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Until Leaves Fall in Paris

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
Winner of the 2022 Christy Award for Historical Romance
"With meticulous historical research and an eye for both mystery and romance, Sundin rises to the top of World War II fiction in this latest novel."—Library Journal starred review

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As the Germans march toward Paris in 1940, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape. Lucie struggles to run Green Leaf Books due to oppressive German laws and harsh conditions, but she finds a way to aid the resistance by passing secret messages between the pages of her books.
Widower Paul Aubrey wants nothing more than to return to the States with his little girl, but the US Army convinces him to keep his factory running and obtain military information from his German customers. As the war rages on, Paul offers his own resistance by sabotaging his product and hiding British airmen in his factory. After they meet in the bookstore, Paul and Lucie are drawn to each other, but she rejects him when she discovers he sells to the Germans. And for Paul to win her trust would mean betraying his mission.
Master of WWII-era fiction Sarah Sundin invites you onto the streets of occupied Paris to discover whether love or duty will prevail.
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"This potent synthesis of history, love, and faith will delight romance readers."—Publishers Weekly

"A compelling exploration of the seemingly simple good things that end up requiring great sacrifice and having far-reaching impacts."—Booklist starred review
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    • Library Journal

      Starred review from December 1, 2021

      The Nazis have invaded the City of Light and Americans in Paris are responding in a variety of ways. Widower Paul Aubrey is proud of his successful auto factory and wealthy lifestyle. When his business is commandeered by the Germans, he is branded a collaborator, even as he leads secret acts of sabotage. Lucille Girard is an accomplished ballerina and is immersed in the bohemian art community. On impulse, she buys Green Leaf Books to fund her Jewish friends' passage out of France and becomes embroiled in passing secret messages for the fledging resistance movement. When Girard begins to lose business in a war time economy, she asks Aubrey for help and realizes that business and art aren't mutually exclusive. As evil overtakes Paris, a few lights fighting for good still shine brightly. VERDICT Sundin (Where Twilight Breaks) is a master at her craft, and avid readers will devour this in one sitting. With meticulous historical research and an eye for both mystery and romance, Sundin rises to the top of World War II fiction in this latest novel with crossover appeal.--Christine Barth, Scott Cty. Lib. Syst., IA

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 17, 2022
      In Sundin’s moving latest (after When Twilight Breaks), two Americans living in Nazi-occupied Paris fall in love, but struggle to trust each other with their involvement in anti-Nazi activism. Lucie Girard, a bohemian former ballerina, buys the bookstore of Jewish family friends who are fleeing the country and hides messages for the Resistance in her books. Widower Paul Aubrey runs a car assembly plant that builds vehicles for German civilian use, but Paul secretly sends intelligence about his German contacts to U.S. bureaucrats. When Paul visits Lucie’s bookstore, the two expats instantly connect, but Lucie is shocked after learning of Paul’s dealings with the Germans. Paul, meanwhile, is unaware of Lucie’s Resistance activities and must decide if he can trust her with his secret. Though Lucie and Paul’s Christian faith drives their anti-Nazi resistance, historical themes take precedence over Christian ones. Fast-paced and rich with historical detail, Sundin’s narrative captivates by leaning into the complexity of what it means to live by Christian principles in a morally compromised world. This potent synthesis of history, love, and faith will delight romance readers, religious and nonreligious alike.

    • Booklist

      Starred review from December 15, 2021
      Automotive engineer Paul Aubrey feels out of step as a father, as a widower, and, most recently, as a reluctant spy for the American government during Germany's occupation of Paris. When Paul meets ballerina-turned-bookseller Lucie Girard, they are equally captivated. But Lucie, an expatriate bohemian artist aiding the Resistance, feels betrayed when she learns Paul is both a bourgeois businessman and a collaborator. Yet Paul's persistent kindness leaves Lucie second-guessing everything she thought she understood, and the truths of their work and their hearts are soon revealed, leaving them both in more danger than ever before. Sundin (When Twilight Breaks, 2021) returns with another sure-to-please standalone novel set in Paris during the early 1940s. Until Leaves Fall in Paris is a compelling exploration of the seemingly simple good things that end up requiring great sacrifice and having far-reaching impacts. Sundin expertly captures the nuanced reactions of the expatriate and local communities to America's shifting role in the war and uses them to intensify the plot's personal, social, and political tensions. Lucie and Paul are an especially charming duo and enliven the novel's look at the challenge of having to balance creativity and pragmatism.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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