Trudie has to send her children away to save their lives. She promised that she would see them again but that would be more difficult than expected. She’s doing everything to help others but what will it cost her?
This is an amazing emotional story that you will keep reading till the end.
I started reading and listening to this author a long time ago but her stories are becoming better and better, A mother’s promise is the book after When is mummy coming and I recommend to read it in order.

An easy 5 stars!
As with Rachel’s other books, this WWII novel grabbed me from the very first page. A Mother’s Promise is part two in the Hearts at War series, and follows Trudi Beck, whose daughter and two stepsons feature in the first book, When’s Mummy Coming? Her stepson, Heinz/Harry also features in this book, and we learn of his experiences in both Britain and Germany as he seeks revenge for his father’s death.
The reader is taken on Trudi’s heartbreaking journey after sending her children to Britain on the Kindertransport. There is so much heartbreak, sacrifice, and suffering, strong bonds are formed, and Trudi finds love. Characters from book one are revisited - it was lovely to tie it all together and to see the maturing of Heinz/Harry, and to have his relationship with his stepmother, Trudi, being explored more.
Reading about the Holocaust is never going to be easy – I stopped several times trying to comprehend that although fiction, there is truth in the words and similar events were reality. This is a very emotional and thought-provoking read so grab your tissues and lose yourself in this heartbreaking tale of survival, resilience, friendship, and courage. It’s a poignant reminder that although the war ended, there was still so much suffering and there were many who needed to be brought to justice. I think this could be read as a stand-alone novel, however I do recommend reading part one first.
Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and Rachel Wesson for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Her heart torn in two after sending her children away on the Kindertransport, Trudi Beck stays behind in Berlin, devastated, to face the dangers of war alone. Unable to bear the persecution of her people, Trudi begins to fight back against the oppression and brutality of the Nazi regime, determined to save as many lives as possible. Despite everything she refuses to give up hope, and, in the darkest days of the war, she finds solace in a fellow resistant, Jakob, who lights a fire in her and helps to mend her broken heart. In England, Trudi’s stepson, Harry, is finding his own way to right the wrongs done to their family. He joins the Allies – enduring prejudice and discrimination as a German national – risking everything, including his own life, in his quest for revenge.
The second book in the series & I’d recommend reading the books in order. Another well written emotional novel that pulled at the heart strings, there’s also tension & traumatic events. Trudi is one strong woman & I loved her journey to survive. The book was a little slow in places but it kept my interest all the way through & I did enjoy how all the ends were tied up at its conclusion
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and author Rachel Wesson for providing me with this eARC

I really enjoyed this book.
I loved getting to know Trudi better and to learn her full story. I also really enjoyed the conclusion to Harry’s story and his character development/growth.

I didn’t like it as much as book 1, mostly because I feel like it seemed a bit rushed towards the end.
Still highly recommend!

Rachel Wesson is one of my must-read authors. She didn't let me down with this story. Truly heartbreaking.

One mother’s fight to stay alive in Nazi Germany while her oldest step son fights for revenge and to find his way home to the woman he loves.

I loved the first book in this series. It’s about a women named Trudi who becomes a nanny for a man,Ari Beck, who has two boys. Trudi ends up marrying Ari and has a daughter of her own. As the war is approached she tries to convince her husband to leave the country but he refuses and he and his oldest son Ari gets taken to a Jewish prison. Trudi is able to save Ari’s son Heinz but not Ari. She then makes the bold decision to send all three children on the kindertransport to England but she is unable to leave Germany herself. This is a story about her survival without her children and husband during the tumultuous times of WW2. It also follows Heinz as he grows up and joins the English military hoping to get revenge for his father’s death. This book was a little slow in parts but still enjoyable. Will Trudi survive the war? Will Heinz get revenge? Will Trudi ever get to see her children again?

Well written and well researched book that is the second in the series.
Though it is possible to read as a standalone novel the context is much better if one had read the first book in the series.

it is the story of the mother of children sent to Britain on the Kindertransport and how she lived with her decision
And her step-son who after internment as he is German becomes a member of the Pioneer Corps and eventually a secret group put back into Germany to root out those who had committed some of the atrocities.

There are no hidden places within the book, the Holocaust is dealt with in terrible detail.
it was a hard read but one I needed to find out what happened in the end.

Redemption - and realisation that two wrongs do not make a right

Well written, engrossing story which I found hard to put down. Another insight into the effects of Holocaust and the wonderful people who tried to help. Definitely recommend this book

5 stars, Good Actors

A MOTHER'S PROMISE
by Rachel Wesson

Is there ever anything worse for a loving mother to give her children away? Trudi Beck finds out how terrible it really is, after months of trying to keep her 3 children safe, she secures a seat for them on a Kindertransport train. Trudi convinces her youngest stepson, Tomas, that she will be coming as soon as she can. Her older stepson Heinz doesn't like her at all, but he must take her baby Lisle, and young Tomas on the train.

I am privileged to have been able to read and review #WhensMummyComing before reading #AMothersPromise. The two books run at a dual timeline, A Mother's Promise is more about what happened with Trudi and Heinz who's changed his name to Harry is taken from his foster mother in Devon, England to an internment camp on the Isle of Man, simply because he is German. It doesn't matter that he's a German Jew who has barely escaped Germany with his life. He soon joins the English Pioneer Corps to get away from the camp. All he wants to do is fight the Germans and find the man who killed his father Ari.

