The Promise She Made by Julie Hartley

 

Description from Goodreads:

"As our ship starts to sink, I see flares lighting up the midnight sky. ‘Hold on tight. I will keep you safe. I promise,’ I say to my terrified little sister as I hold back my tears. But I know I can’t hold on for much longer and as she slips away, my heart breaks. Will I ever see her again?

York, 1942. On the night of the Blitz, Ruby returns to her beloved hometown with her heart shattered. She couldn’t keep the one promise she made to her dying mother, to keep her little sister Eliza safe from harm. The Germans have taken everything from her – her family, her fiancé Antoine, and now, her home. When she finds her family home destroyed, she falls to her knees in tears. Among the ruins of her life, she wonders if she has the strength to carry on. But then, she finds a mysterious note which gives her a flicker of hope.

Eliza is alive. I’ve seen her. You must find her…

Determined to find out what happened to her sister, Ruby joins the Special Operations Executive keen to defend all that she has left and fight against the Nazis. Whilst there, she is tearfully reunited with Antoine, who believes he may know what happened to Eliza that dark night on the ocean. Can they reignite their love after all the loss they’ve suffered, and will Ruby ever see her little sister again?"

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This is a compelling and emotional roller-coaster WWII fiction book that had me completely hooked.

The book follows the story of Ruby, a young woman from Yorkshire who has seen her fill of tragedy even before she gets out of her teens.  Ruby promised her mum that she would look after her little sister so when war breaks out, she seizes the chance to get her sister on a transport to Canada where she will be safe but to do this, she has to go against her family and the love of her life.  Little does she know, that more tragedy is to hit which compounds Ruby's feelings of guilt.

Existing rather than living, Ruby vows revenge and so begins the next chapter of her life but will treachery, misogyny and people from her past get in her way and will Ruby and those she love survive?  

With excellent, strong characters, a riveting story line written at a good pace, this is an excellent read that I thoroughly enjoyed and one which I would recommend to others who enjoy this genre. 

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this emotional roller-coaster.

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