Thursday, July 3, 2025
Review - These Blue Mountains
AUTHOR: Sarah Loudin Thomas
NARRATOR: Pilar Witherspoon
RATING: ★★★★
RELEASE DATE: July 15th, 2025
Summary (from Goodreads): German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda is stunned to see Fritz's name in a photograph of an American memorial for German seamen who died near Asheville, North Carolina. Determined to reclaim his body and bring closure to his ailing mother, Hedda travels to the US. Her quest takes a shocking turn when, rather than Fritz's body, his casket contains the remains of a woman who died under mysterious circumstances.
Local deputy Garland Jones thought he'd left that dark chapter behind when he helped bury Fritz Meyer's coffin. The unexpected arrival of Hedda, a long-suffering yet captivating woman, forces him to confront how much of the truth he really knows. As they work together to uncover the identity of the woman in the casket and to unravel Fritz's fate, Hedda and Garland grow closer. But with Hedda in the US on borrowed time while Hitler rises to power in Germany, she fears she'll be forced to return home before she can put the ghosts of her past to rest.
REVIEW: Such a great story! This was my first time reading Sarah Loudin Thomas’ work, and I truly loved it. Her writing is flawless, and her descriptions are so vivid I could picture everything clearly in my mind from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains to the stark contrast of WWII-era Germany. I loved every character, especially Hedda and Garland. Also, the narrator, Pilar Witherspoon, is absolutely incredible. She had me hanging on to her every word, and her many different accents, from Hedda’s German to Garland’s slow southern drawl, were spot on and just amazing. I will definitely search for more of Sarah and Pilar’s work. If you love sweet, faith-based historical romances, then I highly recommend These Blue Mountains.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own).
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I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July.
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Thank you! We were able to visit with our oldest son and grandbabies in north Alabama, so it was a good holiday. I hope you had a great one too.
DeleteThis sounds like a fascinating story!
ReplyDeleteIt was very good. I highly recommend it. Have a great week!
DeleteThis sounds like an intriguing read! I've heard good things about Thomas' books but never read any of them. Great review.
ReplyDeleteI would highly recommend it, especially if you love historical fiction. I plan on reading more of her work very soon.
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