In Season of My Enemy by Naomi Musch, we are transported back to 1940s Wisconsin during WWII. Fannie O’Brian had a great future ahead for her as she was beautiful as well as brainy and had ambitions to go to college. With her father’s sudden death and her brothers off to war, Fannie had to stay and manage the large farm to help her mother out.

The farm work was just too much for Fannie and her younger brother and sister to manage by themselves and so they reluctantly hired German prisoners of war to help on the farm. The men were sent with an armed guard to help with the farm work. Many in the community were unhappy that Germans were hired to do this work as they were the enemy. There were some prisoners whose only thought was to sabotage what they could and try to find a way to escape.

I loved this story because it told of the hardships that those left behind had to face with their menfolk off fighting the enemy. I also enjoyed seeing that some of the prisoners were not all Nazis but harbored disgust against Hitler. Some wanted to remain in the States. It was interesting and touching to watch Fannie and one of the prisoners find common ground and be able to work together. I would highly recommend this novel. I am going to make sure that I read more of Ms. Musch’s works.

This is a very touching and thought invoking fiction story about one family and how World War Two impacted them. It feels real as it is told mostly by the thoughts and actions of the main character, Fannie O'Brien, a student who left school to help keep the family farm going. Other characters also share in the telling. Eight German prisoners were assigned to the farm to help with the lack of agricultural workforce at the time. This is a very interesting depiction of how this could have been. The author has done a wonderful job with the characters. Prisoners of war were sent to the United States during the time after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
I learned about the Holocaust over 50 years ago as a school student. Since that time, I tried to fathom how anyone could commit such atrocities on other human beings, especially God's chosen people. In all these years I don't believe I gave much thought to how the German soldiers who weren't immersed in the horrible actions felt when they learned of what had been done. A small part of this story, it certainly made me think.
Forgiveness, anger, courage, fear, sacrifice, faith and honor are just a few of the words I think of when reflecting on the characters in this excellent book. I received an advanced reader's copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley. I want to thank them for the book. This is my own opinion about it

4.5 ⭐️

Set during WW2, Season of my Enemy transports readers to the 1940s Homefront. After the death of her father and while her two brothers overseas fighting against Germany, Fannie O’Brien steps in to provide for her family. However, when her family’s 200-acre farm becomes too much for her, her brother Jerry, and younger sister Patty to handle, Fannie’s mom finds a solution: Hire out German POWs to work on the farm. From the first time Fannie sees the German POWs on her family’s farm, she vows to hate them. But what happens when the German POWs aren’t the monsters she made them out to be? What happens when one of them befriends her, and she finds herself teetering on the edge of liking him as more than a friend? You’ll have to read to find out!

Alright, it’s review time. To sum up my thoughts, I really enjoyed this book. A storyline featuring German POWs working on your Wisconsin farm? Sign me up! I’m always looking for unique spins on WW2 fiction, and this one definitely fell under that category!

I really liked how the author balanced the character development so well, considering this book is only 256 pages. When you’re working with 100 fewer pages than typical novels, it’s hard to balance both plot development and character development without neglecting one. However, the author balanced this really well. Fannie’s journey from hating the German POWs to wanting to befriend them and pray for their families who were in Germany, not living in the lap of luxury but struggling to survive and put food on the table, was a steady inner change. It wasn’t overnight, or did it happen too quickly; it was a process of Fannie allowing herself to see them not for the uniforms they wore or whose blood flowed through their veins, but for their hearts. Her relationship with Wolf, especially, demonstrated this so clearly.

Speaking of which, I really appreciated how the author didn’t have the focus of the story be on romance. I can think of a dozen ways where the author could have gone down one road and focused on the romance between Fannie and Wolf, and brought this read personally for me down to a 4-star or less. However, the author stayed the course and developed a friendship between Fannie and Wolf before a relationship. Even though this book is fiction, what authors write reflect their values, beliefs, and standards, especially when it comes to relationships. I can’t stress enough how important it is to set an example—a good one—for relationships in fiction. The author did this so well, and the romance was so refreshing to read!

Before I get too bogged down on aspects of the storyline I liked or the author’s take on certain aspects of it, I just want to say: This book is an excellent historical fiction read. It’s got elements of faith, family relationships, working through bitterness and finding forgiveness, intrigue, some romance, and a look into life on the Homefront for women and children who had to fend for themselves while their husbands were fighting the war. A really excellent book and I’d definitely recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of Season of my Enemy. A positive review was not required, only my honest opinion. All thoughts are expressly my own.

