The Enemy Between Us
By Melinda Sue Sanchez
Adult Historical Romance, WWII
Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 288 Pages
July 6, 2020 by Covenant Communications
Summary
ITALY, 1943
As war tears her country apart, Franca Chessari's sole focus is on supporting her family amid Nazi occupation. But when her parents, both high-ranking partisans, go missing, Franca is compelled to take action---even if it means crossing enemy lines to save those she loves.
Peter Weimer is a German soldier forced into a war he abhors. When he can take no more of the Nazi atrocities he’s been forced to witness, he deserts the German army—a decision that brands him as an enemy.
Franca and Peter were nothing more than two strangers from enemy countries, but when their paths collide amid the horrors of war, they are swept into an epic journey of chilling danger, unparalleled courage, and a sweeping passion that could cost them everything they have fought for.
My Review
THE ENEMY BETWEEN US has such a wonderful message of seeing friendship among those who would be labelled as our enemies. The characters are endearing and the story is one of struggle, hardship, family, hope and love. If you enjoyed this author's first book, then definitely pick up this one as well.
This story picks up a bit before the end of this author's first book, THE FISHERMAN'S DAUGHTER, but readers don't need to have read it to read this one. The first pages are not very pleasant to read as a woman is being tortured and a soldier is ordered to further humiliate her. However, things end up taking a turn and then we soon get introduced to the heroine of the story who is trying to help her family survive as best she can.
Franca was full of spunk and a fierceness that I think you'd need to survive WWII while living in occupied France. She was a bit of a loose cannon because she was held in the dark a lot and, being a young woman, was trying to find herself amidst this terrible situation. Peter does not want to witness and do terrible things for a war his nation was fighting, but didn't know how to move forward. Together, they make quite a pair, and their romance was forbidden and difficult, but the sweeter for it.
I really liked the relationships in this book. There was Franca and her family, Franca's family and their friends and neighbors, Franca and Peter, Peter with fellow friends, and then there were the different political groups. What I found most rewarding about this read was the way people pushed forward, protected their loved ones, and made really tough choices. They had to take what chances they could and do their best to live even amidst the terribleness of their world, which I think many of us can relate to even now. Franca sums it up herself here:
"Life does not wait for us to be ready or brave. It will move on without us if we do not grab on."
I also did have some issues with the story. I felt that a lot of the more violent parts could have been less detailed while still carrying the same impact. It just made it a bit of a difficult read. I've read other authors who do this remarkably well with their stories set during war. Then other places felt like they needed more development or to make more sense to me.
In the end, was it what I wished for? Overall, I did enjoy reading this and seeing what happened after the last book by this author. It's foremost a story of seeing through prejudice, being brave enough to live life, and protecting what is most important.
Content: Some innuendo and violence (some of it fairly violent and detailed, including torture and desecration)
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Other Books by the Author
The Fisherman's Daughter
By Melinda Sue Sanchez
Adult Historical Romance
Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 288 Pages
January 1, 2018 by Covenant Communications
Summary
Eighteen-year-old Marianna De’Angelis has grown up on her father’s fishing boat off the picturesque coast of Sicily, Italy. She traverses the nearby countryside on horseback and bicycle and works alongside her mother selling fish at market. It is a simple, happy life. But when WWII erupts and the Nazis overtake the country, Marianna’s peaceful world is shattered.
In the midst of chaos, Marianna encounters a handsome, young Italian soldier named Massimo Scalvone. Though she tries to keep her distance, Marianna finds herself powerfully drawn to Massimo. Yet all the while, the man she is growing to love conceals a deadly secret—a secret that ensures that in a world now ruled by politics and greed, Massimo is not free to give his heart. Devastated, Marianna immerses herself in helping her family and neighbors survive the war. But soon, merely helping is not enough, and the young woman undertakes increasingly dangerous missions for the resistance. Although Marianna and Massimo each harbor secrets, their only hope of survival is to trust each other with the truth of who they really are.
Read my review here.
Melinda Sue Sanchez has been passionate about books and the worlds and people they bring to life since childhood. She wrote her first book in second grade and her first poetry at age ten.
Her love of reading and writing blossomed into writing full novels and resulted in her first book, The Fisherman's Daughter being published by Covenant Books in 2018.
Her next novel, The Enemy Between Us will be released in July 2020 and will continue the saga of The Fisherman's Daughter. We'll see Franca and Peter, two mortal enemies forced into hiding from the Nazis together, and fighting a forbidden attraction to one another as they traverse the battlefields of Italy to save their families.
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About the Author
Her love of reading and writing blossomed into writing full novels and resulted in her first book, The Fisherman's Daughter being published by Covenant Books in 2018.
Her next novel, The Enemy Between Us will be released in July 2020 and will continue the saga of The Fisherman's Daughter. We'll see Franca and Peter, two mortal enemies forced into hiding from the Nazis together, and fighting a forbidden attraction to one another as they traverse the battlefields of Italy to save their families.
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