Roads of Resistance

1940

After her father is murdered, fifteen-year-old Ingrid Lang flees her home in Austria only to become separated from her siblings and stranded in the Dutch city of Arnhem with a pair of broken legs. Her future would be bleak if not for the kindness of a local doctor and his daughter Anita van der Veen. But before Ingrid can finish her healing and continue her journey to find her brother and sister, the forces of Nazi Germany overrun the Netherlands, leaving her trapped in an enemy occupation.

Four years later, Gerrit Hendriks, wanted by the Gestapo for his work with the underground, flees to his grandfather’s home in Arnhem, where he finds Ingrid and the van der Veens deeply ensconced in the local resistance. But suspicion, prejudice, and conflicting beliefs soon leave Ingrid and Gerrit at odds with each other.

As Ingrid and Gerrit gather intelligence for the Allies, smuggle airmen and other refugees to safety, and plan acts of defiance against the Nazis, irritations soften and teamwork blossoms. They soon realize that if they want to have any hope of outsmarting a German intelligence officer with a tie to Ingrid’s past, they’ll have to work together. As the two begin to recognize just how much they mean to each other, they find themselves in the middle of an enormous airborne operation, and the battles that follow will change everything—for Ingrid, for Gerrit, and for the Netherlands.

My Review:

Ingrid Lang and her siblings must flee their home in Austria at the beginning of WWII. Ingrid amazed me time and again with her resilience. She faces loss so many times, but she always continues to hold onto hope. Ingrid is a young lady whom I admired with her determination to help defeat the enemy of her new homeland and take on several roles in the Dutch resistance. 

While Gerrit Hendricks may not be enlisted as a soldier in the war, he does everything he possibly can to hinder the Germans. His fearlessness and willingness in order to do whatever no matter the cost was admirable. I found myself holding my breath every time Gerrit would leave  on his covert missions to stop the enemy. I didn’t really want to read what was going to happen next, but I just had to find out how things were going to work out for him and for Ingrid.

Things to look forward to:

historical details 

secrets

courage

forced proximity

the closet

found family

hope

fighting injustice

self sacrifice

If you are a fan of historical fiction, you will love this book and the way that Ms. Sowards weaves facts of WWII and Ingrid and Gerrit’s story together. You’ll be amazed how history will come alive as you become engaged with them and the network of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to fight evil. 

“Maybe when everything else is so dark, we need love more than ever.” 

This is part of the Falcon Point series, and I would read Heirs of Falcon Point and Codes of Courage before reading this. It is written by multiple authors, but don’t let that stop you. The authors have done an excellent job in creating an amazing story of the Lang family that you’ll want to read. 

I received a copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.