Every now and then you'll find a book that is really special and that will stay with you and even change you. This is one of those books. Bob Inama's story is inspiring and uplifting. It is a story of light and hope amidst darkness and despair. I am inspired by Bob's faith and courage. Luisa's tale is a also a tale of courage. I often wonder when reading stories such as this if I would have made the same choices and taken the same risks to help those in need. Luisa is a beautiful reminder of the many men and women who risked their own freedom and lives to help people escape the clutches of East Germany during the Cold War.
Heather B. Moore is a masterful author. Her ability to write well in a variety of genres has me searching out more of her works.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I've been really enjoying the last few novels I've read about the Berlin Wall lately, and The Slow March of Light is no exception. I feel like the time period is really overlooked in literature, so it's nice to see historical fiction giving it its due.

Luisa is a German girl, living in West Berlin when the Wall goes up. Her beloved grandmother is trapped in the East and Luisa begins working with others to free those trapped away from their families. Bob is an American soldier who meets and falls for Luisa, before being selected for a spy mission within the East where he is taken prisoner.

The dual storylines are well done, especially Bob's, highlighting the dangers within the communist East for anyone. Moore has done her reasearch and the absolute terror that Stasi and the Eastern government held over common citizens is illustrated here. Definitely a must-read, especially if you are interested in the time period.

‘Bob could have never predicted the journey that was in store for him, but looking back, he saw the Lord’s hand in every detail. Every frustrating, painful, bewildering, and joyful detail.’
The Slow March of Light- Heather B. Moore

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Unforgettable Stars!

Based on a true story, Bob Inama is a man that I will never forget. This is a meticulously researched novel about the Berlin Wall. With compassion and a deep faith, Bob, traverses through the chaos of being drafted into the US Army and ending up being sent to Berlin and the epicenter of the of The Cold War.

Moore’s writing is flawless as she conveys the horrors that Germans in both East & West Berlin endured under communist Russian rule. It’s truly hard to believe that the Berlin Wall came down only 32 yrs ago…

It seems that there are a barrage of WWII novels being written right now and I really wish more could be written about this time period. So many unsung heroes that deserve to have their stories told. I think it’s so important to have stories like these right now to not only remind us of how fortunate we are but, also, so that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Lastly, I can’t not mention the brilliant cover & title… not until finishing can you truly appreciate its significance. Highly, highly recommend to all WWII historical fiction readers.

“There are many people in the world who really don’t understand, or say they don’t, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass’ sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.” —John F. Kennedy, remarks at the Rudolph Wilde Platz, West Berlin, June 26, 1963

Publication dated- 9/7/21
ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fascinating read! I think I was as much impressed by the research, as the story. Which is about a young man from Idaho that wanted to become a lawyer. Went to college in Utah and was preparing to go to law school when I received a letter that he was being drafted into the US Army. This story is based on the real life experiences of Bob Inama. Through basic training to the dead center of the Cold War in East Berlin. The research and history was excellent. The story was a slow build to intriguing. What he endured and yet was kind and forgiving, lingered with me. What an honorable man he is! I didn’t know the history of this time period, as well as WWII. I thought is was interesting and the author had information and quotes at the beginning of each chapter. At the end of the book she has “Authors notes” that tell in more detail her research and interviews. I really appreciated that. It is a book of hope, faith and a steadfast resolution.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was so moved by this book. It was an engaging story and one that will stay with me for a long time. I loved it!

I will be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I have read a lot of WWII books, but not many about the cold war. This book takes you beyond the wall, and into a side we would like to forget. The story is amazing, the man behind the story inspiring. I don't imagine that I would have been able to be as strong as he was.
This was a great read, one that I will share with others.

Thanks NetGalley for the arc of this book. Unfortunately, the book was a DNF for me. I did read about 70% and it was a constant struggle. There were parts that hard me interested but overall it fell flat and I just wasn’t as invested in the characters outcome as I had hoped to be.

The Slow March of Light by Heather B. Moore is an engrossing historical fiction book which highlights life during the Cold War in West and East Berlin during the 1960s. It is based on a real life hero, Bob Inama. The author provides impeccable notes to bring his legacy to life.

Bob served as a missionary for his church and then was on the path to become an attorney when he was drafted. He is sent to West Berlin where his language skills and leadership is an asset. He meets a native woman, Luisa, at a church social. Luisa and Bob develop a tenuous connection and then circumstances conspire to pull them apart.

Their personal journeys are the makings of true and lasting heroism. Luisa finds herself helping in the German underground in East Berlin and Bob goes undercover to map out secret locations in Germany. The dual timelines provided by Moore gives detailed and thoughtful characterization. We learn the backstories of both Bob and Luisa. The conflict they have with order vs. justice is made real. Their differing views lead them into what we hope will be a romance, but it is not a certainty. What is a certainty is the faith both have in God to lead them into making hard decisions.

