In this gripping WWII time-slip novel from the author whose books have been called propulsive and a must-read (Publishers Weekly), Grace Tonquin is an American Quaker who works tirelessly in Vichy France to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis. After crossing the treacherous Pyrnes, Grace returns home to Oregon with a brother and sister whose parents were lost during the war. Though Grace and her husband love lias and Marguerite as their own, echoes of Graces past and trauma from the Holocaust tear the Tonquin family apart.

More than fifty years after they disappear, Addie Hoult arrives at Tonquin Lake, hoping to find the Tonquin family. For Addie, the mystery is a matter of life and death for her beloved mentor Charlie, who is battling a genetic disease. Though Charlie refuses to discuss his ties to the elusive Tonquins, finding them is the only way to save his life and mend the wounds from his broken past.

My Review:

We all have those authors that are on our must-read list and Melanie Dobson is absolutely one of those for me, and has proven why once again with The Winter Rose. This story gripped my heart in the very beginning and held it captive until the very end. I couldn’t set it down for long, desperately needing to know what happened in the past and how things would work out in the present. The mystery and twists and turns that kept throwing me off only held me more anxious for answers that I simply had to know. With as much fiction is out there during WWII right now, it can be pretty difficult to find something that is unique, but this one truly was a story of its own kind. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil anything though. You’ll need to experience it yourself. The only thing I will say here is that it is one that receives my highest recommendation, and if you know what’s good for you start it early in the day because you won’t want to put it down either. The characters were so deeply developed and the plot masterfully complex, there’s no way this story will be easily forgotten. Loved it!!