The German Messenger is the first M.J. Hollows book that I have read, but it certainly won't be the last. It is beautifully written, and captures the period effortlessly.

1940, Liverpool is one of the most heavily sustained bombing areas outside London by the German Luftwaffe.

Ruth Holt, a journalist, volunteers with Women's Voluntary Services during the raids, to help others, but also to get a feel of what's going on in the city. Something she wouldn't be able to access in an air raid shelter.

Her son George, has returned from the countryside unannounced. Clearly neither he, nor his billeted family were enamoured with the evacuee situation.

Anthony Lloyd is a teacher by day, and an air raid warden at night. Ensuring that people are getting to safety, and those who wise to stay at home are observing regulations such as black out restrictions.

In usual circumstances their paths would never cross. But this is WW2 and nothing is the same as it was. They meet on duty one night, early on the bombing campaign. Both hoping that they'll never see the other again.

Anthony is initially suspicious of Ruth, not least because she is a journalist, but he thinks that she is hiding something. He is right.

Ruth is hiding her ancestory, for although she is British, there are some who would view her family as the enemy. When George is kidnapped, Ruth's fears that her family history is going to leave her unable to survive the war.

And so begins a fight to find and take back her son, no matter what the cost.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this book. I enjoyed reading it. It helped me to learn what life in Liverpool was like during the second world war. The characters were interesting and well described especially the two main ones. The book was easy to read and kept me interested from the beginning to the end. I do recommend you read it.

This was an okay historical fiction novel set in Liverpool throughout WW2. The title is slightly misleading as I found the messenger part of the story to be in the back seat. There was suspense, drama and mystery throughout the story which kept me captivated however I did find that the narrative was rather slow throughout. I did find myself lose interest throughout certain parts of the book but again I believe this was down to the slow burn.

This story was a decent read with a good amount of character development and also had an okay ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eBook ARC.

Ruth Holt is a journalist, she lives in Liverpool, and her husband Peter is serving in the Royal Navy and her son George has been evacuated to the country. The people George is staying with put him on a train without telling her, send him home and now Ruth is busy juggling motherhood, working for the newspaper and she’s a member of the Women’s Voluntary Services.

When the blitz begins and life for Londoners becomes a struggle, nightly the bombs reign down, destroying houses and starting fires and killing and wounding hundreds of people. Ruth isn’t allowed to publish what’s happening in the paper, the sensors won’t allow it and they think it will cause widespread panic. Ruth’s neighbour looks after George for her, one day he’s taken and the kidnapper wants her to supply him with information and so he can give it to the Germans.

Ruth has no choice but to co-operate, she can access some details through her work, she has taken a few photographs and she passes on these and falsified troop movements. Ruth receives some bad news about Peter, she gets very disheartened and around the same time she meets Anthony Lloyd. He’s a school teacher and Anthony volunteers at night to make sure people are following the blackout rules. Ruth can’t tell Anthony the truth about herself and what she’s been doing, Ruth was born in Austria, George being kidnapped, she’s a spy and if she's caught, Ruth faces being arrested for committing treason.

I received a copy of The German Messenger by M. J. Hollows from NetGalley and HQ Digital in exchange for an honest review. The narrative focuses on a woman’s struggles during the Second World War, at first it was due to rationing and having to evacuate her son to the country and it gets worse. It highlights the horrors of the blitz, the endless nights of bombing and especially for people living in Merseyside. A historical fiction story full of, secrets, mystery, suspense, tragedy and drama. The pace of the narrative was a little slow for me at times, and due to this I gave the book three and a half stars.

“How do we stop feeling so impotent, how do we take control?”

Author M.J. Hollows sweeps readers away to Liverpool 1940 right before the August Blitz. He instantly captured my attention with a brazen boy who took matters into his own hands and returned home from the countryside. Knowing George’s secret added to my curiosity: Would he get away with it?

As was done in Britain during the war, children were sent, on the advice of the War Office, to the countryside for safety. George, like so many others, was lulled into false security by the strangely quiet start to the war and believed that the disruptions to their life were simply a result of fearmongering. This is a much-neglected part of historical fiction, so it was refreshing to read about it, not only from a child’s point of view but also from the point of view of adults who disregarded the blackout and air raid protocols.

