Broken Lines is the first book I’ve read by Kelsey Gietl and the first book in her new series Hope or High Water – War Across Waters. I love historical fiction and the idea of reading about two German-Americans facing life on the brink of World War II intrigued me.

Amara Muller expects to return to Germany with her brother who is answering their father’s summons to join the German army. But her brother has other plans for her. He gives her a new identity and sends her to stay with a friend with the express purpose of finding an American man and marrying him. It’s only way to assure her safety once America enters the war.

Emil Kisch works on the Morality Squad, even though he should really arrest himself for his own behavior. He knows it, but it isn’t until he meets Amara Muller that he considers his ways of ignoring the past aren’t working as well as he thought. He’s forced to face his true self and is reminded just how wanting that part of himself happens to be.

Broken Lines is an epic tale of heartache, pain, and the search for love. It’s the type of story that wraps itself around your heart and won’t let go, even when you feel the same heartbreak as the characters. Because of that, it is not a light read (with trigger warnings for alcohol and domestic abuse as well as women’s health issues). While it is not particularly action intense, it is definitely emotionally intense. Especially toward the end.

It seems like Broken Lines is not entirely a standalone story, though it can be read that way. I got the sense that reading the previous series would better inform this one and that the story continues in the following book in the series. I love Emil and Amara and if they appear in previous books or the next one, those are books I definitely want to read.

If you’re ready for a story that will take you on a journey through the prelude of war, give Broken Lines a read. I hope you’ll like Emil and Amara as much as I did.

Enter this giveaway for a chance to win an e-copy of Broken Lines.
Ends November 11, 2020. Click here for rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

---

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC guidelines.