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Saturday, April 03, 2010

My review of Songbird Under a German Moon by Tricia Goyer.

About the book:

The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitler's Germany. The first night's performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they're housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corp Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Betty's dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Frank's photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds hearts may find the answers...in each other. But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon

My review:

There were certain things I enjoyed about this book and other things that I didn't like as much. I loved the era the whole idea of the American soldiers set in occupied Germany following the war. I also liked how the soldiers received entertainment from some pretty talented singers as a core part of the plot with the creepy Wagner music theme and Hitler's obsession with Wagner's music as a backdrop. That was fun and interesting. Then the story hit a slow spot and I lost interest.

When I picked it up again and started to get back into the story I enjoyed the rest. However, there was something that didn't set right with me. I think maybe it was that I didn't feel fully immersed in the setting and wasn't fully invested in the story itself. The relationship between Betty and Frank seemed a bit artificial to me and their one argument was almost plastic, so I wasn't feeling the tension. That's the best way I can describe my perception. However, overall it was a good story. Not typical Goyer WWII fiction, though, which I've always found enthralling. Maybe that was one of the things that didn't work for me. Regardless, if you enjoy a historical mystery where someone is bent on destruction and there are some amateur sleuths trying to save the day, you should enjoy this story.

Songbird Under a German Moon was published by Summerside and released in Feb. 2010.

2 comments:

B. J. Robinson said...

I love the title, but your review does not make me want to read the book. I'm not that big on historical fiction though. Thanks.

Julia M. Reffner said...

I enjoy reading your reviews, Michelle. I really enjoy that you are balanced in your reviews, mentioning both the positive and negative of each book. It seems somewhat rare to find this in some of the reviews out there.

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