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Engaging story of an American-born European woman and her role in helping refugees during World War II. It was based on a true story with the names changed, and was very gripping. I have the next book and am looking forward to reading it after reading some lighter fare. ( )

This is the first book in the Zion Diaries series and pick up pretty much right where the last book in the Zion Covenant Series leaves off (and helps you see what happens to some of the people from that series). It takes place around 1940 and deals with the lives of those who fought during Hitler's dark days of rising to power in World War II. You will feel the bombs drop and cities and people's lives destroyed. You will agonize and weep with those who lost so much. The Thoene's do such a good job of making you understand what truly took place in Europe during the war.

American born Loralei Kepler, daughter of missionary parents, finds her and her family fleeing Brussels before the Germans take over their country. It is a harrowing flight and they rescue some orphaned children along the way. Lora will find herself loving two men in her lifetime, but the one will have a lasting impact upon her live forever.

This story was filled with danger, love lost, love found, heartache, death and sadness. But through it all you will find strength and a will to overcome evil and rejoicing over every life saved. The history behind Eban and who he is, was a little outside of my box of "could this actually be possible", but kept the story all the more interesting. I look forward to reading the next two books in this series. ( )

Loralei's family has a long tradition of helping their fellowmen. Her father, an Austrian scholar of the Bible, is especially concerned with the plight of the Jews when Hitler comes to power. Loralei, her sister Jessica, her niece, and her father fly for their lives. Their attempt to get to London and safety will change Loralei's life forever.

I read many of the Thoene's historical fiction when I was a teenager, and always admired their ability to include a lot of historical detail, far beyond whatever I had learned in school, in a compelling fictional story. With their more recent books set during Jesus' lifetime, I found myself not really caring as much about the characters or being as interested in the story, instead being distracted by niggling details with which I disagreed. So, when I came across a list of books nominated for the audio awards, and the blurb of this one mentioned that it returned to the World War 2 setting, I decided to pick it up.

The book is read by the authors, which is especially intriguing since Bodie Thoene is dyslexic. The reading is well done, though I preferred Bodie's parts to Brock, mostly because he had less differentiation in the characters' voices. They include real historical clips, such as a radio address for Churchill, which was neat to hear but very hard to make out. The sound effects, for example, the sound of rain when a character is walking in London, generally add to the atmosphere of the story and were not overbearing. There were elements that I struggled with that are hard to explain without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say that I found some of Loralei's choices surprising and thought some plot points strained credulity. An interview with the authors on the final CD was interesting, but didn't convince me otherwise once they gave their explanations in answer to readers' questions. ( )

On an emotional level, this story blew me away. At first I'd thought it would be good like some of the others. Engaging and interesting; maybe even a bit heart-rending. This book was so much more. It had passion in it that I don't recall from earlier books. My heart was hurting and I even cried a few times. I read those intense scenes over again...and cried a second time. My heart was totally engaged in the story and invested in this characters' lives. I didn't want it to end. ( )