Blog Tour: Snow on the Tulips



Snow on the TulipsSnow on the Tulips
by Liz Tolsma
Christian Historical Romance
August 2013 by Thomas Nelson

Summary

A stranger's life hangs in the balance. But to save him is to risk everything.

The war is drawing to a close, but the Nazis still occupy part of the Netherlands. After the losses she's endured, war widow Cornelia is only a shadow of the woman she once was. She fights now to protect her younger brother, Johan, who lives in hiding.

When Johan brings Gerrit Laninga, a wounded Dutch Resistance member, to Cornelia's doorstep, their lives are forever altered. Although scared of the consequences of harboring a wanted man, Cornelia's faith won't let her turn him out.

As she nurses Gerrit back to health, she is drawn to his fierce passion and ideals, and notices a shift within herself. Gerrit's intensity challenges her, making her want to live fully, despite the fear that constrains her. When the opportunity to join him in the Resistance presents itself, Cornelia must summon every ounce of courage imaginable.

She is as terrified of loving Gerrit as she is of losing him. But as the winter landscape thaws, so too does her heart. Will she get a second chance at true love? She fears their story will end before it even begins.

   



My Review

I knew after reading the first chapter that I was going to enjoy Snow on the Tulips. The story takes place during World War II, a time in history when the world was in turmoil. This is the first book that I've read taking place in the Netherlands. Sometimes I forget about so many of the smaller nations that were devastated by the war. I really enjoyed getting to know more about the situation in that country, but more so, I really enjoyed reading Cornelia and Gerrit's story and the stories of those around them.

The pacing was perfect. It allowed me time to become absorbed in the lives of the characters and the turmoil of their country. I also appreciated that though there is death and violence that has affected and continues to affect these characters, it wasn't too descriptive. I was able to enjoy the story, but understand the situation. There were so many terrible things that happened to so many people during that time. There were several times when the characters were in danger and I wasn't sure how things would turn out or if the two main characters would be together in the end. Through all of that I felt that the point of this story was on the choices of the characters or the roles they would choose, how those choices/roles fit into their Christian lives, and if they could find love and happiness through it all. 

I enjoyed the multiple points of view (POV's), which allowed me to get to know each of the characters and their inner struggles. Some of them did feel removed at certain points, such as Ankia's husband Piet who continued to state the same position and came across as a little cold to his wife. All of the characters are at different stages of life and have different challenges. You have Anki who is a young wife expecting her first child with a husband who holds telling the truth and abiding by the laws higher than helping someone from the Resistance. Anki is torn between being truthful with her husband and helping her sister and brother, and an injured man. You have Johan, Anki and Cornelia's little brother, who is 20-years-old, but basically has to hide away. He so desperately wants to do something to fight for his country, but his sisters won't let him. 

Then there are the two main characters: Cornelia and Gerrit. I loved them both. They meet under such trying circumstances and have very different personalities and backgrounds. Cornelia has watched from the sidelines as her family, village, and country have been torn apart. She has pledged to never lose her heart again because she feels it is too dangerous to do so. She does have moments when she overreacts about some things, but she also lives under very stressful circumstances and has suffered great loss. Gerrit has been fighting in the Resistance. He believes in doing something to help free his country and that he can't wait around for someone else to do it for him. He lives a very dangerous life, one he is willing to give to the cause. He was betrayed in the past by one who was very close to him, so he is also a little hesitant to trust his heart. Cornelia and Gerrit complimented and challenged each other quite well.

The title is perfect. I loved how it was worked into the story, such as these two conversations where Gerrit is challenging Cornelia:
     "Maybe revenge, maybe not. I am asking you to quit acting like a tulip covered in snow. Don't hide in this house until the Allies free you. They may not come for a while." 
                                                                                                                      p. 58
     He wore away her resistance like rain wears away the snow... 
                                                                                                                       p. 77

And here where the tulips are trampled: 
     The Nazis marched across the yard and out to the street. On their way, they trampled her tender tulip shoots....
     "They trampled the tulips when they left."
     "The shoots will come back. They always do." 
                                                                                                             p. 169, 171
I especially loved Garrit's response, that they would grow back. Faith and love are like that as well - they are very resilient.

The characters lean on their faith during the terrible times that they face. They are a Christian nation, although some of them have different ideas of what that means. They all believe in God's will, but some go along with the Nazis believing they will be okay or that what will happen is His will and it is the right thing to do. Then others hide away and fight against the Nazis because they believe they should not support what they are doing and that they are obeying God's will when they do so. Each side has their own arguments for why they believe as they do. 

Overall, this was a story of faith with characters who were determined to follow their convictions, and in some cases, their hearts. If you enjoy reading inspirational historical fiction, then I would definitely recommend this. It is, in a few words, just a very good book.

Content: Clean (There is some violence and some mature references, but in the context of this story and for this genre, I would consider this clean.)
Source: I want to thank LitFuse Publicity Group and Thomas Nelson, the publisher, for my free review copy, which did not affect my review in any way.



Liz TolsmaAbout the Author

Liz Tolsma has lived in Wisconsin most of her life, and she now resides next to a farm field with her husband, their son, and their two daughters. Add a dog and a cat to that mix and there's always something going on at their house. She's spent time teaching second grade, writing advertising for a real estate company, and working as a church secretary, but she always dreamed of becoming an author.





Giveaway

Liz Tolsma is celebrating the release of her novel, Snow on the Tulipsby giving away an Amazon Reading Pack to one lucky winner. Find out what readers are saying about the book here.

snowtulips-rafflecopter

One winner will receive:
  • A $50 Amazon gift card
  • Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma
Enter today by clicking on one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 16th. Winner will be announced November 18th at Liz's blog.

  

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Liz's blog on the 18th to see if you won. (Or, better yet, subscribe to her blog and have the winner announcement delivered to your inbox! Just enter your email address on the left sidebar of her blog.)

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