I also appreciated the author highlighting those who weren’t British-born and the fears they lived with knowing they’d be considered a threat to national security. I hadn’t considered what the wartime experience would have been like for these individuals. Also, rarely touched upon are those who were considered unfit to fight and the feelings of inadequacy and unfairness they harboured. They, too, faced scorn from others.

There was a good balance of reactions to the war in this novel; it felt like an authentic representation. The spirit of the unconquered people working together in the face of trauma was triumphant against those who didn’t want to comply. There was also a good balance of mystery and historical fiction. Hollows appealed to my senses and showed the effects of the horrors of the Blitz through the eyes of those who chose to remain and volunteer. My only wish is that there had been a bit more showing instead of telling.

This story featuring Ruth Holt and Anthony Lloyd set during the Liverpool Blitz is a wonderful addition to the historical fiction genre.

I was gifted this copy by HQ Digital and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This novel brings a different perspective to the realities of the Blitz in the north western port of Liverpool. For those that remained in the city, such as Ruth and Anthony, both felt the need to join the workforce of volunteers alongside their jobs as a newspaper journalist and school teacher. As the bombs fell on the city, the population struggled to survive with an underlying theme of mistrust. When Ruth’s son is kidnapped, she has no option but to bend to the demands of the man responsible to provide information to the Nazis so as to protect her son. As the months pass Ruth maintains her silence until eventually Anthony discovers the truth about the woman he is falling in love with.

An interesting read, based closely on historical events, although I’m not convinced that the title adequately depicts the scope of the book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers HarperCollins for this advance copy.

The German Messenger by M J Hollows is a mesmerizing historical novel that gripped me from the start.
The story is set in Liverpool 1940-1941 at the height of the blitz. M J Hollows writes of the horrors facing the brave people of the city. As the city burns, we witness brave firefighters running towards the flames. Comprehensive descriptions bring the landscape to life as we see a landscape right out of Dante’s inferno.
Ordinary citizens with German roots were viewed with suspicion. Some were interred in camps. It is heartbreaking to see the elderly wrenched from their homes to spend their last days incarcerated simply because of their roots.
There is a question of trust. Some, surprisingly, placed their loyalty with Hitler. These evil characters would prey on the vulnerable, using leverage to get classified information.
War throws people together. Neighbours help each other. Homes are opened to those in need of shelter and care.
We witness the rescues on bomb sites, seeing amazing miracles of survival.
All the characters were well drawn, likable and realistic.
I thoroughly enjoyed The German Messenger. I always love M J Hollow’s books that educate and entertain. This tale is simply marvelous.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

The story of this book is based in Liverpool at the time of WW2 blitz.

Ruth works as a journalist, and her son is kidnapped. She now has to carry out the ransom in the current bombs dropping circumstances.

I loved this book, it made me happy and sad, and I loved Ruth. I finished it in one sitting.

I recommend this book.

This book really has the wrong title, its really more about a 2 folks surviving during the severe bombing Liverpool took during the war and eventually hooking up. The actual messenger stuff was almost like a secondary/minor storyline that you really forgot about it for most of the book. Nice enough main characters and you really did feel for them surviving the bombings but there just seemed something missing with the book itself especially given the title of it.

This book certainly emphasises how much the people of Liverpool suffered during World War Two. It shows their dogged determination to survive.
I found the human aspect very interesting, however the story was a bit unbelievable at times; an example is how long George was ‘away’ for.

This had a wonderful combination of the impact of the World War II Blitz, skullduggery and friendship all thrown in together. I learnt about the effect of the Blitz on everyday life in a city that I hadn't realised had been hit so hard - Liverpool.
It tells the story of journalist Ruth Holt struggling in the terror of the Blitz when her young son is snatched away in broad daylight. Soon after, the kidnappers’ demands arrive. They are working with the Nazis, and she has no choice but to co-operate, or the authorities will learn that she is harbouring secrets of her own.
I found the book well written and easy to read and would recommend it.

A historical novel set during the Liverpool.blitz.during WW2. Well researched and emotional, the characters are believable.and the ending satisfying.

Well written with a compelling and emotive storyline and well developed characters that just got better as the book went on. It made me cry and made me hope. A great read