Friends and Enemies:(Promise for Tomorrow book 1)

By Terri Wangard

Description:

Christian Historical Romance set in World War 2 In 1943, widowed seamstress Heidi Wetzel finds new meaning in life by caring for evacuated children on a rural farm in war-torn western Germany. Never a supporter of National Socialism, she takes pleasure in passive resistance, but must exercise caution around neighbors who delight in reporting to the Gestapo. Flying cadet Paul Braedel’s wife dies while he trains for the U.S. Army Air Corps. Following bereavement leave, he returns to B-17 "Flying Fortress" Bomber navigator training but he’s lost his zest for life and heads to England, not caring if he lives or dies. When he and his crew are shot down over Germany, he evades capture and, for the first time since Rachel’s death, hears the voice of God whisper guidance: “Find Heidi.” When Heidi stumbles into a man she recognizes, she is shocked to realize he is a friend from her high school days in the United States, and the husband of her best friend Rachel. Aiding an enemy downed airman is punishable by execution, but she agrees to help. Then they’re betrayed. A war-time adventure with romantic second chances.

Book Takeaway:

Both main characters must deal with personal tragedies while living in difficult times. One stays close to God. The other turns away, but soon realizes that God never turned away from him.

Awards:

Why the author wrote this book:

I have a collection of letters written to my grandparents in 1947 and 1948. They were sending care packages to distant cousins in Germany after World War II. I learned a lot about their life in postwar Germany, but next to nothing about during the war or their beliefs. Did they support Hitler and the Nazis? Were they ever bothered by the Gestapo? What about the Jews? With no answers, I created a story for them.