Book Review: "Whisper on the Wind" by Maureen Lang

Summary from BN.com: In Brussels at the height of WWI, a small, underground newspaper is the only thing offering the occupied city hope—and real news of the war. The paper may be a small whisper amid the shouts of the German army, but Edward Kirkland will do anything to keep it in print. Meanwhile, Isa Lassone, a Belgian-American socialite whose parents whisked her to safety at the start of the war, sneaks back into the country to rescue those dearest to her: Edward and his mother. But Edward refuses to go, and soon Isa is drawn into his secret life printing the newspaper . . . And into his heart.

I found myself liking this a lot better than the first book in the series. I'm not sure if it was because of the characters seemed more dimensional or because the setting was now in the city as opposed to a small town but either way, it was a more enjoyable read. The story focuses on Edward and Isa, the sister of Charles from the first book. They grew up together and are reunited during the war. Edward runs the underground newspaper and Isa tries to convince him to let her help. What they don't bargain for are sneaking behind German soldiers' backs and right under their noses, being accused of aiding spies or pretending to be a priest in disguise.

While Edward and Isa were an interesting couple who do have very good chemistry, I found Max and Genny keeping more of my interest. It was like a forbidden love with all sorts of factors standing in their way such as him begin a German solider or already having a wife. There was such drama and passion between the two of them but they had to stay apart. I did find the ending to be a bit too convenient for them but overall I was delighted with how their relationship was presented.

If there was a qualm I had with the story is that there were times when I found things to be a bit disjointed in the plot. Edward's story seemed to be the least interesting out of all the subplots. I realized that he had an important job with the paper but compared to what was going on with Isa, it didn't hold my interest. Therefore it was a bit annoying to keep going back to him when all the action was with Isa.

Overall I found the book to be a good historical romance. As with the first book, Lang has done a lot of research for the time period and it's always great to see these wars from the Europeans' point of view. I'm actually glad that America is not featured in this series because too often we are shown as just the heroes who come to save everyone. I'm hoping by the third book, any qualms that I had with the first two will not be present.

Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang is published by Tyndale (2010)

This review copy was provided by the publisher

Other books in The Great War series that I have reviewed:

Look to the East (Book 1)

Book Review: "Springtime of the Spirit" by Maureen Lang

Summary from BN.com: By the fall of 1918, the Great War has ended and the world is at peace, but there is little to celebrate in Germany. After four years of fighting for his homeland, Christophe Brecht returns to find there is little left of what he once called home. So when family friends ask him to travel to Munich to bring back their runaway daughter, Christophe agrees.

When he finally locates Annaliese Duray, he discovers she is far different from the girl he once knew. Headstrong, idealistic, and beautiful, she is on the front lines of the city’s political scene, fighting to give women and working-class citizens a voice in Germany’s new government.

As the political upheaval ignites in Munich, so does the attraction between Annaliese and Christophe. With an army from Berlin threatening to squash everything Annaliese has worked for, both she and Christophe are forced to choose between love and loyalty.

Even though I'm a historian and have my degrees in history, I don't really know that much about European history. I specialized in US history in both my bachelor's and master's degrees and in high school, other than briefly mentioning Europe during the major wars, we never talked about the continent. I'm not really a big fan about older European history but I really like studying events from the 20th century. Therefore I really love reading books that deal with any type of European history without much focus on the Americans. This series by Maureen Lang has given me the perfect opportunity to enjoy this.

In the third book of the Great War series, we're taken to Germany after World War I has ended. Most people (including myself) aren't quite up to speed with the events that took place after WWI to when Hitler took over. I'm glad then to learn about the revolutions and grassroots movement that took place during this time period. Even if I do not necessarily agree with everything that this movement was fighting for, it was fascinating to see how passionate some were about their beliefs. Equally as interesting were those who seemed to just be swept up in the movement but when actually faced with standing up for what they believed in, they caved. Lang takes the reader into a Germany that is still uncertain with what it wants and what direction it is heading towards. While Hitler does not make appearances yet, there are slight hints towards his time approaching with the treatment of Jews in the story.

This book is more historical than the other two, there is still a romance that takes place. Annaliese is young and idealistic. She's swept up in the chromaticism of the political movement and sees it and Jurgen to be her ticket to freedom and happiness. Meanwhile Christophe has been burned before and just wants to bring Annaliese back to her parents. He has to fight to make Annaliese truly see him. I was hoping a bit more for a triangle relationship but was still overall pleased with how everything ended.

If you haven't read the other books in the series, you don't need to worry before starting this one. It is a complete standalone. While one of the leads has appeared in a previous novel, it's not necessary to read it before starting this one. Overall it's a fascinating historical fiction read with enough romance to not bore those who aren't history fans. Out of the three books in the series, this is probably my favorite.

Springtime of the Spirit by Maureen Lang is published by Tyndale (2011)

This review copy was provided by the publisher

Other books in The Great War series that I have reviewed:

Look to the East (Book 1)
Whisper on the Wind (Book 2)