The Enemy Between Us

<b>WWII ROMANCE SET IN ITALY DURING THE RESISTANCE</b><br /><br />This was the first WWII fiction novel I have read that was set in Italy. It was definitely this fact that originally drew me to this book - it was new, uncharted territory and I was excited to dive into it. However, it didn't completely meet my expectations. I loved the setting but a lot of other stuff disappointed me. It wasn't a bad book, it just didn't live up to its potential either.<br /><br /><blockquote> <b> <i>"I wanted him - I could no longer deny the fact that I wanted Peter and he wanted me - but the war held us in its claws and would never let go."<br />- Franca </i> </b> </blockquote><br /><br /><b>? WHAT I LIKED ?</b><br /><br /><u>Italy</u>: WWII fiction set in Italy is uncommon, so I really liked getting this new point of view. WWII fiction has been done pretty much every which way, so it was nice to see that there are still avenues and stories left to be explored.<br /><br /><u>Peter</u>: Our male lead, Peter Weimer, is a German soldier who defects when faced with the inhumanity of his fellow German soldiers. I really liked how much heart he had, how much conscience. I liked what he represented - the 'everyday' German, who didn't support the Nazi party or the war, but who had next to no say in their own fate. <br /><br /><blockquote> <i> <b>"The innocent suffered the most on both sides of the war and in the greatest number."</b> </i> </blockquote><br /><br /><b>? WHAT I DISLIKED ?</b><br /><br /><u>Franca</u>: While I enjoyed the our male lead, our female lead, Franca, was not to my liking. At first I didn't understand her at all. I couldn't fathom why she did what she did. I couldn't see through her motivation for her actions. I got her better later on, but not enough for me to actually like her.<br /><br /><blockquote> <i> <b>"The war may control my circumstances, but it could not control my heart."<br />- Franca </b> </i> </blockquote><br /><br /><u>Flow</u>: There was something really off about the flow of the book. It felt choppy and weird.<br /><br /><u>Writing</u>: The writing wasn't really bad, but it definitely had flaws that I had a hard time getting past. Especially when Sanchez introduced 'surprises' to the story. Every time a surprise occurred I almost missed it - it had no build up and it was hidden in a block of text. They didn't stand out and had very limited impact on me. <br /><br /><b> <i>ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i> </b><br /><br /><b>Follow me for more book loving content!</b><br /><a href="https://majaholmelund.wixsite.com/bibliophiliadk" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog</a> ✨ <a href="www.facebook.com/BibliophiliaDK" rel="nofollow noopener">Facebook</a> ✨ <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bibliophiliadk/" rel="nofollow noopener">Instagram</a> ✨ <a href="https://twitter.com/BibliophiliaDK" rel="nofollow noopener">Twitter</a> <br /><a href="https://majaholmelund.wixsite.com/bibliophiliadk/post/20-life-lessons-from-winnie-the-pooh" rel="nofollow noopener">Blog Post: 20 Life Lessons from Winnie the Pooh<br /></a>

This book demonstrates perfectly why I love historical fiction. I've read a lot of WWII books set in many various places, typically England and Germany, but not so many set in Italy. I loved the dual first person perspectives from Franca and Peter which really helped me see and feel their inner struggles and desires.<br /><br />I thought there was an excellent balance of charged moments of danger and still, more mundane moments where the characters could just be. It allowed the story to flow at a good pace and still gave me time to digest and relate to the characters. The happy, gentle moments stood out strongly against the many hardships of living in the midst of the war. These characters faced more difficulties than they did happy moments but the author did a great job of weaving hope into the characters and the story so that I never felt too overwhelmed.<br /><br />Peter and Franca are both fantastic characters. Strong, even though they both feel weak in their own ways. Courageous, even when they are both afraid. Determined. Good. They both have heart and it really shined through. I could have kept reading more about these two and been perfectly content. I haven't read a historical fiction book in a couple months so this was a fun dive back into a genre I love. <br /><br />Content: peril, war time violence, kissing<br /><br />- I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

What an amazing story!<br /><br />It starts with Peter Weimer, a sergeant in the Nazi army, and stationed in Sicily, making a decision to save a prisoner girl instead of torturing her, as commanded. This decision changes the course of his life and leads him to meet the Chessari family. <br /><br />Franca is the youngest in her family. Her father has stayed behind, and she's helping her mother, sister, sister's baby, and brother in law. <br /><br />When Franca meets Peter, she doesn't trust him. Even though he's left the Nazi army, it takes Franca a while to see him as a German man instead of a Nazi.<br /><br />The setting of war-time Italy is very well done, along with the history. At times, it was hard to read what the characters went through at the hands of truly evil men. <br /><br />The relationship between Peter and Franca grows slowly, first with trust, then with friendship, until something more. I kept wondering how it was going to be possible for them to be together. <br /><br />The ending was a bit abrupt, but satisfying. <br /><br />I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion. <br />