Trudi and Harry eventually end up in Resistance-type roles, fighting from different angles to save innocent Jews and to punish the Germans responsible.

There were several times that I was moved by their actions. Trudi had to act in ways that were offensive to her, just to get information or supplies to help the victims. Harry had to act like a German prisoner of war to get information that the English needed in order to prosecute the guilty parties.

All along, Trudi wanted to be able to get back to England to be with her 3 children, although it seemed impossible.

I'd highly recommend this book and series to anyone who is interested in World War II (WW2). I will read both of these books over and over.

Hearts At War Series
#1 WHEN'S MUMMY COMING
#2 A MOTHER'S PROMISE

I am thankful for the opportunity to read and review A Mother's Promise from #NetGalley #StormPublishing I was under no obligation to post a review.

#WW2 #HistoricalFiction #Devon #IsleOfMan #InternmentCamps #RachelWesson #StandAlone #HeartsAtWarSeries #TriggerWarning

This book starts off strong, and there are so many nail-biting moments. I loved that I was able to see the whole story through the war and after the war. I really enjoyed this book! I was able to FEEL the emotions the characters felt, and that was such a gift. The love interest happened very fast and was a little confusing with it being so quick, but it didn’t ruin anything for me. This was a very good book! Didn’t want to put it down!

I read the ARC, and there were a few typos I had to get through, but it wasn’t difficult figuring out what the author was getting at.

Another fantastic book from Rachel Wesson. Once I started I couldn't pit it down until I had finished. Trudi has sent her daughter and step sons to England to save them from the horrows of the Holocaust. She endures such awful hardship but the strength of the human character shines through in this book.
It may be fiction but you can see how it is based in fact and the horrows and persecution are all too evident.
I can't rate this or her other books highly enough

This addictive read not only makes you love the characters more it is also about maturing and finding strength.
In Trudi’s case it shows her in a better light, not only after sending her children to safety she loses family, friends and neighbours. She then finds strength she didn’t know she possessed by fighting back and helping the resistance movement while putting herself in danger.
For Heinz/Harry, he matures into a fine young man signing up with the British forces which leads the the commando’s. Here he learns self control, being responsible for others amongst a few. Will he make it back to Rachel!
As with any Rachel’s books, couldn’t put it down.

I loved the way Trudi’s character developed, showing many different traits.
Harry still had a lot of life skills to develop when in 1st book and to read how he developed.

This is book 2 in the hearts of the war series, i think that is the right name. Do you have to read the books in correct order, i would say yes. . Because in this book we follow the persons from book 1 and if you do not read the 1 one, you Will not know their backstory.
I really enjoyed this book, it tidied up the story very well. Did I find this book as heartwrenching as book 1,,,, no i did not. But I Will still highly recommend this book
Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

What a book! I'm always amazed by the things I learn when I read about the Holocaust. There has not been one story so far that hasn't taught me something new about that awful part of history. As difficult as it is to read about this subject, I will always be drawn to these stories. I truly hope the retelling of them will in fact make sure it never happens again. Wesson did an amazing job of showing how loyal, kind, loving, helpful, strong, and resilient so many people were during this time. The atrocities so many people endured because of their unique differences is absolutely heartbreaking. This is a WWII story I would highly recommend reading.

The story keeps your attention. What was a stretch was the melodramatic reactions or thoughts the main character had (violent thoughts or desires to things they likely would have been desensitized over time).. The author needs to develop more of the story before inserting major shifts-- they were a stretch to believe, like how fast the main character and her lover made deep commitments, daughter instantlyvrejecting her mother, etc. Relationships take time and tension must be built slowly in the storyline for it to be true-to-life.

Overall, the storyline us interesting, well written. I would recommend.

I’ve only recently discovered Rachel Wesson’s books and each one has been beautifully written, impeccably researched and full of empathy for characters placed in incredibly difficult and traumatic situations. This one is no less thought-provoking as Trudi makes us wonder if we could make the same sacrifices and face the same dangers in her situation. She’s an admirable character but she does have flaws, which make her more relatable.
Heinz/Harry’s development continues in this sequel to When’s Mummy Coming? He is set on avenging his father, and we wonder if he will end up becoming as vicious and murderous as the Nazis he hates so much, as a result of his childhood experiences.
The ending of When’s Mummy Coming left me wondering if I wanted to read this book, but in the end it was worth the emotional investment. As I drew close to the end there were a few clues to what might happen, and then when it did I had mixed feelings. It was, in many ways, the ending I wanted - but it felt a little unlikely given everything that had occurred.
I’ll definitely read more books by this author in the future.

Whoops, while copying and pasting reviews for different books, I posted the wrong one here.

This story is different than the kind I usually pick up, but I'm glad I did! I really felt the suspense building throughout the novel. I found myself getting so emotionally involved and tearing up throughout the book - which is something I don't usually do.

A mother's love is one of the strongest things out there, and this novel captures that.


All historical fiction lovers should pick this one up!

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc

A good book based in the war kept me engaged. Got bored in some places but overall a good read