The very real terror of this time period was made apparent. Bob and Luisa are forced to make choices to survive the Cold War that fight against their intrinsic beliefs. Their private personas are admirable. The bravery exhibited with the secret activities to combat the political regime is full of peril.

The minor characters are also expertly woven throughout. We learn more about the Germans who slowly lost their jobs and freedoms to this regime. We also get glimpses into how this regime gained power by providing a restoration of order, safety, and prosperity when most of the world was experiencing great hardships due to financial uncertainty.

The mission of helping others and struggles to give back at all costs was made real. These characters will become real to you, too. Despite their many challenges they found ways to defy the societal bounds and face their tormentors with courage. They were not looking for glory, just a chance to do something that was decent and worthwhile. What a legacy they left, you will be better after reading it. Their strength and determination should not be forgotten. Thank you Heather B. Moore for writing this amazing book, I have already examined your backlist and will be reading more of your work.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for my honest review from Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

4.5* Heather B. Moore deftly integrates the real life story of a man I quickly came to admire, Bob Inama, with the history of the Berlin Wall and the surrounding Cold War and a fictionalized amalgamation of underground rescuers.  I learned a lot from her research, detailed in chapter notes, and appreciated the focus on light and strength gained from prayer.  Bob Inama's personal commitment to his religion and to loving and forgiving those who wronged him stands out among the themes of sacrifice and serving one's fellow man that make this book so powerful.

I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are completely my own.

I will not be able to give this story the review it deserves because I can’t repeat AWESOME one hundred times. If you feel the book starts out a bit lame, and the romance thing is a bit over the top, well let me tell ya, hang onto your hat because once you get past that, you will be on a roller coaster of feelings. This is a tear jerker in several places and is by far the best book I have read this year, I have read/listened to over 100.
If you ever wanted to know about the Cold War, this story will clearly give you a broad understanding of what the Cold War was, between East and West Germany. Not only does Ms. Moore justify and document all the hours/days/months/years of research but she goes on to tell us about several people in the story and the true facts or fictions she created. I was so impressed. I also suggest you don’t stop reading until you get to the very last page because the Afterword and Chapter Notes documenting actual interviews she did with each person was just the icing on the cake.
I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to learn about Bob Inama and his courage, faith, integrity, decency, and his goodness, along with his fellow Army crew. So many people think WWII was the end of atrocity’s, it continued on, they even used the same internment camps. Also hearing again of the sacrifices and courageous risks the German people did to save their family or people they didn’t even know from certain hardships or death was remarkable.
I received an ARC from Shadow Mountain Publishing along with NetGalley for my unbiased review. I highly recommend, if I could rate above 5***** it would easily come in with 10. This was an absolutely remarkable story.
Ms. Heather B. Moore - “Thank you,” “You are excellent at your job.” “I love you, my brother.”

Historical fiction is my favorite genre as I always learn so much from these novels. The Slow March of Light does not disappoint in providing a well researched history lesson on the Cold War between Russia and the US, and about construction of the Berlin Wall. Although I was aware that an active resistance movement existed at the time, I hadn’t heard of the tunnel system used to aid in escapes. The main resistance characters may be fictitious but the details of this operation were accurate and made for fascinating reading.

The first third of the book seemed slow to me; it felt like I was reading a biography of Bob Inman’s life, not a novel based on his life story. I had no real world knowledge of just how hard life in a Soviet prison could be for a person captured during the Cold War and Heather B. Moore’s excellent, descriptive writing of Bob’s months spent in prison left little the imagination. I admired and respected Bob’s deep belief in his religion but, as a non-religious person, the religious references and prayers were a bit too much.

Sharing Bob's return to “normal” life after his rescue was a good ending for this novel. Heather B. Moore nicely wrapped up the stories of all the main characters, so readers are not left wondering what happened to people they’ve come to know through the pages of a good book.

I appreciated the author’s notes and character chart (both real and fictional people) at the beginning of the book and the discussion questions and chapter notes at the end. The discussion questions are great for book club meetings.

Thank you to Net Galley and Shadow Mountain Publishers for the advanced copy of The Slow March of Light. This is my first review for Net Galley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

Heather B. Moore has written a beautifully inspiring story of faith and hope through extremely difficult times. Bob Inama had his future mapped out until the fateful day a letter arrived from the US Government. He had been drafted. He served during the Cold War in Germany. Bob's religious beliefs, positive outlook and mental toughness helped him survive. I loved the gratitude shown by him, even to his enemies. The relationship he forged with one of his prison guards was truly touching. A friendship that formed in the hardest of circumstances and changed the lives of many. I also loved Louisa's courage and faith in helping others regardless of the danger. This is a book that I would highly recommend. For me it is right up there with inspiring books like The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. With God we can do hard things.

