May we never forget. I highly recommend this wonderful story.

The Berlin Wife's Vow is the fourth and final book in the German Wives series and like all the previous books in the series was hard to put down. It covers the last two years of WWII with lots of action.

Through Marion Kummerow's effortless writing, I loved seeing the characters and their stories brought to life. As a reader I was left thinking if the characters would get the much needed closure, manage to survive the war and rebuild their lives.

I recommend reading the entire series in order. A story of survival through darkest times. Historical fiction at its best!!

Thank you @bookouture for having me on the #booksontour and @netgalley for the digital ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “The Berlin Wife’s Vow”. This is the final book in the series and I am sad to see it end. However the author hinted that there might be a spin off series down the road.
This book mostly focuses on David and Roxi. David is half Jewish and Roxi is a Romani Gypsy. They fight hard to survive during the war. I liked the other characters in the book- Amalie- David’s sister, Knut- a gay German official who is trying to stay under the radar and Thea. Thea is complicated- she’s Jewish but words for the Gestapo turning in her Jewish friends.
This book really got into the nitty gritty of the war. It is a satisfying end to a wonderful series. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheBerlinWifesVow #MarionKummerow #NetGalley #BooksSetInBerlin #BooksSetDuringWWII #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks

The Berlin Wife’s Vow is the fourth and final instalment in Marion Kummerow’s German Wives series. It picks up more or less where the previous book left off in 1943 and instead of the situation for all the characters getting better things seem to be deteriorating at a rapid pace. The matriarchs of the two families featured, Edith and Helga, take more of a back seat in this book and it was only around a quarter or so into the book that I realised this. The younger generation are stepping forward and sharing their stories and this made sense when I read the author’s end notes. Once, I realised that the aforementioned characters wouldn’t have as dominant a role to play I stopped searching for them to feature heavily in chapters and settled into the story. Yes, the two women do feature but to a much lesser extent than they previously had.

David and his sister Amelie live with their parents Helga and Heinrich in a shared apartment with the Falkensteins, Edith and Julius. The siblings are of Jewish descent but only half Jews as their mother is not Jewish, still that does not make them free from the threat of capture or the laws that are imposed upon Jews. Julius is not a practicing Jew and had denounced his religion but again being of Jewish descent means he is a target. Julius has gone from being a powerful businessman who owned a bank and had great wealth to a shadow of his former self. He is weak and frail from his previous incarceration which is not helped by a further injury which hinders him throughout the story. His sense of strength and hope has left him and with every turn of the page I expected him to just give up. His wife Edith is steadfast and loyal and has been with him through thick and thin yet I could sense there was an apprehension about her that time was running out for them and with the situation in Berlin worsening with bombs raining down and the threat of capture from the Gestapo that she too questioned whether they could all make it safely out through the other side.

As previously mentioned, the younger generation come to the fore here, one of them being David. He wants to go underground and live illegally. He plays a very dangerous game throughout and goes outside with his jacket wearing his jacket bearing the star of David inside out so he will avoid detection. It was fascinating to read of the resistance work that he became involved in. I thought he was so dogged and determined and was stepping up to do his bit at just the right time. He was the leader of the younger generation as the older generation had passed the baton on. Not that they probably wanted to but just that they physically, and to a great extent mentally, were not able to continue on.

Roxi is from a Romani background and has seen her family and community members decimated in a similar way to the Jewish population. She is without doubt the standout character of the book. I adored her as a character and wanted her to feature even more than she did. She was brave, intuitive, fearless and resourceful and was like a cat with nine lives. You could feel the love and devotion that herself and David had for each other and that if circumstances were different they wouldn’t have to hide their relationship and could be out and about in public relaxed and at ease. I admired Roxi from beginning to end and I loved that she put herself in the firing line when push came to shove and she had to do something that could potentially have resulted in her own imprisonment if discovered.

Amelie, David’s sister, does feature and play her part in resistance activities whilst at the same time making sure her family are safe which is not easy considering as the story moves forward into 1944 and 1945 the situation throughout Berlin is precarious and death, starvation, danger and the threat of capture by the Gestapo lurk around every corner. Amelie in my mind was under utilised and I would have liked to read more about her. She seemed to pop in and out at various intervals and I would have liked to get to know her in more depth. But perhaps the worst character of all was Thea. She is a former school friend of Ameile’s and was once David’s girlfriend and as the author herself says in her end notes she is complex and conflicted. I definitely would use those two words to describe her but selfish and self-centred would be another two. She is Jewish and has been living underground since her parents were taken away. She has no idea where her husband Ralf is not that she cared for him in the slightest. Thea had lived a good life and wanted for nothing and now she has fallen very far from grace and is about to go even further with her actions that are revealed over the course of the book.