Peter Weimer is a German soldier stationed in Italy, who has a higher ranking officer with a personal vendetta against him. When Peter is ordered to torture and kill a young female prisoner he decides he's had enough. He hides the prisoner, escapes, then turns himself into soldiers at an Axis prison camp telling them about the young women he hid in the cave so they can rescue her.<br /><br />Franca Chessari's life is now drastically different than it was. Away from the comfortable home she and her family have lived in, she's now on a farm with her mother, sister, and her sister's baby and husband learning to do chores she's never done before, and make do with the little food and necessities they have. One of the things Franca has to learn is not all Germans are Nazis.<br /><br />What a wonderful story. Both Peter and Franca are wonderful characters. Peter doesn't want to fight, but doesn't want to betray his friends who are like him--only in the war because they have to be. I loved how Peter was willing to do whatever the Chessari family needed him to do. He was used to hard work and wanted to help others. He also had a moral compass that he followed as much as he could.<br /><br />I admit I had to get used to Franca. I had to remember that her life had changed drastically and she was the youngest in the family so she had been sheltered. She equated being German with also being a Nazi, and refused to trust Peter or let him help her with the chores for awhile. She could be stubborn, and it made a life that was already hard a little harder than it had to be. Her character had a lot of growth in the story and she went from being a sheltered young woman to joining a partisan group to find her parents. The Franca at the beginning of the war wouldn't have been able to do that.<br /><br />I liked the dual perspectives of Peter and Franca, so we can see how each felt. Their romance was slow and wasn't the main focus of the story. The passages telling of the war and the cruelty others can inflict on people just because of war were so well written, it felt real. It was gripping yet sad. Not knowing who to trust--were they really on your side or not? I'm glad most of the villains got what they deserved and Peter and Franca got their happy ending.<br /><br />This was my first book by this author but I don't think it will be my last. I received a complimentary copy from Covenant Communications via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Where. To. Start.<br /><br />Wow. It’s been many years since I picked up a book of this caliber, and also interestingly this genre. I’ve read many World War 2 novels over the years, but it has been a while. Almost all of those books centered on the south coast of England, or Channel Islands - one even set on the Isle of Man. But nothing that ventured on the southern side of Europe, and so I am very unfamiliar with the events that happened during the War in Italy, past the basics we got in our history classes in school. <br /><br />I was also expecting this to be your typical romance. Although it has been woven throughout the story, this is quite an honest and raw take on the realities of war. Danger and death - enemies hidden amongst the towns and cities. <br /><br />The beginning of this story is developed very well without any of the romance, and for a long time reads like beautiful Women’s fiction. Written in first person, but alternating between both Peter &amp; Franca’s perspectives you will be gifted quite a stunning adventure, their voices clear. While gratefully this ends positively, the journey is, as expected, a challenging one. <br /><br />The growth is clear for Franca. She begins as quite a naive, overly protected by her family, female. However, when you live in an area invaded by Nazi’s it was inevitable that it would come to her door. Her heavy bias against the Germans is clear, and it seems she is the last one to accept Peter’s goodness. Peter is constant and brave throughout, always putting the needs of himself behind those around him that he cares about. <br /><br />Of course some may be irritated that the main contender for bad guy of the year, is so terribly evil. Stereotypical, I doubt it. I do believe that there are those, power hungry enough with no morals or integrity that could have been so bolstered by the environment of war. He adds an element that elevates the tension, never seeming to relent. <br /><br />Overall, the forbidden romance is beautifully scripted. The war scenes at time heartbreaking. This is one story that will stay with me. <br /><br />A beautiful Christian Fiction historical masterpiece.

I am loving this author more with each book. She captures the horrors of war as well as the history. I haven't been as familiar with WWII in Italy, but this book set in Sicily gives me so much in history, in story, and in romance. <br /><br />Franca and Peter's story looks at the implications of enemies, of going against evil, and of fighting for all that is right. It highlights the atrocities committed by evil people without taking away the humanity that survives. Nothing is black and white and this story illustrates that beautifully, <br /><br />I was sucked into this one, even more than the Fisherman's Daughter and I loved Marianna and Mossimo. I think I love Peter and Franca more. <br /><br />What I love about historical fiction is the narrative that it provides to otherwise dry dates and events. Inserting me into the story makes it possible for me to make the events real. WWII in Italy is so real to me now due to these books. It gives me a much richer perspective. <br /><br />I love the battle that Franca fights with herself, she is finding herself at the same time. There is just such a rich story for me to devour. <br /><br />I received an early copy from the publisher and this is my honest review of this book. I will definitely be reading this again and will recommend it highly to others.

