The Secret Room by Sara Swann

 

939. Vienna, Austria. Life was as close to perfect for medical doctor Johann Goetz, his artist wife Sybilla, and their three children . . . until the world went stark raving mad.

As Nazi propaganda seeps into the fibers of Vienna, families and neighbors are pitted against one another, and hatred brews until the tensions erupt on the night of Kristallnacht. But Jewish families like the Goetzs know that the madness is only beginning.

Word of the deadly program against the Jews of Europe spreads far and wide, even to the quaint Amish farm belonging to Joseph Jotter’s family in Lancaster County. The idea of neighbors hating neighbors is a foreign concept in Amish country, and Joseph finds himself asking God to show him how he can help the Jewish people of Europe. 

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About The Author

 

Sara is a native west Texan, conservationist, mother of four, certified elementary teacher, and certifiable Gypsy. Sara and family have made their home in places all over the world, from the majestic Oklahoma plains to the eclectic mountains of Italy – collecting inspiration and rescue animals along the way.

  

From Alaska to the wilds of New Mexico, Sara has piloted small aircraft, counted bats, tracked mountain lions, hiked with black bears, relocated giant Western diamondback rattlesnakes, and fallen in love over and over again with the roads less traveled.

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She is married to a man who makes romance novel heroes pale in comparison and together they have six children, three dogs, and two goofy cats. She teaches school in her spare time and helps her husband, Wesley, run his aptly named plumbing business – As You Wish Plumbing. 

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Sara is a member of the Romance Writers of America, is a member and the critique chair for Hearts Through History, and a member of West Houston RWA, Western Fictioneers, the Catholic Writers Guild, and the Transylvanian Society of Dracula along with several nameless groups comprised of local writers who tend to gather occasionally wherever the coffee is the freshest. She is represented by Julie Gwinn of The Seymour Agency. Find Sara’s updates at www.SaraHarrisBooks.com. 

 

My Review

 

I enjoyed this read, it’s more like a novella, and ended with questions. I see there are more books to come, so hope that some more answers will be forthcoming.
This this the Goetz families story, living a good life in Austria, father a doctor and mother an artist, when the evil that was penetrating Europe at the time. Friends turning on friends, and yes, I knew that this happened, but with the author we put faces on these people.
We unfortunately are visit concentration camps, and see the disregard for human life, but we also meet some that care and help, including people in the States!
I am looking forward to the next book in this series!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Vinspire, and was not required to give a positive review,.