SEASON OF MY ENEMY by NAOMI MUSCH is a WW11 novel which takes place in Barron County Wisconsin in 1944.
The story starts with Fanny O’Brien and her younger brother Jerry helping their mother bring in the crops on their 200 acre farm. The three of them work very hard but they have no other option than to get German prisoners of war to help with the harvest. This is hard for Fanny, Jerry and Patsy to deal with, as their hatred of all things German comes to the fore, especially as their older brothers, Calvin and Dale, are fighting overseas. Their mother’s faith makes an impression on them, however, and so does the hard work accomplished by the prisoners. The faith of Captain Wolfgang Kloninger and some of his team. makes it easier to see them as fellow humans rather than the enemy. It is interesting to see the relationship grow between Fannie and Wolf, as mistrust turns into a better understanding of one another.
When Calvin comes home from the war, broken and practically deaf, he sees only the fact that the prisoners are German and thus are the enemy, but when Dale comes back after being in a German prison camp, emaciated from starvation and the inhumane treatment he received at the hands of the Nazis, his attitude is surprising……
I am not going to tell you any more for fear of spoiling things for you.
I recommend Season of my Enemy as as a well written, inspirational and exciting read with great characters and a strong Christian message. I especially like the quote, “Only God can change the heart of man.”
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Barbour Publishing. The opinions in this review are competely my own.

Loved reading about the sacrifices and efforts that went into keeping the home fronts going during the WWII. The O'Brien family had to make hard choices to survive, keep their farm and help provide food for the troops. Overcoming her fear and mistrust of the German PW, Fanny stepped up to run the everyday operation of the farm. Based on historical facts, the author wove a story about faith and family during this trying time. Loved the author's note. Highly recommended!

Absolutely enjoyed this book. The characters drew me in and kept me there until the end. Well written.

What an outstanding book .. I love finding authors that write Christian based book .. loved the story , of war , hate , love , enemies, forgiving ..
war is such a hard thing I loved when Rudy says “ I don’t understand hate “ …. That touch me deeply , I do not understand hate nor wars …. And then Wolf says , “ Such hatred is a poison , and there is nothing about it that can be understood, Rudy , it is simply to be endured.”…. The author hits on so many emotions ….
A great book to read .. I loved it

This is a fantastic story of history that occurred during WWII. It is history I had never heard of. Prisoners of War were brought to Wisconsin to housed in camps. They worked for farms and Canning factories, replacing American men who were off fighting in Europe and the Pacific. This is a fictional story, set in Barron County, based on historical facts. The workers are helping at the O’Brian farm as both the older sons are fighting and the husband has died leaving the mother and three children ranging from high school to college age to run the large farm. The prisoners came to harvest and load the vegetables to go to the canning factory, working beside the oldest daughter and son. A guard is always watching over the prisoners which makes the family feel more at ease while having them there. As time goes on they begin to see them more as people and not just prisoners but will that cause trouble for them both?
I found this story fascinating and a very interesting read. Great writing based on lots of research.. The blending of history and fiction is seamless and I forgot this whole story never happened but is a compilation of general experiences of the families and prisoners as they might have been. I give it a solid 5 of 5 stars.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! It’s a beautiful picture of the world of WWII seen from the American home front. Most WWII books have to deal with the battles and/or people in Europe caught in the fighting. This story is about the people left behind who worry for their loved ones, deal with everyday sacrifices for the war effort, and try to keep their lives and livelihoods on an even keel. Fannie is one of those people, and when her only way to save the farm and feed the troops – including two of her brothers – is to hire German prisoners of war, she reluctantly concedes. And she learns what so many people eventually learn when forced to work side-by-side with the “enemy.” They are people too. Some are good, and some are bad. The trouble is telling them apart.

I have read quite a few books about World War II, but none has touched my heart the way Season of My Enemy has. I had no idea that German prisoners of the war were brought to the United States to work on the farms to relieve the lack of men because of the war.

The main characters were real, well-developed, and showed great resilience. Even with two brothers in the family in the war, the family set aside hatred for the enemy, welcoming the young German PTS to work on their Wisconsin farm.

