As the woman falls to the snow with a heartbreaking cry her whole world is torn apart. In this moment her fate is determined. She will find him.

In this novel about strength and unimaginable situations we meet Irena. She is a hard worker trying to keep her family afloat during the German Occupation in Poland. Irena is put to the test to see just how far she will go to protect the ones she loves. A German officer becomes interested in her and from that moment forward she must determine what does it take to survive?


When you hear Carly Schabowski is releasing a new book she is one of those authors that you preorder the book right away not even knowing what it’s about. You just know you won’t be disappointed. The Winter Child is one of my favorite books by her and quite possibly one of my favorite books ever. In this novel you’ll feel all of the emotions as you connect with the characters. I felt the anguish, the joyousness and the wrath as I dove into each chapter. I was glued to the pages as I learned more about the strength of the characters and wanted nothing more than to experience their world. From the first sentence I was captivated wanting to know what would happen next. Each character learns to deal with trauma in their own way and we question is there a right or wrong way to deal with the trauma you’ve faced? The main character resonated with me,as will so many others and I wanted nothing more for her to find her “happy ending”. It leaves us to question, do we always get our happy endings?

The Winter Child is both heartbreaking and beautiful. The story alternates between past and present and the plight of Irena during the Nazi invasion of Poland. She was forced to comply with a Nazi’s demands of sex and brutality in order to save the lives of those she loved. When she became pregnant by this man, her life was forever changed. She was unable to save her child from one last act of cruelty and inhumanity at the hands of this monster, but she never gave up on seeking revenge.

This story will tug at your heartstrings and you will fall in love with Irena, just as I did. I highly recommend this 5-star book to anyone who loves historical fiction. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader copy.

This gripping and emotional wartime novel tells a moving story of courage, hope and the endurance of the human spirit, even in the darkness of the World War 2.
Top-drawer romantic escapism!
The book was well written in that it stirred up all sorts of emotions while I was reading it and made me want to keep turning the pages to find out what would happen next. Five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Winter Child
By: Carly Schabowski
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Schabowski alway has such moving historical fiction that is well researched and emotional.

The novel alternates between present day and Poland in 1943.

Irena was considered a Nazis property and you can imagine all that she endured at the hands of a powerful man. She suffered many losses including a very personal one.

Fifty years later she has the opportunity to address this horrible man who is now living under another name.

If you are a historical fiction fan I definitely recommend this book and others by this author. Gripping and emotional.