Review + Tour GIVEAWAY: When the Heart Sings by Liz Tolsma

Welcome to the Blog Tour & Giveaway for When the Heart Sings by Liz Tolsma, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: When the Heart Sings  
Series: Music of Hope #2  
Author: Liz Tolsma  
Publisher: Gilead Publishing  
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance  

Natia has a secret, and she’s hiding him right beneath her captor’s nose...

The Nazis have forced Natia and Teodor from their Polish farm to a labor camp. When the couple is separated, Natia is chosen to be the housekeeper for the camp’s overseer, and Teodor is sent to work in the factory. Despite the strict camp rules—and the consequences for disobeying them—Natia finds a way to communicate with Teodor by sending messages through song as she passes Teodor’s dormitory.

The stakes get higher when Natia finds a Jewish orphan on the overseer’s doorstep. She is determined to protect the boy and raise him as the child she and her husband were unable to bear— but if her German captors discover how much she’s hiding, both she and Teodor may pay the ultimate price.  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Christian Book | Book Depository


MY THOUGHTS

God, my Lord, my strength,

My place of hiding, and confiding,

In all needs by night and day;

Though foes surround me,

And Satan mark his prey,

God shall have his way.

When the Heart Sings is not only a book that entertained and held me spellbound, but it touched me in a profound way. The Nazi-occupied Poland of World War II is not an easy setting to read about, but Liz Tolsma’s exquisitely written narrative that focuses on two Polish Christians is one of hope. I was emotionally caught up from the very beginning, and although I was anxious to see how things turned out, I hated to turn the last page.

The scenario of a Polish woman living in a German home and trying to protect a Jewish baby is filled with tension. I grieved with Natia over the loss of her unborn child, and then when she and Teodor were forced to leave their beloved home shortly thereafter. The squalid conditions in train cars felt so very real and the separation of families upon arrival was pure agony. But the joy Natia found in music and the way she used it to communicate with Teodore in the factory dormitory was delightful.

God’s grace shines brightest in the darkest of nights, and that is beautifully reflected in this story. A steady thread of faith and hope is visible in the seemingly hopeless times when the Enemy works to destroy that faith. Natia and Teodore, as well as others – such as the wife of the camp overseer and a local doctor – are good people trying to do the right thing when the personal risk is great. I especially enjoyed the unlikely friendship between Natia and the overseer’s wife, Elfriede – one that grows over shared loss in spite of the language barrier. When the Heart Sings is a moving and uplifting story that will long stay with me.

Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book through JustRead Tours and Gilead Publishing. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Passionate might best describe Liz Tolsma. She loves writing, research, and editing. Her passion shone through in her first novel which was a double award finalist. On any given day, you might find her pulling weeds in her perennial garden, walking her hyperactive dog, or curled up with a good book. Nothing means more to her than her family. She's married her high-school sweetheart twenty-eight years ago. Get her talking about international adoption, and you might never get her to stop. She and her husband adopted three children, including a son who is a U.S. Marine, and two daughters.

CONNECT WITH LIZ: website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive (US only)

• a print copy of When the Heart Sings
• 'Just One More Chapter' throw pillow seen HERE

Enter via the Rafflecopter giveaway below. Giveaway will begin at midnight November 26, 2018 and last through 11:59pm December 3, 2018. US only. Winners will be notified within a week of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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