Book review of Spring Breeze by Angela Barton

Spring Breeze by Angela Barton

Spring Breeze by Angela Barton

 

Paris, June 1940. The enemy has entered the city and Matilde Pascale hopes to sink into the shadows for the entirety of the war. However, when tragedy strikes it changes everything and Matilde focuses on revenge in order to fight back against the Nazis and their heinous crimes against humanity. But life sometimes takes a bizarre twist and it seems that love has a way of infiltrating the most impenetrable of boundaries. A common purpose drives two enemies into each other’s arms and together they discover the capacity of their combined strength.

Spring Breeze by Angela Barton

My Review

I have read and enjoyed many historical novels set in Paris, during the Occupation, and this one certainly held its own in this genre, offering a slightly different angle to others that I have read.

 

Matilde was an interesting character from the beginning, and I enjoyed watching her grow in strength and confidence as the novel progressed. She might have started mousy and fearful, but she soon showed she had spirit, fire and determination, despite the dangers she faced. Living in occupied Paris with its shortage of food, forced into working for the Germans and then determined to do her bit for the Resistance, danger was lurking at every corner and knowing who to trust, was difficult. Even in friendship, she found the lines between friends and the enemy were blurred many times.

 

With one of the focusses of this book being the rounding up of Jewish families in Paris’s velodrome, this was an emotional read, but it also came across as a well-researched novel. I could feel the hardships, visualise the suffering and I got a real sense of the oppression that so many had to live through, as well as the strength and bravery they found in the darkest of times. My heart was often in my mouth, willing Matilde to stay safe, intrigued to know where her war journey would take her, who would betray her and who would love and support her. Despite so many problems there was a tenderness to this book that I hadn’t expected. 

 

I can’t wait for the author’s next historical novel that will be set near the Pyrenees. If you like historical fiction, I’m sure you will enjoy this book.

Purchase Links

 

Purchase here 

 

Angela Barton

Author Bio

 

Angela Barton was born in London and grew up in Nottingham. She has three grown up children and loves to spend time with her eight-year-old twin granddaughters and a new baby granddaughter born Christmas 2021.

 

Angela is passionate about writing both contemporary and historical fiction and loves time spent researching for her novels. She lived in France whilst writing Spring Breeze and explored Paris and its catacombs for Spring Breeze.

 

In 2018 Angela signed publishing contracts for three of her completed novels. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, a reader for their New Writers’ Scheme, a member of the Society of Authors and also Ellipses and Ampersands’ fiction critique group.

 

Angela is busy writing her fifth novel set in France during WW2. Her next story takes us away from the capital to the Pyrenees bordering Spain.

 

In addition to writing, Angela also relaxes by making landscapes using free motion sewing on a machine and has a small online gift business at ButtonMoon Creations 

 

Spring Breeze by Angela Barton

Social Media Links   

 

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Spring Breeze by Angela Barton GIVEAWAY

 

Giveaway to Win A Parisian tote bag, a Spring Breeze notebook and Hotel Chocolat Pink Champagne chocolates (Open to Europe Only)

 

*Terms and Conditions – European entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

 

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