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MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n “No Neutral Ground” is an interesting and informative story set mostly in Sweden during World War 2. The key characters met early in the book on a ship bound for Europe. For Jennie it was the first leg of her journey to join her parents in Sweden, a neutral nation during the war. Rafe, an American navigator, is returning to fight against his former countrymen in the skies over the country he fled early in Hitler’s campaign. The pair immediately felt an affinity for each other but had to go in separate directions upon embarking from the ship with little hope of a future reunion.<\/p>\n The author certainly did her research and I learned facts about the war that I wasn’t taught in high school history class. Most notably, details about life in Sweden during that time frame were fascinating. I particularly enjoyed Rafe and Jennie’s adventures as they worked together to gather information about the enemy.\u00a0 Vivid descriptions of air battles and life in the camp were detailed and informative. I also thought that Rafe’s emotional and spiritual journey was handled quite well.<\/p>\n Although “No Neutral Ground” is technically a romance novel, that aspect of the story was subdued and took a back seat to the drama. Those who expect frequent romantic scenes with lots of kissing might be a bit disappointed. Overall, I enjoyed this book even though at times I got just a bit bogged down in the lengthy narrative. Nevertheless, it is definitely worth reading. I am glad I did. A digital copy of this book was provided for review by the author for her Celebrate Lit Publicity Group blog tour.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n ABOUT THE BOOK:<\/strong><\/p>\n After his father divorces his mother because of her Jewish ancestry, Rafe and the rest of his family flee Germany. As a B-17 navigator, he returns to Europe. On the ocean voyage, he meets Jennie, an artist journeying to Sweden to work with the OSS.<\/p>\n Flying missions against his former homeland arouses emotions that surprise Rafe. Despite being rejected, he is troubled by the destruction of Germany and his heart still cries for his father\u2019s love.<\/p>\n Sweden may be neutral, but it\u2019s full of intrigue. Jennie assists the OSS at the American legation in Sweden. She thought she\u2019d be doing passive, behind-the-scenes work. Instead, she\u2019s pushed into an active role to gain intelligence and frustrate the Germans.<\/p>\n How can Rafe and Jennie succeed in their dangerous roles when they are so conflicted?<\/p>\n Purchase your copy here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/strong><\/p>\n Connect with Terri:<\/strong> Guest Post from Terri Wangaud<\/strong> At an ACFW conference, I had an appointment to pitch Friends and Enemies<\/em> with an editor. She said I\u2019d be likelier to get a contract if I had a series. The Green Lake story got shelved.<\/p>\n What could I write to partner with Friends and Enemies<\/em>? That stumped me. The German side of the story was my big interest, but another one? No. I had no desire to return to Nazi Germany. My ancestry is three quarters German. All of my forbearers arrived in America before 1900, but it\u2019s still a bitter thought that their homeland spawned such evil.<\/p>\n Germany\u2019s out, so that left me with the other side of Friends and Enemies<\/em>\u2014the B-17s. I\u2019d chosen the Flying Fortress because of my timeline. In mid-1944, the only American military men in Germany were shot-down airmen. I had plenty of material I hadn\u2019t used in Friends and Enemies<\/em>, but the plot had to be different. Something other writers hadn\u2019t touched on. Maybe\u2026Sweden?<\/p>\n Who\u2019s familiar with Sweden\u2019s role in World War II?<\/p>\n If American planes got in trouble during their missions and couldn\u2019t make it back to their bases in England, they sought sanctuary in neutral countries. Switzerland is usually the first that comes to mind. Tricia Goyer had already written The Swiss Courier<\/em> which touches on internees.<\/p>\n But Sweden. I had even visited Sweden. In 1993, my dad and I had gone to Sweden to cover a classic boat show for our magazine, Classic Boating<\/em>. During a free day, we had wandered around Stockholm and taken lots of pictures.<\/p>\n I started the research and discovered, hmm, there\u2019s not much, especially if you don\u2019t know Swedish. One book I acquired held a eureka moment. A B-17 was damaged and the pilot told the crew to bail out. The navigator hurried to the cockpit and implored him to try to make it to Sweden. He was from Germany, a former member of the Hitler Youth, and he did not want to be captured by his former countrymen. There\u2019s my male protagonist! Rafe discovered he had Jewish ancestry and had to flee Germany. Now he\u2019s back at war with the homeland.<\/p>\n I still needed a female protagonist, and Jennie proved hard to pin down. I was pulling her together throughout the writing. I enjoyed reading accounts of Betty McIntosh, who served with the OSS in the China-Burma-India theater. Why not enlist Jennie\u2019s services with the OSS in Sweden? She\u2019s talented but lacks confidence. Pretty soon, Jennie found her voice.<\/p>\n As my research continued, I made a surprising discovery. One of the photos I\u2019d taken in Stockholm turned out to be the former home of the American legation in Sweden. Jennie\u2019s workplace. And I had thought it was just an example of lovely architecture.<\/p>\n I hope you\u2019ll enjoy reading about Rafe and Jennie in No Neutral Ground.<\/em><\/p>\n Blog Stops<\/strong> May 4: \u00a0A Greater Yes<\/a><\/p>\n May 4: Simple Harvest Reads<\/a><\/p>\n May 5: D\u2019S QUILTS & BOOKS<\/a><\/p>\n May 5: The Editor\u2019s Note<\/a><\/p>\n May 6: Daysong Reflections<\/a><\/p>\n May 6: Mary Hake<\/a><\/p>\n May 7: Bigreadersite<\/a><\/p>\n May 8: Inklings and Notions<\/a><\/p>\n May 9: Blossoms and Blessings<\/a><\/p>\n May 10: Bukwurmzzz<\/a><\/p>\n May 10: Cassandra M\u2019s Place (spotlight)<\/a><\/p>\n May 11: Christian Bookaholic<\/a><\/p>\n May 12: Singing Librarian Books<\/a><\/p>\n May 13: Texas Book-aholic<\/a><\/p>\n May 14: For The Love of Books<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/divider2.png\" "\\"divider2\\"")
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\n<\/a>To celebrate her No Neutral Ground tour, Terri is giving away several prizes.
\nClick here to enter: https:\/\/promosimple.com\/ps\/97ca<\/a><\/p>\nTerri Wangard<\/strong> grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, during the Lombardi Glory Years. Her first Girl Scout badge was the Writer. These days she is writing historical fiction, and won the 2013 Writers on the Storm contest and 2013 First Impressions, as well as being a 2012 Genesis finalist. Holder of a bachelor\u2019s degree in history and a master\u2019s degree in library science, she lives in Wisconsin. Her research included going for a ride in a WWII B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.\u00a0Classic Boating<\/em>\u00a0Magazine, a family business since 1984, keeps her busy as an associate editor.<\/p>\n
\nwww.terriwangard.com<\/a>
\nFacebook:<\/strong>\u00a0www.facebook.com\/AuthorTerriWangard<\/a>
\nPinterest:<\/strong>\u00a0www.pinterest.com\/terriwangard\/<\/a><\/p>\n
\nI hadn\u2019t planned on writing No Neutral Ground<\/em>. Friends and Enemies<\/em> (book one of the Promise For Tomorrow series) was the WWII story I\u2019d wanted to write, inspired by family history on the German side. Finishing that, I\u2019d started writing a contemporary story set in one of my favorite places, Green Lake, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
\nMay 3: Book Reviews From an Avid Reader<\/a><\/p>\n