A Rose for the Resistance by Angela K. Couch Review

 Happy Friday Friends :)

I pray your weekend is off to a great start, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

I'm excited to move past the events of this week, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things at work, at home, and here on my blog.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you probably are well aware that I love World War II fiction. It's one of my all time favorite historical fiction eras, and I've lost count of just how many books I've read set during this time over the years.

However, I have to be honest that the last little while I've ended up reading quite a few I didn't enjoy.

I was desperately searching for another great title within this genre, and I was hopeful that today's book might be it.

Keep reading for a full review of a book from a new to me author and a new to me series.

A Rose for the Resistance by Angela K. Couch:

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Publisher: Barbour Publishing

Publication Date: April 1st, 2022

Genre: Christian Fiction/Historical Fiction/World War II Fiction

Series: Heroines of WWII

Synopsis:

A French Woman and German Soldier Create a Truce
 
Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this new series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.
 
With her father in a German POW camp and her home in Ste Mere Eglise, France, under Nazi occupation, Rosalie Barrieau will do anything to keep her younger brother safe. . .even from his desire to join the French resistance. Until she falls into the debt of a German solder—one who delivers a wounded British pilot to her door. Though not sure what to make of her German ally, Rosalie is thrust deep into the heart of the local underground. As tensions build toward the allied invasion of Normandy, she must decide how much she is willing to risk for freedom. 

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

A Rose for the Resistance was both my first experience with a novel by Angela K. Couch, and my first experience with a title from the Heroines of World II series. As someone who loves historical fiction set during this time period, I was looking forward to diving right into this one. The synopsis sounded a little different than the majority of books I've read set during this time period, and I was hopeful that it would be a book I'd end up enjoying.

This novel is at its heart a story of two people on different sides of the war who both end up aiding the resistance. Rosalie is a young woman in Normandy, France who is accidentally pulled into the resistance when she can't find another way to keep her younger brother safe. Franz, on the other hand, is a German solider who has started questioning his role in the war, and can no longer stand idly by and watch what his country is doing to innocent civilians. The two come together under unexpected circumstances, and neither are sure if they can truly trust the other. As tensions mount and circumstances grow more dire, a rare friendship blooms between the two that can have explosive consequences on both sides if they are ever discovered.

I loved how original this story was, and the fact that it pulled me in from the start. It was definitely a unique spin on a World War II story to have one of the main characters be a German soldier who was aiding the resistance, and it definitely added an extra layer of suspense to an already wonderful story.

It kept me engaged right throughout, the characters were well developed, the plot was perfectly paced, the ending ended up completely surprising me, and I really enjoyed Angela K. Couch's beautiful writing style. Perhaps, however, my favorite part of all was the focus on how none of us are too far gone for God's redemption to find us, and I especially enjoyed the segment where Franz talks about how he's not scared of dying, but he's not yet ready to meet his maker and face the consequences of his actions. 

Overall, my first experience with a novel by this author was a great one, and I look forward to reading more of her books in the future, and also, to check out more of the titles from this series.

Final Rating: 4/5.

Thanks so much to Barbour Publishing for allowing me to advance read and review this!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary advance reader copy of this novel from the publisher (Barbour) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to give a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks so much for reading guys! I hope you have a great rest of your weekend :)