Thea doesn’t want to be captured and sent away to a camp to god knows what fate. So when the Gestapo do locate her and take her in she fears the worst will befall her. But she is clever and will play any game to make sure her parents aren’t sent away when she discovers they are in a holding camp and she wants to secure her own fate. She went to a very dark side and in one small way I could see she was thinking of her parents but in another she only ever thought of herself and her long term future. She gets involved in something that earns her a name feared throughout the streets of Berlin. She has made a deal which I thought the results of would never ever come to fruition. She was gullible and given the entire reason for the war in the first place and Thea being Jewish well the deal was never going to come off. Instead, she caused heartache and despair for so many and at times I really didn’t want to read of her viewpoint because she caused so many conflicting emotions within me.

For me, The German Wife’s Vow wasn’t the best book in the series but I wouldn’t have missed out on it because I had become fully invested in all the characters in particular Edith and Julius. The ending did feel a little rushed but I suppose it did reflect the reality of the last days of war as the Soviets approached the city and those that were left had no choice but to take action. I did think why hadn’t they done this earlier as the option had been available to them but then there wouldn’t have been any books to read. The series as a whole has been very good and I have enjoyed it immensely as it was very interesting to read of families perspectives of the war coming from marriages that meant the children weren’t fully Jewish. I did enjoy that it was always set in Berlin as it’s not often I read about how the Germans themselves survived in a city ruled by the Gestapo and bombs raining down upon them from the British. It’s always good to get two sides to a story. The author mentions she has a spin off series forming in her head. Clues for which were dropped in this book. Well, I didn’t pick up on them so I suppose that’s a good thing as I will be completely surprised by the new series and who will feature. Although being truthfully honest I’d love an entire series devoted to Roxi. I could read about her forever.

This is the final book in the Berlin Wife's series, and I have diligently read and followed along with it all. Being fascinated with learning about past history especially WWII history I enjoy reading this author's books so much for what I learn from them. Exceptionally well researched which I always appreciate she makes the stories come to life on the pages. It's as though she's there back in time and writing about her observations in day-to-day life, amidst the fear, danger, courage, blood, sweat, tears and shocking realizations.
I have read most of the books the author has written and was pleased to see a return of characters from other books in the series and even a few characters made it into the book I remember from other series. If I had to choose my favorite characters would be David and Roxie. Roxie has really come a long way from the time we were first introduced to her.
Such resilience in the face of darkness. We meet new characters, see failures but despite these, the human spirit is strong.
I am so impressed with the way the author portrays each character, so realistically, the struggles and hardships are real. Despite all this I felt the strong family love the characters have for each other. I greatly look forward to reading the new series the author is writing.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Kummerow concludes the series with this book. It’s fast paced, covering the last two years of the war.
Roxi was my favorite character in this one. She was a survivor who knew how to blend in and disappear at will.
Edith and Julius are in the background mostly as the story focuses on David, Roxi, and Thea.
I can barely her name much less read her chapters. Thea is the lowest of the traitors and it sickened me when I had to see her name. She deserved everything she got and more, so much more.
Kummerow explains what happened to everyone and also who was based on a real person including slimy Thea.

Yet another moving story from this author. It centres around one family in 1944 at a time when Jews were being rounded up and either sent away to camps or being watched after everything has been taken away from them.
David lives with his family and another family all in the same apartment just trying to survive. He works for the resistance and is hoping his gypsy girlfriend has manage to escape the hands of the Germans.
It tells the hardship they all had to go through, treachery from their own kind and determination to keep fighting no matter what the cost.
Lovely story from beginning to end.

The resistance is still going strong as the war goes on.
The Jewish population continues to be arrested and sent to concentration camps.
This story is very moving and emotional.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Marion Kummerow never lets me down! The story is about the final days of WWII, as the people are still filled with fear. A wife has made a promise to her husband. So touching. I wasn't able to put it down. My family ate cold cereal for supper as I kept reading.

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

This was an interesting book! It had a very unique perspective of the events that happened in 1943. In a time of horror and sorrow, heroes emerged!

Roxi is my favorite character! She's brave, intuitive, and resourceful. Her ingenuity saved many lives.

I was provided a copy of the book from Bookouture via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.