I apologize for not writing sooner - it has been one of those years. But I have a couple days during this holiday season and want to fulfill my obligation by writing a review of why I didn't read it.

First: I only read Audibooks.

Second: Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance (I never read that "Romance" and "Christian" were titles in your original description. If I missed it, I apologize for being rushed. If you didn't include, you just have to. That way you'll get your best reviews.

I have to rate this and would normally go with a 1 or 2, but want to be fair so I'm rating it 3 stars.

Thank you.

This was an extremely interesting plot. I don’t know if it was true or not historically, but I thought the idea of them hiding escape plans in a board game for POWs was fascinating. The characters, Kenneth and Beryl, were well written and easy to fall in love with. I enjoyed watching Kenneth learn to trust God throughout the story. This was a book I couldn’t put down once I was invested…I had to know what was going to happen! I highly recommend this one and the rest of the Heroines of World War 2 series!

**I received a copy of this book as part of the CelebrateLit blog team. I was not required to write a positive review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beryl Clarke returns home to Leeds from Oxford University to take care of her widowed mother, and she works as a secretary at the Waddington game company and as a volunteer air raid warden three nights a week.

Her brother James is in the RAF, his plane's shot down over France and he becomes a prisoner of war, and he’s sent to a Stalag camp in Barth, Germany. His friend American pilot Kenneth Bordelon is a POW here and he’s tried numerous times to escape and spent time in the cooler. Prisoners of war are permitted to send letters home, Kenneth writes to the Clarke’s to let them know James has a broken arm, can they please send care packages through the Red Cross and prisoners rely on these to supplement their meagre rations.

The narrative explains what it was like to live in Leeds at the time, the air raids and spending the night huddled in a shelter in the backyard, people and houses lost. The prisoner of war camp was a bleak place and became over crowded, they did what they could to boost morale, formed a glee club and put on plays, and plotted how to escape and spend hours observing the camps schedules and digging tunnels. Both James and Kenneth are confused by Beryl’s letters, her references to the board game Monopoly and you discover why and it turns out to be a secret and one that was real and kept for over fifty years.

I received a copy of The Escape Game by Marilyn Turk from NetGalley and Barbour Publishing in exchange for an honest review and it's the 9th novel in the Heroines of World War II Series. Faith based historical fiction, it’s well written and the author did extensive research and it showed. I was hooked from the first page, the story is set in Leeds, England and starts in 1941, my grandmother was living here at the time, with three young children and pregnant with my dad and he was born during the Blitz. Four and a half stars from me, my aunt remembers the war and her reflections are very much like what Ms. Turk describes.

This book just didn't do it for me. I thought the plot sounded interesting, but the writing didn't hook me and some of the dialogue felt forced.

The Escape Game by Marilyn Turk is a compelling WWII story. The author has created characters that are realistic and relatable along with a sweet long-distance romance that ultimately produces a satisfying sigh. Using dual settings of wartime England and a German prisoner-of-war camp, Turk tells the story of a family on the homefront and RAF pilots who have been captured by the Germans. The men in the Royal Air Force were compelled to find a way home and Turk gives a realistic look at the attempts that were made. The bravery and ingenuity of both the pilots and their loved ones at home are well portrayed in The Escape Game. I look forward to reading more by this author. Readers who enjoy WWII stories will not want to miss this book I was given a complimentary copy of the book through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review.

I’m a big fan of board games. I’m a big fan of historical fiction set during the time of World War II. When I found a book that combined these two elements, I definitely had to read it. That book is The Escape Game by Marilyn Turk. The Escape Game is part of the Heroines of WWII series from Barbour Publishing. Ms. Turk’s The Escape Game tells the story of Beryl Clarke, a college student that lives in England whose education got put on hold due to the War, who works for the Waddingtons game company and her brother James who is fighting in the war along with his American classmate, Kenneth before they both become Prisoners of War. As POWs, Kenneth and James try to figure out ways to escape. After getting a series of cryptic letters from Beryl about the game of Monopoly, Kenneth and James began to wonder if the beloved board game they receive in their care packages could be the key to breaking free.

