Affiliate links can be found within this post. If you need additional information, please see the disclaimer.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
MY REVIEW:
Genre | Tropes: Historical Fiction, World War II, Spies
Rating: 5 out of 5 ⭐
Cilla’s story is one of sacrifice and determination. She’s trapped in the Nazi controlled Dutch region and is trying to survive by pretending to be a supporter of the Nazi infiltration for fear of losing her life. But when a chance opportunity arises to flee the country as a supposed spy for Nazi Germany inside Scottish borders, she jumps at the chance. Her only focus is to get the escape she needs to an Allied country and then plans to disappear. But her plans go awry and she’s captured by the Scottish forces. She immediately tells them she was sent there as a spy in hopes they will treat her more welcomingly, but she’s sorely mistaken.
Now she’s a turned spy and prisoner with the Scottish forces. Her solitude is difficult for her, but she has some freedoms to feed fake information back to the Nazi’s under protection of Scotland. Her heart is strong and as she holds out, her time spent in captivity and working for the Scottish forces pans out in the end.
Lachlan is a soldier in the Scottish military and is solely focused on his duties to man and country. When he finds Cilla washed up on his shores, he immediately turns her in, even though he has an intuition that there is something good about her, he knows he must do it. Working together to feed false information back to Germany, they grow closer but Lachlan is scared of her and believes she’s truly a spy for Germany. Refusing to let his heart open to Cilla, he keeps her at a distance until she sacrifices everything she’s worked for to save some of their men in danger.
A very intense story about sacrifices, love and doing the right thing, no matter how difficult that decision might feel. Cilla embodies that desire in all of us to do what’s right and demonstrates that those sacrifices are worth the rewards. Lachlan also represents a strength in humanity that also has a hard time forgiving others of their faults. He comes a long way in his relationship with Cilla and his own brother who he has significant issues with.
An honorable story and reminder that there are bigger things at work and we all play our role in what happens around us. Even the smallest decisions have ripple effects and one person can make a huge difference for so many others.
GET IT HERE:
In a time of war, danger lurks beneath the water–and in the depths of the human heart
As the German war machine devours the Netherlands, the only way Cilla van der Zee can survive the occupation is to do the unthinkable–train to become a spy for the Nazis. Once dispatched to Britain, she plans to abandon her mission and instead aid the Allies. But her scheme is thwarted when naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie finds her along the Scottish shore and turns her in to be executed.
Yet perhaps she is more useful alive than dead. British intelligence employs her to radio misleading messages to Germany from the lighthouse at Dunnet Head in Scotland–messages filled with naval intelligence Lachlan must provide. If the war is to be won, Lachlan and Cilla must work together. But how can he trust a woman who arrived on his shores as a tool of the enemy–a woman certain to betray both him and the Allied cause?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Sundin
Sarah Sundin enjoys writing about the drama and romance of the World War II era. She is the bestselling and Christy Award-winning author of Midnight on the Scottish Shore (coming February 2025), Embers in the London Sky (2024), The Sound of Light (2023), Until Leaves Fall in Paris (2022), When Twilight Breaks (2021), and several World War II series.
Sarah’s novels have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist. Until Leaves Fall in Paris received the 2022 Christy Award, The Sky Above Us won the 2020 Carol Award, The Sound of Light was a finalist for both the Christy Award and the Carol Award, and When Twilight Breaks and The Land Beneath Us were finalists for the Christy Award.
A mother of three, Sundin lives in Southern California and enjoys speaking to community, church, and writers’ groups. Sarah serves as program director for the West Coast Christian Writers Conference.
Looking for book recs…
Adventures in Literature 
Leave a comment