Member Reviews

It has a slow start for me, really hard time feeling for the mc. The history of Poland during the war is what intrigued me most. A part of history I know little about.
I want to thank netgalley for the ARC. This is my honest take on the story.

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An epic WWII story set in Poland and Czechoslovakia. Full of history, adventure and a romance.

An impressive debut novel, with main characters who face many dangerous situations and put their lives on the line throughout the war years. Adia's courageous mission to save the unique horses, and help vulnerable children as well, is inspirational.
There are tense moments lending some suspense to the story and perilous times as they endure the war years. It made me appreciate the bravery and sacrifice of people caught in the conflict between Germany and Russia. The author lends her firsthand knowledge of horses to make the story feel authentic. A few brief mentions of faith added hope.

Fans of inspirational WWII stories with a little clean romance may enjoy this book. 4.5 stars

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I enjoyed this read, filled with danger, and yet, we see compassion, and sometimes from people you really don't expect it from.

The characters here live in the mine of the author, and we get to become friends and companions in our minds, and this takes place as the evil that was penetrating Europe at this horrible time in history. We journey to save the beautiful horses of Poland, Arabians, and the danger that is everywhere, and whom to trust.

Times were so full of danger, and the senseless lost of life, but this is a story of survival, or the want to keep the beautiful horses alive.

The author gives us danger, in many forms, and a scamp of a little boy, or should I say pick pocket, that we watch grow up, along with some very sweet romance.

This read did become a page turner me, as the years of the war and events happen, I wanted answers and to see whom survives!

I received this book through LibraryThing and the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.

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WWII books are often hard to read due to the atrocities that took place. I'm more interested in the characters than the horses but it was a very interesting story line. Adia cares very much about the horses but also has a tender spot for the children that come her way. It felt like the characters took a ton of risks that made me as a reader anxious for them.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

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Absolutely fantastic read! One of my favorite reads so far this year. I highly recommend! I love how the author doesn’t just skip over the victims of war but touches on the horrors they witnessed. This story is a beautiful tale of horses, war, and a chance at love in such a heartbreaking time. A must read for everyone! I would absolutely recommend this book to any friends and family.

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I was immediately pulled into this story, and it quickly became one of my favourites from WWII. Until Our Times Comes covers six years, but there is never a dull moment. Bret is charming, noble, and wants to fight for peace in the most effective way. Adia is feisty, stubborn, and feels closest to her mother when working with the famous Janow Podlaski horses in Poland. The invading forces bring Bret and Adia together, but I loved that their relationship never consumed the story. I would say that the faith element in this book is light, but you see Bret and Adia both have their faith in humankind, love and God put to the test. Rich in history and depth, this beautiful story will leave you wanting more!

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Until Our Time Comes is a story about a special bred of horses in Poland in WWII but also about a horse trainer named Adia and an intelligence officer named Bret. Their story is intertwined throughout the war and mainly centers on how they can save the horses from Russian and German troops. I liked the story, but I never felt really connected to the characters. Maybe because I do not have the same deep love for horses? They just didn't come alive for me the way some do. I would have rated 3.5 if it were an option but rounded up to 4 because it was really an interesting aspect of WWII that I have never heard before. I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

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Bret Conway did not know catching a thief would lead to saving a woman and the nation of Polands' prize Arabian stallions and mares during World War 2!

Bret chases the 6 year old to a leather stall where he saw the boy hiding behind Adia Kensington, an American horse trainer. The boy, Ewan surrenders the watch, a family heirloom to Bret and Adia and Bret, a correspondent for the Daily Express in London agree to meet for dinner the following night.

The date never happens, as Bret and Charles, a lifelong friend and Bret's brother - in- law are involved in an accident and shootout that night!

It is September of 1939, Adia and Ewan are working at the most famous Arabian stables in Poland, Janow Podlaski, and the Nazis are coming!

Adia, Ewan, Bret (who shows up right before the Nazi invasion)and their team of horse trainers try to escape to the Russian border but the Soviets burn down the farm and kill the family they were going to shelter with, so they return to Janow.

But they all become separated on the way home and Bret and Adia run from patrols avoiding death many times.

They finally reach the stables and find Russians...

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Until our Time Comes is a debut offering by the author Nicole M. Miller. This book explores a little known story of the giant horse rescue in middle of Poland during WW2. The lead character is Adia who is of Polish descent, but is an American horse trainer. One of the best in the world. She works on a farm that produces the best Arabian horses in the world and she will do whatever it takes to make sure they will survive. Even risk her own life.

