Love's Rescue

Love’s Belief is third in the author’s Wartime Brides series, and it is an excellent read for those who appreciate Christian WWII fiction. It can be read as a standalone. I am impressed with how much Linda Shenton Matchett puts into a story, including fine characterizations and historical details! This story is inspired by Shipra and Puah, midwives in Egypt who saved Jewish babies during the time of Pharaoh. Pia and her mother, Sabine, are midwives in Berlin. Sabine has been a midwife for many years, and at 28, Pia is already an accomplished midwife. It is 1943, and after briefly witnessing a protest by “Aryan” women whose Jewish husbands had been rounded up and taken, the two women begin to pray for direction on how the Lord would have them respond to what is happening. When they receive a letter from the midwives’ association, they know what they must do, no matter how terrifying it is. And when Trudi, Pia’s best friend, gives her a means to accomplish it, they prepare to follow God’s leading. Dieter was injured in the war, having lost one hand and part of his arm. He didn’t serve because he believed in the cause, rather, because he had to go. He now has a small market and sees himself as having little value due to his injury and the nightmares he still suffers from. His best friend Lars is taken away for being Jewish. When he is returned to his non-Jewish wife, he goes into hiding for his own protection. Because her husband is Jewish, his wife Valma faces having her baby taken away as one of the “undesirables” – in this case, one parent being Jewish. Dieter questions what he can do despite his handicap to help rescue those who need help getting out of Germany. Pia, Sabine, and Dieter are three people who choose to do what the Lord would have them to and become connected with those in the resistance. Dieter considers his choice when a close friend is beaten and sent to Auschwitz for having Allied POW’s hidden on his farm. Pia gets supplies from Dieter’s market when she finds it is stocked with things she needs for those she helps. I like each of the three of them for who they are, Christians with specific gifts who want to serve God in life-threatening circumstances. Representative of many people in Europe during the war, their faith and courage are inspiring, their lives a witness for the Lord in a dark land. The end of the story is very satisfying, without any loose ends. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy Christian women’s fiction centered around WWII, set in Europe, using Biblical characters as inspiration for protagonists. From a thankful heart: I received a copy of this ebook from the publisher through CelebrateLit; a positive review was not required.