The Enemy Between Us is the second book I've read from this author. I read, The Fisherman's Daughter, which you could say is the first book in this series since the same characters are in both books. I love these books because they give readers an insight into Sicily, Italy during WWII. The book is a Historical Romance but the romance is a slow build and you get a lot of "history" depicted in a very engaging and breathtaking way. War is so ugly, and this author doesn't hold back in showing how awful it was for the soldiers and the civilians. Throughout all of this, the characters get taken on a very long, challenging journey. Franca, an Italian citizen, and Peter, a German soldier, both grow and learn so much as they start as enemies, become friends, and then something more. It should be noted that Franca is younger than Peter in this book and so much more immature at the start. I felt she showed the greatest personal growth and I truly grew to love and admire her by the end of the book. <br /><br />This novel has many selling points; forbidden love between an Italian and a German during WWII, a mean and despicable German officer(He's very well written because he gave me the creeps), families pulling together to help their loved ones during a time of war and often helping strangers, dealing with loss, and of course, not giving up, even when it comes to love. I thoroughly enjoyed The Enemy Between Us and know that anyone else that loves Historical Romance will want to read it too.

A poignant WWII novel that shows the casualties of war while also offering up a timely reminder of hope and that there is more to mankind then hate and dividing lines. I LOVED this book. It exceeded my expectations right from the start and I ended up reading this in one day because I could not put it down. I am a fan of WWII literature, but there often is not a lot of fiction set in Italy during this time. I enjoyed the different perspective the author and novel offered setting it among the Italian's varying roles in the war. I had previously read Sanchez's The Fisherman's Daughter, which takes place right before this book with the first few chapters overlapping but now from Peter Weimer's perspective, and found it an enjoyable and engaging read. This book took things up a notch and I was very impressed with everything from the details of the setting, the real and honest struggles faced by the characters, and honestly how solid of a love story the author was able to build. Often in war books the romance seems to take a secondary role due to separation that takes place for the main characters keeping them removed from one another for a large portion of time, but the author amazed me with how well she developed the bond between Peter and Franca throughout the story. Seriously, A+ for the romance. <br />I also loved the overall themes in this novel. What really makes one an enemy and what does it mean to act with integrity, honor, and loyalty? I feel like, while this book is about WWII, it has a lot of messages that we can benefit from today in terms of loving one another and not defining each other based on nationality or circumstances. In my opinion, this novel is something I think many could benefit by reading today. I definitely recommend this and hope the author writes more stories in this era.<br />I received an advance reader copy of this book. I am voluntarily leaving a review; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Enemy Between Us by Melinda Sue Sanchez is an excellent historical fiction novel that held my interest throughout. This is a story that takes place in occupied Italy during WWII. Not many novels in this genre focus of the events in this beautiful landscape, so this is what initially drew me to this book. <br /><br />This novel has it all: suspense, romance, tension, complexity in its characters, interesting plot, and a satisfying ending. I enjoyed the growth in Franca through the trials that she faced as the story goes on, and I always enjoyed the character of Peter, the German soldier forced to escape his ranks to do what he felt was right. I thought both characters worked well together and that their chemistry and passion towards one another was fitting and realistic. I enjoyed the twists and the suspense that the author created, and I enjoyed this story from beginning to end. <br /><br />5/5 stars<br /><br />Thank you NetGalley and Covenant Communications for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.<br /><br />I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately (as of 6/20/20 no listing for this book is present on BB) and will post it to my Amazon and B&amp;N accounts upon publication.

Rich and beautiful love story set in Italy during World War II! Peter Weimer defects from the Nazi army when he refuses to follow a direct command that would violate his conscience, and he ends up escaping to a farm where Franca's family are hiding away as refugees. <br /><br />I loved Peter's character - he was solid and straight despite facing several moral dilemmas. Franca was understandably naive and a little close minded in the first part of the book but had suffered some traumatic events that contributed to that. I enjoyed her character growth throughout the book because it illustrates that the temptation to paint the opposing side in a conflict with broad brushstrokes leads to people failing to see the humanity of their "enemies." It is easier to hate someone you do not see as human, a pertinent lesson for today's landscape as well. <br /><br />I enjoyed the focus on how war impacts those not on the battlefield as there is always suffering and challenges faced by those who stay behind, yet the romance between Peter and Franca was not lost in the shuffle. <br /><br />This was a gripping story of love, betrayal, and honor set during a time when the whole word was in upheaval. Highly recommend this thrilling read!<br /><br />I received a complimentary copy of this book but my opinions are my own.