Bret Conway is our other main character. He's in Poland on a mission--but he's also an experienced horseman, having ridden in the Olympics and placing. He falls for Adia at first glance, but his job as a spy causes things to go awry at their first date and he doesn't make it--being hospitalized for severe injuries. When they cross paths again she hasn't forgiven him...but she needs him to make sure she can move the horses. So she reluctantly joins forces with him to get the job done.

But they face obstacle after obstacle over the years. Yes. This book takes place over the YEARS of the war for nothing is simple in this story. hence the title works perfectly. We see Adia continuing to do WHATEVER it takes. And trusting God to help. We see Bret determined to one day BE with Adia and does WHATEVER IT TAKES to get back to her in Poland.

The story had some unusual choppy parts that interrupted the flow. And at times, the long time gaps were confusing. But overall it was a good topic on a story I didn't know anything about.

4 stars.

*I received a complimentary copy of the ARC from the publishers and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own.

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Horses and World War II Poland? I've never heard of that combination in a novel before, and the cover sold me--so lovely! American horse trainer Adia is living in Poland to work at a famous stable for Arabians when the Germans invade. She wants to get back to the US with a priceless horse, but that doesn't go so well. Then there's the undercover agent posing as a news reporter who is roped into helping Adia try to rescue several hundred horses. This isn't going to go well.

A big draw to me was that this is based on a true story--that and the horses. But this also made it harder when it felt unrealistic; did Adia really not have the sense to see that you can't put human lives at risk just to save horses? She also did a few things with the horses that made me wonder if the author wasn't as experienced with them to realize you wouldn't really do those things--or what was going on exactly?

But if you're willing to somewhat suspend judgment and just enjoy a fun story set in an interesting place and time, perhaps more like a movie than real life, this is a fun read.

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This book is a must read for WWII fiction readers. "Until Our Time Comes" by Nicole M. Miller is a powerful story of the Polish horses of Janow, Poland starting in the month the Germans invaded Poland - September 1939 and ending right after the end of WWII. There are accounts on how the Germans and Russians treated the Polish people during the war as well as details on how the Arabian horses of Poland were saved by brave individuals. The main characters are fictional, but the horses are based on the real life events.

This one is incredibly personal to me since one of my grandfathers was from Poland turned 4 the month Poland was invaded by the Germans, His family was one of the people caught in the cross hairs of the war and their farm was destroyed during the war leaving them nowhere to go. There are farms in this book that this happens to and it's just so devastating to read about but still something for people to be aware of as well.

The story between the two main characters, Adia and Bret was also an incredible love story spanning years apart. The other characters in the book are also well developed, especially the young orphan Ewan who adds a bit of comic relief and also some frustration during the book.

Nicole M. Miller is a debut author for this book and I'd definitely recommend this one. I have it on pre-order to add to my shelves and look forward to re-reading it in the near future. I hope to see her write more books! This is also a book I couldn't put down or stop thinking about while reading it and even after it ended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Revell Ficiton for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

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"Until Our Time Comes" is set in 1939 in Poland. While the story is set in a real place, the author admitted that she changed the timing of actual events and added fictional ones, so this is only loosely based on historical events. Unfortunately, the story didn't seem realistic in several ways. Adia's supposed to be a respected horse trainer, but she lets a colt get away with misbehavior in the one training scene in the story and later encouraged a full-grown stallion to nip her. A nip is a bite, and a trainer would never encourage a horse (and especially a stallion) to bite her! Also, Adia is so obsessed with these horses that she repeatedly put her life and other people's lives in danger over them. Rather than someone telling her, "Humans are more important that any horse" they just accept this obsession.

Adia also kept thinking her plans would work out exactly as she envisioned. She was depressed when they didn't but that never stopped her from charging ahead with whatever she thought best since Bret or another man who cared for her would always save her. I know some people are impulsive, but she just seemed oblivious to reality most of the time. Even Bret went from being deeply unwilling to shoot to kill even to save a friend from the enemy, then suddenly he's freely joining in combat and comfortable with killing the enemy. Only a brief 'he changed his mind' explanation was given.

I also had a hard time with the 'romance.' Adia initially refused to even allow Bret to explain why he missed their date and accused him of lying to her. But once Bret brought back her missing, favorite horse and the small child she felt responsible for, she decided she loved this man who repeatedly saved her life and her beloved horses. I guess Bret liked being her savior because they hardly spent time together, she rarely listened to his good advice, and he knew he came in at third place in her affections once she finally decided she loved him.

At the end, there's a brief thought that everything ended up working out exactly as needed for a good end, so God must have been behind it all. There was no sex or bad language.

