Novel Nerd Blog - Book Reviews by Smitha

  MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW Set in Nazi Germany in 1941, The Secret Locket tells the heart-wrenching story of Noemi, a Jewish girl, and Pascal, her childhood friend and first love. Growing up together in the Bavarian countryside, their bond is deep and unshakable—until war tears them apart. As Pascal is pressured into joining the Hitler Youth, Noemi’s life is put in danger when her parents are taken to Dachau. Desperate to save her, Pascal helps Noemi escape, giving her his mother’s silver locket as a symbol of their love and a promise to find her again. As Noemi flees for her life, she faces danger, heartbreak, and the constant fear of discovery, but never loses hope that she might one day reunite with Pascal. Spanning years of war, separation, and survival, The Secret Locket is a moving tale of forbidden love, courage, and the enduring hope that even in the darkest times, love can survive. What follows is a journey of survival for Noemi as she escapes into a world of uncertaint...

  MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW Steve N. Lee’s The Ruins in Which We Bleed is a gruesome, profoundly moving novel that plunges readers into the heart of the Holocaust through the eyes of a brave 13-year-old girl, Helena. Imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto, Helena endures unimaginable horrors—disease, starvation, brutality—yet her fierce love for her family becomes a celebration of hope in a world shrouded in war struggle. Through intense research Lee brilliantly captures a forgotten struggle, the innocence of childhood crushed by war, balancing heartbreaking tragedy with astonishing courage and resilience. Helena is not just a fictional character—she is a mirror of the countless real children who bore witness to evil and still managed to show understanding. The prose is vivid and fast paced, with scenes that linger long after the final page. Ghetto fighters were members of underground resistance groups within Jewish ghettos during World War II who fought against Nazi oppression and depo...

 MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW The July Fourth Murders: War Is Murder is a 2025 anthology that includes four historical mystery novellas by James Gaskin, Penny Richards, Janis Patterson, and Sandy Steen.  The stories follow everyday individuals, such as a midwife in 1775 Lexington, a captain in WWI Paris, a factory worker during WWII, and a band in Vietnam, whose lives are upended by murder. The anthology combines historical mood with suspense, portraying the human side of combat throughout multiple centuries. I felt that while the novellas are rich in period detail and emotional depth, their small length limits plot intricacy and character development. Overall, it's an engaging book for aficionados of historical mysteries, offering diverse glimpses into American wartime lives linked by a patriotic theme. BOOK DESCRIPTION The July Fourth Murders: War is Murder by James Gaskin (Author), Penny Richards (Author), Janis Patterson (Author), & 1 more  Format: Kindle Edition I...

MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW  RG Belsky and Bonnie Traymore in their new novel SWIPE has put together all the troubles those dating apps or online dating can bring. Especially to anyone looking for love in the wrong places. This story has looked in depth at the unsuspected danger, risk, threat and guilt that comes to married people who think it's casual or normal that they can cheat their spouses behind their back. It's very evident that they are lonely, desperate or unhappy in their lives or relationships.  Jake, a Journalist at New York Banner is hellbent to prove the mysterious death of Matt Furman. Matt a hiker and a married man who dated women online behind his wife and children's back ended up falling down accidently to the Hudson river. Was Matt's death a tragic accident or murder? The irony is that Matt was dating Sonya online. Sonya disliked Matt at their first encounter at the Palisade trail. Jake who covers stories desires to know why Matt committed infidelity...

MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW The legal thriller Midwest Lawyer by Peter Kirkland takes the reader to the county courtrooms and Donahoe county jails in Kerry, Ohio, drama filled with twists and intrigue in every trial conducted. It's just not the suspense but also the legal jargons and arguments used by lawyers in their daily fight in the court with  judges portrayed through the well developed characters Carol Becker and Maggy.  In the narrative Maggy takes up two crime cases where Troy Weaver is accused to have committed with his own guns and  have been send to Jail for shooting his son Benny. Mr. Troy is Maggy's client and an old school mate.  Her determination and win win attitude even when she gets nowhere in finding evidences to prove her client Troy not guilty is quite impressive and captivating. Terry Weaver of Kerry, Ohio, turned himself on to arrest warrant for aggravated murder as the county prosecutor's office alleges that Mr. Weaver is responsible for the d...

  MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW  Set in Paris shortly before the Cold War ends and the Berlin Wall falls, Alice Graham's Red Lily is a brilliantly written, wacky spy thriller. It's 1989 summertime. Carl Box is a paint and varnish consultant from Disney Florida who finds out about the death of his Parisian aunt, who is the family's black sheep but whom he has never seen. Aunt Lily is still alive after someone tried to poison her with iced tea, and he finds out this when he flies to Paris. The two then go out to find a smuggled stockpile of KGB dossiers while Aunt Lily poses as her nephew's mother. Box narrates the events as he and Lily avoid suspicious cops, dangerous spies, and cunning assassins in a crazy trip filled with spy craft. A cast of quirky, engaging characters, such as a debonair French police investigator, a seductive environmental activist, and a false priest, keep readers interested in this unhurried book. The protagonist's opening statement of Paris is ...