The storyline showed the thoughts of the O'Brians, but also how the war was affecting the prisoners. Even with the hardships and horrors of war, the Godly compassion showed through. The story was uplifting and portrayed the hope that burned in their hearts. I felt all the emotions of the family as they came to grips with the division between them and the Germans.

I couldn't put it down and was captivated by the story, its wonderful characters, and the Christian message. The research for the story appeared authentic and left me wanting to learn more. A first read for this author, but now I'm a fan. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy from the author and voluntarily choose to review it. All opinions are my own.

The O'Brien family are living in Wisconsin in the midst of World War II. Their brothers are off fighting and they do not have enough workers to run the farm. They hire German PW's to help work the farm.



So many emotions come in to play on how to treat these workers. This is a compelling book on how to treat your enemy! My favorite character was Dale.



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

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…historical fiction…land on a farm without the help needed…secrets…war…friendship…frightening news from the front…this book was written by a talented and gifted writer with details that make us believe we are living what we are reading…although it moves somewhat slowly at times,it is a great read.

Season of My Enemy by Naomi Dawn Musch is the sixth installment from the multi author series, Heroines of WWII. I thought it was a fabulous contribution to the series. I found it was interesting with the addition of the little known fact of German POWs being sent to all over the United States to do work. In this story, they arrive to a farm in Wisconsin and brining the war in Europe to Fannie. I enjoyed seeing how she was able to keep the prisoners in line, the farm afloat and trying to solve what or who was trying to sabotage her. I had to keep reading until I was completely finished. It was a great to read.

I am giving Season of My Enemy a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading clean historical suspense. I hope there will be more releasing from the Heroines of WWII series.

I received a digital copy of Season of My Enemy from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

Not every World War II Story takes place on the front lines. Some of them occur at home where farmers have to keep their farms going to supply food to the troops overseas. Some of the encounters with opposing forces take place on these farms where prisoners of war are working the farms. Sometimes a friendship develops among the prisoners and the farmers. Basically, I have just described the plot of Season of My Enemy.

Fannie O'Brien is the eldest child at the O'Brien home and is tasked with keeping the farm running to the best of her ability. Her mother applies to have German PWs come to work the farm and help with harvest. With only three of her five children at home and one of those in school, the extra help is needed. Most of the PWs are just young boys who were conscripted to fight for ideologies that are not their own. A few are older, and one of the older ones develops a friendship with Fannie. Through her work at the library, she is able to supply the PWs with reading material to aid them in learning English. Wolf, who was a teacher in Germany, took to teaching the other PWs English as he learned it so that they all could understand the tasks at hand on the farm where they were working.

When one of Fannie's brothers, Cal, comes home before the war was over, he is bothered by the fact that there are Germans working the farm. His trust of the PWs comes slow, and he watches them with a gun in his hand. He is a bit more relaxed the second season they come. The turning point for Cal is when Liza comes to read him the riot act for his behavior. She points out to him in very real terms that he's not pulling his weight on the farm, and his bitterness is helping no one.

I've given a rather disjointed accounting of what happens in the book, but I assure you that this story by Naomi Musch works together as a cohesive whole. I've left out significant events, but those are the ones that add excitement to the book and make it so hard to put down.

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a successful farm harvest.

Barbour Books provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Fannie O’Brien had a promising future and was on her way to earning a teaching degree, but then the unthinkable occurred. War is declared, and not long after her father dies. Now her two elder brothers are shipped off to war and she must take charge and run the family farm. But running a farm is back-breaking work, and eventually, at wit’s end, her mother hires German POWs to help work the farm. With her brothers serving overseas and a community full of suspicions, how can Fannie love her enemies when all she's held for them is hate and mistrust? On top of it all, ambiguous accidents began to occur. What will happen to new friendships and a budding love that grew from the hate once held?

Season of My Enemy is excellent! It answers the question of how to love your enemy the way God calls you to. It magnifies forgiveness and the need for it in any and every situation, no matter what walk of life. And if God calls us to forgive, you should do it!

World War II is such a juicy topic. Juicy in the fact that so many crazy life-changing things happened to so many people worldwide. It's definitely worth writing about, and it's also something I believe we should never forget. This book has it all! The characters are so well-rounded, the clothes described are authentic, and the life of a farmer is clearly seen vividly in your mind. You can visualize how life stateside was for Americans, the rationing of supplies for the war effort, and how Nazism affected the world.