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Until Our Time Comes
by Nicole M Miller
Publisher: Revell
Series: None
Rated: 4
Obtain: Borrow
Back of the Book: “American horse trainer Adia Kensington is living her dream of working at the famous Janów Podlaski stables in Poland, where they breed the best Arabian horses in the world. But her plans to bring the priceless stallion Lubor to the US are derailed when the German army storms into her adopted country in 1939. Little does she know this is just the beginning of six long years of occupation that will threaten her beloved horses at every turn.
Major Bret Conway is at Janów Podlaski under the guise of a news reporter, but his true mission is intelligence gathering for the British. That and keeping Adia safe, which is harder and harder to do as she insists they must evacuate 250 horses to save them from being stolen, sold, or eaten by the invading forces. What follows will test their physical, mental, and emotional strength, as well as their faith in God, humankind, and each other.
Drawn from true events of World War II, this epic story of escape, capture, resistance, and love from debut novelist Nicole M. Miller will thunder into your heart like a herd of beautiful horses across a raging river.”

Impressions: So, this was an interesting book. I’m not a horse person so the beginning of this book was a little slow for me. I really enjoyed the later part of the book as people and relationships were developed. As I was reading, all I could think was that Adia is crazy. Perhaps this is because I have the advantage to see history in a whole rather than building with bits and pieces while living it. Her laser focus for the horses is a bit too extreme for me however she clearly had passion. It seems that her passion was what drew people to her. I have to remember this; people are attracted to success and confidence. When we are focused on doing our best, success is more likely to happen, and we have more opportunity to find people who like us for who we are. This book amazingly covers the whole war. While it jumps a little at the end the tensions of invasion were well done. The story never felt gappy. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Quotes: “But God felt so, so far away as all of Poland bled. Could He even hear the crying of her heart over the agony of a million people?” – Firstly, I think it is perfectly fine to lament in prayer as long as you don’t get stuck there. I think it's important to be drawn back to Gods truth through his Word and praise Him for what he has done. Second, I liked how this quote reminds us that even when there are mounds of issues around us that God cares for each single person. He can handle so much more than we can fathom. Because of that He can love each one of us at every moment no matter where we are. What an encouraging thought.

“‘We’re here now,’ he said, cutting her off and holding her gaze. ‘Don’t get lost in ‘what if’ or you’ll drive yourself mad.’… The endless what if loop was just another game of those demons. A game in which no one survived with their sanity.” – It is easy to get stuck in the ‘what ifs’ but when we counter the ‘what if’ with a truth we can dissolve the ‘what if.’

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

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I liked the concept of the story and really wanted to love it, but I struggled to get into it. This may be more because of me, since I'm having a harder time sitting and reading at the moment. I do want to try it again in future, possibly in book form once that releases, since I sometimes find that easier to get into. As now, I simply didn't connect well with the characters, though I did find their stories intriguing.

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What will it cost to preserve her priceless horses when her heart is also at risk?

If you love historical fiction, are a horse enthusiast, or enjoy stories inspired by true events, you’ll want this historical romance on your night table! In the equine world, Janow Podlaski is a household name ~ come see why!

This is a binge-able account of the journey to rescue hundreds of prized Arabian horses before the Nazi invasion and during the occupation of Poland.

Adia Kensington is an American horse trainer who works at the famous Janow Podlaski stables in Wygoda village, Eastern Poland close to the (modern-day) Belarus border. After the initial setback during WW1, the Arabian breeding program at the famous state stud is now flourishing. So, it comes as a shock when they hear of the Nazi invasion of Poland. Luftwaffe bombers alert Adia to immediate action; she needs to save Lubor, a priceless stallion, and several world-class Arabian horses.

Bret Conway is a British operative undercover as a war correspondent. He meets Adia through a pickpocketing incident! His mission to save Adia becomes difficult when he discovers that she wants to include 250 horses in the evacuation! Neither of them could ever imagine that ‘temporary’ meant six long years of saving and losing horses under harsh Nazi occupation.

Miller’s examination of the mental, emotional, and physical toll of this rescue mission is amazing. I shed tears reading about the exhaustion and injury to the horses and the reclamation by the invading forces. I can’t believe I was so ignorant about Hitler’s important plans for Poland’s horses and am thankful for the opportunity to understand that ‘worthy of the German master race’ meant animals as well as humans! I appreciated the nudge to expand my knowledge and read about the history of these famous stables and the rescue mission.

I loved the faith-filled moments of hope, the tender romantic interludes, the tension of the escape and perilous journey, and the moment that the title makes sense!

Gorgeous cover.

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

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Until Our Time is a well written WWII novel set in Poland. I throughly enjoyed this book. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

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This book was amazing. I absolutely love historical fiction books and this one was one of my favorites. I love anything to do with horses. And I really liked how unique this book was.

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