I love that The Escape Game brings out a part of World War II history that is not very well known. Who knew that secret versions of some of our favorite games were created to help POWs escape? (I will look more closely from now on at how a game board is made and think of the detail that was put into them to help POWs escape.) I love the gumption of Beryl and how she wasn’t afraid to take the reigns to take care of and do what was best for her family and others who became victims of the War’s Wrath. I love how Beryl, James, and Kenneth unknowingly worked together so that James and Kenneth could escape the Prison Camp. I love how regardless of what was thrown at their family, Beryl and James kept leaning on their Faith. I appreciated Kenneth’s struggle with Believing. I just wish Kenneth’s Come to Faith moment was more fleshed out in the book. I wanted some of the moments in The Escape Game to be longer than what they were, because I wanted to read more about what was going on and did not want to miss a thing. Even though I was wanting more of The Escape Game, I still really enjoyed the book and learning a little bit about a part of World War II history that I never knew about before. I enjoyed the intriguing escape The Escape Game gave me. If you are looking for a book that takes a look at a different part of World War II history and takes you on an escape, then I highly recommend Marilyn Turk’s The Escape Game!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read The Escape Game. All thoughts and opinions are my own. My review is also on Goodreads and my blog, Leslie's Library Escape.

Historical fiction is something I really like reading. The Escape Game, Marilyn Turk's most recent work, is no different.

The book is meticulously researched and is presented in such a way you can hear the sirens, the roar of the aircraft overhead and the sensation of the ground trembling in Leeds as the bombs fell.

Beryl Clarke, who is a secretary and a UK Air Raid Precautions (ARP) member, and two Prisoners of War (POW)—American pilot Kenneth Bordelon and British pilot James Clarke—are the main characters of the narrative.

Turk also describes the intense cold of the prisoner-of-war camp and the somewhat frenzied yet composed attempts of the inmates to effect an escape, making the reader both breathless and simultaneously cheering for the prisoners.

I received a review copy of this book from Barbour Fiction through NetGalley. All opinions are my own, and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

#TheEscapeGame #NetGalley

Book #9 of the Heroines of WWII Series does not disappoint due to the talent of the author and her research. The story is set during World War II when the Nazis invaded England. Beryl Clarke is the WWII heroine in this story. She puts her education plans on hold to care for her mother, as well as working as a secretary at the Waddington Game Company. Her brother James fights the Nazi enemy in the air, shot down, captured, and put in a prison camp. The title is absolutely a teaser as I would never have guessed the covert secret behind it and how playing the game Monopoly can quickly change things. This is a new author for me. I look forward to reading more of her books.
I received a complimentary copy from the author. The opinions are my own.

This book is perfect for anyone wanting to explore history in a more digestible story fashion. Where text books can be dull and lack the ability to allow the reader to see through the eyes of those who experienced the events they are reading of this book does a great job of creating a relatable and understandable bridge into the subject of history.

I somehow missed that this book was Christian--my fault, not the publisher's--and so I'm going to attempt to give this a star-rating based on how much I would have liked it had I been a committed Christian. I think the plot was good--something a little different. While Monopoly and the escape plots are the focus of a lot of the marketing, this is really a standard clean romance that takes place during World War II. (I will say that Marilyn Turk manages clean romance by putting her male lead in a prison camp until the very end of the book, which is quite a choice.) The romance doesn't progress as much as... just happen through sheer force of will. That said, I quite liked aspects of this book--the focus on responsibility and obligation rang true for me, as did finding the best in difficult life circumstances. I think this could have been a better book, but it was an entertaining, quick read and I think many library patrons will enjoy it.

This story of how board games helped POWs with escape plans was amazing. I had no knowledge of this prior to reading this book. The writing is rich in historical detail, and I loved the Author Notes.
Many thanks to Barbour Publishing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

# The Escape Game
by Marilyn Turk
Pub Date 01 Mar 2023 | Archive Date 01 Apr 2023
Barbour Fiction
Christian| Historical Fiction| Romance


I am reviewing a copy of The Escape Game through Barbour/Barbour fiction and Netgalley:



The key to escaping prison is in the form of a board game


 
Featuring intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series honors the unsung heroes of World War II, the women.


