Blurb

While growing up in Germany in the 1930s, Rudolf falls in love with the girl next door, Gertrude. He doesn’t care what religion Gertrude practices but the Nazis do. When the first antisemitic laws are enacted by the Nazi government, Gertrude’s father loses his job at the local university. Unable to find employment in Germany, he accepts a position at Istanbul University and moves the family to Turkey.

Rudolf, desperate to follow Gertrude, takes a position working at the consulate in Istanbul with the very government which caused her exile. With Rudolf finally living in the same city as Gertrude, their reunion should be inevitable, but he can’t find her. During his search for Gertrude, he stumbles upon Rosalyn, an American Jew working as a nanny in the city. Upon hearing his heartbreaking story, she immediately agrees to help him search for his lost love.

Willing to do anything in their search for Gertrude, they agree to work for a British intelligence officer who promises his assistance, but his demands endanger Rudolf and Rosalyn. As the danger increases and the search for Gertrude stretches on, Rudolf and Rosalyn grow close, but Rudolf gave his heart away long ago.

How far would you go to find the woman you love?

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Review

This was my first time experiencing a novel written by this author, and it was a memorable one.

I’m a geek when it comes to the greatest generation, and I tend to over-analyze books set in the era.  However, I’m also a true fan of romance.  Haggerty blends the two beautifully, making this a mesmerizing novel that can’t be put down.

The entire story is entrancing, the setting is perfect, and the trials and tribulations our characters endure are believable.  Historical events are a pivotal part of the story, instead of being thrown in as background noise, and they’re intelligently written.  There’s never a lull, and the author puts you in that time and place.  I was hooked from the beginning and just hated to put it down!

Perfect book for fans of Historical Romance, and lovers of the era.

Highly recommend!

*I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest and unscripted review.

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