Wonderful war-based fiction: "High as the Heavens" by Kate Breslin


Cover Art


about the book....


A British nurse in WWI German-occupied Brussels, Evelyn Marche spends her days at the hospital and her nights working at a café . . . or so it seems. Eve's most carefully guarded secret is that she also spends her nights carrying out dangerous missions as a spy for a Belgian resistance group.

When a plane crashes as she's en route to a rendezvous, Eve is the first to reach the downed plane and is shocked to recognize the badly injured pilot as British RFC Captain Simon Forrester. She risks her life to conceal him from the Germans, but as the secrets between them grow and the danger mounts, can they still hope to make it out of Belgium alive?


my review....


I enjoyed every single moment of Kate Breslin's "High as the Heavens", not only because it is written so well but because the story simply captivated me! The drama is top-notch, and there is historical suspense aplenty which I always thoroughly enjoy. Breslin did an excellent job at immersing me in World War I German Occupied Brussels, such that I felt like I was experiencing the horrors that these people experienced during that time. I haven't read that many books based in World War I, as I typically choose World War II based novels, but I think this book may have changed my preferences in that regard. I really liked how she interspersed the 1917 scenes with those from earlier years depicting the birth of Eve and Simon's relationship. These scenes provide some more light-hearted moments in the midst of the tension filled scenes from 1917. I also appreciated that they are woven seamlessly into the story as a whole such that I didn't feel jarred from the novel when the new time periods were introduced. The characters are finely formed, and readers will love Eve's courage and determination to survive and do everything she can to fight against the German occupation. The actions she takes to protect Simon in particular made for riveting reading, while Simon himself emerges as quite the hero. By the time I reached the point in the story of Eve's daring plan to spring Simon from the hospital where he was under heavy guard by German soldiers, I knew I was not going to be putting this book down anytime soon. Indeed, I stayed put until I'd devoured the final pages, having greatly enjoyed the time I spent with these remarkable characters.

War themed historical fiction books just don't get better than this. If you are looking for a book with drama and intrigue, characters you will grow to love, and deep themes of forgiveness and grace, then "High as the Heavens" is just what you have been looking for. I strongly recommend this novel and award it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.


 about the author....


Kate Breslin

A Florida girl who migrated to the Pacific Northwest, Kate Breslin was a bookseller for many years. She is the author of For Such a Time and lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. Find her online at www.katebreslin.com.






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