I was able to read this within a few sittings. That has been a little hard for me in the last couple of books I have read. So this read was extremely refreshing! There were a lot of characters, but the author made them easy to remember. My top two favorites were Fannie and Wolf. I’m also happy to say they have great chemistry, and I sat at the edge of my seat to see what happened next.

I’ve had several opportunities to read some of the other books in the Heroines of World War II series, but I hadn’t picked up any until this book. I believe I’ll continue on to some of the other books. Hopefully, the other authors wrote as excellently as Musch did writing this one!

Season of My Enemy is a great book! Fannie O'Brien, a young lady who is trying to become a teacher, has to give up that dream temporarily to help her family on their farm, since her two older brothers are away fighting in World War 2. While working the farm they realize that they need more help, so they obtain that help from the men at a prison camp a few miles away. They meet these men and even though they are prisoners of war, or, the enemy soldiers, they help out a lot. Only one of them causes trouble on the farm, and he is discovered later in the book when he attacks Fannie, but she is rescued by another prisoner of war, Wolf, who is also a teacher, and one of the nicest of the prisoners. A great story I loved reading! A romance that actually had very little romance to it. Great read!

Season of My Enemy
by Naomi Musch
Series: Heroines of WW2
Barbour Publishing
Rated: 4
Back of the Book: “‘Get Your Farm in the Fight” - The Realities of WWII Come to a Wisconsin Farm
Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII.
Only last year, Fannie O’Brien was considered a beauty with a brain, and her future shone bright, despite the war pounding Europe. With her father’s sudden death and her brothers overseas, Fannie must now do the work of three men on their 200-acre farm—until eight German prisoners arrive and, just as Fannie feared, trouble comes too. Someone seems intent on causing “accidents,” and Fannie is certain the culprit is one of the two handsome older Germans—or possibly both. Can she manage the farm, keep the prisoners in line, and hold her family together through these turbulent times?”
Impressions: I enjoyed this unique perspective of life during WW2. Fannie is home saving what normalcy she can, trying to keep her family's farm producing. She realizes she needs to learn to accept help from an unexpected place, the PW’s being in-prisoned nearby. Bringing the enemy home Fannie realizes the war going on isn’t the only battle being fought. The war waging in Fannie's heart is what makes this engaging story worth reading.
Quotes: “I suppose if we began to untangle all the roots of our family history, we would find that there is really very little that separates any of us.”
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review shared here.
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I just left reviews on goodreads and Barnes and noble.
Being from Wisconsin this book on our little known history of WWII was very interesting. I found it well researched and wove both the good and bad of this situation into a great read.
How can farmers produce what is needed when the men go off to war. The answer came from an unexpected and often unwelcome place.
Lives brought together out of necessity take many twists and turns in this great book.on the German prisoners of war in Wisconsin.

World War II on the Home Front

I have been really enjoying the Heroines of World War II series from Barbour Publishing and reading how women contributed their own energies to the war effort in a variety of ways. In Season of My Enemy, I learned something I had not heard of before—that German prisoners of war worked on farms in Wisconsin to supply agricultural help to farm families affected by the absence of able-bodied men due to enlistment. The heroine, Fannie O’Brien, is the oldest sibling at home and is tasked with managing the farm work to be completed by the prisoners of war. Although the book started off a little slowly for me, I have read and thoroughly enjoyed other books by this author and expected to do the same with this one. Sure enough, the drama picked up with the activities of the farm workers as well as with some interpersonal family issues that cropped up, relating to the war. A sweet romance slowly developed between Fannie and one of the prisoners of war; it was subtle yet related to the strong and inspirational messages of forgiveness and a theme of loving one’s enemies with a reminder that people ought not to judge one another. This book is well worth your time to read in addition to the other books in the series!

I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley for Celebrate Lit Bloggers and Reviewers. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed here are completely my own.

This latest addition to the Heroines of WWII showcases a little-known segment of the home front of the war. German POWs are working on a local Wisconsin farm, helping to bring in the crops while the men are away fighting overseas. The book does an excellent job of looking at the intricacies of war, individuals, and the human condition. There are some difficult feelings between the local family, who has boys fighting overseas, and the Germans, simply because they are the 'enemy.' Through the course of the story, alliances unfold, each side comes to see the other as the human beings they are, and new alliances are formed. On a more personal note, this book was the impetus for me to do some further exploration into family history, and led me to uncovering new stories that were related to the one in these pages!