I've read a number of books in this genre, but I struggled with this one. The book could benefit from a tighter edit, and some parts really dragged as a result, and I had a hard time connecting with the writing style. There's a lot of repetition, as well. The format of the book is a bit unusual. There are newsflashes between the chapters. There is a lot of explaining of various events, which pulls the reader from the story as it feels more like a newspaper article or a nonficiton book. The second half was a bit more interesting than the first part.

It's based on a true story, the life of an American soldier in Germany. I did enjoy the meaning behind the title. It felt like the author was trying to do a bit too much with this one story.

The Slow March of Light is based on the life of Bob Inama, an American soldier in Germany in the early 1960's, during the Cold War and the early days of the Berlin Wall.
I enjoyed it because of its time in history, yet the writing is dragging and needs a good editor. The meaning of the title is beautiful and well depicted.

This book is recommended as historical fiction, but has a strange format with news flashes between chapters and a lot of explaining of events distracting the reader from the main story. It could just as well be listed as nonfiction or a biography.
It's obvious the writer greatly admires the main character, with an extensive introduction and a huge thank you in the epilogue. Too much information for what's supposed to be a fictional read.

Thank you Netgalley and Shadow Mountain for the ARC.

"Based on a true story. Inspired by real events". These stories always rivet me, more so if they are historical and include acts of great courage - which it took real courage to spy against the Stasi in East Berlin. I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. The characters were so real to me, and the story telling is fantastic. You feel you are right there with them. It was riveting! I highly recommend this and you will learn so much of how life was under communist rule.

This was such an interesting book! It was fascinating to read about Germany during the cold War especially since my parents lived in west Germany before the wall came down and for a few years after. This book made me want to learn more about it. I liked how Moore added the character Luisa to show the underground operations at that time. Bob is very inspiring and I am grateful we have his story. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction!

#theslowmarchoflight #netgalley
Such an inspiring, emotional, journey that this book takes you on! To experience first hand what prisoners of war go through and the strength and the light that they have to draw from when they’re in the depths of despair. Heather B. Moore has truly captured a magnificent story!

I would probably give this book a 4 1/2 star review because the story was fascinating!

The only drawback was that it seemed more like a non-fiction read to me- although extremely well written. It held my interest the whole time I’m just used to books with more “fluff” in them.

I loved that I learned so much about this time period since the author tried hard to stick to true facts.

The author was able to tell a story about heavy subjects and events without being too detailed and graphic. It was told in a very respectful manner.

I also enjoyed reading the historical notes at the end of the book. I’m glad the author added that in.

5+++Stars
Wow, wow, wow ..... If I could give this more then a 5 star I would!

I haven't read such a great book since The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. This one will be on my mind for Awhile.

First off I want to thank Netgalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing and the Author Heather B. Moore for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me captivated from the start. I only read a few chapters a day because I didn't want it to end. It was fascinating, traumatizing, emotional, heartbreaking .... and much more! Once the book is published I will definetly be buying it for my collection. I usually don't collect books. I've so far only loved and kept The Nightingale, Beneath A Scarlet Sky, and The Great Alone, Where the Crawdads Sing, this will be my 5th.

This is a true story, based on real events of the courage and faith of an American soldier Bob Inama and nurse Luisa Voigt and what they endured in the war. Bob became a spy in East German while Luisa helped people escape when they built the Berlin Wall in 1961.

I don't believe I need to describe the whole book. Why ruin it for you when your just going to read it yourself right! And don't forget to read the chapter notes at the end ... it's quite interesting and gives you some links you can read and watch.

I highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed! Publication date is September 7, 2021.

#TheSlowMarchofLight
#NetGalley
#HeatherB.Moore

3.5 Stars

It’s hard to describe how I feel about this novel. I enjoy historical fiction and am fascinated by the people who lived in Berlin at the time the Berlin Wall was erected. Getting the chance to learn about Bob Inama was also fascinating, especially because we have some things in common (the same religion and he taught at a college I attended).

Fascination aside, it was a pretty slow read for me. I could read a chapter or a few pages and then put the book down for quite awhile. It did hold my attention better in the latter half of the book though.

I wanted there to be more of a connection between the main characters’ stories. I guess that’s difficult when you’re trying to stay true to actual events (Bob’s story) and adding in a fictitious character and events (Luisa’s story).