March Book Haul 2023

As I said in January, I did put myself on a book-buying ban until I read close to 20 books from my kindle, and now that I did, I could do a bit of book buying, and by book buying, I mean saying what free books Amazon has for the day. I mainly got nonfiction and world war two historical fiction since that’s what I’m in the mood for.

Amazon Blurb:

When her faith becomes a threat, her very existence is an act of defiance.

Fiume, 1938. Italy slowly falls as Mussolini rise to power. Feeling the tide shift, Simone and Rebecca Schmidt escape under the cover of night to the remote village of San-Daniele, disguised as Christian refugees. It is there they hope to keep their four children, especially their youngest daughter Liliana, safe from the oppression of war.

San-Daniele, 1942. After years of living in hiding, Liliana Schmidt makes two lifechanging promises on her loving mother’s deathbed: she will bury her in the Jewish cemetery besides her family after the war ends, and she will hold on to her Jewish faith – no matter the cost.

A lone Jewish girl in occupied Italy, Liliana finds refuge in the most unlikely of places – a village abbey. Its promise of safety is enticing, but the price of a peaceful life might be too much to bear. It is there she will learn the true meaning of faith, and what is more important – the sanctity of life, or the promise we make to the dead?

Amazon Blurb:

It is 1939 and working class Evie Bishop has received a scholarship to study mathematics at Oxford when tragedy turns her life upside down. Evie must seek a new future for herself and, inspired to contribute to the war effort, joins the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force as an Ops Room plotter.

Posted to a fighter station on the Sussex Coast, Evie befriends two other WAAFs – shy, awkward May and flirty, glamorous Jess. Faced with earning the approval of strict officers and finding their way in a male dominated world, the three girls band together to overcome challenges, navigate new romances and keep their pilots safe in the skies.

But the German bombers seem to know more than they should about the base’s operations, and soon Evie, May and Jess are caught up in a world more dangerous than they ever imagined…

Amazon Blurb:

Lt. Neil Hudson is sure to have a rotten Christmas.

How can he have anything but a rotten Christmas when he’s stuck in war-torn Germany away from his family, friends, and all hope of a decent turkey dinner?

That’s when the Slades come into his life.

Amazon Blurb:

Charity, a slave in Maryland, has tried to escape to the North before, but she failed, and ever since she came back, life got harder. But when Adeline, the plantation owner’s daughter gives Charity the chance to escape, she takes the risk and leaves the plantation with Easter, her best friend, and Elijah, her brother. Together, they meet up with Charity’s two other sisters and brother who had tried to escape, but failed. The six run into encounters with the slave catchers often, and Charity realizes that a mysterious wolf is following her. Will the six make it to freedom, or be enslaved for the rest of their lives?

Amazon Blurb:

Liverpool, 1939. Bella Rogers thought her life was just starting; she can’t wait to get married to her childhood sweetheart, Bobby. But when war is declared and Bobby is called up, his letters stop, leaving Bella heartbroken and alone. Then her family is torn apart by tragedy when her angelic five-year-old sister dies from a terrible illness. They can barely afford a funeral, but the church is packed with the entire community, devastated for their loss.

Grieving for her sister and lost love, Bella finds a job at the Bryant and May factory, making matches. As bombs begin to fall, Bella gets the workers singing, keeping spirits high amidst the fear. When she meets a handsome American airman, Earl Franklin Jr, Bella’s heart finally starts to mend. Earl encourages her passion and soon she and her friends are offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to travel the country’s army bases, entertaining the troops and singing for victory. They name themselves The Bryant Sisters.

Just as her life is getting back on track, Bella finds herself pregnant – and Earl reveals a shattering secret that changes everything about their future. Devastated, she flees home to Liverpool, but as an unmarried mother, will her family reject her? And, as she faces a terrible sacrifice, will she ever sing with The Bryant Sisters again?

Amazon Blurb:

1938 – Krista is living and working in the tiny village of Metz on the French-German border.

The world she has lived in all her life is changing. There is a feeling of oppression in the air. People no long stop to chat with their neighbours. Young men she grew up with are joining Hitler’s Youth – becoming disruptive bullies.

Then Krista overhears a conversation that will change her life. She must escape. Without a plan and with no time to think, she hides in the back of a car driven by an Englishman – and finds herself being driven through France into Belgium and finally sailing to Great Britain.

Will this new life be any better than the one she left behind?

Amazon Blurb:

Krista’s eyes are opened to the wider world around her. She sails to England in the company of her English teacher and a German aristocrat. She is frightened and unsure of her place in the world. What will become of her when she reaches England?

There are secrets revealed about Krista’s life – secrets she knows nothing about. She has people who care what happens to her. But because of the happenings in the world they cannot become involved in her life.

It is decided that Krista should work in the London home of Captain Caulfield, as a companion and assistant to Lia Caulfield and her twin sons. Will she be able to find her place in this strange new world?

Amazon Blurb:

Before Jacob Mitzak was the legendary Nazi hunter known as The Hammer Of Israel, he was just a scared boy living in a nightmare. 

His mentors would go on to become spymasters and politicians, but first they must all survive the ambitions of a mad Austrian. 

Staying alive from one day to the next in the prison camp is challenging enough, but now one of their own has begun murdering guards in the night. 

The killer leaves the dead wrapped in the wire of the fences with their eyes torn out. This would be a cause for celebration, were it not for the reprisals of Commandant Hoss, who has not taken kindly to his guards being executed.

One prisoner knows the identity of the killer, but with one catch. This witness loses his memory every five minutes. 

Amazon Blurb:

In a quiet town in Indianapolis, Indiana comes the Serial Killer that is known as Gertrude Baniszewski. She wasn’t your typical murderer; no she was something more than this, a twisted and demented family woman.

Baniszewski would go down in history in the worst way possible as one of the cruelest women to walk the planet but also in that her case was one of the unique cases brought to trial.

Amazon Blurb:

Have you ever wondered what a judge is really thinking? To most people, judges are mysterious creatures. Judge Mader shines a bright spotlight on the hidden folds of the judging world. The old saying is that judges merely “follow the law.” Yet following the law can produce wildly different results depending upon each judge’s background, politics, and life experiences. Even the floor of the courthouse to which a case is assigned can mean the difference between prison and freedom.  Never before has the judging world been laid bare for all to see.

Alex