*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.
Title: The Austrian Bride
Author: Helen Parusel
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★
Austria 1938
After years of
hardship, Ella is full of hope for a better future for Austrians, and when
Hitler marches into Linz, she can’t help but become swept up in the euphoria of
her boyfriend, Max.
But she soon
realises her mistake. When she witnesses a woman being shot in the street and a
childhood friend’s Jewish department store is closed down, she knows she must
do something.
It’s a dangerous time to be a resistor, especially when
her fascist boyfriend proposes to her. Knowing the secrets she can uncover,
Ella enlists in a Reich Bride School, finding herself propelled into the social
elite of the Nazi circle.
Ella knows she has a duty – to her family, her friends, and her country – so while Europe teeters on the brink of WW2, a desperate race begins to save the people she loves. But betraying the Nazis could be her death sentence…
The Austrian
Bride is the latest novel from historical fiction author Helen Parusel. After
reading – and loving – her debut novel A Mother’s War last year
(click here to read my review), I was eagerly anticipating the release of The Austrian
Bride and it only exceeded my expectations.
Helen Parusel
has a truly captivating writing style which immerses you into the story and
makes it impossible to put the book down. She writes tension incredibly well
and leaves readers on the edge of their seats. The book captured my emotions so
intensely that I was audibly gasping, shouting and even sobbing along with the story.
The story is told
through a perfectly-paced dual POV narrative, alternating between the perspectives
of Ella and her mother Marlene. The two arcs interplayed with each other
really nicely and allowed us to explore both their individual stories, particularly
with how they were each supporting resistance efforts, and also their mother/daughter
relationship. I’ve not seen a dual POV featuring a mother and daughter used
within historical fiction in this way before and it provided a unique and incredibly
powerful aspect to the story.
As you can expect
from Helen Parusel, the story was impeccably researched and covered important
topics such as the Anschluss, Kindertransport, Reich Bride Schools and the
gradual build up to war in brilliant depth. The Austrian setting came alive on
the page and the love Helen Parusel has for the country where her mother was
born was really clear.
Ella was a
fantastically written character who made a wonderful protagonist. It
was wonderful to see her gradually grow disillusioned with Nazi ideology as the
story progressed, eventually working to use her insider knowledge to help those
being persecuted. Marlene was also a brilliant and beautifully complex
character with incredible strength and courage. I really liked that the book took
the time to also explore some of the health, parental and marital struggles
which you can encounter as a middle-aged person, this really helped Marlene to
feel like a really authentic character. The Austrian Bride also has a nice
romantic aspect and I loved the blossoming relationship between Ella and Jayden.
They had some really sweet scenes and I was rooting for them from the
beginning.
Our two primary
antagonists in Max and Heinrich Steiner were both brilliantly written. Steiner
made my skin crawl whenever he appeared, he was a truly vile character but this
is credit to how well Helen Parusel can write antagonists. Max was also an
excellent antagonist and there is a great twist to his character which suddenly
explains a lot of his behaviour throughout the book. I was very proud when I
had correctly pieced it all together and predicted the twist.
Overall, The Austrian Bride is an incredible book which has truly set the standard high for all historical fiction which has to follow it in 2024. Helen Parusel has very quickly become one of my favourite writers within the genre and she really is one to watch. I will be recommending The Austrian Bride to anyone who will listen, but especially to fans of Second World War historical fiction as this is a must-read story.
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