Happy Friday! I’m linking up with Carrie at Reading is My Superpower for First Line Friday and sharing the first line of the closest book. Today I’m sharing from The Winter Rose by Melanie Dobson.

Saint-Lizier, France
September 1943

“Sunlight broke through the mist like a spotlight in Hollywood, the crimson globe guiding Grace Tonquin and the twelve children in her care.”

The Winter Rose by Melanie Dobson

The Basics

Title: The Winter Rose

Author: Melanie Dobson

Publication Date: January 11, 2022

Genre: Christian Historical Fiction

My Rating: 5 Stars

From the Back Cover:

In this gripping split-time novel, Grace Tonquin is an American Quaker woman who works tirelessly in Vichy France to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis. After crossing the treacherous Pyrénées, Grace returns home to Oregon with a brother and sister whose parents were lost during the war. Though Grace and her husband love Élias and Marguerite as their own, echoes of Grace’s past and trauma from the Holocaust tear the Tonquin family apart.

More than fifty years after they disappear, Addie Hoult arrives at Tonquin Lake, hoping to find the Tonquin family. For Addie, the mystery is a matter of life and death for her beloved mentor Charlie, who is battling a genetic disease. Though Charlie refuses to discuss his ties to the elusive Tonquins, finding them is the only way to save his life and mend the wounds from his broken past.

My Review

The Winter Rose is a powerful story of hope and healing in the midst of tragedy. The dual timelines connect a daring escape during World War II with the present day. Grace, a young Quaker woman, is dedicated to rescuing Jewish children from occupied France during the war. Her journey with the children kept me on the edge of my seat, hoping they would escape the Nazi’s grip. But that wasn’t the end of the danger for Elias and Marguerite, who came home to America with Grace. The trauma they faced during the war followed them and led to a betrayal that affected their family for generations to come.

In the present day, Addie, a young widow, is searching for healing for the man who rescued her. She thought that her search for the truth was for the benefit of her mentor, Charlie, but it turned out she needed the healing it brought as well. The two storylines were perfectly woven together in a beautiful, satisfying conclusion. With characters that steal your heart, vivid descriptions that transport you into the story, and powerful themes of redemption and forgiveness, this is a story that will stay with you long after the final page. I highly recommend this book for fans of historical fiction and authors like Sarah Sundin and Heidi Chiavaroli!

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.