Tuesday, June 17, 2014

For Such a Time

I remember when I first starting hearing the "buzz" about this story.....

Oh my!!

My, oh my, oh my.

I get it now. This book is just a litttttttle buzz-worthy. Just a little. *wink*

Book Rating: Best of the Best

You know how sometimes you just know before you even start reading a book that you are going to like it? My "spidey" senses aren't always "on" but they were in this case. I LOVED this book!!!

I can't summarize this well enough, so I decided to just include the blurb:

"In 1944, blond and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, in order to survive and maintain her cover as Aric's secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz.

Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric's compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy.

Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp's prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself? "

Oh my goodness! You're dying to read this aren't you!?!? Good! Because you will love it!

Right from the get-go you are hooked. The NEED to keep reading is overpowering. Breslin does an amazing job of keeping you on the edge of your seat--and making you cry! Due to the tender nature of the time and subject, I found myself weeping a time or two. Heartbreaking! Then, in the same instance, the beauty of the story and the faith and hope that is woven into the plot and characters is astounding.

The heroine Stella (Hadassah), was strong and yet vulnerable in all the right ways. I was rooting for her from the beginning and I knew, no matter how the story ended, that I wouldn't be able to forget her. The hero, Aric, was brooding and so dark at times that I wasn't even sure if I could like him--but in the end, he was FABULOUS! This book was not your typical story from Bethany. I haven't seen any historicals like this so far from them (not that I've read them all of course). So deep and heart wrenching-- and SO many STEAMY kisses! Hoo-ee! *fans self* Rest assured, everything was clean and appropriate, of course, but WHOA!

This is not a story that you can sit and read in a day or two. I mean, of course you could if you have that kind of time. For me, I took days to read this because I believed it deserved my time and attention. It almost commanded me to slow down and read every beautiful sentence.

Lastly, the ending clutched me at the throat and wouldn't let go until the last page. I literally thought, "Oh my word, I can't believe it is going to end this way!" Then, well.... I can't say any more, but I promise you will be smiling heartily inside and out!

I cannot recommend this book enough.

You. Will. Love. It.


Happy Reading!
Buy it!

6 comments:

  1. Ok. Now I have to read this book! When I first saw it, I thought it would be too dark and depressing, but your review has cinched it...must read :)

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    1. Anne! I'd love to hear what you think about the story once you've read it. It can be VERY sad at times, but I found that even though (like I said in the review) it was a very tender subject, that it was hopeful, and that made it tolerable. LOL Beautifully written. :)

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  2. This book just arrived from Amazon yesterday. Can't wait to start reading...need to finish another book first.

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    1. Marie! Thanks for commenting! I look forward to hearing what you think about it after you read it!

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  3. I had to pace myself, as the subject matter was SO HARD! I loved the book!

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    1. So true, Jennifer, it was so hard! Did you feel like it was too heavy? I almost did at times--I had to take it slow. I balled like a baby, but in the end it was good.

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