 
In the aftermath of the Nazi bombing blitz, Beryl Clarke puts her college studies on hold in order to care for her mother and work as a secretary at the Waddington game company. As she endures the war at home, her brother James fights the enemy in the air. As James is shot down, wounded, and captured by the Nazis, he reunites with Kenneth Bordelon, a former college friend, and they devise a plan to escape. A board game with escape plans is being delivered by the Red Cross to prisoners of war. How can she inform them of the game's secret without disclosing it to the enemy?


I give The Escape Game five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

The Escape Game by Marilyn Turk is a lovely historical novel set in World War 2. I love how it is told as a story to her granddaughter many years later. This story has all the major elements that make historical fiction great. The focus on the strength of women was a highlight for me as well. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Learn what World War II may have been like for those at home in England. Beryle Clarke has joined the group of volunteer ARPs who patrol the streets looking for light during blackouts and putting out small fires after a bombing. Her brother, James, is shot down over Germany and put in a prisoner of war camp where he meets up with his American college friend, Kenneth. James and Kenneth are determined to escape the camp. It was interesting to read of their escape attempts. One of the most interesting parts was how a board game played a huge part in their escape. I loved how Beryle befriended Mrs. Dowd and took her to live with them when the Dowd home is bombed and Mr. Dowd killed. Mrs. Dowd ends up having an interesting part in the book! I felt like I learned a lot about World War II in The Escape Game. I received a complimentary e-book through Barbour Publishing and NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

This was a great read! Kept me on the edge of my seat and based on true events.

I enjoyed learning history through this book and it was fun to see the perspectives of the men at war and the women at home.

Really great read, great for young adult readers as well.

I normally wouldn’t pick up a war book to read from the past 100 years, but I’m glad I did this time. This was a pleasant read and I really enjoyed it. I like how James never gave up on his faith in God and sharing it when he could without being pushy. You can tell that this book was very well researched and I can appreciate that indeed. I like how the tale started and ended. A story of not giving up and having hope despite the circumstances of those not only fighting this horrible war, but also of those who are waiting at home. How clever to use the Monopoly game to help the POWs plan their escape. Beryl is quite genius in writing clues in her correspondence to her brother and her old friend from college what to look for in this game should they come upon it. I received this e-book for free from Celebrate Lit Tour and the opinions I express are honest and my own.

I have enjoyed reading the Heroines of WWII series and was excited to read the newest and ninth installment, Marilyn Turk’s The Escape Game. I thought this was a great book to read and a wonderful introduction to this author’s books. I was intrigued to learn this was based on true events and to keep reading to find out how it would all end for the characters. It was full of action, danger and suspense. I loved it.

I am giving The Escape Game a very well deserved five plus stars. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading clean historical romance, particularly those set during the Second World War. I am looking forward to the next installment from the Heroines of WWII series, Debby Lee’s Beneath a Peaceful Moon, as well as, more books from Marilyn Turk.

I received a paperback copy of The Escape Game from the publisher but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.

The Escape Game

I love this version of World War II. These types of books take a lot of research. I loved the characters. I enjoyed reading from start to finish. This is one of books that will stay with you. Beryl lived in England where a lot of the war was. Beryl was so brave and so much help to her mother. Her brother, James was taken prisoner of the war. I feel like I learned a lot reading this book. If you like World War II books you will love this one. If you don’t like World War II books, give this a try.

I received a advanced copy of the book from the author. This book review is my own opinion.

The escape Game was an interesting WWII novel. This was two plots at the same time- one in a prison of war camp in Germany and back home in England. The author tied the two plots together very well and managed to keep my interest in both. I have read several WWII novels and this was one unique in the fact it was a little more descriptive of life in a prison camp. The description of life in the camp seemed to remain pretty PG rated and high level. But the storyline was so well written and hearing about escape game kits made it a really enjoyable book to read.. I would definitely recommend The Escape Game to any who enjoy historical fiction.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley with no obligations other than my honest opinion.

NOT JUST FOR WOMEN.
Wow! Ok so let me just say that, as a man, I don't get excited over historical romance. But Turk dropped me immediately into the action from the first page and it kept going. The story of Beryl during WWII is an amazing story filled with action (yay!) and long-distance love that broke through the norms of most novels like this and grabbed me. A compelling page-turner that is well-researched and entertaining. I knew I liked Turk's other writing from reading her lighthouse devotional. But I had no idea how skilled she was at other genres. It's official...I'm a fan! You will be too.