About the Book

Book: What I Promise You

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian Fiction / Romance / Historical Fiction

Release Date: February 1, 2024

A Family’s History Is Lost to the Ravages of WWII in Southwest France

1942 Noémie Treves, a young, pregnant Jewish woman, had her entire world shattered when she is arrested and taken to the Camp de Rivesaltes transit camp in Southwest France. No sooner does she arrive, though, than she assists in helping two young girls scheduled for transport escape to a nearby maternity hospital. The matron there befriends her and changes her name to help hide her. But nothing goes according to plan, and Hannah finds herself doing the unimaginable to save one precious life.

2022 Caitlyn Laurant is haunted by recent events in her life and hopes becoming a nurse on the mission field will help her forget. While in training, she and her friends travel to France where her grandfather was born. What should have been an easy search for his birthplace turns into anything but and reveals secrets that no one alive has ever heard.

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My Review:

World War II Noemie Treves and her husband are arrested for being Jewish. Noemie is pregnant and their life is shaken up during the darkest hours of the Holocaust.

This multi-timeline spanning 1942, 1955, and 2022 brings characters throughout the generation in this heartfelt story when all could be hopeless. With the enduring human spirit, faith, love, and many sacrifices. The author seamlessly weaves together the past and present and paints a picture that will bring tears to your eyes and hope to your heart.

Another woman Caitlyn Laurent a nurse in 2022, is suffering the tremendous loss of her best friend. She ends up in France to prepare to be a missionary nurse in Africa. She decides to look into the maternity home where her grandfather was born. It's more than she imagined she would find and her life will never be the same as she uncovers the real history.

The story can be complex and when another character is added it starts to weave together and fill in all the gaps. This is a fantastic read. Liz Tolsma brings together stories from historical events that you might not have heard about. She masterfully brings it all together.

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through Celebrate Lit Bloggers in exchange for my honest thoughts.

About the Author

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping.

More from Liz

The Story behind the Cover of What I Promise You

In the late summer, I got the preliminary cover for What I Promise You. While Barbour Publishing always does a great job with their covers, and the one they sent was very nice, I wasn’t crazy about it because it didn’t tell the story at all. The mansion that plays such a big part in the novel was nowhere to be seen. Barbour is fantastic when it comes to working with me to get great covers, so I asked if we could include the real mansion that the story is based on. Turns out that they were having trouble getting copyright permission to use any image they could find of the maternity home.

That was disappointing. But I got brave and let them know that I took a picture of it when I was in France last year, and they could use it, but I’m not a very good photographer and I only used my iPhone. I attached the photo to the email and didn’t hear anything for a while.

Then in October, I wanted to include a preorder link to the book on social media or something and went to Amazon to grab it. And there was the cover. I went back and forth between the cover and my picture, and sure enough, it was the picture of the maternity home I had sent them! So I not only wrote What I Promise You, but some of my photography is on the front. I never thought that would happen. Am I in the wrong profession?? Just kidding!